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Who does everyone have winning the league? What's the early prediction on how it will turn out top to bottom?
GMC
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1. Lakota West: Bryce Curry and Josh Tyson are a dynamic sophomore duo and they are complimented by a really good shooter in Isaiah Meade-Moss and a good high school big man in 6'6" LJ Green. They have other nice players in Tyson Davis, Xavier Ratica, Alex Dudukovich, and Preston Robinson. Definitely the most talented team.
2. Princeton: By all accounts, Cliff Cass and 6'9" Kieran Granville-Britten are back and healthy, and they will slot in with Rognny Santiago Lugo, Sebastian Jordan Ramos, and 6'6" Landon Miree for a dynamic defensive team. All three Gill brothers, Amir Phillips, and Elijah Green should give them a very deep team that will come at teams in waves. I could easily see them winning the league.
3. Middletown: Jeremiah Landers is a star lead guard and they have really good length to go with him in 6'4" Chandler Shields, 6'10" Daeshaun Showes, and 6'8" Cale Curtis. Kenny Green and Ny Araujo are solid guards. They will be very good defensively but will need to find scoring outside of Landers.
4. Sycamore: Return their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers from last year's league champ in 6'7" Samuel Imade and Tariq Kimbrough. Ryan Lynn, Ryland Key, and Michael Johnson round out what should be another good defensive team. They won't have the depth again, but look for Imade to step up into a starring role. Others may think this is too high, but the pieces fit together well.
5. Lakota East: Trey Perry is the best player in the league but there won't be a lot of scoring to go around him. PJ McFarlane, Luke Shaw, and Luke Adkins are the only other returning varsity players, and none of them can really score. They will still get after it defensively the way Coach Adkins likes to, but Perry is going to have to carry them offensively on his own.
6. Fairfield: If they can get the pieces to fit together, they could finish much higher in the league; however, they didn't play well as a team at all last year. Sanders and Ingram did transfer out, but they still return Daviawne Crim, Michael Lewis, Raymir Coney, and 6'10" Gabe Clemmons. Matthew Hilvert and 6'8" Demaceo Bronston should be other nice pieces to give them a good balance of size and shooting. Will they play good defense?
7. Hamilton: Return their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers from a regional semifinalist team in Marlon Reed and Peyton Davis, but lost Coach Higgins to La Salle. They might have hit a home run hire in Jake Turner, a Hamilton alum who took Preble Shawnee to the D3 final four last year, but this will be his first step up to the big time. Hamilton won't have a lot of size or depth, but should be scrappy.
8. Oak Hills: Return 3 starters including their top two scorers in Henry Maginn and 6'5" Nate Riep. Brady Keaton and football star Max Rhodes are the only other varsity players returning. They will be very physical, but they won't have a ton of ability to put the ball in the basket. Could beat most teams on a given night, especially if Riep can turn up his scoring.
9. Mason: Lost their top 4 scorers from last year's team that went 3-13 in the league, and there is not a lot coming up. Brycen Johnson and Dylan Ringwald are the only two returning players, and there isn't a lot coming up to help out. They will at least be better than Colerain.
10. Colerain: No idea what they even have coming out for the team or who might have transferred out. What a mess of a program, and it would be shocking if they won a game in the league.
2. Princeton: By all accounts, Cliff Cass and 6'9" Kieran Granville-Britten are back and healthy, and they will slot in with Rognny Santiago Lugo, Sebastian Jordan Ramos, and 6'6" Landon Miree for a dynamic defensive team. All three Gill brothers, Amir Phillips, and Elijah Green should give them a very deep team that will come at teams in waves. I could easily see them winning the league.
3. Middletown: Jeremiah Landers is a star lead guard and they have really good length to go with him in 6'4" Chandler Shields, 6'10" Daeshaun Showes, and 6'8" Cale Curtis. Kenny Green and Ny Araujo are solid guards. They will be very good defensively but will need to find scoring outside of Landers.
4. Sycamore: Return their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers from last year's league champ in 6'7" Samuel Imade and Tariq Kimbrough. Ryan Lynn, Ryland Key, and Michael Johnson round out what should be another good defensive team. They won't have the depth again, but look for Imade to step up into a starring role. Others may think this is too high, but the pieces fit together well.
