OHSAA Division I State Championship Contenders

<p>This high school basketball season will be incredibly unique, but one thing remains the same, teams are going to be competing for a state championship. In this article I’m going to be looking at what teams are the top contenders for the Division I state championship.</p> <p>Archbishop Moeller: Moeller has long been waiting for this 2020-21 season, because of their dominant 2021 class. It’s still strong, but losing [player_tooltip player_id="714481" first="Will" last="McCracken"] to an out of state transfer hurts. [player_tooltip player_id="714474" first="Logan" last="Duncomb"] is a dominant post player and [player_tooltip player_id="834668" first="Alex" last="Williams"] is one of the more productive wings in the state. Throw in high upside wings in [player_tooltip player_id="555238" first="Aidan" last="Noyes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="921744" first="Evan" last="Mahaffey"] plus seniors [player_tooltip player_id="714550" first="Aidan" last="Turner"] and [player_tooltip player_id="805166" first="Zachary" last="George"] and the Crusaders are favorites to win another state title.</p> <p>Gahanna Lincoln: I expect Gahanna to be the top team in the Columbus area this season. Gahanna was very successful last season but bowed out in the district final to Walnut Ridge. [player_tooltip player_id="616810" first="Sean" last="Jones"] and company are back and ready to go this season. Combine Jones with seniors [player_tooltip player_id="918985" first="Jarius" last="Jones"] and [player_tooltip player_id="919037" first="Maceo" last="Williams"] and Gahanna has a trio that’s built to win. It’ll be interesting to see who else steps up at the guard position, and how much of a leap [player_tooltip player_id="921759" first="Javan" last="Simmons"] takes during his Junior season. Despite these questions, I think Gahanna is the team to beat in central Ohio.</p> <p>Canton McKinley: Northeast Ohio has the next three teams on this list and all of them dove into the transfer market to add depth to already talented rosters. With [player_tooltip player_id="918990" first="Tae" last="Perie"] and [player_tooltip player_id="714500" first="Vernon" last="Smith"] joining the Bulldogs, McKinley has the depth to compete with anybody in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="726589" first="Kobe" last="Johnson"] can carry the Bulldogs himself, but with those transfers plus seniors Brent Walker and James McCollough, I like the Bulldogs chances in the Federal League.</p> <p>Cleveland Heights: [player_tooltip player_id="918957" first="EJ" last="Farmer"] was returning with Davon Smith-Johnson but the Tigers were originally going to be relying on some fresh faces in 2020-21. After the uncertainty behind the Cleveland Senate league having a season, [player_tooltip player_id="921740" first="Jamal" last="Sumlin"], [player_tooltip player_id="855927" first="Keyshawn" last="Hall"] and Byron Ottrix all opted to rock the Yellow and Black this season. With these three pieces, I’m not sure there’s a team with more isolation talent in the state. The question on Cleveland Heights is how quickly they’ll be able to find on-court chemistry with so many new pieces on the roster.</p> <p>Mentor: The Cardinals were one game away from the final 4 last season, but after graduating a strong senior class it appeared like the Cardinals wouldn’t be at this level again. Then [player_tooltip player_id="805141" first="Jonah" last="Waag"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1078691" first="Steven" last="Key"] both transferred in this off-season. Both play AAU basketball with [player_tooltip player_id="805148" first="Luke" last="Chicone"], so their chemistry should be found rather quickly. Throw in returning pieces like [player_tooltip player_id="805199" first="Kyle" last="Culler"] and some more unknown names like Sean Collins looking to play bigger roles this season.</p> <p>Thomas Worthington: Worthington has a nice duo committed to division I schools in [player_tooltip player_id="805137" first="Jalen" last="Sullinger"] and [player_tooltip player_id="918955" first="Tyrese" last="Hughey"]. Alongside that duo they have seniors [player_tooltip player_id="918976" first="Isaac" last="Settles"], [player_tooltip player_id="805211" first="Maurice" last="Collins"] and [player_tooltip player_id="919038" first="Omari" last="Effiong"]. With those five seniors expecting heavy minutes, Thomas Worthington is very experienced heading into this season. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="922607" first="Joey" last="Zalewski"] and Caleb Miller will bring some young spark to the Cardinals this season.</p> <p>Lakota East: The Thunderhawks were still alive when last season ended, and say goodbye to two of their top players. [player_tooltip player_id="593930" first="Nate" last="Johnson"] is back and he’s going to be riding with [player_tooltip player_id="1045458" first="Kobe" last="Peck"] and [player_tooltip player_id="921807" first="Jadon" last="Coles"] in the back-court. Add in a Sophomore transfer from Saint Xavier in Jack Kronauge and Lakota East has a lot of guard depth. The question for Lakota East is who will step up in the paint and eventually guard [player_tooltip player_id="714474" first="Logan" last="Duncomb"], because nobody is getting to the final 4 out of the SW Ohio region without going through Moeller.</p> <p>Huber Heights Wayne: Wayne is projected as the top team in the GWOC, neck and neck with Centerville. [player_tooltip player_id="867949" first="Lawrent" last="Rice"] is a Sophomore stud, and he’ll be complimented by a talented senior class next to him. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id="919032" first="Malcolm" last="Curry"] and [player_tooltip player_id="805201" first="Cam" last="Fancher"] will be his running-mates in the back-court. In the front-court, Wayne returns [player_tooltip player_id="919016" first="Ben" last="Palma"] and [player_tooltip player_id="902059" first="Elijah" last="Brown"], they also add [player_tooltip player_id="919035" first="Prophet" last="Johnson"] from Thurgood-Marshall. Like I said, it will be close between Wayne and Centerville for top team in the GWOC this season.</p> <p>Other teams to watch by region</p> <p>Northeast: Medina, Shaker Heights, Lorain, Saint Ignatius, Saint Edward, Solon</p> <p>Northwest: Findlay, St Francis De Sales, Lima Sr</p> <p>Central: Hilliard Bradley, Pickerington Central, Pickerington North, Olentangy Liberty</p> <p>Southwest: Princeton, Centerville, Saint Xavier, La Salle</p>