2026 Little Miami vs Monroe

We are dubbing this game as the ‘Greg Richards Bowl’.   Both Little Miami coach Scott Kerr and Monroe coach Casey Popplewell spent time on the staff of longtime Mason coach, and Ohio Valley Hoops Classic co-director, Greg Richards.

Coach Popplewell’s Hornets are coming off back-to-back Southwestern Buckeye League championships.  Last year’s team finished with an 18-5 overall record.  Ty Perkins will lead the charge this season. The 6’3” junior averaged nearly 15 ppg last season while earning first team all-league honors.  6’1” senior David Hernandez averaged 8.4 ppg a year ago.  Several other rotation players return as the Hornets seek a third straight league title and a long tournament run.

Coach Scott Kerr’s Panthers were decimated with injuries last season.  As they try to bounce back this year they will look to 6’3” senior Cade Wojnicz who posted 12.8 ppg last season.  Gannon Griffith missed the entire season last year, but the 6’0” senior led the JV in scoring as a soph and is expected to add punch to the lineup.  Carter Stewart also missed a major portion of the season last year with medical issues.  The 6’5” senior will give Little Miami some size in the paint.  Ryder Armstrong and Kyle Craig also played major minutes a year ago.

This will be the first time the two former Mason assistants have met as head coaches, so bragging rights will be on the line.   It should be a pretty evenly matched game, and there probably won’t be a lot of surprises as both coaches know each other well.   But only one will be able to shake their former boss’s hand as the ‘winning’ coach after the game.

Monroe is making their first appearance in the Ohio Valley Hoops Classic.  Little Miami is 1-1 having defeated Mason in 2024 and losing to Fairfield in 2025.