The Sleepers: Division IV
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.
Crestview
Crestview ended last season with a 17-7 record and made it to the District Finals, where they were eliminated by Delphos St. John’s. However, they didn’t really lost anyone from last year’s promising roster. They have a strong frontline coming back with 6’4” senior Derek Stout and 6’7” junior Javin Etzler. Etzler is one of the most talented players in the junior class. He is a dynamic player with obvious size advantages, but he can also score from the outside. Fellow junior Drew Kline is a nice guard. They also have a big addition in Javin’s younger brother, Kalen Etzler, who is another versatile player with length.
McDonald
McDonald entered the postseason ranked as the #1 team in Division IV, scoring a ridiculous 89 points per game. They were eventually eliminated by Warren John F. Kennedy. The high-powered offensive machine will need to replace Evan Magill, Joey Ragazzine, and Dylan Portolese.
McDonald returns their top two scorers from last season in Zach Rasile and Braedon Poole. Rasile, a sophomore, put up record breaking 3-point shooting numbers a season ago. He made 140 total from deep, shooting 45 percent from downtown. Poole, a 6’3” senior wing, will join him in the backcourt this year after averaging 17.8 points last season. Josh Celli also provides some experience for this year’s team.
Malvern
Malvern took the Division IV State Champions, Lutheran East, to overtime in the Regional Semifinals last year. They’ve since graduated one of their top two guys in Jaret Majestic, who is now playing for Malone.
The remaining guy in their top two is 6’8” stretch-4 prospect Mark Mayle. His improved shooting threat is a nice tool, but he will continue to hang around the basket, as he averaged 13.6 rebounds per game. Mayle will also lead the team in scoring once again and prove himself as one of the top bigs in Division IV. Drew Hutchison is a key returner also, as the guard averaged 11.2 points and 6.3 assists as a junior.
Pandora-Gilboa
On the negative side of things, Pandora-Gilboa wasn’t able to notch any postseason victories last year. However, they did go 15-6 and return Drew Johnson, Jared Breece, and Cooper McCullough. Breece and McCullough are a pair of quick guards that can scoot into the lane and create or shoot from deep. But the focal point is Johnson, who will likely end this season as the all-time leading scorer at P-G. The D-II/NAIA college prospect is a deadeye shooter at 6’5”. Johnson also provides a rebounding presence, making him a versatile player.