Minford, South Webster with the "Blue Print" - Is there a SE District team(s) that make the Final Four in 2025-26???

[pfloyd]

I was looking over the 71 teams in the Southeast District, thinking about who graduated this year, who will be returning ... I looked deeper - are there ANY teams in SEOhio that check off the boxes as to what has been proven to be the "must have" qualities of Teams that go deep into the post season ... this was my list of " boxes' that must be checked off":

* TEAM ... players on the same page offensively/defensively ... solid fundamentals... well prepared ...execute game plans while being able to adjust on the court ...

* Next level player(s) ... you don't need 5 ... one or two make you outstanding ... one if you he is 6-6+ and has "it"
* Perimeter scoring ... in today's game, perimeter scoring is a must ... from multiple players
* Role Players ... you can have 2-3 "stars" but you NEED the players to fill out the starting roster that are threats to score & do ... who play defense
* Physical ... defend physically , plays offense physically - set picks, crash the boards with a physical presence, turn the ball handlers/dictating where they go on the floor ...offensively being physical or maybe hard-nose is the better word - strong with the ball, crisp passing, knows how to use the body to bump on drives to get separation to finish ...
* PG ... the most important position on the floor ... a PG who is the leader offensively, defensively ... scores the 3 ball, penetrates scores at the rim, penetrates and dishes/ decision maker under pressure ... handles pressure and the ball ... sees the floor
* Bench ... ideally 7-8 deep ... 6-7 works ... in crunch time it will come down to the best 7 you can put on the floor ... bench has to play D but scoring off the bench is a must ...
* Size ... relative size ... a 6-7 body with length that can rebound/shoot the 3/mid range/finish at the rim (hmmmm "Bennett Kayser-like" ) ... a back stop that "plays in the paint" to coverup the "mistakes" on the perimeter or "allows for" TIGHTER more gambling on the perimeter - however you want to look at it ...
* Coaching - game preparation/courtside , in game adjustments ... fundamentals emphasized ... physical play philosophy ...
* TEAM oriented but have "Go To" guy or guys : leaders who can create/go get points - scorers that teams have to prepare for ... players who offensively dictate what the opponent have to do defensively which in turn allow the importance of "role players" to step up and score ...

... before the 2024-25 basketball season tipped off Minford, South Webster, Meigs , North Adams, New Lexington, Warren were TEAMS which I thought would have deep runs into the post season ... Minford, South Webster, Meigs were talked about with Final Four appearances mentioned in the same sentence ... as we look at teams going into the 2025-26 campaign, and now seeing what the 7 division post season looks like, how the East District plays into the equation in getting out of the regional play ... the question is again - "Are there any teams that have a legitimate chance to get out of regional play and get to the Show - The Final Four - in ANY division ???

[SHACFan]

I think Leesburg Fairfield has a shot in D7 next year.

[TudorsGuy]

Chesapeake should be in good shape. Depends who they match up with in the regional tourney

[pfloyd]

Chesapeake should be in good shape. Depends who they match up with in the regional tourney

I think Leesburg Fairfield has a shot in D7 next year.

... both good choices imo TudorsGuy & SHACFan ... I have both penciled on my legal pad as well ...

[baseball16]

Meigs has their main Core back. They should be really good next year.

[pfloyd]

Meigs has their main Core back. They should be really good next year.

... Meigs was my 3rd team baseball16 that "checks off boxes" - not all of them but some that other teams can't and won't be able to check off ...

* Next level players - check ... at least 2 - Carson Davis and Reed Brinager
* Size ... Davis at 6-8 and Brinager at 6-5 ... they drop off significantly from this past season from there though - as graduation takes 6-5 Dustin Vance out of the paint & off the boards at both ends ... 6-6 Aaron Tobin off the bench ... STILL 6-8 & 6-5 both talented/next level players - check
* PG ... important, important, important ... Owen Tracy returns as the PG ... I feel he will be much improved ... I didn't feel he was allowed to be as effective as he could have been this past season ... the ball NEEDS to be in his hands more, TRUST him MORE with the ball to allow Davis & Brinager to be both outside AND INSIDE ... Tracy will NEED to be able to handle pressure better/handle the ball better ... returning soph to be junior PG is a check the box quality they will have
* Perimeter Scoring - check - Davis/Brinager/Tracy ... Owen Tracy will need to be MORE of a perimeter scoring threat this coming year but he has the talent to do it ... role players that can score - even if it's spot up scoring on the perimeter have to have it ...
* Coaching - not a question - check ... Coach Davis will continue to 'teach the game of basketball" to the talent that Meigs brings to the court ...


