Mid-Week Preview

Three high profile matchups on Tuesday leave CPHR hesitant on what game to attend in a week that should give us a clearer picture of who deserves top ten rankings in our weekly poll.........

Tuesday

·        St. Xavier @ Fairfield: An up and coming Fairfield squad opens their season against a young, and relatively unknown, St. X squad eager to make an impression in their opener. One matchup to watch in this one is two young PG’s as Fairfield returns sophomore Tim Fleming while X will give junior Deontae Bolling his first start. Assuming those two cancel out the key to the game might be how Fairfield can handle the athletic 6’7 sophomore wing Roderick Mills, who is mismatch for them; if Mills can create shots for himself the Bombers should get the win.

o   Prediction: Mills will have a chance to become a star this season. We expect him to begin that process here and lead St. X to a season opening road win.

·        Walnut Hills @ LaSalle: In their first game since their State Championship victory, the new look Lancers face a tough opponent in Walnut Hills, who has the big game experience to handle the rowdy Lancer student section. This year’s LaSalle team has the bulk to handle Isaiah Johnson down low and LaSalle’s style of play should neutralize Walnut’s trio of talented guards. Walnut Hills will need to shoot the ball well to stretch the defense, giving Johnson room to work inside to have a chance. If they can work the ball around, without being bothered by the LaSalle press they should have a chance; provided the Lancers don’t shoot the lights out (as they did in the pre-season).

o   Prediction: Gut feeling on this is LaSalle but Walnut Hills is more than capable of pulling out this type of win. We’ll go with senior guard Josh Lemons leading his Lancer squad to a single digit victory.

·        Roger Bacon @ Winton Woods: The Warriors try and avoid an 0-2 start by playing a Spartan team that posted an impressive margin in their win over Finneytown last weekend. Roger Bacon’s physical defense is similar to the Moeller defense that held Winton Woods under 50 points. If the Warriors can handle the pressure and get quality shots they should win handily, if not (and Bacon can find their shooting touch) it could be closer than most people suspect.

o   Prediction: Winton Woods wins by 15 after a close first half.

·        Clark @ Lockland

·        Mount Healthy @ West High

·        Oak Hills @ Lakota West

·        Milford @ Sycamore

·        Loveland @ McNicholas

·        Finneytown @ Northwest

·        Summit @ Seven Hills

·        CHCA @ North College Hill

Wednesday

·        Colerain @ Ryle: The Cardinals try to get off to a 2-0 start and avenge last season’s loss to Ryle, out of KY, where they were dominated in the paint.

o   Prediction: Colerain has too much speed and depth for Ryle to handle. The Cards get the victory this year.

Thursday

·        Badin @ Northwest

Weekly Recap/Updated Power Rankings

Can anyone challenge Taft for the top spot in our power rankings? Is Kevin Daniels going to be the breakout sophomore in the city this season? Who is deserving of the top spot in Division I? Our take on these questions and more in our weekly recap with top performers, our new team rankings, and a special announcement....

Moeller junior Josh Davenport
had a huge opening night offensively

Week 1 Top Performers:

1.      Adolphus Washington- ’12 Taft C: “Diesel” didn’t earn his reputation yesterday, he’s had it for a while; and one thing is for sure, it’s only getting bigger and bigger. Adolphus was a man amongst boys as he dominated Friday against Taft with 20 points and 19 rebounds in a blowout win; then followed up with a passionate 29 point and 18 rebound outing against a West High team (including two monster dunks) that had no answer, as Taft cruised again.

2.      Orlando Berry Jr- ’12 Taft PG: The senior has big plans to repeat as State Champions and proved that they are the favorites with two convincing wins over Aiken and West High. Berry has been un-guardable in the half and full court so far and through two games is averaging 22.5 points and over 5 assists and 5 steals.

3.      Kevin Daniels- ’14 Hughes SG: The Big Red have won as many games already as they did last season (1) as they defeated Oyler on Friday and lost by one to Woodward on Saturday. Daniels scored the ball at a prolific rate over the weekend as the sophomore recorded 28 on Friday and followed that up with another 26 in Saturday’s loss.

