Division I Final Four Preview

 

When: Saturday, March 20 at the University of Dayton

5:00pm - Mentor (25-0) vs Centerville (24-3) 
8:00pm - St Ignatius (19-6) vs Westerville Central (21-2) 

*Winners will play in the state championship game on Sunday, March 21 at 8:30pm

Mentor (25-0)

Mentor is a team built on seniors. All seven players who saw time in the two regional games were seniors. It starts with All-Ohio guard and Youngstown State commit Luke Chicone. The third all-time leading scorer in Mentor history is having a memorable season. At the regional round, Chicone scored a team-high 41 total points in the two wins over Jackson and Medina. As the team's point guard, top scorer, and emotional leader - the Cardinals will go as far as Chicone can guide them. Seniors Jonah Waag and Steven Key have been consistently strong on both ends of the court all season long. Waag is a 6'3 guard that is physical, athletic, and versatile. He earned 2nd team All-District honors in a season in which he is second on the team in scoring with 18 points per game. Waag scored 19 points in Mentor's regional final win over Medina. Senior guard Steven Key is one of the team's top defenders along with being one of their go-to playmakers on offense. Key helped seal a regional semifinal win over Jackson with a put back off of a missed free throw in the final minute of the game. The return of forward Ian Kipp has been a welcome sight as he helps provide depth in the front court along with 6'5 forward Andrew Smith. Senior sharpshooter Kyle Culler hit a couple of early three-pointers to help build an early lead in the regional final. Guard Cael Gray brings energy, experience, and shooting off of the bench. 

Making their third trip to the Final Four under legendary coach Bob Krizancic, this group will try to win the program's second state title (and third overall for Krizancic as a coach). Their journey to this point has been unscathed as the program seeks a rare undefeated state championships season. Key wins during the regular season included two wins over regional finalist Medina and fellow Final Four team St Ignatius. The district final win saw one of Mentor's finest offensive performances of the season in scoring 91 points against Solon. Even when the offense wasn't at its most efficient at the regional rounds, Mentor found ways to pull out key victories over Jackson and Medina. The team is balanced offensively to go along with a defense that can easily be overlooked. 

Centerville (25-0)

In direct contrast to Mentor, Centerville is a younger team with four of their five starters being sophomores or juniors. Super sophomore Gabe Cupps is a social media sensation and AUU teammate of Bronny James. The son of head coach Brook Cupps, the 6'2 point guard was a First Team All-District honoree as he averaged 16 points and 5 assists a game during the regular season. 6'7 junior Rich Rolf is a versatile scorer and double-double machine. Like Cupps, he earned First Team All-District in a season in which he averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds a game. With 14 points, Rolf was the leading scorer in Centerville's 40-38 regional final win over Moeller. 6'6 junior wing Tom House led the Elks in scoring during the regular season with 18 ppg. Able to score inside and out, House hit two late game three pointers in the regional final to help send Centerville to their first ever Final Four appearance. This trio is as good as any in the state of Ohio. Sophomore guard Emmanuel Deng and 6'7 senior Tre Johnson round off the starting lineup. Key bench players include guards Jayson Hayes and Quinn Hafner. 

Centerville is a young but extremely talented team. They knocked off two of the three top teams (Elder and Moeller) from the mighty Cincinnati Greater Catholic League in their two regional wins. Coming into the regional final, Moeller had not lost a tournament game since the 2017 state final. In upsetting the Crusaders, Centerville avenged one of their regular season losses. Centerville won the GWOC during the regular season, including two key wins over talented rival Wayne. The Elks knocked off NEO power St Edward last month in a big regular season win. Similar to Mentor, Centerville is a strong offensive group that is not shy about shooting the three ball. The Elks are averaging close to 20 three-point attempts per game. They also showed a commitment to defense in limiting their two regional opponents to an average of 40 points per game. 

St Ignatius (19-6)

The Wildcats are making their first Final Four appearance since their 2001 state championship. St Ignatius is guided by second year coach Cam Joyce. It starts up front with 6'7 forward Henry Raynor. The senior averaged 17 ppg during the season and earned Second Team All-District honors. Raynor scored 37 total points in the two regional victories. Fellow 6'7 senior post Will Yontek gives St Ignatius a talented frontcourt duo. Junior guard Jon Effertz, who finished with a team-high 19 points in the district final against Lorain, is the second leading scorer on the team. Talented freshman CJ Little has emerged as the team's point guard and has an excellent future ahead of him. Raynor, Yontek, and 6'10 junior CJ Yarian are key at defending the post and making sure the opposing team's guards have difficulty finishing in the lane. 6'4 sophomore Brayden Szczepaniak and freshman guard Carter Jackson bring depth to the backcourt. 