What NEEDS to be addressed/boxes NOT checked for Meigs at least going into the 2025-26 season:

- Bench ... ????
- Filling out the starting lineup ???? Role players ? outside of Davis/Brinager/Tracy / who?/who? Bench who? who? Meigs always seems to have talent ... last season the talent stayed on the court (injury bug didn't hit them hard as in the past) ...
- TEAM ... can the BIG THREE if you will trust what everyone else brings to the table to allow the roster to play together ?

... this is what the off season is all about - how many players after Davis/Brinager/Tracy are playing AAU, putting in time in the gym, working on "what it is THEY will bring to TEAM" ... there is no other duo - size/scoring/rebounding/next level talent out there like Davis/Brinager ... hopefully I'll catch Meigs during the summer season of June to help me answer some of the questions I posted ...

[Vike73]

I think D6 in this area is really wide open, it will be just a matter if the rep can beat the Central/East rep.

[pfloyd]

Chesapeake is one of the teams that checks off a whole bunch of boxes :

* Returning starters ... returning players Maddox Kazee/ Karson Frecka/ Kaden Perkins/ Phillip Thacker - great nucleus to build on at both ends of the floor ... solid fundamentals for returning juniors & seniors who made the run this season ...

* Next level player(s) ... Maddox Kazee jr. 6-2 IS a next level player and only going to be a junior in 2025-26
* Perimeter scoring ... Kazee/Perkins/Thacker fit the bill ... the peake had a solid JV team that will contribute to the perimeter scoring for sure as well ball handling etc.
* Role Players ... you can have 2-3 "stars" but you NEED the players to fill out the starting roster that are threats to score & do ... who play defense
* Physical ... it's part of the Coach Ater philosophy on both offense and defense ...
* PG ... Kaden Perkins will be able to handle this position just fine BUT look for help from the JV team of this past season to allow Perkins to be a scorer of the ball ...
* Team Scoring ... Kazee/Frecka/Perkins ... Thacker CAN score the ball. he didn't LOOK to score as much as he could have - part of the discipline on the TEAM ... Kazee/Frecka/Perkins makeup a great scoring trio that can use the whole floor offensively will force the opposition to defend the entire floor - Kazee scores from anywhere - all 3 levels ... Perkins all 3 levels with the inside level as he can finish off the dribble/penetration ... Frecka at 6-5 and a lefty is solid in the paint on the blocks/ can hit the 10-12 footer and CAN hit a perimeter 3 ball ...
* Size ... Frecka sr. 6-5 in the post ... Thacker sr. 6-3 strong/physical player ... Kazee is not afraid to be in the paint at either end of the floor at 6-2 or 6-3 with hoops ... the Panthers had 6-6 or 6-7 on the JV team that will see the floor on varsity some next season ... defensively a plus, doesn't have to be a big time scorer - if he plays D, plays strong/physical ... develops his footwork - he will be an asset ...
* Coaching - Coach Ater is outstanding ... been in the arena for awhile , great philosophy at both ends built on fundamentals
* TEAM ... Chesapeake will have a core of "stars" that have played in the big games in the post season ... Kazee/Perkins/Frecka/Thacker ... youngsters who from an excellent JV team that will be able to develop their roles without the pressure of having to be THE guy(s) ...

...Chesapeake checks off a lot of boxes ... needs or wish list items :

* Kazee as a senior ... Kazee is outstanding but he is STILL a relative youngster who has been developing every year .. improving every year ... he just doesn't have that many years under his belt yet - he will be a highly sought after player his senior year - that next level player as he grows physically more each year ... he's only going to be a junior ... Frecka is not yet a next level player - has the tools at 6-5 or 6-6 a lefty ... he has to continue to develop his attitude ... he plays well within a system ... to be able to help take the Peake to the level of being a potential Final Four team next season - Frecka has to "take his game" TO the opponent , in my opinion he has to attack the rim, learn how to read defenders and attack the paint/his defender based on what the defender is giving him ... he grew a lot at the Convo imo ... he now has 22+ games left ... he has to develop "it" - the belief that he is the best "big" on the floor - have no doubts ... Frecka gets THAT attitude he will elevate the entire Panther Team ... Thacker has to be basketball player - he IS one, CAN BE A BETTER one - trust his talent/use his physicality at both ends to be another scoring threat when teams are forced to guard Frecka/Kazee/Perkins ... doesn't have to create for himself, just has to be able to "take what the defense gives him" WITHOUT hesitating - make them pay attitude ...