4.      Josh Davenport- ’13 Moeller SG/SF: The junior scoring wing proved that he is ready to handle the offensive load as he led the way in a surprisingly lopsided win over Winton Woods. Davenport scored 22 points, on an efficient 10-14 shooting, and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win.

5.      Geovonie McKnight- ’12 Middletown PG/SG: A great start to his senior season as he scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists in a win over Beavercreek. Those numbers should help the reputation of one of Ohio’s top unsigned senior prospects.

6.      Vincent Edwards- ’14 Middletown SF: The versatile sophomore showed his complete game with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in a win over Beavercreek. These type of numbers are what makes Vince one of, if not the, top sophomores in Ohio.

7.      Alex Fultz- ’12 Glen Este SG: Even though his team took a tough loss the senior shooter torched Mt. Healthy for 35 points in a thrilling FAVC opener.

8.      Zach McCormick- ’14 Turpin SG: In his first game as a Spartan the sophomore picked up where he left off at Wilmington by scoring 23 points, in only a half of playing time, in a blowout win over Amelia. McCormick is one of the early favorites to lead the city in scoring.

Hughes sophomore Kevin Daniels is
averaging 27 points through two games

9.      Max Hassell- ’12 Clark PG: The senior is determined to keep Clark relevant as he scored 25 points in a convincing home win over a talented Madeira squad. 

10.  Luke Kennard- ’15 Franklin SF: The freshman scored 26 in his first varsity game, a victory over Waynesville. At 6’5 Kennard is running the point for his Wildcat team and looks to have a monster first season.

Week 2 Power Rankings (12/4/11)

Division I

1.      Withrow- Took care of business on Friday vs Woodward and should again this week against Shroder. 8 players scored at least 6 points in their win, highlighting their impressive depth and talent; although Moeller is pushing them for their spot.

2.      Moeller- Gained momentum towards the number one spot with a statement win over Winton Woods. Another performance like that and the top spot could be theirs. Remember, PG Keith Watkins is about to return to action!

3.      Middletown- Solid win over Beavercreek, as their “Big 2” carried them, was enough to move them up one spot over Princeton.

4.      Princeton- Got the win, but not by as much as they should’ve, against Centerville. They drop behind Middletown but this team should improve throughout the year.

5.      LaSalle- Stayed in the same spot, first game is on Tuesday, a tough test against a talented Walnut Hills team.

6.      Mason- Impressive margin in their win moves them up as all their “Big 3” scorers all reached double figures. Tough test this Friday against Colerain looms large.

7.      Winton Woods- Can’t drop them too far after losing to Moeller on the road. This team will only get better as they gain experience. Need to take care of Bacon this Tuesday.

8.      Walnut Hills- Kept their same spot after handling their business Friday. A high profile Tuesday matchup with LaSalle should tell us a lot more.

9.      Lakota East- Huge margin in win over Lockland turned some heads.

10.  St. Xavier- Stayed in the same spot, first game is on Tuesday.

Just Missed: Colerain, Lakota West, Turpin, Northwest, West High, Fairfield

Division II-IV 

Clark senior Max Hassell is off
to a great start this season

1.      Taft- The gap between #1 and rest of the field is huge as the Senators flexed their muscles. The speed they play at, the presence of Adolphus Washington, and the acceptance of roles of their other players make them look like a well oiled machine. 

2.      Franklin- Freshman SF Luke Kennard showed out in the opening win. Their schedule is favorable early, but how good is this Wildcat? Still undecided on this end.

3.      Aiken- A no show loss on Friday then a passionate win on Saturday leaves us a little confused. They have the week off to find their true identity, they belong in this spot right now but have no idea if they’ll move up or down from there.

4.      Summit- Good, but not great, first game against Reading. A tough week with Seven Hills and Lockland on the schedule will challenge their focus.

5.      McNicholas- First game will be this Tuesday, a Friday matchup with Turpin should tell us a lot more about this Rockets team.

6.      North College Hill- The Trojans turned heads with a dismantling of Wyoming, two more blowouts are expected this week, can they handle the expectations?

7.      Lockland- Hard to take much from a loss to a school like Lakota East but Lockland did show signs of life. We’ll learn a lot more this week as they face two ranked teams in Summit and Clark.