After a grueling regular season schedule that saw some highs (a nine game winning streak that included wins over St Edward, Cleveland Heights, and Shaker Heights) and some lows (four game losing streak early in the season), the Cats are playing their best basketball in the tournament. Following a big district final win over a talented Lorain team that features West Virginia commit Seth Wilson, St Ignatius clinched their first district title since 2016. After splitting two regular season games with rival St Edward, the two met up in the regional semifinal. Behind strong efforts from Ronyak and Effertz, the Wildcats held on to a 55-54 tournament win. In the regional final, St Ignatius knocked off Lima Senior with a 56-44 win. St Ignatius is a team much more comfortable keeping the score low and letting their defense lead the way. 

Westerville Central (21-2)

The Warhawks were one of Central Ohio's best and most consistent teams all season long. A year removed from the program's first ever district title, Westerville Central followed it up with the program's first ever Final Four appearance. Coach Kevin Martin, a starter on Westerville North's 1994 state championship team, has already made a huge impact on the program in just his third season. They are led by the Central District's Player of the Year in senior Tasos Cook. The 6'2 guard averaged 21 points per game during the regular season. Joining Cook in the backcourt are fellow seniors Quincy Clark and Landon Tillman. Clark is a 6'3 point guard that led the team in assists along with being a regular double digit scorer. Tillman is one of Westerville Central's top scorers and helped the Warhawks secure the district title with a late game three-pointer. MJ Davis is a 6'4 senior that hit three triples in the regional semifinal win over Hilliard Bradley. 6'7 sophomore Donovan Hunter and 6'5 junior Brad Leonard brings some size and rebounding to the team. 

Westerville Central has lost just two games all season. Both games were decided by a single point. They won a district final rubber match with league member Pickerington North, 41-39. After splitting a couple of one-point games during the season, the Warhawks won another rubber match against a league rival in the regional final. Down two with seconds left, Tasos Cook nailed a buzzer-beating shot from beyond halfcourt to give Central a 45-44 victory over Gahanna Lincoln. Westerville Central is a senior-led squad with winning experience in all kinds of ways. They have won eight straight tournament games dating back to last season. This team has strong guard play to go along with size, experience, and a commitment to defense. 

2021 Region 2 Preview

Region 2 Teams Preview

When: Wednesday, March 10 at Twinsburg High School

5:30 -  Medina (17-6) vs North Canton Hoover (17-8) 
8:00 - Mentor (23-0) vs Massillon Jackson (23-3) 

 Medina (7-2 in the GCC, 14-6 in regular season, 17-6 overall)

Medina has established themselves as one of NEO's top programs since Coach Hassinger took over in 2014. They dropped both games to Mentor, but swept through the rest of their GCC matchups. The Bees swept the season series with Brunswick and also knocked off Solon, a district runner-up. With high expectations in 2020-21, Medina upped the difficulty of their non-conference schedule. The four OHSAA teams to beat the Bees this season are all still in the tournament. Medina's tournament path to this point began with a 92-53 sectional final win over Westlake. Following a win over an underrated Copley team (42-35), Medina was matched up with one of the hottest and most talented teams in the area: Cleveland Heights. The two talented squads battled all night before Medina held on for a 54-53 victory. 

The Bees are led by three seniors that started a season ago on a team that won a district title. Corey Tripp is one of the best players in the state. The underrecruited 6'3 guard has proven to be a dynamite scorer inside and out. Tripp, averaging 24 ppg this season, recently became Medina's all-time leading scorer. Senior guard Brandon Geschke is one of the most accurate shooters in the area. Forward Christian Howard brings the size, rebounding, and inside scoring that makes the Bees a difficult team to defend. The 6'4 senior averages 12 points and 7 rebounds a game. Juniors Jajuan Jackson and Matt Spatny, also key starters on the football team, provide depth for Medina's trio of experienced and talented seniors.

Coach Chris Hassinger shared the 2020 Coach of the Year honors in the GCC with Mentor's Krizancic. Hassinger has four district titles in his seven seasons with the Bees. 

Biggest regular season wins: Cleveland Heights, Copley, Chaney, Solon Brunswick (twice), and Green

Regular season losses: Mentor (twice), St Ignatius, Buchtel, Richmond Heights, ISA

 Hoover (6-6 in the Federal League, 14-8 in regular season, 17-8 overall)

Of all the teams that made it to this regional, the Hoover Vikings are the biggest surprise. While the other three regional teams earned the top seeds at their respected district, Hoover was the 4th highest seed at the Northeast 2 district. They started the season pretty shaky after dropping five of their first six. A team with only one senior in the rotation was sure to experience some growing pains. Hoover flipped the switch and has been on a 16-3 tear since Christmas. That included handing Canton McKinley their only league loss as well as four impressive wins at their sectional/district. Three of those tournament wins were rubber match victories against Federal League foes after splitting the regular season series. An "upset" win at the higher-seeded Boardman was sandwiched in between home victories against Lake and Green. Finally, Hoover put together an impressive 64-53 district final win on the road against a highly talented McKinley squad that was the #2 overall seed in the Northeast pool of districts.  

