OHSAA Division II Preseason Rankings: Watchlist

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OHSAA basketball season is under a month away and it's time to discuss which teams have the best chance of making it to Dayton and competing for a state championship. In this article we'll take a look at six teams that just missed our top 10 for Division II.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warren G Harding</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top programs from the Youngstown area, Warren G Harding has a lot of athletes including football star [player_tooltip player_id='2476476' first='Chaz' last='Coleman'] on the roster. [player_tooltip player_id='2377837' first='Myles' last='Miller'] comes over from Youngstown Ursuline to add even more size, athleticism and offensive firepower. It'll be interesting to see how Harding competes against some of northeast Ohio's best with a tough schedule this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brecksville-Broadview Heights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another northeast Ohio program, this one has been incredibly successful over the past few seasons as they've been a dominant force in the Suburban league. Luke Skaljac has graduated and is now at Miami (OH) which means it's time for [player_tooltip player_id='1432057' first='Brady' last='Ganley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2476493' first='Ben' last='Mehendale'] to take charge of the program. We'll see how the Bees adjust after losing one of their best players in school history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Massillon Washington</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The football powerhouse took a jump on the hardwood last season and return a decent amount of talent. [player_tooltip player_id='2419928' first='Chris' last='Knight'] is a marquee name to watch for Massillon this season as they look to build on a season that saw them sweep Warren G Harding, beat regional champion Youngstown Ursuline and top area programs GlenOak and Walsh Jesuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clayton Northmont</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guards help you win games at the high school level and with [player_tooltip player_id='1432007' first='Bj' last='Hatcher'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2391548' first='Victor' last='Drummond'], Northmont has guard play that can take over the game. They still have yet to take that next step into GWOC contention, but maybe that happens this season with a couple experienced seniors and some size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Miamisburg</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An interesting match-up for lots of teams because Miamisburg plays through the post with stud senior [player_tooltip player_id='2405956' first='Andrew' last='Hoerner']. One of the more skilled bigs in Ohio, Hoerner is as crucial of a piece offensive as any center in the state. This can cause issues with teams that like to play small and don't have a body that can stop him in the paint. I could see Miamisburg having a couple surprising wins this season due to their unique style of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kings</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After finishing tied for first in the ECC in 2023, Kings was a disappointment in 2024 finishing four games back of conference champs Winton Woods and tied for second with Little Miami and Anderson. This gives [player_tooltip player_id='1812061' first='Tommy' last='Clark'] and company one last chance to hold the conference crown for themselves and with five of their top seven scorers returning from last season, I expect Kings to be in the mix for a conference crown and a potential playoff push.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->