The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
High school boys basketball watch list
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(in alphabetical order) Michael Bothwell, Cornerstone Christian:
Furman basketball commit led the area in scoring with 20.9 points per game last season, earned district player of the year and first team All-Ohio honors. Bothwell will eclipse the 2,000-point plateau this season and likely end his career as Cornerstone Christian’s all-time leading scorer. He is an early candidate to be Ohio’s player of the year. Hugh Brown, Hawken:
Lake Erie College commit averaged 14.8 points and 3.3 assists per game as a junior, and returns as one of the CVC’s top players. T.J. Chapman, Andrews
Osborne: Chapman averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 46 percent from 3 in a solid sophomore season for the Phoenix. Chapman will deliver some of the area’s best point guard play as a junior. Garvin Clarke, Euclid:
Clarke was sensational as a freshman. He averaged 15.9 points per game to earn first team all-Greater Cleveland Conference honors, and enters his sophomore season with heavy college interest. Clarke is at the center of the excitement surrounding Euclid’s program under new coach T.J. Kwasniak. D.J. Dial, Brush: Dial built off his solid freshman season and averaged 16.3 points and five assists per game for the Arcs last year. This year, the first team all-Western Reserve Conference point guard leads a Brush team that’s ready to realize its immense potential. Luka Eller, Lake Catholic:
Eller was one of the area’s best freshmen last season, averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game for the district champion Cougars. Eller’s added versatility to his game and an extra offseason in the weight room should help the 6-foot-6 sophomore become one of the area’s best all-around players. Luke Frazier, Lake Catholic: Frazier made up half of Lake Catholic’s dynamic freshmen duo last year, and is one of the area’s top 3-point shooters. He showed flashes of his scoring potential last season, which should be on display much more this year after Frazier gained experience last year — and grew a few inches in the offseason.
Andre Harris, Brush: Harris is one of the area’s most athletic players, and might be the favorite in a dunk contest involving players around the area. This should be the year Harris’ skills catch up to his remarkable athleticism, that alone draws interest from college coaches.
Jerry Higgins, VASJ: The defending News-Herald Player of the Year, Higgins enters his senior year as the Vikings’ lone main contributor to last season’s state title team. But, as one of the area’s top players, VASJ can’t ever be counted out with him on the floor. A testament to Higgins’ sustained excellence for the Vikings — if VASJ wins 16 games this season, Higgins will become the program’s all-time winningest player. Chris Jefferson, Benedictine: At times, Jefferson was Benedictine’s best player last season. He averaged 13 points, three assists and 3.5 steals per game to earn All-Ohio honorable mention. Jefferson leads a Bengals’ backcourt that may be the deepest in the area. Dechlan Kirincic, Gilmour:
Marian College commit is a scoring machine who opponents will have difficulty finding a matchup for. At 6-foot-6, Kirincic can score in the post while spacing the floor with a reliable jump shot. Averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game to earn All-Ohio honorable mention as a junior. Ryan Kooser, Kenston:
Kooser averaged 16 points per game and knocked down 31 3-pointers for the Bombers last season. The 6-foot-5 senior forward is one of the area’s most versatile forwards and will be a focal point for Matt Vespa’s offense this season. With a few more touches to go around, Kooser should thrive and put together one of the WRC’s best seasons. Alex Sulka, Chardon:
Sulka averaged 20.2 points per game for the Hilltoppers last year, and enters his senior year 20 away from the 1,000-point threshold. He’ll likely surpass that in Chardon’s opener Dec. 2 against West Geauga. The Hilltoppers hit their stride midway through last season, and Sulka will be the centerpiece of a team looking to compete for the WRC title. Jayson Woodrich, Beachwood: Woodrich is one of the most explosive scoring threats in the area. A 6-foot-5 junior forward, Woodrich broke out last year to score 16.3 points per game, made an area-best 64 3-pointers and pulled down eight rebounds per game as he helped lead the Bison to a district semifinal. Beachwood is one of the area’s most promising teams, with Woodrich as a primary reason. Davin Zeigler, Benedictine: The 6-foot-2 junior guard enjoyed one of the area’s biggest breakout years as a sophomore, and picked up college interest on the AAU circuit this summer. Zeigler looks like one of Cleveland’s best players, and he’ll have every opportunity to showcase his ability against the Bengals’ loaded schedule.
