2025 Tournament Day 2 Previews
LaSalle vs. Bradley
11/29 11:30 am
The Bradley Jaguars will be making their 8th appearance in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic. They are 4-3 in spite of having played some of the top teams in the event. The LaSalle Lancers will be making their first appearance in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic. Coming from the always tough Greater Catholic League they are also used to playing tough competition. So, this game should get the Saturday session off to a great start.
The starting point guard for Bradley will be 6’3” Kypton Norris. Norris is the son of head coach Brett Norris, and the younger brother of Braden, Keaton, and Cade who all played for their dad at Bradley and played, or are still playing, Division I college basketball. The sophomore averaged 13.8 points per game as a freshman, and like his brothers, is being recruited by Division I colleges. The Jaguars also return leading scorer Ben Mirgon. The 6’1” junior averaged 15 points and 5.8 assists last season, and he has offers from several Mid-American Conference teams. 6’3” Jayden Reed-Davis gives Bradley a solid nucleus to build on. The sophomore averaged 7.5 points and 4 rebounds as a freshman.
Coach Kevin Higgins’ Lancers were 15-11 last year winning a district championship. The Lancers lost 5 seniors from last year’s squad who accounted for over 1000 points. 6’1” senior guard Ricky Robertson, 6’6” junior center Shamari Scales, and 6’2” sophomore Ricky Davis give LaSalle experience and athleticism to build around.
Both teams are well-coached. Both have athletes and both play with great intensity and toughness. With an 11:30 a.m. start time, it may come down to who gets a better night’s sleep and has a better breakfast!!
CHCA vs Cardinal Ritter
11/29 1:15 pm
These two teams mirror each other in many ways. Both had great seasons a year ago. CHCA was 20-5 and champions of the Miami Valley Conference. Ritter was 18-7 and champions of the Indiana Crossroads Conference. Both lost key players. CHCA’s all-time leading scorer, Luke Sanders, is now playing for Rio Grande. Ritter’s Nate Smith led the state of Indiana in assists last season, and is now playing at Rose Hulman. Both return star players. Griffen Ridner-Richard will lead the Eagles. The 6’6” forward was MVC Player of the Year last season and holds multiple D-2 college offers. 6’8” post Devin Bolden led Cardinal Ritter in scoring with 18 per game last season. He holds an offer from Eastern Kentucky University and is being recruited by numerous D-1 programs.
Ridner-Richard and Bolden won’t be playing alone, however. For the Eagles, Jason Caimano returns after averaging nearly 13 per game last season. The 6’0” senior is getting multiple small college looks. Colin Michael is a four year varsity player and 6’3” senior Cole Canter will return after missing last season with an injury. Coach Josh Andrews will be in his second season at CHCA after a very successful 11 year run at Taylor University. Prior to that he had very successful stints at Middletown and Princeton.
The Raiders also have some fire power returning to help Bolden. 6’2” guard Cheick Wade is a four-year varsity player. He has a chance to break the 1000 point barrier this year and is receiving small college interest. Juniors Ryan Coleman and Tyson Woods both played varsity last season. Newcomer Thomas McDowell will be an impact player and 6’5” freshman Aron Allen is a potential star.
CHCA will be making their 4th appearance in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic. The Eagles are 2-1 including an exciting overtime victory over Tri-Village last year. Coach Derrick Williams’ Raiders will be making their first appearance in the OVHC. On paper this looks to be an extremely close matchup
St. Xavier vs Brebeuf Jesuit
11/29 3:00 pm
This game is a battle of Jesuit school powers, one from Cincinnati and one from Indianapolis. Coach Adam Glunt’s Brebeuf squad was 14-9 a year ago. Brebeuf suffered a loss when 6’10” sophomore Ben McKinney transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy. But, Brebeuf returns a talented backcourt led by leading scorer Austin Ford and his brother Chace Ford. Austin is a 5’11” senior who averaged 13 a game last year. Chace is a 6’1” junior who averaged 7 ppg. 5’10” junior Jayden Washington and 6’3” senior Malachi Lesnet give the Braves a deep and talented backcourt.
Coach Ryan Fleming’s Bombers had a stellar year last season finishing 19-6 while winning the tough GCL and capturing a district championship. St. X was hit hard with graduation, but don’t feel sorry for the Bombers. Coach Fleming has instilled a hard-nosed defensive mindset, and he has some talented athletes. 6’4” Braden Reilly was football defensive POY in the GCL last season and will play linebacker at Northwestern next season. 6’2” Jack Ryan will pitch and play 1B for Boston College. And 6’5” junior Liam McGeady is getting looks from low D-1 and D-2 teams.
The game looks to be a battle between the talented backcourt of Brebeuf versus the length of St. X. Both teams play hard and expect to win when they step on the court. St. Xavier is 3-1 all time in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic, while Brebeuf will be making their first appearance. Ironically, both schools won their only state championship in 2000.
