Top 5 all-time basketball programs in Ohio.

What are the all-time top 5 basketball programs in Ohio? (Select five)

  • Akron Central-Hower

    Votes: 28 20.1%

  • Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary

    Votes: 90 64.7%

  • Archbold

    Votes: 9 6.5%

  • Canton McKinley

    Votes: 90 64.7%

  • Cincinnati Moeller

    Votes: 52 37.4%

  • Cleveland East Tech

    Votes: 22 15.8%

  • Columbus East

    Votes: 21 15.1%

  • Dayton Dunbar

    Votes: 42 30.2%

  • Delphos St. John's

    Votes: 13 9.4%

  • Mansfield Senior

    Votes: 8 5.8%

  • Middletown

    Votes: 61 43.9%

  • Newark

    Votes: 17 12.2%

  • Ottawa Glandorf

    Votes: 15 10.8%

  • Portsmouth

    Votes: 10 7.2%

  • Villa Angela St. Joseph

    Votes: 57 41.0%

  • Youngstown Rayen

    Votes: 5 3.6%

  • Zanesville

    Votes: 4 2.9%

  • Barberton

    Votes: 6 4.3%
  • Total voters
    139
Irish60

Irish60

Well-known member
In looking through some of these "Top 5" threads, it got me to wondering which programs rank Top 5 all-time in Ohio. I'll start off with this opening salvo (in no particular order other than alphabetical):

1. Akron Central-Hower
2. Canton-McKinley
3. Middletown
4. Portsmouth
5. ?

There are a lot of contenders for the #5 spot. My heart wants to go with ASVSM. But while it's been a great 20 year run for the Irish, I'm not sure that is long enough to qualify them as an "All-time Top 5" program just yet.
 
 
1 time said:
Hower has had some really good teams, but top 5 ever ? What am I missing ?
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From my perspective, a number of things. First, they had an excellent program over several decades. Second, in Joe Siegferth, they had one of the best coaches in Summit County history. Third, they had great, great players over the course of time. From Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson, to Jimmy Gooden and Jeremiah Wood... Just a long list of tremendous basketball players. Some of the best players to ever come out of Ohio. And lastly, I'm sure it's a bit of parochialism. I grew up watching them, and the last title game I saw with my dad was Central-Hower versus Admiral King. It certainly was something to see a game at St. John's! I found this on YouTube.

 
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Ok. I’m thinking top 10 , but I good with top 5. Admiral King , wow, are they still in existence ? Another outstanding program
 
Irish60 said:
In looking through some of these "Top 5" threads, it got me to wondering which programs rank Top 5 all-time in Ohio. I'll start off with this opening salvo (in no particular order other than alphabetical):

1. Akron Central-Hower
2. Canton-McKinley
3. Middletown
4. Portsmouth
5. ?

There are a lot of contenders for the #5 spot. My heart wants to go with ASVSM. But while it's been a great 20 year run for the Irish, I'm not sure that is long enough to qualify them as an "All-time Top 5" program just yet.
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Moeller has to be on this list.
 
Irish60 said:
In looking through some of these "Top 5" threads, it got me to wondering which programs rank Top 5 all-time in Ohio. I'll start off with this opening salvo (in no particular order other than alphabetical):

1. Akron Central-Hower
2. Canton-McKinley
3. Middletown
4. Portsmouth
5. ?

There are a lot of contenders for the #5 spot. My heart wants to go with ASVSM. But while it's been a great 20 year run for the Irish, I'm not sure that is long enough to qualify them as an "All-time Top 5" program just yet.
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What are the qualifications? All time wins? State titles? Final Four appearances? Winning seasons? How many years?
 
Blue Jay Fan said:
What are the qualifications? All time wins? State titles? Final Four appearances? Winning seasons? How many years?
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I hadn't really thought out qualifications. I was mainly looking for schools that have a long history of excellence over a long period of time. If you look at McKinley, for example, they have had dominant teams in 4 or 5 decades! Certainly state titles and numbers of wins play a role, but IMO that doesn't tell the whole story. Say, for example, a program has a great run and wins 5 titles in 10 years. But the school hadn't won any other titles over time. Then while that school may be a "team of the decade" it may not be an "all-time program". At least that's the way I looked at it when I started the thread. Hope this helps.
 
