Northland Dominates Multi-Team Scrimmage

On the eve of the 2009/2010 high school basketball season, Columbus Northland appears to have picked up where they left off last season, and are poised to repeat as state champions. From what this writer observed at the USA Sports Academy in Columbus this morning, it's Northland, and then there is everybody else. Although Travis Trice's Huber Heights Wayne squad (Pictured) looked good, and are more than deserving of their top 5 state ranking, it was clear they were the 2nd best team in the gym today. To be fair to Wayne, they were without the services of Indiana transfer, Xavier Jones, who sat out the scrimmage due to an injury. Both teams were undefeated on the day, heading in their much anticipated match up. In this game, as expected, Jared Sullinger, arguably the top player in the nation, took control of the game and willed his team to a 7-15 victory. In that game, "Big Sulley" was the man for Northland. For Wayne, point guard Travis Trice Jr. logged in an impressive performance and was his team's leading scorer. Trice hit a couple of treys and scored on a fast break layup. Some of the other standout players at the event included: Jared Sullinger, Markus Crider, Nick Kellogg, Travis Trice, Trey Burke, Max Van Meter and Jeremy Qualls. Of the roughly 15 teams that participated in Rodney Taylor's pre-season scrimmage, the top 5 teams were: Columbus Northland, Huber Heights Wayne, Toledo Starte, Columbus DeSales and Westerville Central. The full list of teams included: Columbus Northland, Huber Heights Wayne, Columbus DeSales, Westerville Central, Toledo Starte, Bishop Hartley, Columbus East, Columbus Eastmoor, Dublin Scioto, Columbus Independence, Cleveland St. Joes, Columbus Walnut Ridge, Columbus Briggs, Lexington. I also saw several college coaches in the house checking out the action.