5. Lakota East: Trey Perry is the best player in the league but there won't be a lot of scoring to go around him. PJ McFarlane, Luke Shaw, and Luke Adkins are the only other returning varsity players, and none of them can really score. They will still get after it defensively the way Coach Adkins likes to, but Perry is going to have to carry them offensively on his own.
6. Fairfield: If they can get the pieces to fit together, they could finish much higher in the league; however, they didn't play well as a team at all last year. Sanders and Ingram did transfer out, but they still return Daviawne Crim, Michael Lewis, Raymir Coney, and 6'10" Gabe Clemmons. Matthew Hilvert and 6'8" Demaceo Bronston should be other nice pieces to give them a good balance of size and shooting. Will they play good defense?
7. Hamilton: Return their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers from a regional semifinalist team in Marlon Reed and Peyton Davis, but lost Coach Higgins to La Salle. They might have hit a home run hire in Jake Turner, a Hamilton alum who took Preble Shawnee to the D3 final four last year, but this will be his first step up to the big time. Hamilton won't have a lot of size or depth, but should be scrappy.
8. Oak Hills: Return 3 starters including their top two scorers in Henry Maginn and 6'5" Nate Riep. Brady Keaton and football star Max Rhodes are the only other varsity players returning. They will be very physical, but they won't have a ton of ability to put the ball in the basket. Could beat most teams on a given night, especially if Riep can turn up his scoring.
9. Mason: Lost their top 4 scorers from last year's team that went 3-13 in the league, and there is not a lot coming up. Brycen Johnson and Dylan Ringwald are the only two returning players, and there isn't a lot coming up to help out. They will at least be better than Colerain.
10. Colerain: No idea what they even have coming out for the team or who might have transferred out. What a mess of a program, and it would be shocking if they won a game in the league.
PURPLE REIGN
Well-known member
Nice breakdown.
Always like JBaller's take. Nice pre-season outlook. Think you might have Sycamore too high. Burgess was a great safety net, now these guys must elevate. I do think Turner is a great hire. He will be there for the next 25 years. A healthy Princeton could be Final Four Contender along with West.
1.West- High level talent with size in multiple spots, along with depth
2.Middletown- Tons of size and skill across the board
T3.Princeton- They're healthy and they're going to guard
T3.Fairfield- Good size and guard play
T3.Oak Hills- A really good guard, and really good forward with nice pieces around them
T6.Hamilton- Scrappy team with solid guard play
T6.Sycamore- Will be a decent team that plays well
T6.East- Not enough around Perry, but he's going to win them some
9.Mason- I just don't see much here
10.Colerain
2.Middletown- Tons of size and skill across the board
T3.Princeton- They're healthy and they're going to guard
T3.Fairfield- Good size and guard play
T3.Oak Hills- A really good guard, and really good forward with nice pieces around them
T6.Hamilton- Scrappy team with solid guard play
T6.Sycamore- Will be a decent team that plays well
T6.East- Not enough around Perry, but he's going to win them some
9.Mason- I just don't see much here
10.Colerain
1 Princeton - best combination of size, talent, skill and depth
2 Middletown - they’ll have length and depth
3 West - some of the best talent but not completely sold on Moss to be consistent enough in big games
4 Hamilton - really good guard play and the Big Blue always play with pride
5 Fairfield - I like this squad but don’t think they’ll crack the top 3
6 East - Trey will win some games by himself but if he is off, they will struggle
7 Sycamore - will miss Burgess a ton
8 Oak Hills - will play hard but doesn’t have the depth or high level talent that the top 6 have
9 Mason - some solid pieces in the junior high but who knows if they’ll stay in the district
10 Colerain - won’t win a game
2 Middletown - they’ll have length and depth
3 West - some of the best talent but not completely sold on Moss to be consistent enough in big games
4 Hamilton - really good guard play and the Big Blue always play with pride
5 Fairfield - I like this squad but don’t think they’ll crack the top 3
6 East - Trey will win some games by himself but if he is off, they will struggle
7 Sycamore - will miss Burgess a ton
8 Oak Hills - will play hard but doesn’t have the depth or high level talent that the top 6 have
9 Mason - some solid pieces in the junior high but who knows if they’ll stay in the district
10 Colerain - won’t win a game
princeton is should be good this year...really really good. they have it all (on paper at least)
west super talented and has lots of pieces and to fit together in a variety of combinations
its those two teams league to win this season
middletown next. great size and landers is a DAWG
fairfield talented and big.....but imo jury on the coach is still out
hamilton, east, oak hills, sycamore in some order
mason
crater size gap
colerain. they are awful
west super talented and has lots of pieces and to fit together in a variety of combinations
its those two teams league to win this season
middletown next. great size and landers is a DAWG
fairfield talented and big.....but imo jury on the coach is still out
hamilton, east, oak hills, sycamore in some order
mason
crater size gap
colerain. they are awful
Bill Wennington
Well-known member
Calling my shot right now....Colerain wins more GMC games than Mason.
