Greater Cleveland Conference 2020-21

cardzfan1234

Well-known member
In lieu of a thread on an individual team (probably the first time I didn't start a Mentor one in quite some time), I will stick with a league thread. Hopefully by January we will see the GCC in full swing. While not quite as deep last year with the departure of Shaker Heights (a team not as good on paper as they were a season ago), the GCC is still one of the better big school leagues in Ohio. The LEL is certainly more talented thanks to Shaker joining and the gobbles of transfers from the defunct Senate. But top to bottom, I would take my chances with the GCC against most leagues.

Matt Goul's Cleveland.com preseason rankings:

4. Mentor
5. Medina
6. Solon
16. Brunswick

In terms of standout players, here are the ones that made Goul's cut for top 50 to watch:

Luke Chicone (Mentor)...on the short list for Mr Basketball candidates
Jonah Waag (Mentor...transfer from VASJ)
Corey Tripp (Medina)...one of the best guards in Ohio
Sam Marbury (Solon)...the only non-senior on this list
Marcus Steele (Solon)...a four year varsity player
Marquis Barnett (Brunswick)
Tre Massey (Brunswick)....coach's son, some call him the best shooter in Ohio
MarSuan Robinson (Elyria)

If a full season endures, it is all about Mentor/Medina. Those games will almost certainly determine the winner of the GCC. Mentor and Medina graduate some stellar All-Ohio players, but they also have plenty of talent returning. I didn't think too highly of Mentor's chances to win the league in 2021, but the addition of two big transfers (Waag and Steven Key, a 15 ppg scorer from Euclid) along with Ian Kipp coming back to basketball has really changed their outlook. Luke Chicone has the guys to play with and compete with some of the best in Ohio. Corey Tripp and the Bees will be one of the top teams in NEO.

Solon is ranked higher than I expected, but they have one of the best coaches in NEO along with a couple experienced and talented returnees in Steele/Marbury. Brunswick is solid too. Elyria is likely the 5th place team in the league. I think Euclid is really going to struggle. Transfers and coaching changeover has really hurt that program. Strongsville has long been a basement team in the GCC. I don't know anything about them other than to expect more of the same.
 
 
Medina was able to get a couple games in and now the district has paused athletics again for the second time in two weeks (first was 10 days after a couple COVID cases) and now starting tomorrow for about two weeks... I say "about two weeks" because they just coincidentally will be allowed to resume (for now) on Dec. 18, the day they are scheduled to play Brunswick. Though I can't see how they will play the game that night but who knows.

But they picked up a game yesterday (the morning of the game) against Green after Buchtel canceled. Then they also picked up a second game yesterday against St. Ignatius that was played tonight.

They beat a solid Green team 72-53 in a game Tripp took over in the second half. Tonight, they lost a tough one 62-60 to a very good Ignatius team. Tripp again was unstoppable and he had a chance to send it to OT when he was fouled on a drive with 1 second left down 61-59, but he missed the first then "accidentally" made the second on what was supposed to be a miss and tip in opportunity. Iggy then made a FT then intentionally missed the second for the final margin.

Overall, Tripp has been what I expected. He is attacking the rim like crazy and his outside shot so far looks more consistent. Not surprising but he has picked up the slack in being the go-to scoring option with the graduation of Kyle Szmuski. They don't have anybody who will be the type of no. 2 scorer that Tripp was last year and average 15 or so a game, but the team is a lot more athletic this year so its gonna be a little different style ... more tempo and more going to the basket. Despite the loss to Ignatius, which I think is a legit top 10 team in the area, Medina still looks like they again can be a threat to win the region.

From what I can tell Brunswick is the only other GCC school that has played so far, which wins against teams you would expect them to beat (Fairview Park and Normandy).
 
Medina beat Brunswick tonight kn the road 78-75 on a buzzer beating 3 from Jajuan Jackson.

The story though, IMO, is that Brunswick is for real. They should have won but missed 4 of 6 free throws down the strech (all from their top three shooters).

