Pre-Season Top 10

[Jayhawks]

Let's see what everybody's too 10'looks like!

[danicalifornia]

I won't rank, because as of now I can't really recall a ton from last season. Maybe in a couple days I'll write down some ideas, but I'll put some thoughts out there. Gonna mention close to 20 teams in no particular order. Keep in mind that I'm located in Ross County, so I'm definitely missing out on some knowledge of teams in Lawrence, Adams, some Scioto, and Gallia counties. And also missing out on a good bit of the Eastern part of the district. I'm only bringing up teams whom I remember from last year and what they have returning again this season.

Unioto- lost 4 outstanding seniors, but returns a lot of talent and guys who were impactful on their 26-1 team. A good mix of 4-5 quality seniors and some outstanding sophomores. Plus, the juniors who will be up won the league the last 2 years on JV and I think could give some good minutes throughout the year.

Adena- 3 outstanding seniors who can all score. Definitely will be fun to watch and if the young kids can step in and make an impact, they could push for a district title in D3.

Westfall- the problem that the Mustangs will face this year is their size, but they have 4 high quality guards who can all fill it up and play very hard on the defensive end. If they can rebound as a team, I could see them having a major turnaround.

Waverly- the Tigers were young last year, but also very talented. They should be a year older and a year better. The jump to D2 could be difficult, but the Tigers won't back down from anyone this coming season.

Vinton County- Coach Combs has a nice group coming back who love to defend and can really shoot the 3 ball. I think they'll be atop the TVC and make a strong push in D2.

Chillicothe- the Cavaliers may be young as a whole, but have a couple of outstanding seniors to go with a great group of sophomores. They could make some serious noise in D2.

Lucasville Valley- Rolfe and company should be fun to watch this year as seniors. I'm not sure what they have coming up throughout the ranks, but they have some serious talent and experience in that senior class.

Logan Elm- watch out for the Braves this season. Took a slight step back last season, but should be right back to where they normally have been for the past decade in this coming season. Great shooting and even better defense will be their calling card.

Fairfield Union- the Falcons may still be a year away, but last year they featured a couple of talented freshmen and a host of other underclassmen. They should make a big jump this year with their outstanding coaching staff.

Minford- I believe D3 just got a good bit tougher when these Falcons returned to their old stomping grounds. A good mix of inside and outside will make them very tough to defend. Their length should make them very difficult to score against as well.

East- I could see the Tartans making life tough for those in SOC 1 with outstanding guard play and some big bodies on the interior.

Eastern Pike- word is that they are very talented and a Hall of Fame coach will help things a little bit further along. A nice hire to replace another high quality coach that they already had.

Zane Trace- feature one of the top players in the district and always very athletic. A lot of talent has left the school recently, but they still know how to win.

Washington CH- good coaching and my favorite player to watch in the district. Another undersized team, but they always find ways to be close at the end of games and will be a force to be reckoned with again.

Miami Trace- great athletes all over the court. Will get better throughout the year after replacing a stud 4 year starter.

Portsmouth- the best player in the district, mixed with a lot of talent that improved throughout last season. Should be a favorite to get to the regionals in D3 again. Can't wait to watch the Trojans again this winter.

Oak Hill- Coach Persin had some young guns last year and I expect that they'll take a big leap forward again this season.

Alexander- I believe only graduated one senior and play a tough style to get adjusted to. Should give teams fits and should make a return trip down the road to the Convo.

[bman]

D2 contenders - Unioto, Warren, Logan Elm, Chillicothe, Circleville, Vinton County, Washington CH

It'll be interesting to see the sectional setup here in a couple of months. There will probably be a little shifting.

[danicalifornia]

D2 contenders - Unioto, Warren, Logan Elm, Chillicothe, Circleville, Vinton County, Washington CH

It'll be interesting to see the sectional setup here in a couple of months. There will probably be a little shifting.

How will Circleville be this year, bman? I know they have the quarterback back and he is an outstanding scorer. Just didn't know what else they had. Thanks and hope you're doing well.