93 red ls
Well-known member
I've Know Kostoff for a LONG time. Dude will get 100000% effort out of those kids. I do believe they will be better than 3 wins from last year
To piggyback on your called shot, neither Colerain or Mason will beat any of the top 8 GMC teams. They may beat each other.
Doublehelix
Well-known member
Sycamore too high. Basically plays GCL ball (not a good thing imo) so they will be competitive, but the talent is lacking compared to those above them.
Oak Hills too low. I think Maginn will have a breakout year. I say top 5 for them.
I think Princeton wins the GMC.
oxat622
Well-known member
It's just a snippet, but this is very pleasing offense from Princeton. Several guards who can penetrate. Paint touch and kick out. Force the help defender and kick out. Knock down the open three.
I suggest you view Princeton's highlights from their scrimmages on Hudl so far. They are completely obliterating everybody in the scrimmages, but they are indeed only scrimmages. Princeton looks like they are going to be very difficult to score on/not turn the ball over against. The guards can pressure with reckless abandon because Granville is on the back end to cleanup anything that gets through.
Of note, Princeton has a nice out-of-conference slate that includes Newport, Lima Senior, Louisville Trinity, Indianapolis Cathedral, Reynoldsburg, and Lexington. No matchup against Moeller this year (which, on another note, what the heck is Moeller doing opening with C-J, Stivers, Withrow, Hughes, and Gamble Montesorri?).
Doublehelix
Well-known member
Terrible.
The GCL needs to find a happy medium in scheduling between what they're doing, and what Centerville does. Some don't even play in any of these local showcase tournaments against good non-local teams. Those games are great to test yourself, losing them means nothing.
How does Elder never play Cov Cath, or Princeton, or Centerville, or Lakota East? Their basketball scheduling philosophy is the direct opposite of their football scheduling philosophy. Makes no sense.
I agree about Princeton. I saw them several times over the summer and if Kiran can stay healthy they are the best team in SWO. He is a matchup nightmare for everyone else but injuries ànd conditioning are a huge factor for him and Princeton as a whole. Yes, for everyone, but they have a bad history and he can be in and out of the lineup a lot.
I'll post on another thread about elder but I watched them, Lakota East, Taft and Centerville last night and I think East will surprise some people. They have a sophomore (transfer maybe?) who really helps add some offense and the defense is very good.
I'll post on another thread about elder but I watched them, Lakota East, Taft and Centerville last night and I think East will surprise some people. They have a sophomore (transfer maybe?) who really helps add some offense and the defense is very good.
Vet Observer
Well-known member
Re Sycamore: And that's where coaching can factor in.
Doublehelix
Well-known member
Everyone says this about Sycamore football and basketball EVERY year - that the coaching is just so amazing, yet what do they ever win?
Eventually, you have to win something above your expectations to continually be called amazing. Football is regressing hard, and basketball meets expectations, but what else above that?
I do agree Austing is a good coach, but when's the last time they made a regional bracket? The homers in the Elder forum would shove Schoenfeld away for Austing in a second, yet Schoenfeld has made like 3 regional brackets in the last 5 years. Austing has none at Sycamore, and with better top end college talent during that time.
