SE/E Division III District Finals Standouts

The East/Southeast districts played their Division III district finals on Wednesday night inside the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio and I attended both Marietta Vs New Philadelphia and Steubenville Vs Chillicothe and in this article I'll break down the standouts I caught.    A throwback style of player, Wittekind has a game that is straight out of the 90's with his back to the basket offensive, mid-range ability, physical brand of basketball and a relentless motor. The lefty had multiple putback layups, moved off the ball well and was able to drive and kick to teammates. The leader on a senior laden Marietta squad, Wittekind hit a tough pull-up 3-pointer to extend the lead to 12 points and effectively put the game away. Talented player who will join a Malone squad who fits his playstyle well.     Hawkins had a big game for Marietta as he used his body to shield off defenders and score at the rim. Across the board Marietta was the more physical team and with seniors up and down the starting lineup, their experience and aggressiveness was a key difference in the game. Near the end of the third quarter Hawkins had a nasty split and acrobatic layup at the rim and throughout the game did a nice job of getting to his preferred right hand to finish around the rim. With their experience and three guys who can go off for 20+ points on any given night, I wouldn't be stunned to see Marietta continue to dance in Athens.     I was very impressed with Martini as a movement wing shooter who made shots off the catch, off movement running off the ball and as a cutter. With good positional size and an athletic frame, Martini has all the makings of a prospect who would be prioritized by regional small college programs. However, Martini excels on the baseball field and will likely get much bigger college interest for that sport, Martini was already named first team all Ohio Cardinal Conference as a freshman and has tremendous upside on the mound.     Haney was the best player on the court and fueled his team to a comfortable victory to advance to the regionals once again and honestly, I still think Haney has another level to reach in the Convo this season. The best sequence of the game came to end the third quarter when Haney jumped a passing lane in the Big Red zone, came down and buried a pull-up 3-pointer at the quarter buzzer to extend the lead after Chillicothe made their biggest run of the game. That came two quarters after Haney hit a college line 3-pointer to end the first quarter as well. Throughout the game Haney did a nice job of collapsing the defense and finding his teammates and the Big Red have five or six guys who can score the basketball consistently Vs the opponents Steubenville will be facing the rest of their tournament run.     I was really impressed with Bowers as a wing guard who played under control, knocked down shots off the catch and has a sturdy frame as well. Knocking down the kill shot to put Steubenville up 19 points, Bowers did a nice job staying shot-ready off the catch and gets the ball up quickly to the rim. Add in the fact that Bowers was poised as a dribble driver, not letting Chillicothe swipe away at the ball and he was extremely productive on Wednesday night. The future Army kicker on the gridiron is looking to end his basketball career at UD Arena with the Big Red.     On a mostly junior and senior laden team, Bowers plays his role well as a utility piece for his team. Moving without the ball, not taking forced shots, unselfish to make the extra pass, Bowers compliments the more experienced varsity players who have led Steubenville to their gaudy record this season. Next season I expect Bowers to take a major leap into a top scoring role, but for this Big Red team, it's most crucial he continues to play high IQ basketball, rebound the ball and make himself available when his teammates get double-teamed. A name to track from the east district over the next few seasons.     Cox has taken a clear jump since the last time I saw him play with the biggest leaps coming athletically. An explosive athlete off two feet, Cox has a low center of gravity off the dribble and I liked that Cox stayed in attack mode all game long and was a major reason why Chillicothe made a big third quarter push to get the strong traveling supporters to start rocking the Convo. Hoping to see Cox make a leap as a 3-point shooter, development in that skill will make his ability to dribble drive and finish with either hand even tougher to stop next season. While it's a disappointing end to the season, Chillicothe could be even better next season.

The East/Southeast districts played their Division III district finals on Wednesday night inside the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio and I attended both Marietta Vs New Philadelphia and Steubenville Vs Chillicothe and in this article I'll break down the standouts I caught.