[Logangrad]

Logan- State Championship coach (1st Year)
Looking ahead to 2015-16:

Logan returns 3 key starters:
PG Lane Little, could be up for SEOAL POY Honors and this could be a huge year for him; 5-9 175 SR ALL SEOAL in 2014-15
SF Isaiah Smith, has good size, can shoot and can slash, great defender; 6-4 200 SR, ALL SEOAL Hon Mention in 2014-15
SG Cole Baron, good scorer, has worked hard on the defensive side, will need to be more consistent; 5-10 170 SR

Another player who started a few games and played a lot
PF Corey Henthorne, great size, broke a backboard weeks ago on a dunk, BUT needs to finish better around the rim; 6-5 270

New comers competing for Varsity spots:
Caden Landis 6-3 Soph SG, good quickness can get to the rim, shoots well
Brady Walsh, 6-0 Soph PG, natural leader, distributes the ball well, good defender
Denny Powers, 5-9 PG, Senior, another solid leader, will need to make the transition to varsity
Chase Walter, 6-3 SF, Senior solid footwork, good defender, needs to get better finishing around the rim, could get alot of mins in the post where Logan is thin
Tommy Breining, 6-2 Junior SF, another good player in space, but he too has had past troubles missing easy shots, it will come with experience
Bo Myers, 6-3 SF/SG Frosh, this kid has a ton of ability and will push for a spot if he can show he can play at that level. Summer will be a huge measuring stick and early scrimmages.
Coby Bell, 6-0 SG, Frosh, another talented player who will need to show he can play at a high level
Caleb Bell, 5-10 PG, Frosh, again, youth may come into play but he has all the tools to be a great player.
Wes Brooks, 5-9 PG, Frosh, solid defender, smart, aggressive doesnt make many mistakes but will need to prove himself
Sam Evans?? 6-4, SG; Good player but left team last year; rumor is he may come back out. He has varsity minutes but will need to play within himself


I am sure I am missing a few but it will be a very competitive offseason with many new faces looking to get on the roster and grizzled Vets looking to stay.

[bman]

D2 contenders - Unioto, Warren, Logan Elm, Chillicothe, Circleville, Vinton County, Washington CH

It'll be interesting to see the sectional setup here in a couple of months. There will probably be a little shifting.

How will Circleville be this year, bman? I know they have the quarterback back and he is an outstanding scorer. Just didn't know what else they had. Thanks and hope you're doing well.

I look for Camp to have a nice season. Aaron Manson will be another player to watch. Seniors Ryan Moats and Evan Wadlington will contribute. They also have a shooter that started some last season as a sophomore who will have a greater role.

Joe Goodyear did a nice job in his two seasons on the job. Tyler Cassidy, former varsity assistant at Teays Valley and JV coach at Logan Elm, takes over the helm. He'll do a nice job leading the Tigers.

I see them as a middle team in the MSL-Buckeye. Not sure if they can get to districts, but will be a competitive team.

Swamped, but I'm doing fine. I'll probably see you at a Unioto-Westfall game. I like your breakdown of the Mustangs. Should be in that 2-4 pact in the SVC.

[Runner00]

I will just list a few teams who I think can be pretty good. Feel free to add, especially D4, which I do not follow very closely.

D3
Portsmouth
Lucasville Valley
Minford
Adena
Zane Trace
Eastern Brown
Westfall
Oak Hill

D4
Peebles
Eastern Pike
Sciotoville East
Trimble

[1987chieftains]

Logan- State Championship coach (1st Year)
Looking ahead to 2015-16:

Logan returns 3 key starters:
PG Lane Little, could be up for SEOAL POY Honors and this could be a huge year for him; 5-9 175 SR ALL SEOAL in 2014-15
SF Isaiah Smith, has good size, can shoot and can slash, great defender; 6-4 200 SR, ALL SEOAL Hon Mention in 2014-15
SG Cole Baron, good scorer, has worked hard on the defensive side, will need to be more consistent; 5-10 170 SR

Another player who started a few games and played a lot
PF Corey Henthorne, great size, broke a backboard weeks ago on a dunk, BUT needs to finish better around the rim; 6-5 270

New comers competing for Varsity spots:
Caden Landis 6-3 Soph SG, good quickness can get to the rim, shoots well
Brady Walsh, 6-0 Soph PG, natural leader, distributes the ball well, good defender
Denny Powers, 5-9 PG, Senior, another solid leader, will need to make the transition to varsity
Chase Walter, 6-3 SF, Senior solid footwork, good defender, needs to get better finishing around the rim, could get alot of mins in the post where Logan is thin
Tommy Breining, 6-2 Junior SF, another good player in space, but he too has had past troubles missing easy shots, it will come with experience
Bo Myers, 6-3 SF/SG Frosh, this kid has a ton of ability and will push for a spot if he can show he can play at that level. Summer will be a huge measuring stick and early scrimmages.
Coby Bell, 6-0 SG, Frosh, another talented player who will need to show he can play at a high level
Caleb Bell, 5-10 PG, Frosh, again, youth may come into play but he has all the tools to be a great player.
Wes Brooks, 5-9 PG, Frosh, solid defender, smart, aggressive doesnt make many mistakes but will need to prove himself
Sam Evans?? 6-4, SG; Good player but left team last year; rumor is he may come back out. He has varsity minutes but will need to play within himself


