Now that school has started, how does the upcoming 2019-20 season look for Division 4 in the Central District? Feel free to share knowledge on transfers, injuries, promising freshmen, or impact coaching changes. I don't profess to be an expert by any means, but I've heard a few things and enjoy reading up on other news in the area, so I figured now is as good a time as any to start a discussion if anyone were interested. Plus, this allows me to look back at the end of the season and see how awful my analysis and predictions have been.
Division 4 Changes (competitive balance enrollment)
+ Grandview Heights (123)
+ East Knox (121)
+ Wellington (127)
+ Grove City Christian (110)
+ KIPP Academy
- Centerburg (145)
Worth noting is that the cutoff for competitive balance enrollment cutoff is 128. Mount Gilead (133), Fredericktown (135), Northmor (140), Fairbanks (141), Centerburg (145), Elgin (145), Johnstown (150), and West Jefferson (154) could all be within range in the coming years. There's those rumors about potentially shrinking D-1 and making other divisions larger, which could eventually have an impact on those schools. I could also be wrong about KIPP Academy, but I've heard that they are in D-4 this season and will likely get bumped up in future years.
Division 4 Enrollment (ODE base enrollment from the OHSAA website)
- Grandview Heights (123)
- East Knox (116)
- Cardington-Lincoln (115)
- KIPP Academy (113)
- Wellington (101)
- Berne Union (95)
- Newark Catholic (87)
- Grove City Christian (87)
- Danville (75)
- Ridgedale (70)
- Fairfield Christian (62)
- Tree of Life (59)
- Millersport (59)
- Fisher Catholic (57)
- Madison Christian (52)
- Patriot Prep (49)
- Delaware Christian (29)
- Granville Christian (27)
- Northside Christian (22)
- Shekinah Christian (11)
If my count is correct, that would be 20 teams. Might we see a return to two District champions? There were 21 teams back in 2016-17 that fought for two District championships, so I'm curious to see how that turns out (unless they've already decided and I just haven't realized it). Either way, I would have to think that Grandview Heights is the clear #1 and Wellington the likely #2. Good luck to everyone else and hope you have a nice regular season.
Early Outlooks
D-4 doesn't get much attention around the Central area, so for anyone interested, feel free to pool resources to get an idea of what the upcoming season might look like. I'm not going to make any predictions other than Grandview Heights having a shot at making it to State, but perhaps this could help get those who care a little more informed. My lists are not necessarily ranked, just loose ideas of where teams may fall based on what little information I have. Hopefully my little bit of East Columbus/MOCAL interest (along with a program from last year's tournament) can at least provide a bit of insight to those lesser known teams. Last year's record in parenthesis.
MSL-CARDINAL OUTLOOK
- OVERALL: Very strong conference! Most balance in years from top to bottom. Should be very exciting seeing the #2-#7 teams compete. Only FCA might have trouble finding wins against even lower-tier teams, but Hooper usually gets them to overachieve.
- Harvest Prep (28-2): Obviously D3 but I figured I could include them here. Unstoppable again?
- Rosecrans (19-3): Not in Central but a very solid squad last year that I know nothing about but would assume is going to be strong again this year.
- Wellington (14-10): Might be vulnerable early after losing Patrick, but they have several promising freshman and lots of length.
- Berne Union (17-9): McCartney and Unger are studs, but do they have enough depth? Who is the new coach?
- Fisher Catholic (18-8): Lost a ton of seniors, but lost a ton the year before too. I'm sure they'll have another strong team.
- Millersport (4-19): Really started playing better at the end of last year and return every single player. Still only 2 seniors!
- Grove City Christian (5-18): Have some promise for sure.
- Fairfield Christian (9-14): Based on what The Dock said in the football forum, they lose Rose, which really hurts. Graduated two starters as well. Hopefully they return their other two starters and key bench player.
MOCAL OUTLOOK
- OVERALL: Shekinah, Delaware, and Granville should be improved. Tree and Northside will have a hard time winning games.
- Shekinah Christian (16-9): Lost an All-Ohio player but return 4 starters from a team that upset Centerburg and nearly upset Berne Union in the tournament. How? Enrollment is 11!
- Delaware Christian (9-14): Return 4 key players but don't have much depth elsewhere. The 4 they return are very solid.
- Granville Christian (11-12): Return 3 leading scorers and 4 starters from a surprisingly adequate team last year. Dark horse for the MOCAL champs IMO.
- Madison Christian (6-17): Only graduated one senior and was actually competitive in many games. Unfortunately, I’ve heard rumblings that their 20/10 kid, Levi Ross, transferred out. Should be okay for the conference but it’s hard to see them competing for a title without Ross.
- Tree of Life (16-7): Lost 5 of top 6 in a 6 man rotation. Lost 8 seniors overall. Had a very, very good incoming freshman, but I think he transferred to Thomas Worthington based on reports from 270 Hoops "The Intro." They'll really struggle this year I fear.
- Northside Christian (9-12): Lost their coach, 3 starters, and their top bench guys. Could be a rough year.
Other D-4 Central District Teams
- OVERALL: Since so many of the other schools are spread out, I figured I'd just lump them in here.