8.      Roger Bacon- Nice win over Finneytown, we’ll see what they’ve got Tuesday on the road against a talented Winton Woods team.

9.      Indian Hill- Started season with a convincing win over Sycamore, still sort of an unknown but appear to be CHL favorites at early stage.

10.  Clark- Blowout of Madeira earns them a spot in the top ten. Can they handle Lockland on Tuesday?

Just Missed: Hughes, Shroder, Finneytown, Seven Hills, Madeira, Badin, Cincinnati Christian

CPHR’s Newest Staff Member

We are pleased to announce that beginning this week CPHR’s new student intern, Purcell Marian senior Daniel Watkins, will be joining us as a special correspondent. Watkins, an aspiring journalism major, brings a breadth of knowledge as he traveled the AAU circuit for years as a student-assistant coach for the Queen City Prophets and is an avid fan, and researcher, of Cincinnati high school basketball. Look for big things coming soon from Daniel……..

Saturday Night Scores....

Some results from tonight as two CMAC games ended lopsided, while one came down to the final possession, and a ranked GMC team got off to a great start............. West High @ Taft photos

Taft senior Jalean Lowe had a big scoring night

·         Taft 95 West High 66: Some early extra physical play from the Mustangs added extra motivation to Taft’s dynamic duo of Adolphus Washington and Orlando Berry Jr as they went on rampages to rout West High in the last three quarters. Washington finished with 29 points and 18 rebounds (a day after recording 20 and 19) and Berry finished with 27 to lead Taft to victory without the services of injured starters Jermaine Freeman and Dwayne Stanford. Senior wing Jalean Lowe had his scoring touch tonight as well adding 21 points and senior transfer forward Jabari Watkins added 10 and 7 for Taft. Another key to the Senator win was the quality minutes they received from role players in seniors Fred Cannaday, Ra’Saan Jackson, and Mike Barton Jr. West High was led in scoring by the red hot shooting of senior guard Darrell Bullock who finished with 29 points in the loss. Senior guard Lionel Hill added 10 for West High while senior wing Keevin Tyus was held to just 7 in the loss. The speed of Taft has just been too much for opponents thus far as West High was unable to stop the ball in transition as Berry continuously went coast to coast to score, as did Washington who even played some point in the second half.

·         Aiken 73 Shroder 29: The Falcons opened the game with a 19-4 run and never looked back as they routed Shroder. Junior wing Austin Grimes led Aiken in scoring with 17 points and 12 rebounds, senior guard Willie Moore recorded 15 points (with 7 rebounds and 7 assists), senior forward Paul Woodson had a double-double with 14 and 11. Sophomore Correy Cavins also had 11 points for Aiken while junior wing Mikey Thompson scored 8 for the victors.

·         Woodward 74 Hughes 73: The Bulldogs won the fourth quarter shootout behind the double-double outings of senior guard Eric Hill (24 and 10) and junior wing Tyrone Whithead (21 and 11). Hughes was led by sophomore wing Kevin Daniels who scored 20 of his game high 26 points in the second half in the disappointing loss. Hughes also got great scoring from junior wing Terry Cook, who scored 20 points, and sophomore PG Angel Rivera, who chipped in 13.

·         Mason 70 Lebanon 49: Senior guard JD Sprague led the scoring with 23 points in the Comets opening win.  Senior forward Darrin Harris scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Comets while fellow senior forward Mike Van Kleunen added 10 points in the win.

Late Update- North College Hill 70 Wyoming 36: Senior wing Jamal Ivery led NCH with 19 points in the win.

Friday Night Results

There were a lot of close games on a full slate of opening night games as we saw many new players throw their hats in the ring to become household names. Here are some scores from around the city.......

 Aiken @ Taft game photos

Taft senior post Adolphus Washington

·         Taft 71 Aiken 43: The senior trio of Orlando Berry, Adolphus Washington, and Jalean Lowe dominated the game offensively while Taft gave a complete team defensive effort to rout a Falcons team that simply couldn’t handle the pressure of Taft. Berry set the tempo early recording 8 total steals and scoring 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter. Washington was his traditional workhorse self as he put up 20 points and 19 rebounds in a game which he was simply unguardable. Lowe attacked the rim efficiently tonight and added on 17 points. The Taft defense was sparked early by senior starters Fred Cannaday and Jermaine Freeman as they raced out to a 14 point first quarter lead and never looked back for a second, proving that Taft is the undeniable Division II powerhouse in Cincinnati. Taft’s defense held Aiken stars Willie Moore and Ausin Grimes to 5 points a piece as the Falcons were led in scoring by sophomore Correy Cavins with 14 and senior forward Paul Woodson with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

o   Note: Taft senior forward Dwayne Stanford did not play tonight due to a mild injury. Tonight also marked the unveiling of last season’s State Championship banner and a ring ceremony for the Taft players.

