OHSAA Division I Preseason 7-10

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OHSAA basketball season starts one week from today and in this article we'll break down our teams ranked between 7-10 in our OHSAA Division I preseason rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. Hilliard Bradley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most successful programs in central Ohio the past decade, Hilliard Bradley is known for their pack line help defense and deliberate style of play. Two last names have been fixtures in the Jags program the past two decades, Norris and Mirgon. Head coach Brett Norris sees his fourth son, [player_tooltip player_id='2461095' first='Kyp' last='Norris'], become a sophomore this season while [player_tooltip player_id='2140168' first='Ben' last='Mirgon'] is the second Mirgon to star for the Jags alongside the four Norris brothers. [player_tooltip player_id='2712636' first='Jayden' last='Reed-Davis'] is another marquee name to watch in the Hilliard Bradley program that almost pulled off the upset of the postseason last year when they pushed Reynoldsburg to the brink in the district final. This year, it would be an upset if the Jags don't win a district final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">8. Centerville</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most dominant public-school programs in the Midwest over the past five years, Centerville saw their regional title streak finally snap last season. Guided by head coach Brook Cupps, the Elks have seen numerous players head off to the Division I level and many are still actively playing NCAA Division I basketball this season. [player_tooltip player_id='2712642' first='Sam' last='Keely'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2878776' first='Julian' last='Sam'] seem next in line in terms of Division I talents but don't sleep on 2027 trio [player_tooltip player_id='2125764' first='Ty' last='Rohrer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2712644' first='Trey' last='Sam'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2442536' first='Spencer' last='Maxwell'], who should all play major roles this winter. I expect the Elks to be atop the GWOC but that conference is much improved from a season ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">9. Saint Edward</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Noticing a theme with these teams? Elite coaches and historical success. Saint Edward has been the most consistent district title winning team in Division I since Eric Flannery got the head coaching job over 20 seasons ago. The Eagles are led by Division II commits [player_tooltip player_id='2317204' first='Bryan' last='Vlosich'] and Jt Kelsheimer with some underclassmen size like [player_tooltip player_id='2476474' first='Ian' last='Murray'] helping protect the rim and rebound the basketball. It's hard to bet against Saint Edward in March, which means it's hard to bet against them in the preseason when trying to forecast which teams will be left standing at the end. Last year our ninth ranked team won a Division I region, can the Eagles have the same fortune this postseason?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">10. Canton McKinley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pups are going to come after you in swarms as [player_tooltip player_id='2754254' first='Ed' last='Webster'], [player_tooltip player_id='2890890' first='Davey' last='Thompson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2476489' first='Anthony' last='Chavers'], [player_tooltip player_id='2306394' first='Jamar' last='Keyes Jr'] and more have the athleticism, aggressiveness and talent to run you out the gym. With a different style of team than many of their conference foes, it'll be interesting to see if many federal league teams can slow down Canton McKinley and make them beat you in the half court. The problem with that strategy, you still have to keep the hungry Pups off the glass and that's much easier said than done. Expect Canton McKinley to contend for conference and regional titles this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->