The four absolute must-see things in Northeast Ohio this prep hoop season
The boys high school basketball season tips off this weekend and there are some players and teams in Northeast Ohio and teams who are must-see.
Here is a list of four:
Garfield Heights. This edition of the Bulldogs are going to be like the Golden State Warriors or the LeBron-era Miami Heat: Their games will be events. They are led by superstar junior big man Alonzo Gaffney (2019). The 6’9′ forward is being wooed by almost every major program in the country. Just a couple of weeks ago North Carolina’s coach Roy Williams made a visit to Garfield to take a look. Gaffney can torch you from the outside and is a high-flying finisher inside. The Bulldogs also feature a freshman point guard in Meechie Johnson, who in late November was offered a scholarship by The Ohio State University. The rest of the roster is loaded with Division I college-level talent.
Dwayne Cohill, Holy Name, point guard.
Cohill (2018) has been one of the top players in Northeast Ohio since he donned the green and white of Holy Name as a freshman. Has an incredibly smooth jump shot and is high-flyer at the rim. He can take over a game. Has already signed to play collegiately at Dayton.
Garvin Clarke, Euclid, point guard
Word amongst the gym rats in Northeast Ohio is this sophomore is the real deal and has a very high ceiling. He played on a losing team a year ago as a freshman when he made All-District and the team should improve this year as Clarke matures as a player while playing under first-year head coach T.J. Kwasniak, whose father and brother have both served as the head coach at Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
Lorain High
The Titan program has been one of the best in Northeast Ohio for the past three years but loses all-state performer Naz Bohannon and that’s a big loss from a team that went 23-3 a year ago.
The Titans do return two talented juniors in point guard Devone Grant, who averaged 10 points and 3 assists a game as a sophomore, and 6’3” Taevon Pierre-Louis, who averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds a game. Will they dominate the Lake Erie League again? Or will Maple Heights and its talented stable of guards prevail? The LEL also adds defending Ohio Division IV state champion Lutheran East.