5 C's Classic: Columbus Standouts

The 5 C's Classic is a two day event hosted at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. In this article we'll take a look at the standouts from the local high school programs that played on Saturday.    Columbus Africentric had a busy 18 hour stretch where the Nubians went on the road and had a strong comeback against Columbus City League south rival Walnut Ridge and then turned around and got a 20 point win over Thomas Worthington. While there were a couple standouts to choose from, I went with Gray Jr who was productive from the opening tip. A football athlete who is physical and athletic, it's tough to stop Gray Jr from crashing the offensive glass and finishing at the rim. Gray Jr also moves well for his size, able to run out in transition and score. He even knocked down a couple time and space 3-pointers, showing some offensive versatility. Gray Jr is definitely one of the top dual sport athletes in central Ohio's 2026 class.     Johnson has had an impressive start to his senior season, going off for some huge scoring numbers in some impressive wins for the Cardinals. While this was a tough loss, Johnson still had some bright moments as a scorer. Johnson is a tough shot maker and he hit some impressive ones on Saturday morning. Combine that with a couple lefty finishes and a coast to coast floater before the halftime buzzer and Johnson was doing his best to keep the game competitive.     Marysville got a tough win in overtime thanks in large part to the perimeter shooting of Collins. Marysville got up early with Collins knocking down back-to-back corner 3-pointers and a pull-up 3-pointer in the first six minutes of the game. As the game went on, Collins did a nice job of using pump fakes to get overaggressive defenders off him and he knocked down two baseline 15 footers because of this. In overtime, Collins hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to take the lead and that was enough to secure the victory when it was all said and done. Few players in central Ohio have the microwave shooting ability that Collins possesses and today was one of his better shooting games of the early season.     I think this was the most productive game I've ever seen Crosby play. A player who has shown flashes in the past and was solid at the Prep Hoops Expo in the fall, this was a different level. A big bodied player, Crosby does a nice job crashing the glass and had a couple interior finishes including an and-1. As the game went on and Crosby gained confidence, he knocked down a couple free throw line jumpers within the flow of the offense. Hoping to see this type of performance more consistently as he continues his senior season.     Despite the loss, I walked away really impressed with the fight from Worthington Christian. An undersized and inexperienced group, they battled for almost the full 32 minutes against one of the best teams from the Akron/Canton area. Woloshan was their clear standout as the senior shooting guard was getting busy as a scorer. Knocking down perimeter shots from all over the court and doing a nice job of picking his spots as a driver, I was impressed with the scoring polish he showed. Woloshan also made smart passes when the defense collapsed on him and had a few hustle plays as well. Definitely a stock riser, Woloshan looks like a strong small college recruit.     This was maybe the best game I've seen Young ever play as he was the difference in Westerville North's win in a battle of two of the best teams from their region. Young had a nasty hesitation move off the dribble on a closeout attack and was blowing by the Leopard perimeter defense consistently. Young also used a curl cut off a screen to get a wide open layup as well. His time and space 3-pointer also helped add some cushion for his team. Young's future college head coach Todd May also made an appearance to support Young on his big night.     Another one of the top dual sport athletes in central Ohio's 2026 class, Davis is elite on the gridiron and continues to perform on the hardwood. A guard who has the quickness to get into the paint while also the ability to knock down open perimeter shots, Davis was productive as a scorer. Olentangy Orange plays an unselfish brand of basketball and Davis fits right in with a couple drop off passes and extra skips to shooters. If the Pioneers are going to get over the hump and win the central region, they'll need Davis to continue to play at a high level.

The 5 C's Classic is a two day event hosted at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. In this article we'll take a look at the standouts from the local high school programs that played on Saturday.