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Austing has 1 shared GMC title and 1 outright GMC title in 3 seasons (other season was tied for 2nd). Before him, Sycamore only had 2 outright and 1 shared GMC title in the 30+ years they have been in the league. Austing has also appeared in 2 district championship games in his 3 years (honestly should have won both, but oh well). In their history, Sycamore has only 1 district championship (2004) and had only appeared in the district championship 2 other times.
I would say he’s doing pretty well so far. He’s also the last coach to take a GMC team to the final four.
Bill Wennington
Well-known member
That's weird, those years correlate nicely to the time Riley Burgess was at Sycamore.
Doublehelix
Well-known member
I will definitely admit he's a good coach.
But why is Sycamore always treated like this down and out school where people act like it's an act of god from their coaches for them to even be relevant? They had multiple college players over the past few years.
Football is even worse. They have been abysmal for 5+ years, and everyone always says "but their coach will keep them competitive", and then it never pans out, and people just keep saying it.
If Sycamore doesn't have open enrollment, at least I could see that as a reason. But other than that, they have plenty of school, community and family resources to be much more consistent.
Sycamore does not have open enrollment......also has the lowest enrollment in the GMC and is checking in at the 3rd lowest enrollment in the state in the new D1.
In basketball, the last three years have been their best stretch of play in school history with maybe the exception of 1995-1997. Moeller being located within the district and sharing an approximate 12-mile long border with Princeton does not typically help keep talent at home.
I will admit that I think Dattilo may be losing it in football a little bit. 3 out of the last 5 years in football have been abysmal, and the 2023 team used to be the kind of team he would magically get to 7-3, but instead finished 5-6 overall.
oxat622
Well-known member
Sycamore just hasn't had the numbers come out for football like the top teams in the GMC of late. How much of that falls on the high school head coach and how much falls on the rest of the field of Sycamore football all the way down to the youth levels? They just don't seem like they've been playing with a full deck in recent years. I like Datillo too and always believe them to be a threat if they could get 75 or so guys between grades 10-12.
Numbers, in particular the declining numbers in the Aves youth program, are certainly a reason. Overall declining enrollment and a slight demographic shift also doesn't help. Finally, the basketball program being good isn't helping either as I believe there are zero kids on this year's varsity basketball team that played football this year. Sycamore can make up for this sometimes when former athletes with successful careers choose to live within the school district for the overall quality of the school and their kids are stars (Ira Hillary, Jay Gruden, Stan Kimbrough, just to name a few), but they are losing out on more of these former athletes to Mason and the Lakotas now. In football, Sycamore can also maximize getting the talent they do have out for the team, and they have done a poor job of that post-covid.
I saw them scrimmage St. X with both teams missing their football players. Lakota East is certainly going to get after it defensively but they do lack size with McFarlane their only true inside player. I do think Adkins will have them playing great defense with defined roles on offense and their offense almost entirely setup to facilitate Perry. I do see them as better than last year, but they did finish 8th last year.
CometCountry
Well-known member
Not sure about all transfers but here we go:
1-3---Lakota West, Princeton, Middletown
4-5---Oak Hills, Lakota East
6-8---Fairfield, Sycamore, Hamilton
9-10--Colerain, Mason
1-3---Lakota West, Princeton, Middletown
4-5---Oak Hills, Lakota East
6-8---Fairfield, Sycamore, Hamilton
9-10--Colerain, Mason
Vet Observer
Well-known member
Vet Observer
Well-known member
Follow horse racing? Best jockey in the country can't take a cheap claiming horse running at Turfway Park and turn it into a Triple Crown winner. Same with Sycamore. Relatively small talent pool and being a closed district puts it at a disadvantage in sports where more than just a few are involved (football, basketball and baseball in case you couldn't figure that out). It's not like Princeton and some other schools where the coach can rev up the school SUV and cruise the areas around Taft and other CPS schools for a hunting expedition to replenish what has left. By the way, who won the GMC basketball championship last season?
It's Raleigh, not Riley. Be accurate before you try to be cute.
Vet Observer
Well-known member
Is violence the answer? Should all boys be forced at gun point to go out for football?