For Brunswick Tre Massey is what I think most people thought. He can light it up from anywhere. But Marquis Barnett is a man. He was good last year but all the reports of him being one of the most improved players in Greater Cleveland is spot on. I thought he was the best player on the court tonight.

Brunswick jumped our to a 13 point lead in the second quarter and Medina got it to 10 at half. Medina then owned the third and got it to even (i think 56-56) entering the 4th. Brunswick then built a 73-67 lead with a little over a minute left but then started bricking FTs. That led to Medina getting a shot for the win.

Anyway, this is not the Brunswick of the past two years which was arguably the biggest underachiever in the area. They remind me a ton of last years Medina team in having two go-to guys then a bunch of solid role players.

Its still probably a Mentor-Medina race for the title but Brunswick can definitely play a huge role in that (along with Solon). The Blue Devils are for real. ... early but they were way more impressive than Green. The Massey-Barnett duo also was better than anything Ignatius has (Iggy just has size for days and also a solid roster top to bottom).

Definitely a team to watch.
 
Sounds like an exciting one at Brunswick. Who else in the GCC is playing? Mentor hasn’t had a game yet, might be a couple more weeks.
 
Mentor will not start playing until January.

Solon knocked off Brunswuck on the road yesterday, 78-65. Steele and Marbury both had 20+. Barnett of Brunswick scored 32. The top four in this league are pretty tough.
 
Mentor will not start playing until January.

Solon knocked off Brunswuck on the road yesterday, 78-65. Steele and Marbury both had 20+. Barnett of Brunswick scored 32. The top four in this league are pretty tough.

I think that is an indication more of Solon being a legit top 5-10 team in the area more than Brunswick being Brunswick. But that is two tough home losses to start GCC play for them.

Still, as long as Barnett keeps this up to go along with Massey, they have a 1-2 punch that can play with pretty much anybody.

Medina did move to 3-1 with a blowout of Olmsted Falls (last i remember it was something like 77-41). Olmsted Falls is usually solid though I don't think this is one of their better teams.

Still way too early but Brunswick is in a huge hole as far as the league race goes. I can easily see Medina-Mentor-Solon all splitting with each other. That pretty much means Brunswick will have to run the table. Not a position you want to be in.

Mentor obviously will be at a big disadvantage not playing until January (and I think their first league game is against Brunswick).

If one of the three top three are able to go 2-0 against one of the others, they will be sitting pretty (especially Medina and Solon who already avoided one upset from Brunswick).

Elyria may be another team that can be a thorn in the side (saw they beat Amherst which I believe is pretty good). Edit: they beat Avon ... not sure good Avon is.

Doubt Strongsville or Euclid will seriously challenge the top 4.

Even without Shaker, should be another exciting year with 4 or 5 teams that can make a run in their respective districts.
 
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What happened to Euclid the past couple years? Didn't they make it to the regional semifinals not too long ago (knocking Shaker off in the process)? I heard they had another coaching change, because I thought TJ Kwasniak was the HC over there.
 
What happened to Euclid the past couple years? Didn't they make it to the regional semifinals not too long ago (knocking Shaker off in the process)? I heard they had another coaching change, because I thought TJ Kwasniak was the HC over there.

Transfers and coaching instability is their problem. TJ left after that district title run. Their best player transferred to Heights. This season, more of their top players transferred - including one at Mentor.

That district title team was putting it all together at the right time. They nearly knocked off St Eds that tournament run. Too bad TJ left. Wonder if his brother would consider going to Euclid? They need a strong, steady coach in there. O’Toole was good for them back in the early 2000’s.
 
Here's an update of where things stand from what I have pulled together.

Medina: 4-1,1-0 (Wins: Green, 72-53; Brunswick, 78-75; Olmsted Falls, 80-44; Cleveland Heights, 57-56; Brecksville, 85-65. Loss: St. Ignatius, 60-62)

Solon: 3-1, 1-0 (Wins: Chardon, 85-67; Brunswick 78-65; Green, 82-63. Loss: Warrensville Heights, 78-79

Elyria: 2-0, 0-0 (Wins: Vermilion, 50-39; Avon, 63-56)

Brunswick: 2-2, 0-2 (Wins: Fairview Park, 85-56; Normandy, 73-64. Losses: Medina, 75-78; Solon 65-78)

Strongsville: 1-1, 0-0 (Win: Canton South, 60-52. Loss: North Canton Hoover, 42-64).