- Grandview Heights (19-7): Return nearly all key players from a team that won a competitive D-3 District last year. Hard to see them falling before Regionals.
- East Knox (11-12): Don't know much about them other than they were improved last year and are a fringe D-3 school.
- Cardington-Lincoln (3-19): Postseason program says they lost 6 seniors from a 3-19 team.
- KIPP Academy (8-7): Seemed to be about an average D-4 school last year, but they return everyone since this will be their first senior class. Could be pretty good.
- Newark Catholic (8-17): Weird seeing them down. Lost 5 seniors and will get a new coach. Might be a rebuilding situation?
- Danville (10-14): Lost some key players. Heard a rumor they did not look good in the summer, but how much can you really tell from summer basketball?
- Ridgedale (10-13): Did better than expected last year. Lose 3 key seniors but return some promising players as well. Team was not deep though and they lost their coach too.
- Patriot Prep (5-15): Got the bottom seed last year and lost several starters. Maybe the new coach can turn things around a bit.
Non-OHSAA Local Teams
- New Hope Christian (6-15): Only one senior last year. Saw them play a couple times and there are lots of familiar names (younger brothers of former players). Wouldn't surprise me to see them knock off some lower to middle tier D4 teams this coming season.
- Liberty Christian (11-14): According to 270 Hoops, stud homeschooler Delavontae Jackson reclassified as a 19 year old senior. He also has a handful of younger brothers. They also have a promising freshman coming up. I don't know if they'll be good per se, but this could be the best Liberty Christian team they've ever had. Program is on the rise thanks to the Jacksons and Paul Hartje, former coach at Gahanna Christian. They've gotten several of Gahanna Christian's dispersed players as well.
- Genoa Christian (11-9): They had an All-District player graduate and lost their coach. Looks like their hopes of becoming an OHSAA member might be slowing down.
- Village Academy: School shut down. Second former OHSAA D-4 school to shut down in the last two years (Gahanna Christian closed its high school).
EDIT: Had to throw this in there. Apparently there is a new league this year. Gilead Christian's website (who I guess has a team again) called it the
"Ohio Independent League" while Patriot Prep's website called it the "United League." Teams include Horizon Science, KIPP Academy, Patriot Prep, Liberty Christian, Cristo Rey, Gilead Christian, Marburn Academy, and Torah Academy. Huh? Sounds like it should be broken into two divisions. I can't imagine it'll be fun for Gilead Christian to travel an hour to lose 110-35 to KIPP or Horizon Science. Bizarre.
Feel free to update/correct the notes that I've jotted down, especially for new impact players or transfers. I know there isn't exactly a wide audience for Central District D-4 basketball (rightfully so), but for those who have a personal connection or local interest maybe this could help share some information with each other.
Division 4 Changes (competitive balance enrollment)
+ Grandview Heights (123)
+ East Knox (121)
+ Wellington (127)
+ Grove City Christian (110)
+ KIPP Academy
- Centerburg (145)
Worth noting is that the cutoff for competitive balance enrollment cutoff is 128. Mount Gilead (133), Fredericktown (135), Northmor (140), Fairbanks (141), Centerburg (145), Elgin (145), Johnstown (150), and West Jefferson (154) could all be within range in the coming years. There's those rumors about potentially shrinking D-1 and making other divisions larger, which could eventually have an impact on those schools. I could also be wrong about KIPP Academy, but I've heard that they are in D-4 this season and will likely get bumped up in future years.
Division 4 Enrollment (ODE base enrollment from the OHSAA website)
- Grandview Heights (123)
- East Knox (116)
- Cardington-Lincoln (115)
- KIPP Academy (113)
- Wellington (101)
- Berne Union (95)
- Newark Catholic (87)
- Grove City Christian (87)
- Danville (75)
- Ridgedale (70)
- Fairfield Christian (62)
- Tree of Life (59)
- Millersport (59)
- Fisher Catholic (57)
- Madison Christian (52)
- Patriot Prep (49)
- Delaware Christian (29)
- Granville Christian (27)
- Northside Christian (22)
- Shekinah Christian (11)
If my count is correct, that would be 20 teams. Might we see a return to two District champions? There were 21 teams back in 2016-17 that fought for two District championships, so I'm curious to see how that turns out (unless they've already decided and I just haven't realized it). Either way, I would have to think that Grandview Heights is the clear #1 and Wellington the likely #2. Good luck to everyone else and hope you have a nice regular season.
Early Outlooks
D-4 doesn't get much attention around the Central area, so for anyone interested, feel free to pool resources to get an idea of what the upcoming season might look like. I'm not going to make any predictions other than Grandview Heights having a shot at making it to State, but perhaps this could help get those who care a little more informed. My lists are not necessarily ranked, just loose ideas of where teams may fall based on what little information I have. Hopefully my little bit of East Columbus/MOCAL interest (along with a program from last year's tournament) can at least provide a bit of insight to those lesser known teams. Last year's record in parenthesis.
