OHSAA Division V Preseason 1-5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OHSAA basketball season is less than a month away and we're previewing each of the seven OHSAA division's with a top 10 list plus watchlist for each Division. In this article we'll take a look at our top 5 teams in Division V.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Lutheran East</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three-time defending state champions got absolutely raided in the transfer portal this year with Tj Crumble and Muhammad Manigat leaving for Prep schools and other potential rotation pieces like [player_tooltip player_id='2125746' first='Jayden' last='Nellemsbey'] leaving for nearby OHSAA programs. Despite all the losses, they remain the choice for number one thanks to their star power that's led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='2461889' first='Dylan' last='Zeigler']. The 2027 guard duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2144496' first='Chris' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125763' first='Ty' last='Harrison'] is as good as it gets defensively and [player_tooltip player_id='2306396' first='Devontey' last='Perkins'] should shine in the paint. Despite all the losses, I still think Lutheran East is about as good as it gets in the OHSAA regardless of Division.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Summit Country Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team that burst onto the scene last year, dominating their region before falling to unbeaten Columbus Academy in the state semis, Summit Country Day is back for more this winter. There might not be a better wing duo in the state than Rhode Island commit [player_tooltip player_id='2222935' first='Tim' last='Martin'] and 2028 star [player_tooltip player_id='2195056' first='Max' last='Joiner']. Add in guards like Lj Stocks and there's a lot of talent on this roster. I expect Summit Country Day to win the region and contend for a state title this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Margaretta</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dayton commit [player_tooltip player_id='1827697' first='Julian' last='Washington'] grabs the headlines, but this Polar Bears roster is deep with senior [player_tooltip player_id='1950589' first='Judah' last='Keller'] who has been alongside Washington for their entire four-year journey leading the program. [player_tooltip player_id='2761868' first='Kale' last='Bailey'] is another name to know as this team is much more than a one man show. Looking at their schedule, Margaretta should aim to win 20 regular season contests and contend for a regional title that they fell just short against Columbus Academy last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Columbus Africentric</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the year that Africentric has been building up since the graduation of Dailyn Swain. With a 2026 core of [player_tooltip player_id='2677141' first='Joshua' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='2459115' first='Rohaun' last='Hardy'], [player_tooltip player_id='2459113' first='Derron' last='Gray Jr'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2209610' first='Kamaree' last='Wilkinson'], the Nubians have the size, experience and defensive talent to make a real run at a state title. The Nubians also should look to win the Columbus City League title as well that Northland has dominated the past few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Columbus Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Columbus Academy had an unbeaten regular season and continued that run all the way to the state title game where they fell just short against Lutheran East. Losing talented seniors like Anderson Davis and Theo Falkenhain was expected but Caden Ivery transferring to Phelps School in Pennsylvania was a big blow to their chances to get back to the state title game. I still think Columbus Academy has a shot to return to UD Arena in March with Harvard commit [player_tooltip player_id='2426114' first='Jason' last='Singleton'] leading the way, but they'll have a tough playoff run to get back to that stage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->