Mentor and Euclid have yet to play.

Looks like Strongsville is playing Westlake this afternoon and Orange on Saturday (Strongsville has an NBA like 7 games scheduled between yesterday and Jan. 15); then Brunswick plays Highland on Saturday; and I know Medina is also trying to pick up a game on Saturday, but haven't heard who yet. Not sure if any other games will be played this weekend.

Looking forward to the "start" of league play, which really kicks off next week. The big one is Medina-Mentor on Jan. 8. It looks like Mentor is going to get a couple warm up games (Padua/Kenston) in before that one. With that, Medina has a couple huge advantages there. For one, it's at Medina. Second, even if they pick up a game on Saturday, they will have nearly a week off heading into it... that's on top of getting a jump on the season to begin. Lastly, Mentor will be on three games in four days (and looks like they have a 4th in five days scheduled the following day against Warren Harding). If Medina wins, they will definitely have the early inside track on the league race by jumping to 2-0 in the six-game round robin between the top four. If Mentor wins, watch out. This game will definitely show more about Mentor early than Medina (which so far has looked like they again will be in the regional mix).

Overall, while Mentor is TBD, it looks like Solon definitely belongs right there with Medina/Mentor at the top (a 1-point loss at Warrensville isn't a knock either). Though, I don't think much has changed in terms of the expected pecking order.

Tier 1: Medina/Mentor/Solon (before the season, I would have had Solon tiered with Brunswick)

Tier 2: Brunswick (gap isn't that big, however)

Tier 3: Elyria (they should be solid, but how close are they to the teams ahead of them?)



Tier 4: Strongsville/Euclid (Strongsville for sure is going to struggle big time. Euclid is TBD, but expectations are low).
 
Mentor opens up their season on January 4 and will play four games in five days. (Padua, Kenston, Medina, and WGH).

Not sure when Euclid is starting
 
I'll add this. I thought Medina was going to take a bit of a step back after the current sophomores went through. But a huge surprise is how dominant the freshmen have been (granted Medina, internally, is backlogged in having enough talent at the top three grades where there are no freshmen even on JV), but still, that group is 5-0... and the margins have been:

Brunswick by 24
Solon by 33
Olmsted Falls by 19
Cleveland Heights by 51
Brecksville by 45

Yes, they are helped by having a full freshman team, still impressive.
 
Mentor finally had their season opening game last night. It was an expected easy win over an overmatched Kenston team. Good to see them get their season started. Friday is their GCC opener at Medina.

Elyria beat Strongsville last night. Solon had a strong performance against Lutheran East, one of the best teams in NEO. The Comets lost in 2OT.
 
Very nice win tonight for Mentor over Medina. The game started with Mentor getting extremely hot, playing about as well as they possibly can. But Medina punched back and kept it close throughout the first half. The 3rd quarter got away from the Bees. Turnovers (forced and unforced) killed them all night. So did foul trouble.

Chicone was really, really good tonight. After spending the past two seasons as part of a trio, the offense is in his hands. His ability to drive, pull up, and dish make him an incredibly difficult player to defend. Culler and Kipp had nice games too. As Mentor hopes to play catchup this season, getting a win at Medina right out of the gate was huge. The battle for the GCC between Mentor, Medina, and Solon should be tight.

Thanks to Medina TV for having the video and commentary for the game. Being that I can't really see these games in person, I was very happy to have the quality video as well as some commentary during the game.
 
I was out this weekend so wasn't there, though I did at least watch the first half on tape (planning on watching the rest tomorrow).

But from what I saw, Mentor looks state level legit. Chicone is a Medina killer (and I think he takes it personally going up against Tripp).

You add Key (looked real good) along with Waag and Kipp and it is a team that can play with anyone. They clearly are the now early favorite for the league crown.

