Top 10 high school basketball teams in Ohio since 2000

Ohio high school basketball programs produced 16 players who took the court in NBA games during the 2021-22 season, including LeBron James, Caris LeVert, C.J. McCollum and Terry Rozier among others.

The Buckeye State also produced a nationally-ranked high school team this past season in Pickerington Central, which went 25-2 en route to the Division I state title.

That led us to question if Central would crack the top 10 among teams in the state since the turn of the century. Evaluating resumes, national rankings and talent on the rosters, we put together a list of the top teams in Ohio since 2000. See the complete breakdown below.

Rundown: Before James began his domination of the NBA, the most highly-anticipated prospect in basketball history led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a magical run, The King captured the program's third state championship in four years and went unbeaten on the court. The Fighting Irish notched key victories over top 10 opponents Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Rundown: Then a sophomore, James led St. Vincent-St. Mary to its second consecutive state crown after defeating Miami East (Casstown) 63-53 in the title game. James had a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds on 11 of 14 from the field. He averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.7 steals to earn Ohio Mr. Basketball honors for the first of three consecutive seasons.

Rundown: Mayo and Walker had tremendous junior seasons to guide North College Hill to the Division III state title with a  90-73 victory over Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland). Mayo led the way with a game-high 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Walker chipped in 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the title game victory. Mayo earned Ohio Mr. Basketball honors for the second consecutive year.

Rundown: Freshman James was named state tournament MVP after leading St. Vincent-St. Mary to a 73-55 title game victory over Greeneview (Jamestown), finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 10 of 12 from the field and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. Fellow freshman Dru Joyce III exploded for 21 points on 7 of 7 from 3-point range in 10 minutes off the bench.

Rundown: Stretched its win streak to 49 games dating back to the previous season, winning back-to-back Division I state titles. Archbishop Moeller was dominant, outscoring opponents by an average of over 25 points. Pfriem led the way with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while McBride had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 52-44 title game victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Rundown: Left no doubt to finish off back-to-back Division I state title runs with a 63-33 blowout of Trotwood-Madison in the championship game led by 25 points and 11 rebounds from Morgan. McKinley's two losses came against high-octane opponents, falling to No. 2 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 51-50 and No. 3 North College Hill (Cincinnati) 69-67.

Rundown: A trio of seniors led the way as Akbar (16.0), Hawkins (16.0) and Yates (14.6) averaged double figures for an offense that averaged over 78 points. Dunbar outscored its opponents by nearly 28 points with five games decided by single digits. Although the Wolverines trailed 35-24 early in the third quarter of the state title game, they used a 20-0 run to propel them to a 54-52 win over Elida.

Rundown: Captured its first of three consecutive state championships behind sophomores Walker and Mayo. North College Hill defeated previously unbeaten Ironton 71-65 in the Division III state title game, paced by 22 points and six assists from Mayo along with 19 points and 14 rebounds from Walker. Mayo earned his first of two straight Ohio Mr. Basketball selections.

Rundown: Future NBA players Burke and Sullinger were key cogs in the Vikings Division I state title run. With the game tied at 58-58 with 2.7 seconds remaining, Sullinger knocked down two of three free throws to give Northland a 60-58 victory over Princeton in the championship game. The program had a dominant stretch from 2006-07 to 2012-13, boasting a record of 171-9.

Rundown: Captured the program's only state title with a 66-49 victory over Winton Woods (Cincinnati) in the Division I championship game.