Africentric, Harvest Prep share postseason history
Located roughly 10 miles apart, Africentric and Harvest Prep traveled parallel routes to Value City Arena for a Division III state semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
For much of the past decade, the two basketball powers have tussled for small-school bragging rights in central Ohio, reaching the state tournament a combined five times.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s competitive balance initiative that was put in place last fall moved both programs to Division III, creating a glut of state-caliber teams within the district.
But now Harvest Prep and Africentric play a knockout game for the third time since 2014. The Warriors beat the Nubians in back-to-back regional finals in 2014 (43-40) and ’15 (70-62). Africentric also won a regular-season matchup in that stretch.
“Of course, I remember every one of these games vividly,” Africentric coach Michael Bates said. “I had some really good teams … teams we certainly thought were final four or state championship material. David Dennis Jr. beat us almost single-handedly in those games. I learned a lot about coaching in those matchups, especially about taking care of the smaller details of the game.”
Harvest Prep coach David Dennis Sr. feels like he knows Bates and the Nubians just as well.
“I won’t ever forget those battles,” he said. “Both of those regional finals went down to the final minute. Even though the kids are different now, style-wise, our teams are still about the same. There aren’t a whole lot of secrets between us.”
By gaining the No. 2 seed in the district behind Harvest Prep, Africentric (21-6) earned the right to choose the regional opposite the Warriors (28-0), delaying a potential meeting.
Harvest Prep averages 87.7 points and allows 48.5. Africentric played a tough City League South schedule and also had nonleague games against Upper Arlington, Gahanna and Cincinnati McNicholas. Gideon Woodson-Levey of Harvest Prep goes up for a layup against Houston Smith of Africentric during a 2014 regional final.
“With a lot of those lopsided scores against overmatched teams, David was able to build his depth and it helped that he got some transfers eligible the second half of the season,” Bates said. “They’re definitely a little deeper than we are.”
With only one senior in his starting lineup, Dennis wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
“We had some new faces and we had to wait to see how our chemistry developed,” he said. “By the middle of the season, I really felt we were on to something special.”
The Warriors have a onetwo punch in sophomore guard Christopher Anthony (20.3 points per game) and senior forward Claudio Penha (19.3). Anthony made firstteam all-Ohio and Penha second-team.
Harvest Prep has converted 281 of 689 three-point shots (40.8 percent).
Africentric counters with district player of the year and first-team all-Ohioan Tre’ Baumgardner, who is averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 steals, and 6-7 center Jah Bennett (14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds). Baumgardner has signed with Minnesota State and Bennett with Kentucky State.
“All season long, I’ve felt like
this team had the skill set and mentality and, more important, the chemistry, that you need to win a championship,” Bates said. “Tre’ Baumgardner is a true leader, on and off the court. He runs our practices with an iron fist.”
Often accused by opponents of being basketball factories, Africentric and Harvest Prep share a bit of notoriety as well. In 2005, Africentric (28-0) had to vacate its state championship because of a paperwork error involving a transfer. In 2011, Harvest Prep had to relinquish its runner-up trophy after an OHSAA investigation uncovered violations.
Along with the history and tie-ins shared by these programs comes this tidbit: Baumgardner’s sister, Chey — Africentric’s loudest supporter — is dating Harvest Prep assistant coach Rob Davis.
“I’m not sure that too many of our players and their players know each other personally, but we know of each other,” Baumgardner said. “My sister’s boyfriend and I have talked some stuff, all in fun. I told him, we’ll see how good they really are.”