** A need for a forward with length ... that 6-4 guy with length ... JV's may have that coming up ...

*** fill out the roster with role players who get minutes/contribute defensively and develop at the offensive end ...
**** Develop the 6-7 post player that they have ... develop his athleticism

[JeepNation26]

I wouldn't discount the Jeeps out of making another run into the Final 4 in D7. They'll return with 4 seniors from this past season's Final 4 team with Beau Stephens 6-2, Hunter Barnard 6-0, Brycin McClintic 6-0, all 3 give you balance scoring can score 15+ points on any given night, & Brigham Burton 6-0 who shoots the spot up 3 well. Also there's a rumor circling around that Jacob McGraw might come back out for his senior year, he's an athletic 6-3 physical kid that can shoot the ball well. They have the role players with Jr. Cole Bennett 5-10, So. Brayden Barnard 6-2, So. Jaheim Froe 6-2, and Freshman Easton Large 6-4 big body kid who will definitely see the floor and could put up 10-15 points ppg. The SOC III will be tough but this Jeeps team will be hungry to make another run to the Final 4 in D7.

[pfloyd]

Fairfield Leesburg :

* TEAM ... players on the same page offensively/defensively ... solid fundamentals... well prepared ...execute game plans while being able to adjust on the court - Coach Williams DEMANDS this quality, it has been a mantra of Fairfield hoops since Coach Williams took over ... Solid returning group led by this years sophomore/next years' junior group - 3rd Team All District Griffin Friend PG/ D7 District 1st teamer/All Ohio Special Mention 6-2 , 17 ppg Brody Smith ... Caleb Berrera ... 6-4 sr to be Quentin McIntosh ... great foundation/core group ... box checked off

* Next level player(s) ... not sure there are any - very good high school players ... Brody Smith may be next level his senior year/ Griffin Friend is the floor general/coach on the floor/outstanding high school PG - all of the boxes checked off ... final four ? need a relative big or 2 - wings with length 6-3 or 6-4 scorers of the ball inside and out - I don't see that on the FHS roster ... not sure Smith & Friend make them final four material ...definitely makes them very very good but I'm not checking off this box ...
* Perimeter scoring ... in today's game, perimeter scoring is a must ... from multiple players ... Smith/Friend/Berrera ... as Coach Williams develops players for his system - I look for JV to fill in here as well - checking it off ...
* Role Players ... I feel ALL of the Fairfield TEAM are role players that go together to become/ "be" a very good TEAM ... - check it off
* Physical ... Fairfield/Coach Williams' teams ARE inherently physical on the defensive end in their man D ... I don't think of Fairfield as overall physical in stature/size wise ... McIntosh the younger (sr next this coming year) plays a physical game but not a dominating game ... not checking off this box
* PG ... the most important position on the floor ... a PG who is the leader offensively, defensively ... scores the 3 ball, penetrates scores at the rim, penetrates and dishes/ decision maker under pressure ... handles pressure and the ball ... sees the floor ... Griffin Friend IS "that guy" I watch him play and he IS his older brother Larkin Friend ... Griffin IS as good as Friend the Elder - scores the ball at all 3 levels, outstanding rebounder for his 6-1 size (going to be taller imo this season) ... floor general ... check off the box
* Bench ... has to be a developing point this off season, no reason to think Coach Williams will not find another 3-4 players to fill out that important top 7-8 ... the question will be can they find more size to go with 6-2 Smith/6-1 Friend/6-4 McIntosh ... checking it off
* Size ... relative size ... 6-4 Quentin McIntosh is it ... he is not a dominating big man offensively ... I think a final four group NEEDS a 6-4+ guy with length that can takeover a game offensively ... McIntosh is good but not an all around threat ... not checking this one off
* Coaching - game preparation/courtside , in game adjustments ... fundamentals emphasized ... physical play philosophy ... Coach Willams IS a proven commodity - outstanding coach in all phases of the game ... check it off

... Areas of need:

* Size that can demand the opponent to prep for them - ie demand a double team, can score at all levels or at least score in the paint and a threat with the midrange foul line extended ...

** Another scorer of the ball ... Smith/Friend then ??? ... Coach Williams WILL find a 3rd scorer and a 4th in the summer season ...

*** Need more from Quentin McIntosh offensively ... didn't have to be that with Logan McIntosh there last season - Coach Williams WILL get more offensively from QMc

... Fairfield Leesburg will be a very good D7 TEAM again as they have been under Coach Williams' tutelage at FHS ... 24-1, 22-4, 18-7 ...64-12 in his 3 seasons for the Lions ... 35-4 in SHAC play over 3 years ... no reason to think ANY of those numbers will change ... the outstanding coaches FIND the players ... Coach Quentin Williams checks off the boxes for sure - he'll find the players/probably already in the pipeline off the JV team or entering their freshmen campaign ...