·         Moeller 55 Winton Woods 41: Junior wing Josh Davenport had an impressive outing with 22 points (on 10-14 shooting) and 10 rebounds to lead Moeller in a strong opening performance.  Senior forward Alex Voss had 11 points for Moeller while senior center Tony Sabato added 10. Winton Woods was led by the 12 points of senior post Zach McCorkle, who also grabbed 7 boards.

Taft senior PG Orlando Berry

·         Princeton 56 Centerville 55: An overtime win in a surprisingly close game for the Vikings. Senior guard Deion Isham led the way with 16 points while senior guard Malcolm Smith scored 11 and junior guard Dorian Jordan chipped in 10.  

·         Lakota East 61 Lockland 50: Junior wing Stedman Lowry led the scoring for East with 16 points while junior post Zach Panzeca had a double-double with 12 and 10. Robbie Harpring and Keith Brady also chipped in 10 a piece for East in the win. Junior guard DJ Wingfield scored 19 points for the Panthers in the loss, while junior guard Dylan Wedlock added 15.

·         Middletown 70 Beavercreek 56: Sophomore Vincent Edwards had a huge night for the Middies with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort. Senior guard Geovonie McKnight led the scoring with 20 points (while grabbing 12 rebounds and recording 5 assists) and junior wing Jalin Marshall added 17 points.  

·         Withrow 71 Woodward 44: Devin Williams led Withrow to a rivalry victory with 17 points and 11 rebounds while sophomore PG Tyonte Robertson contributed 15 points. Another 6 Tigers scored at least 5 points to balance out the Withrow attack. Seniors Shawnluke Cotton (14) and Eric Hill (10) scored in double figures for the losing Bulldogs.

·         Turpin 82 Amelia 46: Sophomore SG Zach McCormick scored 23 in his Spartan debut while junior forward Connor Grotton added 18 points and 10 boards to pace Turpin.

·         Colerain 74 Harrison 45: Transfer junior SG Milt Davis and sophomore PG Kiere Bennie each scored 14 to pace Colerain in their blowout win while junior wing Bryan Porter added 13 points.

·         Walnut Hills 56 Purcell Marian 30: Isaiah Johnson led Walnut with 17 points while junior guard Kyree Burton added on 13 points in the blowout win.

·         Fairfield 54 Fairmont 46: Senior center Brandon Murphy recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards in the Indians win while sophomore PG Tim Fleming added 11 points.

·         West High 65 Oak Hills 44: Five Mustangs reached double figures in a balanced scoring effort as Keevin Tyus (in his first game off a torn ACL), Darrell Bullock, Lionel Hill, Marquez Carpenter, and Randen Clark all had over 10.

·         Hughes 98 Oyler 63: The Hughes Big Red matched last season’s win total in only their second game as four players- sophomore wing Kevin Daniels (led with 28), sophomore post Dwight Nared, sophomore PG Angel Rivera (10 points 11 assists), and junior guard Terry Cook- all scored at least 13 points in the win.

·         Summit 58 Reading 43: Senior center Holden Hertzel had a breakout game with 22 points and 10 rebounds for Summit while Antonio Woods scored 17 and Kevin Johnson had 11 in the win. 

·         Clark 70 Madeira 57: Max Hassell, a senior PG, scored 25 points tonight; the first step to proving that he can lead this team back to the Regionals this year. In the loss junior guard Andrew Benenteni scored 17 for Madeira. 

