City League basketball in Johnson siblings' DNA
The Africentric girls basketball team tipped off at 10:45 a.m. in Value City Arena, on the campus of Ohio State University, Saturday morning. The Nubians (28-0) went on to win their seventh state title, their third in four years and their second in a row. They did it with a 51-47 victory over Waynesville.
The South High boys basketball team tipped off at 2 p.m. in the Stroh Center, on the campus of Bowling Green State University, Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (27-1) went on to win a regional championship and earn a place in the Division II final four. They did it with a 64-47 victory over Lima Shawnee.
If you wanted to watch the Africentric girls raise another Division III state championship trophy and get to Bowling Green to see the South boys win a district championship, it was doable. You needed to keep one eye trained on your rearview mirror on Rt. 23, but it was doable.
Marcus Johnson and Kendra Waters did the double. First, they saw their daughter, Maliyah Johnson, pull down 13 rebounds to help Africentric win another state title. Then they raced north and caught the fourth quarter of the South-shawnee game. They saw their son, Marcus Johnson — we’ll call him Marcus the Younger for the sake of clarity — help a balanced South squad put the clamps on Shawnee.
South has made a rapid rise in district play the past five years. There is another step in front of them.
The City League produced nine boys basketball state champions from 19631979. Then came open enrollment, which ultimately concentrated talent in a few schools. Of late, South High, under alumnus Ramon Spears, has supplanted Northland as the dominant boys program.
At the nexus of South’s rise and Africentric’s dynasty are the Johnson siblings. City League basketball is in their blood.
Grandfather (“Pa Pa”) Kenny Waters played for famed coach Al Bowen at old Central High. Kenny’s daughter, Kendra, played at Gahanna and finished her high school career at Independence. You want to know where her kids get their hops? Both sides of the family tree. Marcus the Elder played three sports at South.
They’re riding a wave right now. "Pa Pa" Waters is doing a lot of the driving. Oftentimes, he rents cars to cut down on the wear and tear of family vehicles. He prefers minivans, and a lot of us get that.
“These are my grandkids, and I am biased,” "Pa Pa" Waters said. “This is a brother-sister duo, with one going to states — and winning — and the other trying to get there. It’s something. Best of all, they’re good kids, good students on the honor roll. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Playing beside Africentric star Jordan Horston, who is signed to play for Tennessee, Maliyah had seven points and (as Mom is quick to note) nine offensive rebounds in the championship game. Maliyah, a sophomore, already has one scholarship offer from a Division I college.
So does her brother, Marcus the Younger, a junior guard who averages 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. That is what a South basketball stat line is supposed to look like — numbers, spread.
After practice at Capital University on Monday, Marcus the Younger took a few minutes to talk.
He spoke of the example he and his sister want to set for their younger brother, Mekhi, 13. Dedicate yourself. Do your homework. Basketball can help lead you somewhere.
“My sister, she’s a late-bloomer and I’m looking forward to seeing her develop,” he said. “And my brother, too.”
Thursday, the family won’t have far to travel. South’s state semifinal game, against Thornville Sheridan, is in Value City Arena. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. This time, Maliyah will be in the stands, too, and she’ll see what develops. The finals are Saturday.
Could be interesting.