Plus, this has to be Mentor’s last run for at least the next couple years (Chicone brought the reinforcements in and there is no Chicone coming up), so they are a motivated group.
 
For sure, this basketball season is going to be it for a while. I would be pretty surprised if Krizancic is going to go past this year, but I have thought that before. The top 7 players are seniors. Next year's team is going to be the biggest drop off in talent that I have seen in the 20 or so years of really paying attention to the program. This year's team is still probably not quite as good as last year's (and maybe not as good as the year before), but Chicone will have to put the team on his back. The two transfers have not grown up in the Mentor program, and it shows. Nice talents, but there is probably going to have to be a compromise between staff and players about their fit.

Chicone is a legit Mr Basketball candidate. If Mentor can actually get some games in (they are once again on a COVID break through at least the rest of the weekend) and the Cardinals can win a bunch of games and shoot up the AP poll - I think he has as good of a shot as any. Will probably be close to a 30 point scorer all season.
 
Here's an update of where things stand heading into this week's games.

1. Mentor (3-0, 1-0): Wins: Kenston (4-1), 93-49; Medina (8-2), 76-65; Warren Harding (1-4), 79-54.

2. Solon (4-2, 1-0): Wins: Chardon (1-4), 85-67; Brunswick (7-3), 78-65; Green (5-6), 82-63; Elyria (3-5), 67-60. Losses: Warrensville Heights (9-1), 78-79; Lutheran East (7-0), 68-74 (OT)

3. Medina (8-2, 2-1): Wins: Green (5-6), 72-53; Brunswick (7-3), 78-75; Olmsted Falls (10-2), 80-44; Cleveland Heights (4-6), 57-56; Brecksville (5-1), 85-65; Copley (4-4), 76-62; Elyria (3-5), 64-30; Youngstown Chaney (2-4), 75-67. Losses: St. Ignatius (8-4), 60-62; Mentor (3-0), 65-76.

4. Brunswick (7-3, 3-2): Wins: Fairview Park (3-2), 85-56; Normandy (7-3), 73-64; Medina Highland (7-5), 56-51; Strongsville (3-3), 79-53; Walsh Jesuit (8-3), 67-64; Elyria (3-5), 86-47; Euclid (0-2), 78-57. Losses: Medina (8-2), 75-78; Solon (4-2), 65-78; Hoban (9-1), 54-59.

The rest is Elyria (3-5, 1-3); Strongsville (3-3, 0-2); Euclid (0-2, 0-1).

According to the latest NEOSports poll (which looks like a great poll from top to bottom IMO) has Mentor ranked 3rd; Medina 7th; Solon 13th; and Brunswick 14th in Northeast Ohio (all divisions). Top heavy as expected.

This is a huge week for the top four. Medina-Strongsville play tonight and Solon plays Euclid. Medina and Solon both should roll, setting up a showdown on Friday night. Then Brunswick has a non-conference game against what looks like a decent Wadsworth team tonight and Mentor plays Elyria tomorrow. Both should win (though a Brunswick loss doesn't hurt them in the league standings) heading into their Friday showdown.

It would be a major shock to see any of these four lose to anybody in the bottom three, so these H2H matchups will be crucial. Brunswick absolutely is in must-win mode or there is no path for a league title. Medina, conceivably, can lose and still be in the mix, but they would have to run the table the rest of the way to have a chance. Mentor and Solon jumping to 2-0 starts (all wins would be over others in the top four) sets both up nicely in the league title race.

But bigger than league, is how big these games could be for district seeding. Based on the NEOSports poll, here is how they have each side ranked:

East:
1. Mentor
2. Canton McKinley
3. Massillon Jackson

4. Hoban
5. Solon

West:
1. St. Edward
2. St. Ignatius
3. Medina

4. Lorain
5. Brunswick

So all four teams are still in the hunt for a 1 seed at whatever district pairing. Mentor needs to rack up as many wins as possible due to the lack of games, while I think Solon (losses were nailbiters to No. 2 and No. 12) could have a legit argument of jumping all the way to the top of that East list with a win against Medina. Like Mentor, Solon needs to accumulate more wins, though.