I am sure I am missing a few but it will be a very competitive offseason with many new faces looking to get on the roster and grizzled Vets looking to stay.

thats a pretty solid roster.. the JV team should be very good this year also!

[trojandave]

Nice rundown, danicalifornia, of the top teams in the SE district. I saw Adena this summer run over my Trojans at Rio Grande........it wasn't even close. The Warriors are loaded, and have quality at every position. I would be very surprised if Adena doesn't seriously challenge for the regionals.

As far as the outlook on Portsmouth, we have two studs returning..........senior Kyre Allison and junior Kendall Reynolds. Allison is set to become the all-time leading scorer in school history (he needs 319 points to do so), while Reynolds was the Trojans leading scorer in the tournament last season, scoring 89 points in 5 games. Senior Ethan Leonard is the 3rd starter returning from last year. PHS will lack size (as usual), but there's enough talent to have a very good season. I would never count the Trojans out in the postseason........3 Elite 8 appearances and 2 Final 4's in the last 5 years, the best mark in the SE district over that stretch. Coach Eugene Collins is 106-40 in his 6 years at Portsmouth.

The OVC will be very strong this year, with Portsmouth, Fairland, and Chesapeake fielding teams that all have the capability of advancing to the regionals.

[sballchck]

Three out of the 4 SE District Finalists in D3 last year were from the OVC.

Only OVC teams eliminated other OVC teams in the tournament. OVC teams were 7-1 vs. the field (the only loss was Portsmouth to Eastmore in the Regional Finals).

The record would have been better, if four OVC teams had not been pitted against one another in the opening and second rounds.

Most of these OVC teams will be better than last year.

Portsmouth, Ironton, & Chesapeake all return a bunch of starters. Fairland will be very strong this year, as well, as their young and talented players mature. Also, the conference schedule will prepare each team for a tournament run.

Minford, Valley, and Alexander will be very strong from outside the OVC. So, my top 10 for D3:

1. Portsmouth
2. Minford
3. Chesapeake
4. Ironton
5. Valley
6. Alexander
7. Fairland
8. Wheelersburg
9. Zane Trace
10. Oak Hill

[trojandave]

Henry Jones, Jr.: Good post, but I have to slightly disagree about Ironton. The Fighting Tigers lost leading scorer Tristan Cox, postman Dylan Malone, and starter Joe Bowling. I know they have starters Marquis Davis and Philip Kratzenburg returning, reserve Desmond Young back, with Travis Carey from Coal Grove. I just think that IHS will be offensively challenged this year, unless someone can step up and add some scoring punch. I will say that Coach Lafon did a fantastic coaching job last season in getting Ironton to the regionals with not a lot of talent to work with. Maybe the freshman Bryant can get varsity playing time. Defensively, the Fighting Tigers will always come after their opponent. They will have a winning season if they can put up enough points on the scoreboard.

[sballchck]

Henry Jones, Jr.: Good post, but I have to slightly disagree about Ironton. The Fighting Tigers lost leading scorer Tristan Cox, postman Dylan Malone, and starter Joe Bowling. I know they have starters Marquis Davis and Philip Kratzenburg returning, reserve Desmond Young back, with Travis Carey from Coal Grove. I just think that IHS will be offensively challenged this year, unless someone can step up and add some scoring punch. I will say that Coach Lafon did a fantastic coaching job last season in getting Ironton to the regionals with not a lot of talent to work with. Maybe the freshman Bryant can get varsity playing time. Defensively, the Fighting Tigers will always come after their opponent. They will have a winning season if they can put up enough points on the scoreboard.

Ahh, my bad, I thought Malone had another year. In that case, I may put Fairland over Ironton. My only question with the Dragons, is will they be able to defend with the intensity level as Portsmouth, the Peake or Ironton. And as last year showed, when Portsmouth played defense, they were the best team in SE Ohio.