Wyoming vs Summit
11:29 4:45 pm
Both teams reached the Final Four last season, Wyoming in D-IV and Summit in D-V. Wyoming was 25-3, Summit was 22-3. Both teams return nearly all their weapons from last year. Both teams have their sights firmly set on a state championship this season. Needless to say, this is a highly anticipated matchup.
Coach Matt Rooks’ Cowboys return their entire starting lineup. 6’3” guard Kellen Wiley was the Cincinnati Hills League POY last season. Devin Evans (6’3), Darrin Gray (6’0), and Carlyle Billingsley (6’8”) make up Wyoming’s big four along with Wiley. All four have D-2 offers. Coach Rooks was excited to play Summit in the Cowboys’ opener. “Summit is well-coached and very talented. We will know right away where we are as a team”, said the Wyoming head man.
Former UC Bearcat Kevin Johnson enters his third season at his alma-mater. He was on a state championship team for the Knights in 2012, and he is looking to coach a state championship team. Johnson has a plethora of talent on hand. When asked to name some important players he rattled off a bunch of names; Dawson Tucker, Dallas Goins, LJ Stocks-Whitfield, Max Joiner, Tim Martin Jr., Avery Jordan, Rayyan Cissie, and Ben Helton. The 6’8” Martin has already committed to Rhode Island, while 6’5” Joiner, though just a sophomore already has D-1 offers. Like Rooks, Coach Johnson was excited to play Wyoming. “Playing against Wyoming is a great opportunity for us. They have great players and are well-coached. I think this is a game a lot of fans will want to see”, said Johnson.
Mason vs Fairmont
11:29 6:30 pm
When the Mason Comets and Fairmont Firebirds face off both teams will have new coaches at the helm. C.J. Fleming takes the reins at Mason after a highly successful two year stint at Hamilton Badin. Eric Trent takes over at Fairmont after being an assistant for several years.
Coach Fleming will take over a Mason squad that suffered through an uncharacteristic tough season, finishing 4-19 a year ago. The Comets do return their top two scorers from last season, 5’11” senior Brycen Johnson (13.3) and 6’1” senior Wyatt Cooper (6.9). Twins Tyler and Jacob Lupinski also played major minutes for the Comets last season. Fleming’s most immediate impact may come at the defensive end. His dad, Dan Fleming, was the long-time coach at LaSalle, and his brother, Ryan, is currently head coach at St. Xavier. All three are noted for their teams’ relentless defense. C.J. will look to install that at Mason.
The Fairmont Firebirds were 11-12 last year but were runners-up in the always tough GWOC conference with a 9-5 record. The top two scorers, Evan Gentile and Brock Baker are gone. But, Coach Eric Trent will inherit a senior laden team for his inaugural season. Jayden McGraw averaged 9.5 points a game last season as a sophomore. He will lead the team along with seniors Kam Thornton and Kaden Ralston who both played major minutes last season.
In a game with two new coaches it is anybody’s guess as to what to expect. One thing is for sure, both teams will play hard as they attempt to get a win for their first-year coach.
Moeller vs Alter
11:29 8:15 pm
“When Moeller coach Carl Kremer and Alter coach Eric Coulter both told me they would be willing to play each other in this year’s Ohio Valley Hoops Classic, I thought they were both kidding”, said OVHC director Bennie Carroll. Turns out they were serious! The two will clash in the final game of the classic on Nov. 29 at Mason Arena. For hoops fans, it is a match made in Heaven.
Both teams are rich in tradition. Moeller has won five state championships since 1999 with all five coming under the guidance of Coach Carl Kremer who has 700 wins in his historic career. Moeller’s last championship came in 2019 after also winning in 2018. Alter has four championships to its credit. The first three came with legendary coach Joe Petrocelli at the helm. Current coach Eric Coulter is creating his own legacy at Alter. After advancing to the Final Four in 2022 the Knights cut down the nets in 2024.
So what about this year? Both teams are young after being hit hard by graduation. But make no mistake, some of those young players are extremely talented. Naceive Fenton is the only returning starter for Alter. The 6’6” senior averaged 7.7 points and 5 rebounds last year. 6’0” guard Peyton Bakos is a deadly outside shooter with a D-2 offers. Grant Guess is a 6’6” forward who also has D-2 offers. Freshman guard William Peagler Jr. already holds a Division I offer from Murray State. Moeller lost all five starters from last season. But, like Alter, the Crusaders have some young talent. Sophomores Bubba Donald and Austin Trenz, along with freshmen Jaden Davis and Carson Trenz, will all likely see varsity time and all four are already being looked at by D-1 college teams. 6’8” Eyobel Abraham and 6’6” Carson Fuhrer give Moeller length. Seniors Carson Lang and Danny Kely are also talented players.
Alter plays at a fast pace and loves to shoot 3’s. Moeller, while willing to run when the opportunity is available, is used to playing grind it out games in the GCL. As both teams feature young talent in the opening game, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will happen. But, suffice to say, it has the potential to be a highly entertaining game!
Considering the talent and expectations of both teams, along with the fact that both are willing to play an up-tempo game, Coach Johnson is correct. A lot of fans will want to see this game!
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