Mike's Sunday Standouts

On Sunday I attended three games at the Ohio Expo Center, the first was a Division II district final between New Albany and Columbus Northland and the final two games were Division I district finals as Groveport Madison took on Delaware Hayes and Olentangy Orange took on Lancaster.    I was impressed with how Mattucci controlled the game as a passer on Sunday, dropping I believe five first half assists. He was making quick decisions with the ball in his hands and had a variety of assists including passes to cutters, kickouts to shooters and set lob plays. After being the setup guy early, Mattucci found his range with a handful of set 3-pointers that extended New Albany's lead and they would coast as a 3-pointer by Mattucci just before the halftime allowed New Albany to cruise in the second half.     I've been a fan of Krylov for a while and he's flown a bit under the radar until this season where he's established himself as one of the better wing forwards in central Ohio's 2026 class. A talented athlete who can run the floor, attack closeouts and crash the glass, Krylov had some stretches of physical dominance on Sunday. He did pass up a handful of open 3-point shots which was especially strange because in the fourth quarter he confidently knocked down a 3-pointer when left open.     While the loss for Northland was disappointing, they'll return a majority of their city league championship core next season including Mburugu who showed intriguing flashes on Sunday. With a good frame and nimble feet for his size, Mburugu has some physical tools to continue to develop in the off-season. Add in a high motor and workable jump-shot mechanics and Mburugu is a player who could take that sophomore to junior year leap a lot of players make when they start to become really confident in their abilities. This summer and fall will be huge for Mburugu to continue to develop as a prospect.     Keyes made one of the best defensive plays of the year when he blocked a corner 3-pointer that would've tied the game with 10 seconds left to allow Groveport Madison to win their first district title this century. Keyes is an extremely talented athlete who can run and jump with anybody. He made his impact flying around the court defensively and in transition as a scorer. I love the motor he plays with and when you combine that with his physical gifts, he is an intriguing small college target.     A new name for myself, I liked what Moore brought to the court with his size, interior scoring and defensive ability. Mostly scoring at the rim off cuts and in transition, Moore had a breakaway slam that helped give the Cruisers some serious momentum in the second half. Under the radar senior in the Columbus area who has a handful of Division I football offers and would be a solid small college basketball target as well.     Olentangy Orange wasted no time taking control as Knupp scored the first four points of the game off well executed sets by the Pioneers and they were off and running to the tune of a Central district record margin of victory for a district final as 55 points separated the sides. Knupp even knocked down a 3-pointer on the wing but this match-up was so lopsided that I could've picked from a handful of Olentangy Orange players to feature.

On Sunday I attended three games at the Ohio Expo Center, the first was a Division II district final between New Albany and Columbus Northland and the final two games were Division I district finals as Groveport Madison took on Delaware Hayes and Olentangy Orange took on Lancaster.