Unlike the other three teams at this region, Hoover is more likely to rely on their size over guard play to carry them to victory. 6'4 junior Trent Ware and 6'5 senior Brock Henne lead the Vikings in points and rebounds. Another big body in the lineup is 6'4 junior Elijah Barker, who scored a team-high 22 points in the district final. Junior Cade Henne has emerged as the team's top scoring guard. The junior Henne made his presence known with a 24-point outburst in Hoover's regular season win against McKinley. 

Coach Mike Bluey is in just his third season at Hoover after a five year stint at Tallmadge. This is Bluey's first district title as a coach, and Hoover's first since 2013. 

Biggest regular season wins: McKinley, Green, Dover, Massillon, and Worthington Kilbourne

Regular season losses: Jackson (twice), McKinley, Green, Hoban, Walsh Jesuit, GlenOak, Lake

Mentor (9-0 in the GCC, 19-0 in regular season, 23-0 overall)

Mentor won their 15th district title since Coach Krizancic took over the program. The 2013 state champions are making their fourth trip to regional play in the last five seasons. During the regular season, Mentor went 19-0 and capped off the first undefeated season atop the final AP poll. Sweeping Medina and routing St Ignatius were the highlights of the regular season. Their path to the district crown included a pair of comfortable sectional wins against North and Harvey. In the district semifinal, Mentor was able to control pace against a Dover squad that did their best to slow down the game. In the district final, Mentor had probably their most impressive offensive performance of the season in a 91-73 win over conference foe Solon. The Cardinals shot a staggering 74% from the field. Through four games in the tournament, Mentor is averaging over 85 points a game. While the offense gets the attention, this team has proven to be very formidable on the defensive end as well. They cause headaches for the opposition in the half court as well as when they use their patented full court pressure. 

Mentor is led by Mr. Basketball candidate Luke Chicone. The three-year starting guard and Youngstown State commit has an 11-1 tournament record since 2019. Chicone is averaging 23 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals a game. Seniors Jonah Waag (18 ppg) and Steven Key (15 ppg) combine with Chicone to form one of the top scoring trios in the state. Waag had a game-high 29 points in the district final. Senior guard Kyle Culler is one of the top shooters in NEO. Key scored a season-high 33 points in a 76-70 win over Medina last month. Forwards Ian Kipp, Andrew Smith, and Sean Collins provide some size and depth in the front court. 

Coach Bob Krizancic has over 600 wins in his career that are highlighted by his state championships (1995 with Girard and 2013 with Mentor). 

Biggest regular season wins: Medina (twice), St Ignatius, Solon, Chaney, and Brunswick (twice)

Regular season losses: None

 Jackson (9-3 in the Federal League, 19-3 in regular season, 23-3 overall)

The Polar Bears were the top seeded team at Northeast District 1, and also the #3 overall in the Northeast pool of districts. After cruising through a couple of sectional wins against Ellet and Warren Harding, Jackson had a grueling district round against two of the better teams in NEO. Standing in their way on the other side of the bracket were the #4, 5, and 6 overall seeds. In the district semifinal, the Polar Bears held off Brush, 51-41. In the district final, Jackson once again demonstrated their grit with a 51-47 win over Walsh Jesuit. In both district games, the Polar Bears had to overcome first half double-digit deficits to grind out victories. Before the tournament started, Jackson snapped St Ignatius' nine-game winning streak with a 57-46 win last month in their regular season finale. The Polar Bears overcame a late deficit to pull out their most impressive regular season win. 

Jackson has won two state championships (2010 and 2017), four regional titles, and ten district titles. In a highly competitive athletic region like Summit/Stark County, Jackson has proven to be among the premier area basketball programs. The offense is led by a trio of double-digit scoring guards. After a strong sophomore campaign last season, Kevin James once again is among the players to watch for on the Polar Bears. Senior Michael Skeriotis is a sharpshooting guard that is capable of a big scoring night. Junior Ben Suillivan leads the team in assists and is second in scoring. In the front court, Jackson is not short on length or depth. 6'5 senior Alex Graybill, 6'6 senior Jovan Jovivic, and 6'6 sophomore Owen Woolbert are integral parts of Jackson's success. This is a team built on balance and depth. 

Coach Tim Debevec is in his 10th season for Jackson, which included guiding them to a 2017 state title. Jackson has won four district titles during Debevec's tenure. 

Biggest regular season wins: Hoover (twice), Hoban, Chaney, Brush, St Ignatius, Copley, Green, and Massillon

Regular season losses: McKinley (twice) and Green