GAMES TO WATCH
Dec. 1: Euclid at VASJ;
Dec. 1-3: Andrews Osborne Melanie Williams Tournament; Dec. 8: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at VASJ; Dec. 9: Cornerstone Christian at St. Edward;
Dec. 12: Mentor at Bay, Chardon at South; Dec. 19: Hawken at Kirtland; Dec.
23: Lake Catholic vs. Berlin Hiland at Wooster, Riverside at Harvey; Dec. 30: Cardinal at Berkshire; Jan.
5: Lake Catholic at Benedictine; Jan. 6: Benedictine at St. Edward; Jan. 7: Brush vs. Garfield Heights, Cornerstone Christian vs. Elyria Catholic, Gilmour vs. Lutheran East at BaldwinWallace; Jan. 9: Mentor at Euclid; Jan. 12: Beachwood at West Geauga, Kenston at Brush, North at South; Jan. 15: Euclid MLK Showcase; Jan. 16: Beachwood at Gilmour; Jan. 23: VASJ at Gilmour; Jan. 26: NDCL at Lake Catholic, Cornerstone Christian at Lutheran East, Madison at Mayfield; Jan. 27: St. Edward at VASJ; Jan. 30: Brush at Chardon, West Geauga at Geneva, Wickliffe at Chagrin Falls; Feb.
3: VASJ at Mentor; Feb. 10: Beachwood at St. Ignatius, Cornerstone Christian at Mentor, VASJ at Lake Catholic; Feb. 13: Euclid at Mentor; Feb. 16: Brush at South; Feb. 17: Cornerstone Christian at VASJ; Feb. 20: Cardinal at Newbury; Feb. 23: Perry at Madison; Feb. 24: Massillon Jackson at Mentor
TIP-INS
• VASJ takes on a drastically different look from its state title team last season. With Jerry Higgins as the lone major varsity contributor returning, this season may be the most unique among coach Babe Kwasniak’s eight. Add in the move up to Division II via competitive balance, and the road to a sixth straight state final appearance looks arduous. • At the beginning of the year, no team looks more well-rounded than Rob Stircula’s Benedictine Bengals. They have excellent guard play from Chris Jefferson and Davin Zeigler, a lightsout shooter in 6-foot-6 sophomore Andy Barba, plenty of size and a deep bench. The Bengals moved up to D-I via competitive balance, but may be the preseason favorite in the Euclid District alongside defending champion Mentor, Brush and Solon. • Speaking of Brush, this looks like the year the Arcs begin to harness their incredible potential. Juniors D.J. Dial and Andre Harris lead the team, senior Tyler Williams is a force inside, senior Tahj Benton gives coach Chet Mason one of the area’s best shooters and Deion Burton may be the area’s best sixth man. The team’s best player may be 6-foot-9 sophomore center John Hugley, who has the most college interest of the bunch. • No program around the area has more buzz entering the season than Euclid under new coach T.J Kwasniak, and for good reason. Kwasniak was a key member of the VASJ staff during multiple state final runs and assisted Jon Mannarino at Beachwood last year. Expectations are high with Kwasniak on the bench and sophomore Garvin Clarke and junior Emari Baddour on the floor. • Mentor brings back much of its rotation from last year’s regional semifinalist, but Bob Krizancic needs to replace his two most valuable players, guards Jack Korsok and Manning Trubisky. The two were responsible for almost all of the Cardinals’ ballhandling last year, a task that will fall to senior Shane Zalba and sophomore Luke Floriea. Their ability to effectively run the offense and distribute to Matt Koski, Caden Kryz, Tadas Tatarunas and Chad Blessing will be paramount to Mentor’s success. Krizancic’s best option at point guard might be highly touted freshman Luke Chicone. How he adapts to the physicality of the high school game will determine if Chicone’s high level of skill translates. • Speaking of freshmen, West Geauga added Josh Irwin after he led Mayfield Middle School to last year’s WRC middle school tournament championship. Irwin joins an experienced lineup headlined by Jax Shenkel and Caleb Ramey, and will start right away for coach Jeff Javorek. • Chardon dropped to D-II via competitive balance, and coach Chad Murawski’s team looks to carry its momentum over from last season’s strong finish. Alex Sulka is one of the area’s best scorers, and he’s flanked by returning starts Joe Scerbo and Mike Laudato. The Hilltoppers may be the biggest threat to defending league champion Brush.