10 Northeast Ohio Players to Watch at State Basketball Tournament Final Four in Columbus

Northeast Ohio will be well-represented at the 2017 State Basketball Tournament Final Four in Columbus, as five schools in four divisions will take part in the tournament at the Schottenstein Center.

Lakewood St. Edward and Massillon Jackson face off in a Division I semifinal Friday night at 8:30 pm.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary takes on Trotwood Madison in a Division II semifinal Thursday at 2 pm.

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph plays Proctorville Fairland Friday at 10:45 am.

Cleveland Heights Lutheran East faces Delphos St. John’s Thursday at 5:15 pm.

It goes without saying that getting to the State Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment and it takes a well-run program with exceptional coaching and a strong all-around team to get this far.

Every player in uniform played a role in helping their team reach this goal, but all five teams have star players who we’d like to highlight.

If you’ve been following high school basketball this season, these names shouldn’t come as a surprise.

If you haven’t been following high school basketball, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND heading down to Columbus and watching these kids play. Northeast Ohio has an outstanding amount of talent heading to Columbus and it won’t be a surprise to see any of these five teams crowned state champions.

Without further ado, here are ten players to watch at this weekend’s tournament:

Division I

Lakewood St. Edward (23-5)

Tommy Schmock: Point Guard, Senior

Schmock had one of the biggest games of his career on one of the biggest stages of his career, scoring 17 points in an overtime victory over Garfield Heights to lead his team to a regional championship.

He also came up big against arch-rival St. Ignatius in the district final, scoring 16 points in a blowout victory, which was St. Ed’s first win of the season against Ignatius, after losing both regular season meetings.

Schmock averages 12.7 points, 7.2 assists per game and has been a consistent leader all season for the Eagles, but has certainly stepped up when his team has needed it most in these playoffs. He’ll be playing college ball at the University of Findlay after he graduates.

Jack Sullivan: Shooting Guard, Senior

Much like Schmock, Sullivan has played some of his best basketball in the postseason. The 5’10” shooting guard averages 11 points per game on the season, but since the start of the playoffs, he’s scored 60 points in his last four games.

Sullivan put up 17 against Ignatius in the district final, 15 against Mentor in the regional semifinal, and 10 in the regional final win over Garfield Heights.

The senior backcourt duo of Schmock and Sullivan has gone a long way in leading these Eagles this far, and though Massillon Jackson presents as tough a challenge as any team in the state can offer, those two could be in store for another big game under the bright lights.

Massilllon Jackson (26-2)

Kyle Young: Forward, Senior

The 6-foot-7 forward continues to make history throughout a remarkable season, both from an individual standpoint and from the school’s perspective.

Jackson is one win away from reaching the State Championship for the first time since 2010. Young, who is committed to play at Butler University, has led the way, scoring 1,552 career points in his high school career. He is tied for second in school history in scoring and seventh all-time in Stark County history – one point away from moving into sixth all-time (notes via Josh Weir, Canton Repository).

Young has been every bit as dominant in the postseason as he was during the regular season. He averages 18 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season. He scored 17 against Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the regional final; 20 against Medina in the regional semifinal; 21 against arch-rival North Canton Hoover in the district final.

Playing in the highly competitive Federal League, along with a rigorous non-conference schedule, Young and the Polar Bears couldn’t afford to take nights off and they’re battle-tested for Columbus.

Logan Hill: Center, Senior

The 6-foot-5 center will be playing college ball at Toledo and makes up half of Jackson’s two-headed monster of a frontcourt. Young and Hill’s thunderous dunks have come to make Jackson’s home court (AKA the Water Park) a regular splash zone.

Fans at the Schott will probably get to witness it first hand at some point(s) or another throughout the game.

Hill averages 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He provided a huge boost against Medina in the regional semifinal, scoring a game-high 21 points and blocking three shots. Hill always presents the potential for a double-double and although he may not score as much as Young, he is an imposing threat that any opponent has to prepare for, which makes it that much easier for Young to thrive.

Division II

St. Vincent-St. Mary (23-5)

Jayvon Graves: Guard, Senior

As Graves goes, so go the Irish. The 6-foot-3 guard has been as consistent and reliable as any player in the state, and is capable of going off for 20 or more points any night. Graves can score in a wide variety of ways, whether it’s his impressive long-range shooting, beating defenders off the dribble and getting to the rim, or just throwing down dunks for good measure.

Throughout the season, STVM went up against one tough opponent after another, and Graves didn’t just pad his stats against lower-tier teams.

He scored 27 against Pickerington North (which lost in a Division I regional final to Pickerington Central), 28 against arch-rival Hoban, a season-high 38 against Evanston (one of the best teams in Indiana), and 32 in a win over Massillon Jackson (he hit a buzzer-beater to stun the Polar Bears on their home court).

It’s moments like those that highlight just how special of a player St. Vincent-St. Mary has. Look for him to do big things at the University of Buffalo at the next level.

Trotwood-Madison is the No. 2 team in the state in Division II, and defeated STVM 100-62 on Jan. 4, but the Irish bounced back to win 17 of 18 since that loss. Graves and STVM will be looking for revenge at the Schott with a trip to the state championship at stake.