[minford17]

I recognize the rankings of only one. The great pfloyd. Eagerly awaiting his preseason rankings.

[Trojan_Pride]

Henry Jones, Jr.: Good post, but I have to slightly disagree about Ironton. The Fighting Tigers lost leading scorer Tristan Cox, postman Dylan Malone, and starter Joe Bowling. I know they have starters Marquis Davis and Philip Kratzenburg returning, reserve Desmond Young back, with Travis Carey from Coal Grove. I just think that IHS will be offensively challenged this year, unless someone can step up and add some scoring punch. I will say that Coach Lafon did a fantastic coaching job last season in getting Ironton to the regionals with not a lot of talent to work with. Maybe the freshman Bryant can get varsity playing time. Defensively, the Fighting Tigers will always come after their opponent. They will have a winning season if they can put up enough points on the scoreboard.

carey is good, I think he put up 15-20 nightly for CG!! rumor has it some other football players are gonna play ( Campbell, barker, etc etc ) who knows if that is true but look for ironton to be good with carey and a great coach like lafon!!!!

[trojandave]

D2 just got a lot more interesting now that Chillicothe will be playing in the SE tournament. I know that the Cavaliers have their top two guards back that gave Portsmouth fits last season. If CHS can get some adequate post play, they could pose problems for a lot of teams in the postseason.

I also look for the Warren Warriors to have another outstanding season. WHS is one program that truly reloads......I would say without any doubt that the Big Blue will be near the top of Pfloyd's preseason Elite 8. Coach Maddox has developed a winning machine up in Barlow. I will miss the great games between the Trojans and the Warriors, the majority of which were not decided until the final seconds or OT.

[art_vandelay]

D4: Trimble, Beaver Eastern, Portsmouth Clay, Sciotville East, Peebles, South Webster, and Portsmouth Notre Dame should all be decent. this may be as strong as SOC I has been in quite awhile.*

[NewEra]

Seops is already getting hyped for basketball season! Nice, hard to believe practice starts in like a month!

[ohbuckeye2]

Henry Jones, Jr.: Good post, but I have to slightly disagree about Ironton. The Fighting Tigers lost leading scorer Tristan Cox, postman Dylan Malone, and starter Joe Bowling. I know they have starters Marquis Davis and Philip Kratzenburg returning, reserve Desmond Young back, with Travis Carey from Coal Grove. I just think that IHS will be offensively challenged this year, unless someone can step up and add some scoring punch. I will say that Coach Lafon did a fantastic coaching job last season in getting Ironton to the regionals with not a lot of talent to work with. Maybe the freshman Bryant can get varsity playing time. Defensively, the Fighting Tigers will always come after their opponent. They will have a winning season if they can put up enough points on the scoreboard.

carey is good, I think he put up 15-20 nightly for CG!! rumor has it some other football players are gonna play ( Campbell, barker, etc etc ) who knows if that is true but look for ironton to be good with carey and a great coach like lafon!!!!

We could use Campbell, he missed last season due to the knee injury he suffered in Football. I can see a couple Freshmen getting some playing time this year also, very talented Freshmen class on the BB Court. Should be an interesting year in Tigertown.

[warren_stud]

I won't rank, because as of now I can't really recall a ton from last season. Maybe in a couple days I'll write down some ideas, but I'll put some thoughts out there. Gonna mention close to 20 teams in no particular order. Keep in mind that I'm located in Ross County, so I'm definitely missing out on some knowledge of teams in Lawrence, Adams, some Scioto, and Gallia counties. And also missing out on a good bit of the Eastern part of the district. I'm only bringing up teams whom I remember from last year and what they have returning again this season.

Unioto- lost 4 outstanding seniors, but returns a lot of talent and guys who were impactful on their 26-1 team. A good mix of 4-5 quality seniors and some outstanding sophomores. Plus, the juniors who will be up won the league the last 2 years on JV and I think could give some good minutes throughout the year.

Adena- 3 outstanding seniors who can all score. Definitely will be fun to watch and if the young kids can step in and make an impact, they could push for a district title in D3.

Westfall- the problem that the Mustangs will face this year is their size, but they have 4 high quality guards who can all fill it up and play very hard on the defensive end. If they can rebound as a team, I could see them having a major turnaround.

Waverly- the Tigers were young last year, but also very talented. They should be a year older and a year better. The jump to D2 could be difficult, but the Tigers won't back down from anyone this coming season.

