Top 5 Teams of the Past Decade

[trojandave]

Just because a team sports a couple of D1 basketball players doesn't guarantee they are a better team........in 1988, Portsmouth beat Cincinnati Forest Park 90-80 in 2OT in the regional finals.......the starters on that FP team were Alex Davis, who started PG/2G at Ohio State, Carlton Gray, who started football at UCLA (DB).....and the Seattle Seahawks, and Tony Watson, who started at PG for Ohio University.......in addition, their center was Nick Smith, who was offered a number of D1 football scholarships (one from Notre Dame, reportedly).......the only D1 player off that Trojan team was Patrick Tubbs, who started for Morehead State. Dominic McKinley and David Barnes did play at Cedarville.

I have been to the state tournament 23 of the past 24 years.......many of those years the more highly touted teams with the star players did not come away with the state title, part of what makes HS basketball so much fun.......and virtually all of us in SE Ohio have seen better talented teams come away with a loss at the Convo.

I wouldn't necessarily give the 2006 or 2007 Wheelersburg teams the 2012 state title........Summit Country Day had an outstanding backcourt, with Kevin Johnson and Antonio Woods, both D1 prospects who are returning to SCD this season.......the Burg has a big edge in the frontcourt, with Miller and Spradlin, but that doesn't cinch a victory for the Pirates over SCD. SCD also played a very good schedule and ended up with a 26-1 record, and made good on the preseason pick by many across the state to win the D3 state title. The only loss for the Knights was to Cincinnati Taft, the defending D3 champion who moved up to D2 in 2012.

In the past decade, I reiterate my earlier question........has any team (other than Portsmouth) previously mentioned beaten 3 conference champions consecutively in the tournament? I know the 2012 Trojans did it, but I know of no one else who pulled off that difficult task.

I would like to mention the 2011 Chesapeake Panthers.......their only loss that year heading into the regional finals was to Logan (WV) by 1 point, and many on SEOPS were touting CHS as one of the best teams to come out of the SE District in the last 25 years.......they were an outstanding team, coming off a Final 4 appearance in 2010 and returning 4 starters in 2011. They were edged by Portsmouth 69-68 in what may have been the best regional final ever. I definitely think they deserve mention as one of the best teams of the past decade.

[juanmorales]

I though that the whole number of D1 players doesn't make a team better?? I watched SCD and they were nothing overly impressive and I'd def take those Burg teams. I just don't see the 2012 PTown team being a top 5 over the past 10 years. I'd give them top 10. However they did accomplish what few have done the past 10 years. Future is bright though for the Trojans though. Should be seeing them back in Cbus contending for a state title in a few years

[sparky]

it is not who has the best players it is who has the best team. best players do not guarantee best team because of selfishness and big egos. and sometines jackass parents.

[Ironman92]

Any of those teams have all their rotation players from 7-12? 9-12?

[bbjunky81]

In the past decade, I reiterate my earlier question........has any team (other than Portsmouth) previously mentioned beaten 3 conference champions consecutively in the tournament? I know the 2012 Trojans did it, but I know of no one else who pulled off that difficult task.

Impressive, yes, but if a team goes deep in a tournament, I would like to think that's fairly common.

For example, just off the top of my head:

South Webster in 03-04, beat Clay (SOC 1) in the District Championship, Reedsville Eastern (TVC Hocking) Regional Semi's, and I believe both were both conference champs. Then, they faced Worthington Christian in the Regional Finals, and since they were ranked top 10 in the State, I would also assume they won their division within the Central Catholic league.

Do you not agree with what I'm trying to say? If a team makes it to the State Tournament, I'd imagine a good percent of the time they have to knock off league champs starting around the District Championship range.

[Super trooper]

I agree. Its very seldom that you don't win your league and make it very far in the tournament. Unless say your a D4 team in a league with mostly D3 teams. But if you arent good enough to win your league you usually arent good enough to make a deep tournament run

[chef_piketon]

Trojan Dave: The Chef believes the Streaks in '09 beat multiple conference champs in route to the Final Four in D3:

Ironton District Semi Finals - Don't know who won that league that season
Westfall District Finals - Shared SVC Championship with Piketon
North Adams Regional Semi Finals - Won SHL...was undefeated until Piketon beat them
Grandview Heights Regional Finals - Mid States League champ
Ran into the buzzsaw of Cleveland Central Catholic in State Semi Finals
The 2009 Redstreak squad of Coach L was a good one full of big time athletes.

The Chef agrees those 2010 & 2011 Chesapeake teams were good teams also as they beat out The Chef's Streaks both years.

[sox]

The 2007 DIII Georgetown G-Men. The only undefeated team to win a state title. What a story many of these kids and programs can tell. Congratulations to any team being mentioned in this thread.

[sparky]

gtown is in the sw, but they did have a great team.

[JIMMY THE GREEK]

Just because a team sports a couple of D1 basketball players doesn't guarantee they are a better team In the past decade, I reiterate my earlier question........has any team (other than Portsmouth) previously mentioned beaten 3 conference champions consecutively in the tournament? I know the 2012 Trojans did it, but I know of no one else who pulled off that difficult task.

