design: Wyatt Downey
permission to print: Aryan Bommena
The basketball season has arrived. The first official boys basketball game was on Nov. 29 against Saint Charles. The basketball season should be a lot more anticipated than the football season. When it comes to Central Ohio, OCC basketball will never disappoint fans.
After snapping the reigning state-champ Centerville’s 44-game winning streak Pickerington Central is led by Ohio State commit Devin Royal. Point guard Juwan Turner is one of the most underrated in the state. Turner is a pass first floor general with fine vision and ball handling.
On the other side of town, Pickerington North has a gem in Arness Lawson. The sophomore guard is poised for a breakout year.
It is almost a guarantee at this point that one of the Pickerington schools will win a state championship in football or basketball once every five years. Like usual, fans will have Akron St. Vincent St. Mary, Centerville, Pickerington Central and the powerhouses, but what teams are going to surprise people this year? What teams will possibly make a run deep in the tournament?
The OCC-Buckeye division is stacked with talent this year as every team (except Lancaster) has plenty of young upside. Central Crossing is led by sophomore Kent Hairston who is hoping to give the Comets a winning record for the first time in their school history.
Newark has a couple returning seniors, and not to mention it was one of three teams to beat state champion Pickerington Central last year.
Reynoldsburg’s sophomore duo of Toby Nwokolo and Jordan Fisher is going to be a gift to watch flourish these next couple years. Jordan had 24 points on 10/11 shooting in a district semi-final win over Groveport-Madison last year. Additionally, guard Jordan Bowens will be the freshman star for the Raiders this year. Bowens has gentry vision varied with exceptional IQ for the game.
Whitehall’s Reggie Bagley has a game in the nature of Brandon Ingram. If he uses his strength, Bagley will be a gift to watch in the time ahead.
Columbus South’s junior duo of Maurice McCall and LJ Washington will be causing issues on both ends of the court this year. Damon Griffin will also be a name to watch out for, as he led the Bulldogs to an 8-2 record this year in football. Griffin had 2000 all-purpose yards with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions this year.
Jesse Burris from Delaware Hayes is an elite shot creator with limitless range.
I’ve believed for years that if Ohio State just recruited basketball kids from Central Ohio the team would be more than fine, but for some reason they don’t take shots on kids like this. Central Ohio has had stars such as Dane Goodwin, Ben Roderick, Kaleb & Andre Wesson, Ja’sean Tate.
Not in Central Ohio, but rising sophomores like RJ Greer, Jagger Hutchins, Damon Friery, and Kingston Land all have the potential to be at Ohio State. It’s going to be a blessing watching them blossom these next few years, but even more it would be seeing them in a Buckeye uniform.
