The Sleepers: Division I
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. There are a handful of clear favorites in Division I this season, but, here, we’re going to check out the teams that could sneak up on the giants in Ohio basketball in 2017-18.
Dayton Springfield
The 23-4 Springfield Wildcats were a known commodity last season with their backcourt of Danny Davis and Michael McKay. This season, their main returning contributor is Leonard Taylor, a four-star tight end/defensive end prospect. Otherwise, there’s a lot of new faces for Springfield to get used to.
They may not backtrack this season with the expected emergence of 6’6” wing/forward Sam Towns and 6’2” point guard JaJuan Rodgers. They should have better size this season with Taylor, Towns, and Derrick Verse (transfer from Toledo Rogers). Also, they have a couple athletic perimeter defenders who don’t need the ball much to be effective in RaHeim Moss and Michael Wallace.
Lakewood St. Edward
Eds made it all the way to the State Final Four a year ago, so maybe they’re considered a favorite by many. But, they graduated a trio of key contributors in Tommy Schmock (12.7 points per game), Jack Sullivan (11.4), and Kelvin Calhoun (10.6).
In order to stay at the top of the mountain, Eds will need their underclassmen to be extraordinary. A few upperclassmen — Emmett Chambers, Demetrius Terry, and PJ Flannery — will play a significant role. However, their playmakers are coming from the sophomore class with Montorie Foster, Grant Huffman, and Devontae Blanton. All three of these players are skilled and intelligent enough to make plays while also being athletic enough to create a malleable defensive scheme.
Cleveland Heights
Cleveland Heights had a mediocre record last regular season. What changes this season? Their loaded 2018 class has a ton of experience going into their senior year.
The two pillars are Yahel Hill and Tyreke Smith. At the front of their attack, Hill commands a lot of attention from the defense because of his shooting ability and slippery driving skills. Smith, one of the top defensive end prospects in the country, provides one of the strongest presences around the rim in the state. Those two are flanked with fellow seniors Javon Roberts, Keith Jackson, and Grayson Green. These three complimentary pieces should provide a nice balance of spot-up shooting and length on the defense.
Stow-Munroe Falls
Stow’s 2016-17 season ended when they were eliminated by two points against Medina in the Copley District Semifinals last season. Although they lost three starters to graduation last year, Stow returns one of top frontcourt tandems in Ohio with OU commit Mason McMurray and Evan Bainbridge standing 6’7” and 6’8” respectively. McMurray and Bainbridge should nickel and dime their way to buckets all season in high-low action. Defensively, both of the bigs are mobile enough to come over on help-side for contests or fly in for rebounds. If Stow is able to dominate the glass and find some outside shooting to surround their bigs, they will cause problems for opponents.
Dayton Wayne
Wayne is our second team from the Greater Western Ohio Conference to be mentioned here. They had a disappointedly early exit against Centerville last season and finished 15-9. Since, they’ve made two head coaching changes.
However, Wayne has the strongest backcourt in the state with two D-I commits in Darius Quisenberry (Youngstown State) and DeShon Parker (James Madison). If these two can find a way to gel in their offense in their first full season together, it’s hard to think of many teams with enough defensive firepower to slow them down.
Before Monday, the question surrounding Wayne was going to be around the basket, and therefore if L’Christian “Blue” Smith would play this season after committing to the Ohio State Football program as a wide receiver. However, he confirmed on Twitter that he’ll suit up this season. Smith is a 6’6” wing/forward that averaged 10 rebounds per game last season. We didn’t include surefire football recruits in our latest 2018 Prospect Rankings update, otherwise Smith would give Wayne three prospects in the senior class’ top 25.
Archbishop Hoban
Hoban had a strong season a year ago, eventually falling to Medina in the District Finals. This year, they return their two top contributors in Garrett Houser and Collen Gurley. They combine for one of the strongest backcourts in Northeast Ohio because of their complimentary skillsets, with Houser being a slashing playmaker at the point and Gurley handling a lot of the outside shooting.
Hoban will also welcome a new addition halfway through the season in Dominick Moegerle. (We’re assuming that the St. Vincent-St. Mary transfer will sit out 11 games because of OHSAA transferring regulations.) Although Moegerle didn’t see the floor much for the Irish last season, this 6’3” hybrid prospect is ranked #23 in Ohio’s 2020 class. Count on him for a couple highlight dunks in transition, defensive flexibility, and rebounding help.
Dublin Coffman
Coffman was the epitome of a sleeper last season after having their freshman point guard, Dominiq Penn, take the Rocks from the #18 seeded team in Central Ohio to giving Pickerington Central a game in the District Championship.
We’re counting on them to play the same role this season. While they are a much more known commodity entering this season, they’re still not considered within Columbus’ top four teams. Yet, Penn, who recently received an offer from Ohio State, should be even better this season and could push Coffman into the Regional Finals or further. He’ll have considerable help from their senior leader and stretch-4 prospect Nicholas Carlson. A couple juniors wings in Will Hunter and Derek Van Vlerah are also emerging pieces to look out for.