OHSAA Division II State Title Contenders

<p>The Ohio High School Basketball season is rapidly approaching and that means it’s time to preview some of the top teams in each division in the state. In this article I’ll be looking at the team favored to make a deep run in Division II this season.</p> <p>STVM: STVM is one of the most dominant programs in the country and this season should be another strong one for the Irish. [player_tooltip player_id="593905" first="Malaki" last="Branham"] and [player_tooltip player_id="787627" first="Sencire" last="Harris"] are as good of a 1-2 punch that you’ll see in Ohio. The Irish are so successful because of their depth and accepting of smaller roles to help the team win. [player_tooltip player_id="917455" first="Isaiah" last="Ingol"] was the perfect example of this last season, and this year [player_tooltip player_id="919005" first="Austin" last="Rayman"] and Darrian Lewis will provide some senior leadership. Throw in [player_tooltip player_id="809600" first="Ramar" last="Pryor"] who should crack the starting line-up for his Junior year and the Irish have a lot of guard and wing depth. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="867938" first="Lance" last="Hayes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="867952" first="Darius" last="Stratford"] both have very high upsides and will be looked to contribute much more this season.</p> <p>Lima Shawnee: Shawnee went unbeaten and return almost everybody from last season, that’s a good recipe for success. [player_tooltip player_id="919011" first="George" last="Mangas"] is their star, as the Senior wing is one of the top scorers in Ohio. [player_tooltip player_id="1042164" first="Tyson" last="Elwer"] is very underappreciated but he does all the dirty work and was rewarded for his efforts by committing to the University of St Francis, an NAIA school. Shawnee also has seniors in Caden Vermillion and Jarin Bertke that provide size and defense from the forward positions. They do lose point guard John Barker but Brady Wheeler showed he was more than capable of filling those shoes next season. I expect Shawnee to win a very high percentage of regular season games (wanted to say 20+ but no guarantee they even play 20 games this year) and make a serious run at a state championship.</p> <p>Columbus DeSales: Another D2 team with a senior wing who can simply carry his team on the offensive end. [player_tooltip player_id="593932" first="Desmond" last="Watson"] is one of the most explosive athletes in the state and can really score the basketball. He’s taken massive strides with his outside shooting and isolation scoring and that makes him a terror to defenses. Austin Mann is a returning double-digit scoring option and [player_tooltip player_id="1045470" first="Atticus" last="Schuler"] looks ready to breakout this season. Depth might be a small question after [player_tooltip player_id="917488" first="Kobe" last="Righter"] graduates, but I expect DeSales to be the favorites in the Columbus area among D2 teams.</p> <p>Trotwood-Madison: Trotwood has become one of the most consistent programs in Ohio due to their unique style that gives opponents a lot of trouble. They add offensive firepower in [player_tooltip player_id="918968" first="Anthony" last="McComb"] who will thrive in their up and down fast paced style. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id="921794" first="Sellers" last="Little"] and [player_tooltip player_id="809637" first="Tymier" last="Blanton"] will be expected to step up after the Rams lose Sammy Anderson and [player_tooltip player_id="800842" first="Carl" last="Blanton"] to graduation. [player_tooltip player_id="805218" first="Carter" last="Mims"], [player_tooltip player_id="919018" first="Damontay" last="Raglin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1041808" first="Courtney" last="Blake"] will provide some senior experience this season. Trotwood doesn’t need a ton of talent to win with their style of play, but there’s more than enough to contend for another state title in 2020-21 after the Rams are allowed to start the season.</p> <p>Dayton Dunbar: Dunbar was a dominant program in the mid 2000’s but have had some down seasons recently. A influx of transfer talent will make them a team to watch in 2020-21. [player_tooltip player_id="809611" first="Mekhi" last="Elmore"] and [player_tooltip player_id="919014" first="Chanze" last="Amerson"] form a solid guard partnership that blossomed for Thurgood-Marshall last season. [player_tooltip player_id="973875" first="Antaune" last="Allen"] showed a lot of promise as a Freshman and he’s now at Dunbar this season. [player_tooltip player_id="1041807" first="Justin" last="O’Neal"] is another transfer who will be expect to make major contributions this season. With all of these new faces it might take a long time for them to build their chemistry, but by March this could be one of the more dangerous teams in Division II.</p> <p>Warrensville Heights: Warrensville was poised to make the final four last year before COVID-19 cancelled the tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="918982" first="Ramelle" last="Arnold"] is back but he’s joined now by [player_tooltip player_id="805133" first="Jaden" last="Hameed"] in the back-court. This duo should score 20+ PPG each this season, as both players are incredibly gifted scorers. Transfers [player_tooltip player_id="919019" first="Tyshawn" last="Smiley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1078678" first="Chris" last="Drake"] provide needed front-court depth for the Tigers as they’ll be relied upon to protect the rim and clean the glass for rebounds. Warrensville would be one of the favorites to win the title in Division III, but they’ll still contend in Division II with this talented core.</p> <p>Cincinnati Woodward: I was probably a year too early on Woodward last season when I pegged them as one of the top teams in Division II. Paul McMillan had a great individual season but it didn’t lead to a lot of victories. [player_tooltip player_id="1042165" first="Montev" last="Ware"], Aaron Davis and [player_tooltip player_id="867946" first="Kanye" last="Moreland"] are all a year older and should be more equipped to take some of the scoring load off McMillan this year.</p> <p>Cincinnati Aiken: A guard tandem of [player_tooltip player_id="918969" first="Jakada" last="Stone"] and [player_tooltip player_id="809633" first="Robbie" last="Cass"] is going to be tough for most teams to compete with. The question for Aiken is where will production come from their front-court. LeBraun Barry and [player_tooltip player_id="717622" first="Chance" last="Davis"] are returning starters so they will be the main players expected to take a leap and help Aiken rise to the top of the CMAC after Hughes surprised everyone going unbeaten in conference play last year.</p> <p>Heath: The Bulldogs went unbeaten last regular season before getting dominated by [player_tooltip player_id="593932" first="Desmond" last="Watson"] in the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="921747" first="Brandon" last="McLaughlin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="967170" first="Keylan" last="Williams"] are back for their Junior seasons and they’ll be looking to replicate the success they had last season. Around them is fellow Junior Reece Huber who was their third leading scorer last year. By returning your three leading scorers from an unbeaten team last season, I expect another successful season for the Bulldogs in 2020-21.</p> <p>Other teams to watch</p> <p>Northwest: Toledo Central Catholic, Rogers, Rossford, Upper Sandusky</p> <p>Northeast: Revere, Buchtel</p> <p>Central: Beechcroft, Johnstown-Monroe, Jonathan Alder</p> <p>Southwest: Wyoming, Hughes, Alter, Tippecanoe, Oakwood</p> <p>Southeast: Waverly, Sheridan</p>