OHSAA Division II Preseason Rankings: 1-5

Michael Roth October 31, 2024 @ 11:09 AM

<p>The OHSAA basketball season is less than a month away and it's time to take a look at which teams we think have the best chance to go to Dayton for the state championships. In this article we'll profile the top five teams in Division II.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Lima Sr</h2>   <p>This team has a nice mix of talent across multiple classes and positions. You start with star 2027 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140877' first='Shawn' last='Foster'] who is one of the elite shooters in Ohio. Combine that with [player_tooltip player_id='1475110' first='Jekel' last='Cotton'] a Detroit Mercy commit and then add in gritty defensive guards with Isaiah Wilson and [player_tooltip player_id='1705957' first='Amari' last='Addy'] and Lima Sr has a lot of returning production. The Spartans also added [player_tooltip player_id='2376402' first='Willie' last='Foster'], one of the most athletic players in Ohio. This program has been dominant in northwest Ohio over the past decade and this is one of their best teams on paper in recent memory.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Westerville North</h2>   <p>A team that has consistently won a very high percentage of games in the regular season but haven't quite gotten over the district final playoff hurdle, I think it's go time for Westerville North. Akron commit [player_tooltip player_id='1480850' first='Tai' last='Perkins'] and Concord commit [player_tooltip player_id='1432010' first='Micah' last='Young'] give them experience at the guard positions. They also have 2027 pieces in [player_tooltip player_id='2140886' first='Tyson' last='Perkins'] and Tony Cornett who are ready to break out this season. If [player_tooltip player_id='1617855' first='Nolan' last='Fedak'] continues to take a leap, he could be the difference maker in the playoffs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Westerville Central</h2>   <p>From the time last season ended to today, I'm not sure there is a more improved player in Ohio than [player_tooltip player_id='1708714' first='Josh' last='Henderson']. The Westerville Central wing guard blew up in June and picked up a handful of Division I offers before selecting Akron. The Warhawks also added [player_tooltip player_id='1432022' first='Amare' last='Spiva'] to play alongside Henderson this year after Westerville Central graduated a ton of 2024 talent and have a new head coach. There's definitely some question marks around this team, but the upside is as good as anybody in Division II.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Big Walnut</h2>   <p>Another program with a new head coach, Aaron Stumpf takes over a program on the rise very quickly. The depth of talent on this team is very impressive with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2412020' first='Braden' last='McCruter'] ready to take a big jump. Sophomore's Eli Stump and Carson School can fill it up offensively and point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1729404' first='Brody' last='Hatfield'] has the experience to be a leader for this team. I think this is the year where Big Walnut establishes itself as a top team in central Ohio.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. New Albany</h2>   <p>Tim Casey hit the ground running during his first season at New Albany last year and he returns a nice core for year number two. [player_tooltip player_id='1943740' first='Marco' last='Mattucci'] is the headliner with fellow 2026 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2295991' first='Daneal' last='Krylov'] getting some off-season buzz. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1984821' first='Miles' last='Jackson'] is an excellent utility guard and with the way New Albany shares the ball, they can really score the ball at a high level.</p>

The OHSAA basketball season is less than a month away and it's time to take a look at which teams we think have the best chance to go to Dayton for the state championships. In this article we'll profile the top five teams in Division II.