MSL-CARDINAL OUTLOOK
- OVERALL: Very strong conference! Most balance in years from top to bottom. Should be very exciting seeing the #2-#7 teams compete. Only FCA might have trouble finding wins against even lower-tier teams, but Hooper usually gets them to overachieve.
- Harvest Prep (28-2): Obviously D3 but I figured I could include them here. Unstoppable again?
- Rosecrans (19-3): Not in Central but a very solid squad last year that I know nothing about but would assume is going to be strong again this year.
- Wellington (14-10): Might be vulnerable early after losing Patrick, but they have several promising freshman and lots of length.
- Berne Union (17-9): McCartney and Unger are studs, but do they have enough depth? Who is the new coach?
- Fisher Catholic (18-8): Lost a ton of seniors, but lost a ton the year before too. I'm sure they'll have another strong team.
- Millersport (4-19): Really started playing better at the end of last year and return every single player. Still only 2 seniors!
- Grove City Christian (5-18): Have some promise for sure.
- Fairfield Christian (9-14): Based on what The Dock said in the football forum, they lose Rose, which really hurts. Graduated two starters as well. Hopefully they return their other two starters and key bench player.
MOCAL OUTLOOK
- OVERALL: Shekinah, Delaware, and Granville should be improved. Tree and Northside will have a hard time winning games.
- Shekinah Christian (16-9): Lost an All-Ohio player but return 4 starters from a team that upset Centerburg and nearly upset Berne Union in the tournament. How? Enrollment is 11!
- Delaware Christian (9-14): Return 4 key players but don't have much depth elsewhere. The 4 they return are very solid.
- Granville Christian (11-12): Return 3 leading scorers and 4 starters from a surprisingly adequate team last year. Dark horse for the MOCAL champs IMO.
- Madison Christian (6-17): Only graduated one senior and was actually competitive in many games. Unfortunately, I’ve heard rumblings that their 20/10 kid, Levi Ross, transferred out. Should be okay for the conference but it’s hard to see them competing for a title without Ross.
- Tree of Life (16-7): Lost 5 of top 6 in a 6 man rotation. Lost 8 seniors overall. Had a very, very good incoming freshman, but I think he transferred to Thomas Worthington based on reports from 270 Hoops "The Intro." They'll really struggle this year I fear.
- Northside Christian (9-12): Lost their coach, 3 starters, and their top bench guys. Could be a rough year.
Other D-4 Central District Teams
- OVERALL: Since so many of the other schools are spread out, I figured I'd just lump them in here.
- Grandview Heights (19-7): Return nearly all key players from a team that won a competitive D-3 District last year. Hard to see them falling before Regionals.
- East Knox (11-12): Don't know much about them other than they were improved last year and are a fringe D-3 school.
- Cardington-Lincoln (3-19): Postseason program says they lost 6 seniors from a 3-19 team.
- KIPP Academy (8-7): Seemed to be about an average D-4 school last year, but they return everyone since this will be their first senior class. Could be pretty good.
- Newark Catholic (8-17): Weird seeing them down. Lost 5 seniors and will get a new coach. Might be a rebuilding situation?
- Danville (10-14): Lost some key players. Heard a rumor they did not look good in the summer, but how much can you really tell from summer basketball?
- Ridgedale (10-13): Did better than expected last year. Lose 3 key seniors but return some promising players as well. Team was not deep though and they lost their coach too.
- Patriot Prep (5-15): Got the bottom seed last year and lost several starters. Maybe the new coach can turn things around a bit.
Non-OHSAA Local Teams
- New Hope Christian (6-15): Only one senior last year. Saw them play a couple times and there are lots of familiar names (younger brothers of former players). Wouldn't surprise me to see them knock off some lower to middle tier D4 teams this coming season.
- Liberty Christian (11-14): According to 270 Hoops, stud homeschooler Delavontae Jackson reclassified as a 19 year old senior. He also has a handful of younger brothers. They also have a promising freshman coming up. I don't know if they'll be good per se, but this could be the best Liberty Christian team they've ever had. Program is on the rise thanks to the Jacksons and Paul Hartje, former coach at Gahanna Christian. They've gotten several of Gahanna Christian's dispersed players as well.
- Genoa Christian (11-9): They had an All-District player graduate and lost their coach. Looks like their hopes of becoming an OHSAA member might be slowing down.
- Village Academy: School shut down. Second former OHSAA D-4 school to shut down in the last two years (Gahanna Christian closed its high school).
EDIT: Had to throw this in there. Apparently there is a new league this year. Gilead Christian's website (who I guess has a team again) called it the
"Ohio Independent League" while Patriot Prep's website called it the "United League." Teams include Horizon Science, KIPP Academy, Patriot Prep, Liberty Christian, Cristo Rey, Gilead Christian, Marburn Academy, and Torah Academy. Huh? Sounds like it should be broken into two divisions. I can't imagine it'll be fun for Gilead Christian to travel an hour to lose 110-35 to KIPP or Horizon Science. Bizarre.
Feel free to update/correct the notes that I've jotted down, especially for new impact players or transfers. I know there isn't exactly a wide audience for Central District D-4 basketball (rightfully so), but for those who have a personal connection or local interest maybe this could help share some information with each other.
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