Cleveland Basketball Diaries
East Tech has a long illustrious high school basketball history. A recent graduate from the program, Markell Johnson, is shining brightly in in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the starting point guard for the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Johnson, a 6’1” guard, who reclassified and left East Tech after the 2015-16 season, has recorded 10 or more assists in his last four games. On the season he’s averaging 8.1 ppg, 7.6 dimes, and 3.1 rebounds.
His former high school coach and current East Tech coach Brett Moore went to see his prized pupil on Feb 3 as the Wolfpack took on Notre Dame. Johnson ended up scoring 5 points and dishing out 11 assists in the NC State win.
“That’s how he always wanted to play for us,” said Moore, referring to Johnson’s playmaking abilities.
“He wanted to pass,” Moore said.
“Anyone who can control the game without scoring is impressive,” Moore added.
Johnson could get buckets at will at the prep level and Moore would game plan with Johnson as the No. 1 offensive option. So Johnson was more a scorer in high school than he probably wanted to be.
Johnson had a setback this season when he was suspended from the team while a felonious assault charged stemming from an incident in Cleveland was sorted out. The charges were eventually dropped.
Moore called the charges “bogus.”
Best player who gets no hype
That title has to go R.J. Sunahara (2018). The 6’6” wing from Bay High does it all. Scores, rebounds, defends, facilitates, dunks. He is averaging 24.2 points per game and 12.5 rebounds a game to go along with 3.8 assists, 2.1 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.
He combined with Shaker Heights Dale Bonner, one of the premier point guards in Northeast Ohio, give Division II Fairmont State University a great recruiting class.
East Tech ready for Senate Final Four
The Scarabs are 13-4 and won the Senate League title, going a perfect 11-0 in the league.
Glenville will face John Marshall at 6 p.m. and East Tech will take on John Hay at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at East Tech. And then the winners play on Feb 9.
East Tech is led by trio of guards, Johnny Bigsby (2019), 6’0”, a crafty lefty who can score; D. J. Harrell (2019), 5’11”, the team’s leading scorer who gets his buckets in a variety of ways and Jose Pereza, (2018), 6’1”, a 3-point specialist.
Scoring outburst
Congratulations to Jerry Higgins (2018), one of the top point guards in Northeast Ohio. He scored 47 points as Villa Angela-St. Joseph knocked off Mentor on Feb. 3.