[pfloyd]

I wouldn't discount the Jeeps out of making another run into the Final 4 in D7. They'll return with 4 seniors from this past season's Final 4 team with Beau Stephens 6-2, Hunter Barnard 6-0, Brycin McClintic 6-0, all 3 give you balance scoring can score 15+ points on any given night, & Brigham Burton 6-0 who shoots the spot up 3 well. Also there's a rumor circling around that Jacob McGraw might come back out for his senior year, he's an athletic 6-3 physical kid that can shoot the ball well. They have the role players with Jr. Cole Bennett 5-10, So. Brayden Barnard 6-2, So. Jaheim Froe 6-2, and Freshman Easton Large 6-4 big body kid who will definitely see the floor and could put up 10-15 points ppg. The SOC III will be tough but this Jeeps team will be hungry to make another run to the Final 4 in D7.

... great information JeepNation26 ... thank you ...

[pfloyd]

I will do my take using some of the great info that JeepNation26 posted blended with my take on next years South Webster squad ... Waverly with a new coach in Coach Teryn Jarrett, along with a lot of returning pieces that check off a bunch of boxes - I'll look at the Tigers as well - are they deep run in the post season/final four material this year? next year? ... Warren????? do I even look at the Warriors? losing 8 seniors ... no starters returning ... talk was at the end of the season that Warren might be dropping to D4 due to the numbers - does THAT make any difference with a team with little to NO varsity experience? ... yep, it's a Coach Maddox TEAM we're talking about here ... the committee of one - me - I HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK ! it's in my DNA LOL ...

[THESOSRP]

what are we thinking about eastern and symmes valley

[Meech]

Have no clue what to expect from Warren. Caught a few jv/freshman games and they were solid(38-0 combined),several varsity type players just blocked by 8 excellent seniors who mostly played 3 years of varsity. No varsity experience will definitely be a factor, but like you said, it’s a coach Maddox team, so my guess is they’ll be competitive.

[Super trooper]

With 7 divisions it looks like we'll see alot of teams make good runs

[Vike73]

what are we thinking about eastern and symmes valley

SV should be solid again. I think D6 is about a 5-6 horse race. As I previously mentioned, can they beat the East or Central rep, remains to be seen.

[HamPorter]

Waverly is not a final four caliber team, unless they go to go 15 divisions

They don’t have the floor spacing, shooting, or defense to do so. If they did, they wouldn’t have lost 10 games in a row each of the last two years

[Vike73]

Waverly is not a final four caliber team, unless they go to go 15 divisions

They don’t have the floor spacing, shooting, or defense to do so. If they did, they wouldn’t have lost 10 games in a row each of the last two years

I don't think anyone said Waverly was a final four team.

[tigerfan765]

I like Symmes with Bronx Carpenter,Tanner Corn and Logan Simpkins.Bronx helped them a lot this year averaging around 15ppg as a freshman I can see him leading that team
Waverly will be interesting if Kage stays he stays they could be a very interesting team next year
Eastern will be good you keep Boston Webb,Cade Leist and Aiden Werner which they all 3 was starters on that team they had this year

[pfloyd]

I like Symmes with Bronx Carpenter,Tanner Corn and Logan Simpkins.Bronx helped them a lot this year averaging around 15ppg as a freshman I can see him leading that team
Waverly will be interesting if Kage stays he stays they could be a very interesting team next year
Eastern will be good you keep Boston Webb,Cade Leist and Aiden Werner which they all 3 was starters on that team they had this year

...all good observations tigerfan765 ... Do you know anything about what Eastern Pike, Symmes Valley has coming up off of their JV teams ... If I remember correctly - I don't keep napkin stats on the JV games I watched - didn't SV have some size on the JV team ? I also liked the play of 6-2 freshman Asher Maynard ... I saw SV 3 times last season in-person, Carpenter was really solid last season, he will be a 1000+ pt scorer as he will be counted on to be just that this coming year & beyond ... Logan Simpkins was injured last season but another 6-3 "SEOhio big" is a great asset, Tanner Corn 6-3 & a physical player ... a lot to like in Coach Carpenter's boyz in the coming season ... I've never been to SV to see a game and there are very few places I haven't been - too many "over the river and thru the woods" twists & turns for me during the winter months LOL ... BUT I will definitely see SV a few times on the road this next season ...