·         Indian Hill 55 Sycamore 39

·         Roger Bacon 78 Finneytown 64


Late Update:
Deer Park 48 Wyoming 41: Sophomore guard Ahmad Frost led all scorers with 16 in a Wyoming loss.
Mt. Healthy 82 Glen Este 78: Senior guard Alex Fultz went off to the tune of 35 points in a shootout loss. For Mt. Healthy sophomore forward Andrew Wilfong came off the bench to score 25, senior guard Terry Rocker scorer 25, and senior guard Vincent Turnage added 18 all in the win.
Franklin 69 Waynesville 56: Freshman wing Luke Kennard, CPHR's #1 ranked freshman, scored 26 to lead all scorers in a debut win.

Weekend Preview

It's officially that time of year again! With Ohio teams beginning their regular season schedules this weekend we wanted to take our traditional look at the top games, as well as CPHR's picks on who will win........

Friday-  12/2/11

·         Winton Woods @ Moeller: What an opening night game! CPHR’s #2 ranked team in Moeller faces the #6 team in Winton Woods. Both teams have tremendous depth but youth might play a factor here as this will be the first varsity game for almost the entire Winton Woods teams, and the first game with Winton Woods for transfers Trent Donald and Jerrell Wilkins. The size and skill battles should be about even and while Winton Woods has an athleticism advantage that has never been a problem from the men of Moe to overcome. This game could easily come down to the last shot and we wouldn’t be surprised to see it go either way.  

o   Prediction: Home court and experience play the deciding factor as Moeller wins a season opening thriller between two heavyweights.

·         Aiken @ Taft: The annual season opening clash will be as loaded with talent as usual this year. Taft will bring back four starters, and five key players, on a team made up entirely of seniors from last year’s State Championship team. This matchup features Cincinnati’s pre-season top two D-II teams and Aiken has some horses, led by senior SG Willie Moore (Duquesne signee). Expect the game to stay close for a half but for Adolphus Washington to take over in the second half.

o   Prediction: Aiken hangs around for a while but Taft wins by double digits.

·         Centerville @ Princeton: There’s a lot of hype around Coach Anderson’s first game as head coach of the Vikings as they host a perennially solid Dayton D-I team. Princeton is the superior team athletically and should settle in and wear down Centerville.

o   Prediction: Princeton by twenty plus.

·         Lockland @ Lakota East: Cincinnati’s top D-IV team travels to take on a D-I team that has been decimated by injuries early and is forced to play some freshman on the varsity. Lockland has the talent to hang around but the defensive intensity of East should prevail in a low scoring affair.

o   Preview: Lakota East wins comfortably with a great defensive effort.

·         Beavercreek @ Middletown: A talented group from Dayton comes down to play a Middies team that will be playing for the first time with their football guys dressed. The Middies are big favorites here but Beavercreek is a bit of an unknown with a lot of young talent.

o   Prediction: Might be close for a half but Coach Andrews gets a convincing win in his first game at the helm of the Middies.

·         Withrow @ Woodward: It’s never easy to defeat a rival on the road, especially in a season opener, but Withrow has an overwhelming talent advantage in this one. Expect junior PF Devin Williams to have a career day inside for Withrow.

o   Prediction: Coach Gilbert will not allow this season opener to be a repeat of last year’s where Woodward hung around until the last shot. Withrow dominates early and wins big.

·         Turpin @ Amelia

·         Harrison @ Colerain

·         Fairmont @ Fairfield

·         Oak Hills @ West High

·         Roger Bacon @ Finneytown

·         Reading @ Summit

·         Madeira @ Clark

·         Oyler @ Hughes

·         Purcell Marian @ Walnut Hills

·         Sycamore @ Indian Hill

Saturday- 12/3/11

·         Aiken @ Shroder: Win or lose Friday at Taft the Aiken Falcons will have to mentally regroup to face what will be a fresh Shroder team. Aiken has a clear talent advantage here but they have to worry about looking past the Jaguars, with so much hype revolving around Friday’s game. The key to this game will be how well Shroder handles the Aiken press as well as if they can apply pressure of their own to keep the game low scoring; by far and away their best chance to win.

o   Prediction: Shroder simply has no answer for Willie Moore or Austin Grimes. Aiken should control this game from the start and win handily.

