Miami Valley League (MVL) Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The MVL is having a historic year on the football field, but has somewhat struggled to find postseason success on the basketball court. 2021-22 saw no District title appearances from any of the 10 member schools. The conference has seen some newer faces with coaches and has been historically top-heavy with the talent. This upcoming season likely will continue this trend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Miami Division Predicted Finish</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":1} --> <ol start="1"><li><strong><em>1. Troy</em></strong>- The Trojans didn't have the greatest season a year ago only finishing a few games under .500. Injuries hurt this team as did the lack of impact seniors. Now the group they bring back have experience and should be a much better looking team in 2023. <strong>Noah Davis</strong> (Sr), <strong>Isaac Phillips</strong> (Sr), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1447908' first='Nick' last='Prince']</strong> (Sr) all return and the Trojans add <strong>Hollis Terrell</strong> (Sr) who returns after transferring to Dunbar for his Junior season. The Trojans have the experience to take the division title and should be able to battle with some out of conference teams in 2023.</li><li><strong><em>2. Tippecanoe</em></strong>- The Red Devils were the division champions a year ago but lose 2 of their top 3 and their head coach from an 18 win team. Brock Moon takes over as the new head coach and will have arguably the best player in the conference on his roster in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1239111' first='Stanley' last='Clyne']</strong> (Sr) who was an All-District guard for the Red Devils a year ago. Tipp's ability to defend their title will come down to what they have surrounding Clyne and if they can knock off teams like Piqua and Troy who will likely be their competition for a title.</li><li><strong><em>3. Piqua-</em></strong> It was difficult for me to put the Indians at #3 considering they have some of their top guys back and that Tipp was down a few. Ultimately, the gap between these two teams is slimmer than some may think. Piqua was the clear #2 team a year ago and return seniors <strong>Dre'sean Roberts</strong> and <strong>Bryson Roberts</strong> from that team. Piqua tends to bring in some football guys that play bully ball which I anticipate will happen again this year. Piqua's ability to win games will come down to how tough they are defensively and if Dre'sean Roberts can advance his game further into the new year.</li><li><strong><em>4. Butler</em></strong>- A few years removed from a 19-3 team, the Aviators haven't been able to replicate the success we saw before COVID. Last season's team was senior heavy and they certainly struggled within the league. Their top player from that team, <strong>Tristan Vandervort</strong> (Sr), is slated to return and should again be their top player with a newer group of guys. The Aviators lack the athleticism as other teams in their division and likely will need to settle for that fact they will have to depend on their intangibles and defensive basketball to succeed.</li><li><strong><em>5. Greenville</em></strong>- Injuries hurt the Green Wave as they failed to win a game outside of MVL play and were dependent on several seniors that are now gone. A new line of players could bring a chance for a fresh start, but Greenville will be facing too much returning guys from other teams for them to be favored to be in the top half of the division.</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Valley Division Predicted Finish</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true,"start":1} --> <ol start="1"><li><strong><em>1. West Carrollton</em></strong>- The Pirates faced injuries and COVID issues last year that caused us to not see their full potential. The offseason didn't help as they lost [player_tooltip player_id='867955' first='Sam' last='Walker'] to the transfer portal. So why is West Carrollton the preseason favorites? Their underclassmen talent last year was special and that type of talent can win this division. <strong>Javen Vaughn</strong> (Jr) and <strong>Donovan Harden</strong> (Jr) are both back and were role guys last season. Their experience and talent combination will be extremely difficult to matchup against in the division. As long as they're healthy, the Pirates should be able to claim the division title this year.</li><li><strong><em>Sidney-</em></strong> The Yellow Jackets had a very good season last year and won the division title with ease. They now will be without the MVL's top scorer and their All-District post player Jaden Swiger. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1468672' first='Sam' last='Reynolds']</strong> (Sr) is back and is coming off of a great AAU season that if carried over into HS season, could result in Reynolds being a POY candidate from early on. If there's a team in this division to chase West Carrollton, it's the Yellow Jackets.</li><li><strong><em>3. Xenia</em></strong>- The Buccaneers were not the best team in the league a season ago, but unlike other teams in their division, they do return their top production in senior <strong>Damien Weaver</strong> (Sr). The athletic guard had a good junior campaign and has favorable matchups in the division. I don't see Xenia challenging for a divisional title, but could see them giving Sidney or West Carrollton a battle or two in-season.</li><li><strong><em>Stebbins</em></strong>- The Indians faced plenty of struggles last year (4-16) and lost arguably their top guy from a season ago. The Indians did utilize some underclassmen in their lineup that should help them with experience, but no one really jumped off the page as game changing. Stebbins could fight with Xenia for #3, but not having the go-to guy will hurt them in tighter games.</li><li><strong><em>5. Fairborn</em></strong>- Skyhawks won just 1 game a year ago but graduated most of their production from that team. Not having experience will hurt, espeicially with a team that struggled as much as Fairborn did. </li></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->