“In 2003 we had the wow factor,” Knights head coach Eric Coulter, who was an assistant, said about the first meeting. “Before we played Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary then, Lebron James was on Sports Illustrated.”
Coulter was also an assistant on the 1996 and 2013 state teams. Now for the first time in the state tournament as a head coach. The 25-2 and second-ranked Knights face top-ranked SVSM (21-4) at 5:15 p.m. Friday in the Division II semifinals at UD Arena. While SVSM remains the state’s marquee program, the wow factor isn’t likely to be a problem.
The Irish are led by senior guard Sencire Harris, who averages 20.3 points and has signed to play at Illinois. But Harris and Alter star Jacob Conner, who is headed to Marshall, were AAU teammates this past summer and as seventh graders. In the AAU era, high school opponents have often played with or against each other.
Still, SVSM is the defending champion with nine state titles, including three since 2017. Alter is the underdog despite a rich history of nine previous state appearances and titles in 1978, 1999 and 2001.
“It puts a pretty big chip on our shoulder because I think we’re also a really good team,” Conner said. “We’re trying not to worry about them, and we want to focus on us.”
Alter senior point guard Ryan Chew plays with great confidence on both ends of the floor and will be asked make Harris as uncomfortable as possible.
“If we play our game, to the best of our abilities, then we should have the outcome that we want,” Chew said.
Irish coach Dru Joyce said other than Harris and senior Ramar Pryor, who is headed to Cleveland State, the Irish were his most inexperienced team. But here they are again at state.
“We watch how he coaches and how his kids play, and they play hard, and they get after you defensively,” Coulter said. “Definitely we are the underdog. But sometimes we like being the underdog.”
Joyce expressed great respect for basketball in Southwest Ohio and said it is a more mature and more appreciated sport than elsewhere in Ohio.
“They have a great system that they run, and they’re committed to it,” he said. “You can just see that they have spent a lot of time and that they believe in what they do.”
Alter’s tradition is reflected in the presence of freshman Connor Watkins. He will be a third-generation representative of the Schaefer family at the state tournament. He started the season on the freshman team, moved up to JV and has been a practice player with the privilege of being on the bench during the tournament.
“I’ve just always looked up to this team and I’ve just tried to get to this spot,” Watkins said. “It’s just like living a dream.”
Watkins’ grandfather Bob Schaefer played on the 1975 that lost to Columbus Linden McKinley in the Class AAA semifinals. That team was led by Jim Paxson. Watkins’ uncle Chad Schaefer played on the 1993 and 1994 teams that lost in the semifinals.
BOYS BASKETBALL
STATE TOURNAMENT
UD ARENA
Division III
No. 4 Columbus Africentric (23-5) vs. No. 2 Ottawa-Glandorf (24-2), Friday, 10:45 a.m.
Cleveland Heights Lutheran East (16-9) vs. No. 9 Cincinnati Taft (17-8), Friday, 2 p.m.
Championship game, Sunday, 10:45 a.m.
Division II
No. 2 Archbishop Alter (25-2) vs. No. 1 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (23-4), Friday, 5:15 p.m.
No. 8 Waverly (23-4) vs. Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (22-5), Friday, 8:30 p.m.
Championship game, Sunday, 2 p.m.
Division IV
No. 3 Richmond Heights (23-4) vs. No. 10 Berlin Hiland (23-4), Saturday, 10:45 a.m.
No. 5 Tri-Village (25-3) vs. No. 3 Antwerp (28-1), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Championship game, Sunday, 5:15 p.m.
Division I
No. 5 Pickerington Central (24-2) vs. Lakewood St. Edward (21-5), Saturday, 5:15 p.m.
No. 1 Centerville (28-0) vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius (17-11), Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Championship game, Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
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