Columbus City League Preview: Centennial Stars
Game recognize game. And everyone with a game has recognized the game Travonne Jackson of the Centennial Stars has. The type of play that can carry a team, even in the Columbus City League north. This season, he and the…
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Continue ReadingGame recognize game. And everyone with a game has recognized the game Travonne Jackson of the Centennial Stars has. The type of play that can carry a team, even in the Columbus City League north. This season, he and the Stars bring back seniors and they are looking to make a run in their forever-tough division.
Travonne Jackson seems to be wired to score, a close to 6-foot-6 wing who can do it all with a shot that’s “electric out the hand” as the great Tsu Surf once said. Jackson has long arms that helps him block shots in the paint and play the passing lanes better than most. Even though he did not play to start the season, he had an immediate impact on his team who won half of the games in which he played.
Jackson averaged just over 20 points in the games he played with a high of 29, he showed he can hang with the best talent in the city. Approaching his senior year he will need to start and play the entire season for this team to produce results. This young man has a silky handle and gets to the basket with relative ease without having blazing speed.
Outside of Jackson, the Stars return a player who was the glue from start to finish for this team, guard Jaylen Gilbert. Gilbert averaged 16 points per game and was the consistent go-to player for Centennial.
Gilbert proved to be among the best in the division, his strong upper-body allows him to get into the paint with football-like intensity. Making school history in football propelled him into basketball season where he shined. He also is a really good passer, especially his ability to make complete full court passes to his teammates. His jump shot will need some improvement but his ability to consistently get lay-ups and to the free throw line will always benefit him.
Jaylon Jackson and Tyreek Gunnell will also be back and look to round out the scoring for this team. Gunnell, a 5-foot-9 inch guard who averaged close to 10 points last season as the third scorer for the Stars and played in the most games, with a season-high of 19 points. Jaylon Jackson will seemingly have the ball in his hands more and hopes to take advantage of defenses and improve on his six points per game.
Columbus Centennial has been deprived of their breakout season despite putting out numerous college-level athletes over the years. Located in an area known more for local bars with Ohio State Buckeye flags, the Stars make the community proud with their effort in sports and scholastic achievements in the classroom.
The Centennial Stars had a roller coaster of a 2019-2020 season, they had flashes of a good team and a couple good wins. With a duo that can stand up to any duo in the Columbus City League, the Stars look to compete at the highest level and set basketball history.