Jon Williams: Point Guard, Senior

While Graves leads the way in the scoring department, his fellow senior has been right behind him during the playoffs.

Williams, who will play college ball at Robert Morris University, scored 15 in the regional semifinal against Lake Catholic and 15 in the regional final win over Cleveland Central Catholic.

He has a tendency to show up in big games, as he scored 18 in that nailbiter “upset” over Jackson and 25 against St. Ignatius.

STVM will be viewed as underdogs on paper heading into its match against Trotwood-Madison, but that hasn’t stopped them before in this impressive 2016-17 season and it’d be foolish to write them off now.

Division III

Villa Angela-St. Joseph (21-6)

Jerry Higgens: Guard, Junior

Higgens looks like a guy well-beyond his years out on the court. That type of poise comes naturally when you’re used to appearing in the Final Four every year of your high school career. The Vikings make their fifth-consecutive appearance in Columbus this Friday and Higgens played in the 2015 state championship as a freshman. He scored 15 in the State Championship loss in 2016, a game which has motivated the Vikings all season.

Now, he’s one of the team leaders and has played like it all season, including the playoffs. Higgens scored 31 in a huge win over Cleveland Central Catholic back in January. He also helped push the Vikings to a win over St. Vincent-St. Mary, scoring 12 points in the upset.

VASJ, like the previously mentioned teams, does not play a cupcake schedule, which is part of what makes the Vikings such a force in Division III.

In this 2016-17 postseason, VASJ has absolutely demolished most of its competition.

Aside from a close district semifinal against Beachwood, which went to overtime, the Vikings have been in clear control all tournament long. Higgens dished out nine assists in that nailbiter win.

He went on to score 21 points in the district final against Warrensville Heights, dished out five assists in the regional semifinal win over Garrettsville Garfield (which was an 87-47 blowout), and scored 22 in the regional final over Northwestern.

The beauty of how VASJ plays is that it doesn’t rely on one guy to do the heavy lifting every night, but Higgens is certainly capable of going off at any moment.

Alonzo Gaffney: Forward, Sophomore

The fact that Gaffney is a sophomore and already doing this much damage is scary for opposing teams to think about, especially at the Division III level.

Gaffney had some big moments in the regular season, scoring a game-high 19 in the win over St. Vincent-St. Mary, and putting up 19 against Benedictine, a game in which VASJ lost by three.

The 6-foot-8 forward has been on a tear in the playoffs, throwing down one vicious dunk after another. He scored 14 in the district semifinal against Beachwood; 20 against Warrensville Heights in the district final; 17 in the regional semifinal win over Garrettsville Garfield; 24 in the regional championship against Northwestern.

To say Gaffney is starting to blossom at the right time is an understatement.

Columbus will be the biggest stage, but having that experience from his freshman year should only help the big man do big things when the Vikings take on Proctorville Fairland.

All-around, VASJ has an impressive team, with seniors Danny McGarry, Will Butler, Andre George, Terrance Lawler and Noah Newlon all making unprecedented history, appearing in a fourth-straight final four.

Like all of the previously mentioned teams, it’ll require great contributions from everyone on the court to reach a state championship, but unlike the previously mentioned teams, a sophomore/junior duo (Gaffney/Higgins) is expected to do a significant chunk of the damage.

Division IV

Lutheran East (18-9)

Jordan Burge: Guard, Junior

Burge and the Falcons are used to playing tough competition this season. That rigorous non-conference schedule included games against VASJ, Warrensville Heights, St. Ignatius, St. Edward, Cleveland Heights, Glenville, Garfield Heights, and Maple Heights.

All of those teams went on to play well in the playoffs. Five of those teams reached district finals – at higher levels than the one in which Lutheran East plays. All of this is to say, some of those regular season losses went a long way in building Lutheran East’s program to be battle-tested for the playoffs.

The Falcons have rattled off six straight wins – five in the playoffs and one over Senate League champion East Tech.

Lutheran East received well-balanced scoring throughout the season, but Burge has certainly been at the forefront in the playoffs. He scored a game-high 27 in the regional semifinal win over Malvern, six of which came in overtime.

He finished with 14 in the regional final win over Warren John F Kennedy, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. That clutch factor could come into play in Columbus.

During the regular season, Burge made his season debut against VASJ, scoring a game-high 27 points, as the Falcons lost by two points to one of the best teams in the area.

It’s safe to say Burge and the Falcons won’t be fazed by whatever Division IV team(s) they meet in Columbus, but it starts on Thursday against Delphos St. John’s.

Maurico Tate: Guard, Senior

In the process of Lutheran East’s remarkable tournament run, nothing has come easily.

The Falcons won the district semifinal by eight points; the regional semifinal by five in overtime; and the regional final by three.

With that being said, every point has been crucial in the playoffs for the Falcons, and Tate has been as consistent as any player on the team.

He scored 12 in the district final, 13 in the regional semifinal, and 15 in the regional final.

His coach, Anthony Jones calls him “the hardest-worker” and “best defender on the team.”

The senior’s reliable leadership has been one of the keys to Lutheran East’s success and he’ll certainly be one of the players to watch in Columbus.

Best of luck to all of these players and their teammates in Columbus. NEO Sports Insiders will be there for all the action. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NEOSportsInside for non-stop tournament coverage all weekend.