·         Hughes @ Woodward: Assuming they take care of business on Friday the Big Red of Hughes will have a chance to surpass last year’s win total in just their second game. The tough part will be winning on the road for a team that went winless in the CMAC last year. Woodward knows that these are the type of games that they have to win at home. Look for this to be a perimeter dominated scoring game that is more than likely low scoring.

o   Prediction: Hughes starts off 2-0 with a close win.

·         West High @ Taft: Both of these teams plan on being 1-0 going into this matchup. If West High wants to establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the city they have to show up in this type of atmosphere. Taft is a heavy favorite but there is always a chance for a letdown after an emotional opener like Aiken. West High has the depth inside to contain Adolphus Washington but can their guards slow down Jalean Lowe’s scoring?

o   Prediction: Taft wins convincingly, until Keevin Tyus returns from injury West High cannot keep up with Taft offensively.

·         Lebanon @ Mason

·         North College Hill @ Wyoming

Updated Rankings

Monty Boykins of Lakota West

To celebrate the start of the new season CPHR has been working hard on our affiliate site, Triple Double Prospects, to make sure our rankings are as up to date as possible. Over the last month we have taken careful note as to who we believe has been improving the most. While several decisions were tough, particularly the '14 point guards (where the margins are razor thin between players), these are the rankings that we believe to be accurate.

The biggest change? A new name on top of the '13 SG list in Lakota West's Monty Boykins, who has been on a scoring rampage this fall every time CPHR has been in the gym. Here are the links to the new rankings, they can also be accessed by going to www.tripledoubleprospects.com and or by clicking on the rankings on the tabs at the top of this page.

2012 Cincinnati Player Rankings

2013 Cincinnati Player Rankings

2014 Cincinnati Player Rankings

Editors Note: If you're a player, or family/friend of a player, who does not have a profile but is ranked on Triple Double Prospects (or if your simply missing a photo) please be patient. We are working feverishly on having profiles for everyone before tip-off on Friday night!

2011-2012 Cincinnati HS Season Preview

The boy's high school basketball season starts in Cincinnati on Friday and no one is more excited then CPHR. Although we are only releasing our full "season preview" in our magazine (available at CPHR covered games or, more conveniently, here: Buy Magazine) we still wanted to give fans who are unable to get the magazine a quick preview of the winter. Here are our weekly power rankings, a new future that CPHR is extremely proud to introduce. We will release our rankings every Sunday and after the article they will stay in the box on the top left of this page. We also have included who we think will earn all-city honors going into the season, although that inevitably will change as much as team rankings. Thanks for reading and enjoy the beginning of the season!

Weekly Power Rankings

Division I

1. Withrow- The city’s most talented team goes 9 deep without losing anything. Big man Devin Williams is dominant, especially alongside 6’10 Rozelle Nix. A talented group of guards led by Corey Wise, Tyonte Robertson, and Tim Coleman can really make plays. Keep an eye on senior forward Erron Nichols, a tough, versatile athlete and glue guy.
2. Moeller- Returns 4 key players from a Regional Final team. Ben Galemmo, Josh Davenport, and Tony Sabato should handle most of the scoring while Alex Voss and Keith Watkins should play key roles on a team with great depth and leadership. 
3.  Princeton- Most talented GMC team is deep and athletic under new coach Mike Anderson. Malcolm Smith, Dorian Jordan, Deion Isham, and “Tank” Young were all contributors next year. Junior forward Eric Tivis should have a breakout season.
4. Middletown- Two superstars in Geovonie McKnight and Vincent Edwards lead an athletic team adapting to a new coach in Josh Andrews. Co-favorites in GMC.
5. LaSalle- Reloaded from last year’s State Title they return PG Josh Lemons and have a well coached group of role players led by Jeff Larkin and Chris Rodriguez.
6. Winton Woods- Might be young, only 1 varsity player returns, but a plethora of talented sophomores and transfer Trent Donald give them as talented a team as anyone. Watch out for junior forward Kwan Cheatham who could be the breakout player of the year.
7.  Mason- Darrin Harris, Michael Van Kleunen, and JD Sprague give them a trio of weapons on a disciplined team that knows how to win ball games.
8. Walnut Hills- Return 4 junior starters, post Isaiah Johnson is a load down low while little guards Sterling Gilmore, Ricardo Hill, and Kyree Burton are all talented weapons.
9. Lakota East- Missing Mark Minch till January hurts but Stedman Lowry and Robbie Harpring can hold down the fort with a well disciplined, but young, supporting cast.
10. St Xavier- The future is now for a young team led by sophomore forward Roderick Mills and a slew of talented and athletic juniors. Expect more of an up-tempo Bomber squad.

