South Carolina commit and Ohio's reigning Mr. Basketball Marcus Johnson returns for Garfield Heights, which has state-title aspirations after a close loss in last season's state semifinals.
As a freshman and sophomore, his teams at Garfield Heights fell in the regional finals. The Bulldogs got closer last season and led for much of their state semifinal last March against Louisville in a makeshift road game at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.
from Ohio State to South Carolina, still made it to Dayton. His consolation prize was Ohio’s Mr. Basketball award, an honor he wants to win again. More importantly, he wants that elusive state title. “It’s like a mindset you’ve got to have where you know you’re right there,” he said Thursday after a three-team scrimmage with St. Edward and Canton McKinley. “You know you almost had the goal. The main goal is to win the championship, and we failed multiple times. You’ve got to fail to win it all. We’ll be ready this year.” Johnson averaged 29.7 points and 4.7 assists per game for the Bulldogs, who finished 24-3 after coming up short in the OHSAA Division III state semifinals. They graduated sharpshooting D.J. Jackson and versatile wing Ari Jones from that team. Defensive stalwart Rayshawn Myers transferred to Warrensville Heights, while a pair of forwards left for Euclid. The Bulldogs, however, are bolstered by the additions of 6-foot-9 Zachariah Belcher and 6-7 junior Zicarien Belcher, who moved in from Fort Wayne, Ind. They have coach Sonny Johnson excited about this group’s potential, but even he admitted this team has yet to develop into what he thinks it could be.They will need to be at their best to exceed last season’s accomplishments. That is what is driving Marcus Johnson, who made a point to decide on South Carolina before the start of the season. “My main goal is win a championship for my dad,” he said. “He’s been coaching a lot of years, been to Final Fours, Sweet 16s and Elite Eights but never won a state championship.” Watch the Bulldogs from Thursday’s scrimmage and hear from Marcus Johnson, Sonny Johnson, Zachariah Belcher and Williams in the video at the top of this post. Also, be on the lookout for the cleveland.com preseason Top 25 on Monday with more features next week. The season tips off Wednesday, Nov. 26.Matt Goul has covered high school sports with some college and pros sprinkled in since 2005 with a bachelor's degree from Kent State University. He has covered high school basketball and football in Northeast...If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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