I don’t know all the history on them but it seems like Dayton Dunbar has some really good teams at least back into the 80’s. Not sure top 5 program but somewhere in the top 10-15 I’d have to think.
 
Very much appreciate the recognition for Portsmouth as a top 5 program of all time. Here is how the Trojans rank all time in state tournament play with all 800+ schools:

State Appearances: 15 (4th)
State Tournament Games Played: 27 (Tied for 3rd)
Decades Making the State Tournament: 8 (Tied for 2nd)
State Tournament Games Won: 16 (Tied for 4th) 16-11 overall
State Championship Games Played: 8 (Tied for 5th) 4-4 record
State Final 4 Wins: 12 (Tied for 5th)
State Championships Won: 4 (Tied for 7th)

In 6 of those 7 categories, Portsmouth ranks in the top 5 in all but one. The Trojans have played in a state championship game in 6 different decades: 1931, 1934, 1961, 1978, 1980, 1988, 1990, 2012. PHS has an 8-1 record in its last 9 state semifinal games. The only loss was to Cleveland Central Catholic in the 2011 D3 semifinals, 58-47.

Portsmouth also has 37 Southeast District championships, which is 1st all time in the SE.

Portsmouth is unofficially the 10th winningest program all time in Ohio; I say unofficially because of the timeliness in reporting win totals to the OHSAA. The Trojans all time record is 1,468--793.

For more info on Portsmouth's basketball history, please visit www.trojanhoops.org.
 
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Portsmouth took out 2 from our area in 1980 and 88, respectively, at State. Willard Crimson Flashes and Mansfield Malabar Falcons. Two years later, Malabar merged back with Senior TYgers.
 
Maple City Fan: I remember that 1988 Malabar team.......they had an outstanding player in 6-5 Brian Beauford, who scored 24 points in a 68-65 loss vs. the Trojans. Willard was undefeated in 1980 with star guard John Willoughby and coach Bob Haas. Portsmouth that year was 6-5 at one point in that season, and won 15 in a row until a 45-44 loss to Hamilton Ross in the Class AA state championship game.
 
Tough list to put together but also tough to leave Columbus East and Cleveland East Tech off of an all-time list. There are plenty of schools that could be included or at least argued for. One thing's for sure, I'd enjoy having a good-natured debate about this over some cold ones.
 
3out2in said:
Tough list to put together but also tough to leave Columbus East and Cleveland East Tech off of an all-time list. There are plenty of schools that could be included or at least argued for. One thing's for sure, I'd enjoy having a good-natured debate about this over some cold ones.
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Agree.Columbus East and East Tech survived the Test of time.
 
SteelValley said:
I don’t know all the history on them but it seems like Dayton Dunbar has some really good teams at least back into the 80’s. Not sure top 5 program but somewhere in the top 10-15 I’d have to think.
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Dayton Dunbar may very well fill out the Top 5. If not, their resume is very, very close.
 
3out2in said:
Tough list to put together but also tough to leave Columbus East and Cleveland East Tech off of an all-time list. There are plenty of schools that could be included or at least argued for. One thing's for sure, I'd enjoy having a good-natured debate about this over some cold ones.
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I had kind of forgotten about East Tech. (Shame on me!) Here is an article setting forth some of the highlights of that storied program. It sounds like they put on quite a show.

https://www.cleveland.com/highschoo...a-must-see-attraction-in-cleveland-slideshow/
 
tcgobucks said:
You can't put in Archbold over Ottawa Glandorf, but even the Titans are nowhere close to the teams being mentioned above
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Archbold and OG were my small school choices from NW Ohio. At one point I thought Archbold had the best winning percentage or maybe most wins in Ohio
 
Irish60 said:
I'm not disagreeing with, but I just don't know enough of their history to agree! What, in your mind, makes them a Top 5 program?
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I believe their 3-5 in all time wins. Maybe 3 State championships. There was a time the central district was the best in the state ? Thus, a regional appearance was amazing. Probably 15 or more of those appearances. Didn’t have time to look up all the facts, but not too far off. There’s probably 15 + schools who can claim top 5.
 
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