Yes...2008-2009 Piketon Redstreaks (5)

Beat Vinton County (TVC Champs) Regular season finale
Beat North Adams (SHL Champs) Regional Semi-Finals
Beat Ironton (SEOL Champs) District Semi-Finals
Beat Grandview Heights (MSL Champs) Regional Finals
Beat Westfall 3 times (Co-SVC Champs) District Finals

[Peake]

I haven't seen a better team than Ironton 05, that team had it all. Probably not the most talented in terms of a Chili, but those kids were tough as nails.

[trojandave]

Thanks, Chef Piketon, and Jimmy the Greek, for info on PIketon's run in the 2009 tournament............I remember watching your Streaks make that run to the Final 4.

On a side note, the 2008 Chillicothe Cavaliers did not win the SEOAL that year.........Zanesville beat CHS on the Day of Champions to win the league........Chillicothe won the South Division, while the Blue Devils won the North........Chillicothe beat Zanesville in the regular season, then ZHS turned the tables on the Day of Champions.......yet CHS won the state title, with the Cavaliers' only other loss being to Columbus Brookhaven the first game of the season at CHS.

Portsmouth did not win the SEOAL in 2011, finishing 2nd to Chillicothe, but did win the league outright in 2012 with a 9-1 league record.

bbjunky81: I'm not disagreeing with you or anyone else.......all I stated was that I thought it was a rare feat, but obviously there a few examples that have answered my question.

[theuglytruth]

Eastern Brown and Whiteoak both had final 4 appearances in 2002 and phenomenal teams!
i believe Eastern was 25-2 and Whiteoak was about the same. Both teams beating each other once during the season.

[sparky]

eastern's appearance was a little tainted as they had two foreign exchange students from australia. no facts to back it but i was told that one of them should have been ineligible because of his age. straight from an eastern backer a few years later.

[32hornets]

Most probably didn't get the chance to see this team. But 5 kids playing together in a very small town in ky. Made it to the final 4 at rupp. Elliott Co. 4 boys 6'2 and a 6' 7. Handles and range as soon as they got off the bus. 2 twins scored over 2000 points ferguson boy over 2500 another starter 1500 PTs. And the 6' 7 boy was a soph at the time ended up over 2500 Had 5 starters scoring over 10,000 PTs n their career. Made it to final 4 vs a school with over 2500 kids. Elliott co had less than 300 They were fun to watch. Believe it was 2008/2009 season

[wipala]

IMO,,,SEOHIO has had some outstanding teams, and some really very very very good players that have gone
on to great things..High School BB is SEOHIO is well and alive..What a great area of the state to watch these
kids go out and play their hearts out night in and night out..Every game is a must win since the teams are so
close to each other most of the players know the other kids from football, baseball or summer leagues and they
form great friendships that so many of the big city players do not get to enjoy..Here in AZ hight school basketball
is getting better each year but not up to Ohio level..The really good teams here could do very well against the
really goods teams in Ohio but the dropoff is so big...This is the part of BB season that is so great, all you
guys getting on here and sharing insight and info on your favorite teams....KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB

An Old Trojan in AZ thanks you

:aaaaa14 :aaaaa58

[Hopper 11]

I wold have to put greenfield McClain on the list

[datchillicav]

2008 ChillicotheCavaliers...

Resume:
D2 Ohio State Champions
USA Today #30 nationally
Beat nationally ranked Toledo Libbey, #4 D2
Beat D1 State Champion Newark
Beat D1 #8 Zanesville
Beat D2 #1 Poland Seminary
Beat D2 #3 Dayton Dunbar
Beat D3 defending State Champion and #11 North College Hill
Beat D2 #12 vinton County by 20 points give or take
Beat Local Teams Logan Elm, Portsmouth, and Greenfield McClain with Dante Jackson also.
Scored over 100 points on Both Athens and Jackson in which those teams both scored in the 20's.

Lost to D1 power Brookhaven in OT after squandering a 12 point lead in the first game of the season. Lost by 2??? to a Zanesville team that they beat previously in the last game of the regular season.

Players:

Humpty Hitchens - basketball at Akron, James Madison. Currently playing professionally in Germany

Caleb Knights - Football at Air force

Stu Beverly - Basketball at Rio Grande, OU-Chillicothe

Seth Dawes - Baseball at Xavier

Ray Chambers - Basketball in JUCO, Troy State University

subs were Ron Smith and then Jordan Benson. Both played Football at Otterbein

Have seen many teams being discussed on here. As far as resume, the "eye test" and players going on to play on the next level, I don't think any team comes close to measuring up in both categories. Playing the schedule that they palyed with the results they got is unprecedented in SEO.

I agree that 06-07 Greenfield McClain should be on the list or considered. As well as 07-08 Zanesville. 05 Wheelersburg probably 2nd best team I've seen.

[juanmorales]

Yea Chillicothe and 05 Ironton were for real. As well as 06 South Webster, 06 and 07 Wheelersburg. A lot of great teams in the past decade for Southern OH. A lot of proud communities out there

[Blackcobra]

Hard estimate many teams due to them not interacting with each other or schools. Wasnt impressed enough with the Webster team, in fact I cannot include any D3 or D4 teams in a top five due to this is about really who would come out on top out of all teams if the had a system like Kentucky etc. Everyone plays everyone. I do not feel the D3 or D4 teams could put their names in there with the D1 or D2 schools. Sorry thats just how I feel. Its a different caliber of player and team Dymanic. Chillicothe and Portsmouth on top locally though.