Which central Ohio players have been named Mr. Basketball or Ms. Basketball?
The top statewide honor any Ohio high school basketball player can attain is the title of Mr. or Ms. Basketball.
Eleven central Ohioans have won those awards since their founding in 1987, including Pickerington Central’s Devin Royal last year and Northland’s Jared Sullinger in both 2009 and 2010.
Westerville South junior guard Kruz McClure was one of nine finalists for Mr. Basketball this year, coming off a season in which he averaged 23.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.6 steals in leading the Wildcats (16-8) to a Division I district semifinal. McClure was named Central District Player of the Year in Division I.
Ohio State signee Colin White was named Mr. Basketball on Wednesday. The award is presented by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association and decided on by a vote of its members.
On the girls side, Central senior Berry Wallace was third in Ms. Basketball voting after leading the Tigers to the Division I state tournament. Cincinnati Purcell Marian junior Dee Alexander won the award for the second year in a row.
Here are the eight Mr. Basketball and three Ms. Basketball winners who hail from central Ohio:
Mr. Basketball
2023: Devin Royal, Pickerington Central
The 6-foot-6 forward led the Tigers to the Division I state championship as a junior and a state runner-up finish as a senior. Royal averaged 19.6 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior, finished with a program-record 1,542 career points and emerged as a key freshman for Ohio State this winter.
2020: VonCameron Davis, Walnut Ridge
Davis finished his career as both the fifth City League player to earn Mr. Basketball and a district champion, leading the Scots to their first district championship since 2015 and only their second since winning the Class AAA state title in 1971. Davis scored a program-record 2,201 career points and is now a redshirt junior guard at Kent State.
2018: Dane Goodwin, Upper Arlington
Earning Mr. Basketball capped a record-setting career for Goodwin, who remains the Golden Bears’ all-time leading scorer (1,951) and rebounder (817). Goodwin averaged 24.1 points and 9.6 rebounds as a senior, led UA to an 87-15 record in his four seasons and won two Division I district championships. Goodwin scored 1,701 points at Notre Dame and now plays for the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League.
2017: Kaleb Wesson, Westerville South
Wesson was named Mr. Basketball and district and state Player of the Year as a senior, one season after helping South win the Division I state championship. He averaged 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds as a senior and played at Ohio State from 2017-20 before declaring for the NBA draft.
Wesson, who now stands 6-11, 250 pounds, and brother Andre are playing professionally in Bulgaria and Hungary, respectively. Their father, Keith, played at Ohio State from 1983-87.
2011: Trey Burke, Northland
A member of the Vikings’ 2009 state championship team as a sophomore, Burke went 97-5 at Northland and 57-0 in City League-North games. He averaged 23.9 points, 6.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals as a senior and signed with Michigan.
Burke was National Player of the Year as a sophomore at Michigan and spent most of nine seasons (2013-22) in the NBA with five teams. He currently plays in Mexico.
2009, 2010: Jared Sullinger, Northland
The second-ranked player nationally as a senior by ESPNU, Sullinger was instrumental to Northland’s state title run in 2009 and regional runner-up finish as a senior. He was named Naismith National Player of the Year in 2010 before heading to Ohio State, where he spent the next two seasons and was Big Ten and national Freshman of the Year in 2011.
Sullinger was drafted 21st by the Boston Celtics in 2012 and spent five years in the NBA. He continues to play professionally for the Shenzhen Leopards in China.
1999: Isaac Jefferson, West
A guard and forward, Jefferson averaged 18.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 3.8 steals as a senior, leading the Cowboys to a 21-2 record. He played all five positions at some point in his career, and West went 61-7 in his three seasons as a starter with two City League championships.
Jefferson, who played at Hampton University, recently completed his first season as coach at his high school alma mater.
1997: Kenny Gregory, Independence
A three-year starter for the 76ers, the 6-6 forward’s career included two City League championships, the school’s first district title in 1997 and 1,629 career points. Gregory averaged 24.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals as a senior and shot 64.7% from the field.
Gregory then played in 136 games at Kansas and finished his college career fifth all-time in field goals made (674).
Ms. Basketball
2003: Brittany Hunter, Brookhaven
Hunter was arguably the most decorated player in Bearcats history, earning state Player of the Year as a senior, leading the team to the state tournament that season and finishing her career with 1,344 points and 1,044 rebounds.
Hunter, who later played at Duke, had 63 double-doubles in 68 career games.
1999: LaToya Turner, Pickerington
Turner shared the honor with Kaayla Chones of Eastlake North.
A center and state champion as both a junior and senior, Turner averaged 19.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 4.0 steals and became the Tigers’ second Ms. Basketball in five seasons. Turner, who played for Ohio State from 1999-2004, also shared Division I state Player of the Year honors with Chones and Mason’s Dallas Williams.
Chones’ father is former Cleveland Cavaliers player and current radio analyst Jim Chones.
1995: Beth Ostendorf, Pickerington
A two-time Division II state champion at Urbana (1992, 1993) before moving to Pickerington, Ostendorf averaged 20.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals as a senior. The 6-0 forward, who also saw time at center and shooting guard, went on to play at Vanderbilt.
Pickerington was state runner-up her junior year and a state semifinalist in 1995.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Mr. and Ms. Basketball: List of Greater Columbus honorees
