Winter Sports Preview: Boys Basketball
Fast and Furious: ‘Position-less’ Warriors to rely on speed and defense this season.
When he looks out on the floor this season, Worthington Christian’s boys basketball coach Quintin Aden half expects to see graduates Sam Johnson and Jonah Lewis.
And then he remembers the two are gone.
“It’s very, very different,” said Aden, who guided the team to a 22-5 record, a Central Buckeye League championship, and a Division III district title in his first season with the team. “I think about what those guys brought to our team in terms of leadership. Having guys like Sam and Jonah were pretty good trump cards.
“However, our seniors this year are stepping up into that (leadership) role well. We’ll just have to play a little faster style of basketball.”
Aden said he was impressed with how quickly the Warriors adjusted to his style of play during his first season with Worthington Christian.
“The thing I remember is just how the team progressed,” Aden said. “You’re trying to build some rapport and trust with the players. We went through our ups and downs.”
Last year, the Warriors were a grind-it-out, Sherman tank type of offense. Worthington Christian would primarily work the ball into Johnson, who averaged 20.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocked shots a game. Johnson picked up first-team all-district honors, while Lewis, a 6-1 guard who averaged 15.4 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals, was second-team all-district. The Warriors also graduated Sam Owusu Sarfo, who averaged 5.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Johnson earned the Central Buckeye League Player of the Year honor and joined Lewis on the first team. Owusu Sarfo was named to the All-CBL second team.
The trio helped Worthington Christian repeat as CBL champions and win a district title for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Warriors defeated Columbus Academy 60-47 in a district championship before losing to Castalia Margaretta 69-59 in a regional semifinal.
Despite graduating players who provided 39.2 of the 60.9 points the team averaged last year, Aden remains upbeat about his team’s chances.
“We’ll be alright,” he said. “The guys have bought in and are working hard, so that’s all you can ask for. We’ve adopted that next man up mentality.”
The next two men up appear to be senior guards Logan Woloshan (6-0) and C.J. Miller (5-10). Woloshan averaged 10.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a game last season, while Miller contributed 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
“Logan and C.J. will be big pieces for us,” Aden said. “They’re going to step up (to the challenge).
“This year will be different. We won’t really have a true post per se. Everybody on the floor will be a shooter, someone who can take it off the bounce. It’s kind of like positionless basketball.”
The Central Buckeye League will challenge that philosophy. Last year, the Warriors won their 11 league games by an average of 16.7 points and finished ahead of runner-up Academy (9-3) and third-place finisher Ready (8-4).
According to Aden, the one CBL defeat, a 52-48 loss to the visiting Vikings on Jan. 16, provided the catalyst for the tournament run. After the loss, Worthington Christian went on a 13-game win streak before falling in that regional semifinal.
“Our wake-up call was losing to Academy at home,” said Aden, the CBL coach of the year. “We truly felt we were the better team, but we didn’t get it done on our home floor. That’s one thing we wanted to do — protect our home floor.
“You hate to have a negative to make you lock in, but that really made us hone on what we needed to do.”
Academy is expected to return seniors Theo Falkenhain and M.J. Jackson, who were first-team all-CBL selections last year, senior Anderson Davis and sophomore Jason Singleton, who were second team, and senior Jack Seymore, who was an honorable mention. The Silver Knights return senior Kayden Schaffer, who made the league’s second team.
The wild card in the league is newcomer Franklin Heights. The Falcons, coming to the CBL from the Ohio Capital Conference, finished 3-20 overall after losing to Reynoldsburg 76-47 in their Division I tournament opener.
However, Franklin Heights is a Division I team and played only one CBL team last season, losing to Whitehall 68-65 on Jan. 27.
“Franklin Heights is rumored to have a few new pieces in place, and they have a new coach, so there will be some new energy there,” Aden said. “They look good on paper.
“That’s one thing about our league. Every team has a great coach. You must be on your A game night in and night out because all those coaches will have their guys ready to go.”
To combat that, Aden believes the Warriors have the pieces of their own to help them vie for a third consecutive title.
Aden will also rely on senior guards Ethan Blank (6-3) and Gavin Smith (6-3) to lead the Warriors.
Junior guards Cortland Haynes (6-1), Grayden Little (6-0), Luke Meyers (5-10), and Ian St. John (6-4) and forward Jordan Williams (6-4) and sophomore guard Ben Winfree (5-11) and forwards Oliver Blank (6-4) and Matt Kirkley (6-4) are projected to see court time this season. Freshmen guards Graham Yeary (6-0) and Isaac King (6-2) could also contribute to Worthington Christian’s success.
“There are two things we’re going to hang our hat on: getting defensive stops and outrunning teams,” Aden said. “We want to play fast this season. We want to get a stop and then get out and run.
“We’re trying to score within 15 seconds or less (once we get the ball). We want to put pressure on teams defensively and capitalize off that.”