On the west, Medina has racked up a bunch of solid wins, and like Solon, the losses aren't penalty worthy (to No. 3 and No. 5). Another solid win against Solon should keep them in the drivers seat for one of the No. 1 seeds. Brunswick, like in the league race, has to keep winning and getting one against Mentor keeps them in the mix. The Blue Devils have quietly put together a decent resume (No. 21 Walsh and No. 27 Normandy are decent wins; and losses were to No. 7, 11, 13).

One more note, it looks like Elyria has fallen off the cliff after starting 3-0 and then dropping their first game, 67-60, in what looks like a close one to Solon. Since then, though, it was a four-point loss to Bay and then losses of 39 to Brunswick; 34 to Medina; and 18 to Berea-Midpark. Ouch.
 
Here's an update of where things stand heading into this week's games.

1. Mentor (3-0, 1-0): Wins: Kenston (4-1), 93-49; Medina (8-2), 76-65; Warren Harding (1-4), 79-54.

2. Solon (4-2, 1-0): Wins: Chardon (1-4), 85-67; Brunswick (7-3), 78-65; Green (5-6), 82-63; Elyria (3-5), 67-60. Losses: Warrensville Heights (9-1), 78-79; Lutheran East (7-0), 68-74 (OT)

3. Medina (8-2, 2-1): Wins: Green (5-6), 72-53; Brunswick (7-3), 78-75; Olmsted Falls (10-2), 80-44; Cleveland Heights (4-6), 57-56; Brecksville (5-1), 85-65; Copley (4-4), 76-62; Elyria (3-5), 64-30; Youngstown Chaney (2-4), 75-67. Losses: St. Ignatius (8-4), 60-62; Mentor (3-0), 65-76.

4. Brunswick (7-3, 3-2): Wins: Fairview Park (3-2), 85-56; Normandy (7-3), 73-64; Medina Highland (7-5), 56-51; Strongsville (3-3), 79-53; Walsh Jesuit (8-3), 67-64; Elyria (3-5), 86-47; Euclid (0-2), 78-57. Losses: Medina (8-2), 75-78; Solon (4-2), 65-78; Hoban (9-1), 54-59.

The rest is Elyria (3-5, 1-3); Strongsville (3-3, 0-2); Euclid (0-2, 0-1).

According to the latest NEOSports poll (which looks like a great poll from top to bottom IMO) has Mentor ranked 3rd; Medina 7th; Solon 13th; and Brunswick 14th in Northeast Ohio (all divisions). Top heavy as expected.

This is a huge week for the top four. Medina-Strongsville play tonight and Solon plays Euclid. Medina and Solon both should roll, setting up a showdown on Friday night. Then Brunswick has a non-conference game against what looks like a decent Wadsworth team tonight and Mentor plays Elyria tomorrow. Both should win (though a Brunswick loss doesn't hurt them in the league standings) heading into their Friday showdown.

It would be a major shock to see any of these four lose to anybody in the bottom three, so these H2H matchups will be crucial. Brunswick absolutely is in must-win mode or there is no path for a league title. Medina, conceivably, can lose and still be in the mix, but they would have to run the table the rest of the way to have a chance. Mentor and Solon jumping to 2-0 starts (all wins would be over others in the top four) sets both up nicely in the league title race.

But bigger than league, is how big these games could be for district seeding. Based on the NEOSports poll, here is how they have each side ranked:

East:
1. Mentor
2. Canton McKinley
3. Massillon Jackson

4. Hoban
5. Solon

West:
1. St. Edward
2. St. Ignatius
3. Medina

4. Lorain
5. Brunswick

So all four teams are still in the hunt for a 1 seed at whatever district pairing. Mentor needs to rack up as many wins as possible due to the lack of games, while I think Solon (losses were nailbiters to No. 2 and No. 12) could have a legit argument of jumping all the way to the top of that East list with a win against Medina. Like Mentor, Solon needs to accumulate more wins, though.