Just Missed: Colerain, Lakota West, Fairfield, Turpin, Northwest 

Division II-IV

1.  Taft- All 10 varsity players are seniors, return 4 starters and a their high scoring 6^th man from last year’s State Championship team. Adolphus Washington, Orlando Berry, Jalean Lowe, Dwayne Stanford, and Jermaine Freeman have been playing together for ten years and will be a tough out for opposing teams in their final year together.
2. Aiken- Willie Moore and Austin Grimes return to carry the scoring load with transfer PF Paul Woodson holding down the middle on a talented team.
3. Franklin- 6’8 twins Jacob and Justin Rossi lead the way with Ohio’s top freshman Luke Kennard running the point at 6’5. Tall under the radar team with great shooting ability.
4.  Summit- Loss of Tommy Kreyenhagen to injury slows them down but Antonio Woods and Kevin Johnson are a dynamic backcourt.
5. Shroder- Seniors Trey Dees, Randle Griffith, and Ladell Griffin all return from a Sectional Final team. They have great size, if they find some scoring they’ll be very good early.
6. Lockland- Returns top 6 players including scoring threats DJ Wingfield and Dylan Wedlock off a District team from last season.
7.  McNicholas- Drew Hall is a big time scorer, favorite to win the GCL Central.
8. Roger Bacon- Reloaded with young talent and defensive intensity of Coach Neal.
9. North College Hill- Young team led by senior PG Louis Walker.
10. Indian Hill- Return three starters from last year and our favorites to win the CHL.

Just Missed: Hughes, Clark, Seven Hills, Finneytown, Wyoming, Maderia, Mariemont, Badin, Cincinnati Christian

Pre-Season All-City Team

·         Adolphus Washington- Senior C Taft

·         Willie Moore- Senior SG Aiken

·         Josh Lemons- Senior PG LaSalle

·         Orlando Berry Jr- Senior PG Taft

·         Geovonie McKnight- Senior PG/SG Middletown

·         Devin Williams- Junior PF Withrow

·         Vincent Edwards- Sophomore SF Middletown

·         Mark Minch- Senior SG/SF Lakota East **Will miss first half of season with injury**

·         Monty Boykins- Junior SG Lakota West

·         Isaiah Johnson- Junior C Walnut Hills

·         Zach McCormick- Sophomore PG/SG Turpin

·         Jacob Rossi- Senior SF/PF Franklin

·         Drew Hall- Senior SF McNicholas

·         Kevin Johnson- Junior PG Summit

·         Malcolm Smith- Senior SG Princeton

·         Darrin Harris- Senior SF Mason

·         Jalean Lowe- Senior SF Taft

·         Keevin Tyus- Senior SG/SF West High **Will mist first month of season with injury**

·         Trent Donald- Junior PF Winton Woods

Honorable Mention: Tyonte Robertson (Withrow PG), Dorian Jordan (Princeton PG), Ben Galemmo (Moeller SG), Tony Sabato (Moeller C), Bryan Porter (Colerain SG), Lionel Hill (West High PG), Sterling Gilmore (PG Walnut Hills), Dwayne Stanford (Taft PF), Jermaine Freeman (Taft SG), Paul Woodson (Aiken PF), Austin Grimes (Aiken SF), Luke Kennard (Franklin SG/SF), Justin Rossi (Franklin PF), Antonio Woods (Summit PG), DJ Wingfield (SG Lockland), Kevin Daniels (SG Hughes), Roderick Mills (St. Xavier SF), Rozelle Nix (Withrow C), Deontez McGee (SG Norwood), Ramar Hairston (Northwest SG), Kwan Cheatham (Winton Woods PF), Stedman Lowry (Lakota East SG), Chris Connell (Woodward C)

Still need more coverage of the top teams and players this season? Want in depth team previews with conference rankings as well? Click on the link to buy CPHR's Season Preview Magazine: Buy Magazine