Vinton County- Coach Combs has a nice group coming back who love to defend and can really shoot the 3 ball. I think they'll be atop the TVC and make a strong push in D2.

Chillicothe- the Cavaliers may be young as a whole, but have a couple of outstanding seniors to go with a great group of sophomores. They could make some serious noise in D2.

Lucasville Valley- Rolfe and company should be fun to watch this year as seniors. I'm not sure what they have coming up throughout the ranks, but they have some serious talent and experience in that senior class.

Logan Elm- watch out for the Braves this season. Took a slight step back last season, but should be right back to where they normally have been for the past decade in this coming season. Great shooting and even better defense will be their calling card.

Fairfield Union- the Falcons may still be a year away, but last year they featured a couple of talented freshmen and a host of other underclassmen. They should make a big jump this year with their outstanding coaching staff.

Minford- I believe D3 just got a good bit tougher when these Falcons returned to their old stomping grounds. A good mix of inside and outside will make them very tough to defend. Their length should make them very difficult to score against as well.

East- I could see the Tartans making life tough for those in SOC 1 with outstanding guard play and some big bodies on the interior.

Eastern Pike- word is that they are very talented and a Hall of Fame coach will help things a little bit further along. A nice hire to replace another high quality coach that they already had.

Zane Trace- feature one of the top players in the district and always very athletic. A lot of talent has left the school recently, but they still know how to win.

Washington CH- good coaching and my favorite player to watch in the district. Another undersized team, but they always find ways to be close at the end of games and will be a force to be reckoned with again.

Miami Trace- great athletes all over the court. Will get better throughout the year after replacing a stud 4 year starter.

Portsmouth- the best player in the district, mixed with a lot of talent that improved throughout last season. Should be a favorite to get to the regionals in D3 again. Can't wait to watch the Trojans again this winter.

Oak Hill- Coach Persin had some young guns last year and I expect that they'll take a big leap forward again this season.

Alexander- I believe only graduated one senior and play a tough style to get adjusted to. Should give teams fits and should make a return trip down the road to the Convo.

I'm not real sure how you can have Eastern Pike and Sciotoville East on this list without Clay being on here? Clay won the SOC 1 this past season and have the core of their team together. I say Clay stands a very good chance in the SOC 1 and any opponent they face. Have the size needed and the guards also needed to get the job done.

[Ironman92]

Logan- State Championship coach (1st Year)
Looking ahead to 2015-16:

Logan returns 3 key starters:
PG Lane Little, could be up for SEOAL POY Honors and this could be a huge year for him; 5-9 175 SR ALL SEOAL in 2014-15
SF Isaiah Smith, has good size, can shoot and can slash, great defender; 6-4 200 SR, ALL SEOAL Hon Mention in 2014-15
SG Cole Baron, good scorer, has worked hard on the defensive side, will need to be more consistent; 5-10 170 SR

Another player who started a few games and played a lot
PF Corey Henthorne, great size, broke a backboard weeks ago on a dunk, BUT needs to finish better around the rim; 6-5 270

New comers competing for Varsity spots:
Caden Landis 6-3 Soph SG, good quickness can get to the rim, shoots well
Brady Walsh, 6-0 Soph PG, natural leader, distributes the ball well, good defender
Denny Powers, 5-9 PG, Senior, another solid leader, will need to make the transition to varsity
Chase Walter, 6-3 SF, Senior solid footwork, good defender, needs to get better finishing around the rim, could get alot of mins in the post where Logan is thin
Tommy Breining, 6-2 Junior SF, another good player in space, but he too has had past troubles missing easy shots, it will come with experience
Bo Myers, 6-3 SF/SG Frosh, this kid has a ton of ability and will push for a spot if he can show he can play at that level. Summer will be a huge measuring stick and early scrimmages.
Coby Bell, 6-0 SG, Frosh, another talented player who will need to show he can play at a high level
Caleb Bell, 5-10 PG, Frosh, again, youth may come into play but he has all the tools to be a great player.
Wes Brooks, 5-9 PG, Frosh, solid defender, smart, aggressive doesnt make many mistakes but will need to prove himself
Sam Evans?? 6-4, SG; Good player but left team last year; rumor is he may come back out. He has varsity minutes but will need to play within himself


I am sure I am missing a few but it will be a very competitive offseason with many new faces looking to get on the roster and grizzled Vets looking to stay.

Little was one of my favorite players to watch last year. Outstanding PG