On the west, Medina has racked up a bunch of solid wins, and like Solon, the losses aren't penalty worthy (to No. 3 and No. 5). Another solid win against Solon should keep them in the drivers seat for one of the No. 1 seeds. Brunswick, like in the league race, has to keep winning and getting one against Mentor keeps them in the mix. The Blue Devils have quietly put together a decent resume (No. 21 Walsh and No. 27 Normandy are decent wins; and losses were to No. 7, 11, 13).

One more note, it looks like Elyria has fallen off the cliff after starting 3-0 and then dropping their first game, 67-60, in what looks like a close one to Solon. Since then, though, it was a four-point loss to Bay and then losses of 39 to Brunswick; 34 to Medina; and 18 to Berea-Midpark. Ouch.
Do you have a link to that poll?
 

Cardzfan has a link to their twitter feed in this link where you can see their updated 1/18 to 1/24 poll.
 
Here's an update of where things stand heading into this week's games.

1. Mentor (3-0, 1-0): Wins: Kenston (4-1), 93-49; Medina (8-2), 76-65; Warren Harding (1-4), 79-54.

2. Solon (4-2, 1-0): Wins: Chardon (1-4), 85-67; Brunswick (7-3), 78-65; Green (5-6), 82-63; Elyria (3-5), 67-60. Losses: Warrensville Heights (9-1), 78-79; Lutheran East (7-0), 68-74 (OT)

3. Medina (8-2, 2-1): Wins: Green (5-6), 72-53; Brunswick (7-3), 78-75; Olmsted Falls (10-2), 80-44; Cleveland Heights (4-6), 57-56; Brecksville (5-1), 85-65; Copley (4-4), 76-62; Elyria (3-5), 64-30; Youngstown Chaney (2-4), 75-67. Losses: St. Ignatius (8-4), 60-62; Mentor (3-0), 65-76.

4. Brunswick (7-3, 3-2): Wins: Fairview Park (3-2), 85-56; Normandy (7-3), 73-64; Medina Highland (7-5), 56-51; Strongsville (3-3), 79-53; Walsh Jesuit (8-3), 67-64; Elyria (3-5), 86-47; Euclid (0-2), 78-57. Losses: Medina (8-2), 75-78; Solon (4-2), 65-78; Hoban (9-1), 54-59.

The rest is Elyria (3-5, 1-3); Strongsville (3-3, 0-2); Euclid (0-2, 0-1).

According to the latest NEOSports poll (which looks like a great poll from top to bottom IMO) has Mentor ranked 3rd; Medina 7th; Solon 13th; and Brunswick 14th in Northeast Ohio (all divisions). Top heavy as expected.

This is a huge week for the top four. Medina-Strongsville play tonight and Solon plays Euclid. Medina and Solon both should roll, setting up a showdown on Friday night. Then Brunswick has a non-conference game against what looks like a decent Wadsworth team tonight and Mentor plays Elyria tomorrow. Both should win (though a Brunswick loss doesn't hurt them in the league standings) heading into their Friday showdown.

It would be a major shock to see any of these four lose to anybody in the bottom three, so these H2H matchups will be crucial. Brunswick absolutely is in must-win mode or there is no path for a league title. Medina, conceivably, can lose and still be in the mix, but they would have to run the table the rest of the way to have a chance. Mentor and Solon jumping to 2-0 starts (all wins would be over others in the top four) sets both up nicely in the league title race.

But bigger than league, is how big these games could be for district seeding. Based on the NEOSports poll, here is how they have each side ranked:

East:
1. Mentor
2. Canton McKinley
3. Massillon Jackson

4. Hoban
5. Solon

West:
1. St. Edward
2. St. Ignatius
3. Medina

4. Lorain
5. Brunswick

So all four teams are still in the hunt for a 1 seed at whatever district pairing. Mentor needs to rack up as many wins as possible due to the lack of games, while I think Solon (losses were nailbiters to No. 2 and No. 12) could have a legit argument of jumping all the way to the top of that East list with a win against Medina. Like Mentor, Solon needs to accumulate more wins, though.

