Mr. Basketball Contenders: Southwest Ohio
To be named Mr. Basketball in the State of the Ohio is an honor in and of itself. Some of the best basketball players from Ohio at the collegiate level first began their careers as Mr. Basketball in the State. Today, I will look at 5 Mr. Basketball contenders from Southwest Ohio.
Darius Bazley (Princeton)- The #1 player in Prep Hoops Ohio Class of 2018 rankings, Bazley is likely #1 on most people’s lists for Mr. Basketball contenders. The smooth lefty has proven to be too much for many opponents throughout the high school season and AAU and is bound to have incredible numbers this year.
Jaxson Hayes (Moeller)- The Crusaders big man is coming off a great AAU season and is definitely a player to watch for the Mr. Basketball race. Hayes is a dynamic playmaker and great athlete capable of making plays on both ends of the floor.
Darius Quisenberry (Wayne)- Darius is the first guard we see on the watch list for Southwest Ohio. The Youngstown State commit is a tremendous PG with great athletic abilities. I especially like how he can go off for 20 points any night, but doesn’t too often because he is so good at getting his teammates the ball.
Deshon Parker (Wayne)- Another talented guard from Wayne joins this watch list. Deshon is another athletic 2 guard for the Warriors with great scoring abilities. He saw a rise in his recruiting stock this summer as he picked up several D1 offers. With his teammate Darius Quisenberry playing along-side him in the backcourt, Deshon could average close to 15-18 points per game next year.
Giovanni Santiago (Hughes)- Giovanni, like Quisenberry, is a dynamic scorer but also does a very good job of setting up teammates. One of the top assist men in the CMAC, Santiago is bound for a big senior season and looks to not only take Mr. Basketball, but to lead Hughes Center deep into the state tournament come March.