Meet Super 12 preseason team
The cliché that the team with the best player wins held true in central Ohio boys basketball last season, considering the district Players of the Year in Divisions I, II and III all led their respective programs to the state championship game and runner up finishes.
Tasos Cook is now at Stetson after taking Westerville Central the Division I final. Desmond Watson had Desales in the Division II title game and is now at Davidson. And D.J. Moore left after his junior year to enroll early at Liberty after leading Worthington Christian to the Division III final.
Hoping to follow in their footsteps is Gahanna senior guard Sean Jones, whose effort spurred his team to a regional runner-up finish.
And there aren’t going to be many players in Ohio who can score as well as Dublin Coffman senior guard Ajay Sheldon.
Below is a look at the Super 12 presea- son team.
Drey Carter, Westerville South (Sr., F)
Carter was a first-team all-league and second-team all-district honoree in Division I last season when he averaged 14.5 points, four rebounds and three assists. A Wright State commit, Carter shot nearly 50% from 3-point range.
Cooper Davis, Olentangy Liberty (Sr., G)
In his first season with the Patriots after previously playing for Reynoldsburg, Davis averaged 11 points and helped the squad earn a Division I district title. Davis has signed with Toledo.
Rob Dorsey, Northland (Sr., G)
A third-team all-district selection in Division I, Dorsey averaged 19 points, three assists and two steals last season as the Vikings finished second in the City-north Division.
Sean Jones, Gahanna Lincoln (Sr., G)
A Marquette signee, Jones averaged 16 points while earning first-team alldistrict and first-team All-occ-ohio honors with the Division I regional runner-up Lions. He began the season with more than 1,100 career points.
Amani Lyles, Beechcroft (Sr., F)
A first-team all-district honoree who helped the Cougars win the City title last season, Lyles averaged 21.5 points, 12 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots.
Cade Norris, Hilliard Bradley (So., F)
Norris and the Jaguars reached a Division I regional semifinal, with Norris averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. He was second-team All-occ-central and honorable mention all-district.
Devin Royal, Pickerington Central (Jr., F)
While making first-team All-occbuckeye and third-team all-district in
Division I, Royal averaged 13.9 points and six rebounds and shot 70% from the floor. He has been offered by a list of schools, including Ohio State.
Jerry Saunders, Pickerington North (Sr., G)
Saunders averaged 13.3 points and was first-team All-occ-ohio and honorable mention all-district while helping the Panthers to a Division I district runner-up finish.
Ajay Sheldon, Dublin Coffman (Sr., G)
Sheldon averaged a program-record 23.5 points last season, while also averaging 4.8 assists. A first-team all-district honoree in Division I, he has signed with Ohio University.
Javan Simmons, Gahanna Lincoln (Sr., F)
Providing a presence inside as the Lions went 23-2 last season, the 6-7 Simmons averaged 11 points and six rebounds and shot 66% from the floor. He signed with Toledo after making second-team all-league.
JJ Simmons, Beechcroft (Sr., G)
Simmons averaged 21.5 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Cougars won the City-north and
City championship game.
Dailyn Swain, Africentric (Jr., G)
The Nubians, who won the Citysouth a season ago but could not compete in the City title game or the Division III district tournament because of COVID-19 protocols, have a standout in Swain. He averaged 17.5 points and holds an offer from Ohio State as well as a number of other schools.
Honorable Mention
Zion Blevins, Walnut Ridge (Sr., G); Henry Brandt, Bexley (Sr., G); Tanner Compton, Columbus Academy (Sr., G); Quinn Corna, Upper Arlington (Sr., G); Carsyn Crouch, Granville (Sr., G); Evan Dozer, Bloom-carroll (Sr., G); Julian Heckman, Reynoldsburg (Sr., G); Doogie James, Canal Winchester (Sr., G); Aiden Leslie, Grandview Heights (Sr., G): Tayshaun Mayfield, Hilliard Bradley (Jr., F); Brandon Mclaughlin, Heath (Sr., F); Jayden Nervis, Hilliard Davidson (Sr., G); Chase Ouellette, Wellington (Sr., F); Ayden Parsons, Worthington Kilbourne (Sr., G); Troy Scowden, Buckeye Valley (Sr., F); Nyelle Shaheed, Harvest Prep (Jr., F); Dan Wagner, Africentric (Sr., G); L.A. Walker, Linden-mckinley (Sr., F)