On the west, Medina has racked up a bunch of solid wins, and like Solon, the losses aren't penalty worthy (to No. 3 and No. 5). Another solid win against Solon should keep them in the drivers seat for one of the No. 1 seeds. Brunswick, like in the league race, has to keep winning and getting one against Mentor keeps them in the mix. The Blue Devils have quietly put together a decent resume (No. 21 Walsh and No. 27 Normandy are decent wins; and losses were to No. 7, 11, 13).

One more note, it looks like Elyria has fallen off the cliff after starting 3-0 and then dropping their first game, 67-60, in what looks like a close one to Solon. Since then, though, it was a four-point loss to Bay and then losses of 39 to Brunswick; 34 to Medina; and 18 to Berea-Midpark. Ouch.
Mentor definitely needs more wins as I can't see how with their best win over Medina that you seed them #1. Based off that poll Mck's best win was over Jackson, Jackson's was over Hoban and Brush, and both have played significantly more games. Still a lot of games to be played. I respect Mentor's program and hope they get to play more games. It will make things much more interesting.
 
Mentor definitely needs more wins as I can't see how with their best win over Medina that you seed them #1. Based off that poll Mck's best win was over Jackson, Jackson's was over Hoban and Brush, and both have played significantly more games. Still a lot of games to be played. I respect Mentor's program and hope they get to play more games. It will make things much more interesting.

The NEO east district thread (one I linked) is the better spot for that discussion. I didn't have them as a 1 seed, I was basing that from the poll. But here is what Mentor's schedule looks like from here until the draw:

@Elyria
vs. Brunswick
vs. Benedictine
vs. Solon
@ Solon
vs. Medina

If they run that table, no question they are the No. 1 seed.
 
The NEO east district thread (one I linked) is the better spot for that discussion. I didn't have them as a 1 seed, I was basing that from the poll. But here is what Mentor's schedule looks like from here until the draw:

@Elyria
vs. Brunswick
vs. Benedictine
vs. Solon
@ Solon
vs. Medina

If they run that table, no question they are the No. 1 seed.
I'll head over there.....
 
Two biggies tonight: Mentor/Brunswick and Medina/Solon. Mentor has a huge 3rd quarter to take control of the game as they beat Brunswick 90-72. Medina and Solon battle hard all night as the Bees come out on top 79-73. Tripp (29) and Steele (31) were the high scorers in the game.

Tre Massey is good. Really, really good. He hit some incredible shots. Luke Chicone eventually took on the challenge of trying to guard Massey. He made Massey work, but still finished with a game-high 35 points. Chicone had a standout all around game again, but he had a good amount of help. Mentor newbies Jonah Wagg and Steven Key combined for 39 points. When this new talented trio has a game like that, Mentor is going to be tough to beat.

Chicone, Tripp, Steele, and Massey are all great seniors in this league leading the top four teams. All of them have been getting varsity time since freshman and I am pretty sure all are three-year starters. It will be quite a battle to see who is the GCC Player of the Year.
 
Sounds like Mentor really blitzed Brunswick in the third. Medina looked like they were gonna do the same to Solon, from down one at half to up 15 midway through the quarter, but Solon kept battling back and nearly was able to steal one once Medina missed consecutive front ends of 1 and 1in the final minute or so.

In the other GCC game tonight, Euclid beat Elyria 66-53, so the Pioneers slide continues.

It's scary to think that Mentor is as good as they are and they will likely get better once they get more games under their belts. No question they are the team to beat in the league and are even more of a legit contender to get back to the state tournament than what we thought. ... and I definitely see why Key/Waag/Kipp decided to come over (or come back out in Kipp's case) to join the Chicone show (he's freaking great even when he's killing the team I root for).

I almost put my foot in my mouth by saying I would be shocked if Strongsville, Euclid or Elyria beat any of the top four when Strongsville gave Medina a game on Tuesday (also a 79-73 final just like tonight), but I still think all four will go undefeated against those three. That means the four-team round robin of Mentor/Medina/Solon/Brunswick will decide it. Here is where that stands

1. Mentor (2-0)
2. Medina (2-1)
3. Solon (1-1)
4. Brunswick (0-3)

Brunswick is done from realistically getting even a share of the title, but it will be interesting to see where they, and Solon, end up in the district draws. Brunswick has Solon and Medina again before the vote will be in, so there is a chance they could have six losses (but all would have been to teams that appear to be top 10 in D1 in NEO). Solon, even if they beat Brunswick, has two against Mentor, so they could be 5-5 at draw time, but again all five would be to top 10 teams). I guess at that point, we would see how much respect other coaches have for the GCC (and of course Brunswick and Solon are good enough to win every game, outside the H2H, until the draw as well).

