Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OVC produced 3 District Finalists in Fairland, South Point, and Chesapeake last year and has the potential to again send 1-2 teams back to the District Finals in 2023. Graduation saw some great players leave, but many of the teams are returning some talent and could put them in a position to create quite a competitive conference race.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><li>1. <strong><em>Fairland</em></strong>- Last year's conference champion is again the favorite after a Regional Semifinal appearance in 2022. While the Dragons lose arguably one of the best players in program history (Aiden Porter), they return almost all the key contributors and support guys from that team. <strong>J.D. Thacker</strong> (Sr) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2294841' first='Chase' last='Allen']</strong> (Sr) return after All-District campaigns and will provide senior leadership across the board. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1428200' first='Brody' last='Buchanan']</strong> (So) impressed in his freshman campaign and will now look to help replace Porter in the backcourt. <strong>Will Davis</strong> (Jr) might be the most athletic player in the conference and will be the next best player to come out of Fairland. The Dragons are a legitimate favorite to contend for another District title and create some headaches in the Regionals as well.</li><li>2. <strong><em>Gallia Academy</em></strong>- After a 15-7 season last year, the Blue Devils will look to build off of a successful season and move up the OVC ladder. It helps they return 3 of their top 5 from that team. The headliner is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482668' first='Isaac' last='Clary']</strong> (Sr), a 6'7 D1 football recruit and returning 1st Team All-District basketball player. Clary alone can create problems but throw in fellow athletes <strong>Brody Fellure</strong> (Sr) and <strong>Kenyon Franklin</strong> (Jr) and the Blue Devils are a tough matchup. I see them vastly improving and could even make a case for them being a District qualifier.</li><li>3. <strong><em>Ironton</em></strong>- The Tigers are one of the more athletic teams in the OVC and will have 2 of their top 3 coming back from an above average team a year ago. Those top 2 just so happen to also be All-District finishers which makes it even better. <strong>Braden Schreck</strong> (So) is one of the better young players in the conference and will be able to make a difference early on. <strong>Ty Perkins</strong> (Sr) also returns and brings serious athleticism as he is a Cincinnati football commit. The Tigers might face early season problems as their football team could be playing late into November. Once fully healthy and complete, I see them challenging within the conference and being a potential dark horse in Division II.</li><li>4. <strong><em>South Point</em></strong>- The Pointers had a very exciting season last year handing Fairland 2 losses and succeeding throughout the year, finishing overall as the #2 team in the conference. Repeating this feat will be quite the uphill battle. While the Pointers will be without their top guy from a season ago (Mason Kazee), they will have back <strong>Caleb Schneider</strong> (Jr) who transferred over before last year. The middle of the conference is a more open race and the Pointers will have to hold off teams like Portsmouth and Chesapeake in order to keep up.</li><li>5. <strong><em>Portsmouth</em></strong>- Expectations were high last year as the Trojans had some transfers come in and returning guys that some felt they could challenge at the top of the conference. Unfortunately they did struggle and finish below .500 and lose one of the best athletes in the conference a year ago. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285247' first='Kenny' last='Sanderlin']</strong> (Sr) will return in the backcourt and will look to build off of an All-District campaign.</li><li>6. <strong><em>Dawson-Bryant</em></strong>- The Hornets are one of the smaller schools in the conference and therefore struggle against the remaining members. An 8-14 year isn't bad by any means and the Hornets should be improved in 2023. They return one of the top underclassmen in the conference in <strong>Owen Johnson</strong> (So) and will lean heavily on him to try and compete in the conference race. Will need more guys around him in order to maintain this spot.</li><li>7. <strong><em>Chesapeake</em></strong>- The Panthers were in the District Finals last year before getting knocked out by Wheelersburg. I currently have them at #7 due to the talent lost and the talent with the remaining schools. 2 All-District players, including one of the better players in recent school history, are gone and bring plenty of production with them. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1617831' first='Dannie' last='Maynard']</strong> (Jr) will come back and is likely going to see his role vastly expand as he tries to help alleviate some of these losses. The Panthers aren't cemented here by any means and if they can tap into their underclassmen, could see their ranking rise.</li><li>8. <strong><em>Rock Hill</em></strong>- The Redmen were decent outside the OVC, but struggled within conference play, winning only 2 games total. They bring back <strong>Brayden Adams</strong> (Sr) from that team and will try to help get this group out of the basement of the conference standings.</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->