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D-II boys basketball tourney drawing big names

Unbeaten Dunbar and Franklin figure to be 1-2, but challengers abound.

Dunbar's Andre Yates, who will play college basketball at Creighton, is one reason why the Wolverines are expected to go deep into the Division II state tournament.

MediaMoments.com Dunbar's Andre Yates, who will play college basketball at Creighton, is one reason why the Wolverines are expected to go deep into the Division II state tournament.

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By Marc F. Pendleton, Staff Writer 1:43 AM Sunday, February 12, 2012

It’s not a Super Sectional, but that’s the best way to describe the upcoming Division II boys basketball tournament at Miamisburg High School.

Unlike Divisions I and III and their open draws, teams in Southwest District Divisions II and IV are assigned sectionals. And at Miamisburg, that means most of the best of the best in D-II.

“It’s got to be the toughest sectional in the state,” Franklin coach Brian Bales said. “There are some monsters in our sectional.”

The boys will have their seed pairings at Wright State University and Piqua High School today. Coaches electronically vote prior to the meeting. New this year is no coach can vote for his team. Play begins the following week.

The girls drawing was last week. Their postseason begins Monday.

The D-II Miamisburg sectional will be divided into two brackets. Unbeaten Dunbar, the state’s top-ranked D-II team all season, figures to be a No. 1 seed and unbeaten Franklin (18-0) No. 2. In seed-ranking order, other coaches will place their teams on either bracket.

And don’t be surprised if Dunbar pairs itself with Franklin should the Wildcats be seeded No. 1.

After those two, Meadowdale (15-3), Chaminade Julienne  (13-5), Thurgood Marshall (8-9) and even Valley View (13-6) are up. And that’s not including Alter (9-9) and its rich tourney history. Marshall has been in the state  D-II final twice in the last three seasons.

It’s conceivable that coaches will shy away from Dunbar’s bracket. But that means many of those other high seeds would be lumped in the opposite bracket. That would result in first- and second-round matchups that in other years would make great sectional finals.

“I think that’s a strong possibility,” Meadowdale coach Felix Turner said.

“We’re a dangerous team, but when you talk Franklin and Dunbar, that’s a whole other level. If we have a chance, I know that Meadowdale definitely wants to stay away from Dunbar.”

The other D-II sectionals are at Mason with Cincinnati-area teams and Springfield. Ten Central Buckeye Conference teams will be bunched at Springfield, including Urbana (15-1)  and historically tourney-strong Trotwood-Madison (9-6), which dropped to D-II.

“Trotwood is up at Springfield, but I don’t see anybody else in there striking a lot of fear in anybody else,” Alter coach Joe Petrocelli said. “But, geez, just having Dunbar and Marshall in ours is enough.”

If the D-II draws were open like D-I and D-III, a coach could choose his sectional site.

In theory, that prevents a sectional from being loaded with outstanding teams. The combined record of the 14 teams at Miamisburg is 145-108; for the 13-team  Springfield sectional it’s  97-121. That’s a difference of 48 wins and 13 fewer losses.

“I don’t ever remember it being like this,” CJ coach Joe Staley said. “I don’t think anybody is going to get what you traditionally would think is a good draw.”

There are two good reasons for the differing open and assigned sectional draws. Teams must request the Southwest District Board for an open draw. The more that do so, the better chance of that happening.

“We also look at geographics,” SW District Board President John Kronour, the Tipp City Schools superintendent, said.

“In some respects it may make sense that we can have a super draw where the teams are not going to be that far away from the sites that we’re playing at.”

Dunbar is different. The Wolverines are geared up for another state title run, which they’ve done three of the last seven seasons. Getting through the sectional is first, but positioning your team for a one-game district final and even regional pairings is a close second and third.

Defending D-III state champ Cincinnati Taft has been bumped up to D-II. It’s possible that Dunbar and Taft could meet in a district or regional final, depending on their sectional placements.

“I haven’t talked to (Taft coach) Mark (Mitchell) to find out which way they’ll go,” Dunbar coach Pete Pullen said. “I will and hopefully he’ll tip his hand a little bit.”

That’s why Pullen might lump Dunbar in with Franklin at the sectional. Anything to postpone an eventual showdown with Taft as long as possible.

“If Franklin gets on the board before me (as a No. 1 seed) and they go to the bracket that I want, I’m still going to go to that bracket,” assured Pullen.

“So, you could have a No. 1 and a No. 2 in the same bracket.”

Boys sectionals

D-I: Open, 1 and 2 at Trotwood; 3 at Centerville.

Best bets: Northmont, Beavercreek, Springboro.

D-II: Assigned at Miamisburg, Springfield.

Best bets: Dunbar, Franklin, Urbana.

D-III: Open at Tecumseh, Bellbrook, Tippecanoe.

Best bets: Miami East, Waynesville, Versailles.

D-IV: Assigned at Piqua, Troy.

Best bets: Jackson Center, Jefferson, Tri-Village.

District finals: Sectional winners, all games at UD Arena March 7-10. District winners to regional.

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