Cardz,

For sure this is a great group of senior talents in this league. I think it comes down to whether a team wins the outright title for POY. If it's Mentor, it's Chicone; Medina, it's Tripp; Solon and it's Steele. If there is a tie, I would think it goes to Chicone. His scoring numbers are going to be insane. As for them being four-year varsity, that is correct. Tripp, you could say is a four-year starter. He got his first start against the Solon team that went to state and scored like 22 that game and almost led a very mediocre Medina team to win that night. He's started ever since. I know Steele was on that Solon team, but can't remember if he started, but that was a great Solon team. Isn't Massey also a four-year starter? He has been a three-year starter at Brunswick and I'm pretty sure he started as a freshman at Strongsville.

Overall, the league will take a step back next year (and losing Elyria will be part of the reason ... they may win the SWC next year, though the SWC seems to be down). But that is to be expected when you lose this amount of talent. Medina is still going to be very good (next year's senior- and junior-to-be classes have each dominated the league since their freshman year ... and Medina's current freshman class is also dominating the league, think they are up to 12-0 and closest game has been 19 points). I can probably go back and look it up for sure, but between next years sophomore/junior/seniors (depending on the freshmen and sophomores finish this year on freshmen and JV), they have only lost a combined 6 games over what would be five seasons (and only 1 league game) and have won every league title at their level (this year neither have technically wrapped up titles, but they will). ... and the ones in those classes who have been contributing on varsity have been contributing to some very good varsity teams. ... Though Brunswick does have a bunch of talent too (the only one that has really competed with Medina) and Solon does have some decent talent as well.

So in a way, lets enjoy this season because overall, this may be it for a while where the top 4-5 in the league (part of that is due to losing teams like Shaker and Elyria) are all threats to advance to regionals and beyond ... and even 3-4 win bottom feeders can make runs to district title games.
 
FWIW, I went back and looked at what Medina has been doing in the lower levels. It's actually 5 losses (though of those it may be two league losses instead of one). Anyway, here is what they have done:

Class of 2022: 20-2 (freshmen); 21-1 (JV)
Class of 2023: 21-1 (freshmen); 10-2 (JV ... to be continued)
Class of 2024: 12-0 (freshmen ... to be continued)

So that's 84-5, and why Medina is probably not going to fall off even with losing Tripp. ... and Chris Howard and Brandon Geschke (the only other two seniors on this years team, who also are good in their own right). Looking at their rosters and they have 37 players listed in 9-12 and 34 are non-seniors.
 
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I would like to enjoy this season in person, but is it what it is. At least these boys and coaches are getting some games in. I wonder if the tournament will bring any opportunity for others to watch. Numbers are declining and vaccinations will continue to rise.

In the meanwhile, I have been able to watch Mentor on stream. They are looking very sharp, especially considering the crazy season they have had so far. Biggest games that remain on the schedule are Medina, Brush, and Solon (twice).
 
I would like to enjoy this season in person, but is it what it is. At least these boys and coaches are getting some games in. I wonder if the tournament will bring any opportunity for others to watch. Numbers are declining and vaccinations will continue to rise.

In the meanwhile, I have been able to watch Mentor on stream. They are looking very sharp, especially considering the crazy season they have had so far. Biggest games that remain on the schedule are Medina, Brush, and Solon (twice).

Yeah, hopefully the numbers allowed will increase at some point, but the free streams have been great and has actually allowed me to see more games than I ever had, for example I just watched a little of the Euclid-Elyria game (via Euclid Athletics' YouTube channel). So, the streaming has been one of the good things that have come out of this.
 
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