The Sleepers: Division III
It’s time for big picture preseason coverage now that it’s November. Every team in Ohio started practice last weekend and for every single one of those teams the ultimate goal is to win a State Championship. Here, we’re going to check out the teams that could sneak up on the giants in Ohio basketball in 2017-18.
Harvest Prep
Harvest Prep is coming off a District runner-up season where they were one of the top teams in Central Ohio’s Division IV class. They’ve been moved up, but remain one of the few teams with high expectations in Division III. Senior wing CJ Penha, a Taylor (IN) commit, will be expected to do it all for Harvest Prep, including playing nearly every position. He’s surely capable and showed improvements in shooting the deep ball this summer. The emergence of sophomore point guard CJ Anthony will be paramount to their success. Anthony will likely run the show. He’s an efficient player that can score it from inside and out.
Cardinal Stritch
Stritch was the surprise team out of Northwest Ohio’s Division III bunch last year, going 21-4 and winning their district. They haven’t graduated any key players either.
Joey Holifeild is officially not underrated going into his sophomore season as the starting point guard. He’s racked up a pair of Division I offers. The underclassmen’s leadership and unselfishness from the lead guard spot sets the tone. Given Holifield emergence, junior guard Jordan Burton can take more of a scoring role, especially as a shooter from the outside. Additionally, watch out for Little Anderson a defensive stopper in the halfcourt and one-man fast-break when the tempo gets moved up. Terrance Taylor, Nolan Finch, and Alex Adams combine for a formidable rotation of post players.
Genoa
The biggest roadblock to Cardinal Stritch’s District Championship run was Genoa, who entered the postseason as the #11 team in Ohio’s Division III. They too bring back their most crucial members of the rotation in Jake Plantz and Andrew Bench. Plantz is a physical 6’4” guard that averaged 18.1 points per game on his way to Third Team All State. He can kill teams in the midrange and on the drive. Adding to Genoa’s physicality is Bench, who is turning himself into a strong Division II prospect. Bench runs the floor extremely well while being able to bang inside.
Deer Park
Deer Park’s young roster went 11-13 last season, but they were extremely inexperienced. They’ll continue to be relatively young this season as a competitor in Southwest Ohio. Sophomore slashing guard Mark Wise averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 assists, and 6 assists as a freshman. He will continue to be the face of the fast-paced program. Running the wings are Ibrahima Athie and Jalen Rose, who both should average double figures again. Athie and Rose, both 6’5”, will also play crucial roles on the boards for Deer Park. They also welcome in a new coach, Steve Gentry, who brings over his son Steve Gentry Jr. from Purcell Marian. Gentry Jr. is a sophomore who saw playing time at the varsity level a season ago.
Africentric
Africentric’s season ended in a two-point loss to The Wellington School, who ended up as the Division IV State runner-up. They’ve since graduated Landon Martin, who now plays for Wittenberg.
Other than Martin, Africentric is bringing back a lot of fire power, especially at the point guard spot. Minnesota State commit Manning “Tre” Baumgardner III is an experienced floor general that the Nubians can rely upon on both ends of the floor. Expect Baumgardner III to play a bit of two-man game with fellow senior Jah Bennett, a 6’7” post player committed to Kentucky State. Bennett can both roll towards the rim or pop out for a spot-up jumper with his feet set. Dorian Holloway looks to be a nice third piece to the team. Holloway is a strong defensive player on the perimeter who can push the ball in transition.
Beachwood
Beachwood gave Villa Angela-St. Joe’s, the Division III State Champions, everything they could handle in last season’s District Semifinals by taking them to overtime. Beachwood continues to have a strong program and we expect the tradition to continue, despite the loss of point guard Ben Sternberg.
Jayson Woodrich will be their focal point over the next two seasons. The junior 6’5” guard can shoot it off the catch and off the dribble. We’re also hearing good things about freshman guard Collin Albert.