Waking up every morning before dawn, many at the Mansfield YMCA see a legend in the making. In the wee hours of the morning, before most people start their day, one man, and one dream are in the making. After graduating with the class of 2010 at Central Crossing High School, Mansfield YMCA PF/C Jason Morrow has surpassed unlikely odds to get to the position he is in now.

Being around the basketball program at CCHS until it’s eventual downfall after the 2008-09 season, Morrow took his attention elsewhere, this time Hilliard Bradley. Sitting court side for each Jaguar game, Morrow quickly became fascinated with his new team. Although he never played in any games during his high school career, his time on the bleachers is going to serve him well with his new gig. Ohio State basketball star. As the Buckeyes roll to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the new weapon in their arsenal has yet to be released. Even with the lights out scoring of Jared Sullinger, William Buford and Jon Diebler, among others, coach Thad Matta is anticipating the 2011-12 season more than ever. When Morrow announced on March 1st that he would be heading to Main Campus for his sophomore season at Ohio State, many didn’t understand exactly what he was saying. Many followers on Facebook and Twitter believed it was a simple suggestion that “Jay Bird” as many call him, would just be going to the Oval to solely take classes and increase his wealth of knowledge. Well social networking world, you were wrong.

Let’s go back into Morrow’s basketball past and see where this beast began his tour of destruction. Playing basketball in the Grove City Parks and Rec league, Morrow was a sharpshooter from deep. Standing in the corner for the majority of the game, Morrow averaged nearly 27 points per game, solely off three point attempts. Many around the city of 30,000 began comparing Morrow to Reggie Miller, but of a different breed. With unforgettable goggles, and an electrifying stroke from deep, natives around Grove City saw a poor man’s Troy Murphy in the making. But after Murphy was cut by the Indiana Pacers prior to this season, many began calling him a poor man’s Jason Morrow. Funny how things change.

When Morrow reached high school, his dreams of taking his career to the next level were put on hold. Choosing to focus on a journalism career, Morrow put basketball to the side. But when he enrolled at Ohio State’s Mansfield campus, he picked up a basketball, and the fire was rekindled. Enlisting in an 18+ league at the local YMCA, where Mansfield legends such as Johnny Appleseed once roamed the courts, Morrow was beginning to bring a Shawshank type effect on the community.

In his first game against the Ontario YMCA, alma mater of the great Paul Morrow, the young Morrow dropped 36 pts, including a Kevin Love-esque 27 rebounds. The seven fans in attendance were amazed at what they saw from the freshman. Over the next seven games, Morrow averaged nearly 41 points per game, and in a December 6th game against the Glenville YMCA, where Ray Small and Rob Rose are the leading scorers, Morrow scored a league record 53 points. Mansfield was trailing with 7.8 seconds left, down two, with the ball, Morrow felt a great sense of urgency coming from within him. Looking to scorn the haters, and women that have burned him in the past, this fire brought out an aggression never seen before. With Donte Whitner guarding him from the top of the key, the defense figured he would attempt a three point field goal, since he had hit eight that day already. But as he moved a little to the right, Morrow executed a slick crossover that broke Whitner’s ankles, something that he has been used to every time he’s played Tom Brady. Driving down the lane, Morrow slammed home a thunderous dunk over Rob Rose, resulting in a foul. With a few tenths of a second remaining, Morrow sinked the free throw which put Mansfield in the lead. Glenville would miss on a heave at the end, and the Fighting Cows won their first game over the Tarblooders since 1922.

The Cows would roll to 18 consecutive wins behind Morrow’s play, which set them up for the YMCA National Championship on March 1st against YMCA of Queens. Led by Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, the Queens crew was something that the YMCA circuit had never seen. Behind Marbury and Telfair, the Militia set the YMCA record for 62 straight victories, dating back to 2009. But when Morrow walked into the gym, many felt as if Telfair was back in a Timberwolves jersey. The guard was unable to penetrate the lane, which wasn’t the last time he had trouble penetrating that night. When Telfair tried to kick to Marbury, the former Phoenix Suns great couldn’t hit a single shot. With the weak Eddy Curry in the post, who had been claimed off waivers on February 27th following the blockbuster deal for Carmelo Anthony, Morrow had his way on the opposing defense. Sprinting out to an early 15 point lead, the Fighting Cows never looked back. Morrow would total 47 points on the evening, setting another record, this time for points in a Championship game, and Mansfield won the title 80-63. As a crowd of 15,000 filled the DC area YMCA, what many didn’t see was the numerous NBA scouts and NCAA coaches in attendance.

At the postgame press conference, journalists from all over the country were eager to get into the mind of the Mansfield myth. As a writer from the Chicago Tribune asked, “Jason, where are you headed next fall?” Morrow responded, “Well, what should I do? Should I go where you want me to go? Should I trust my friends? They’re my friends. Well, I thought they were at first.” The puzzled reporter looked back and asked, “huh?” Morrow said, “look, I have no idea where I’m going to play next season, right now, any place is pie in the sky.” As the press conference concluded, the majority of reporters in the room were delirious over what just happened.

The next morning Morrow was featured on ESPN First Take’s “First and 10″ with Skip Bayless. Host Jay Crawford brought up the question, “Where will the country’s best player land for the 2011-12 season?” As Bayless began to voice his incredibly biased and unreliable opinion, Morrow interrupted saying, “Well this is very tough. (pause) Next fall, wow, this is tough, next fall, I’ll be taking my talents to Main Campus to join the Ohio State Buckeyes.” Crawford and Bayless were stunned. Crawford questioned Morrow, “Is that the decision you came up with this morning?” Morrow snapped back, “No sir, that has been in my mind since I was born, you reporters are on me harder than the SEC.” Bayless was adamantly upset with the turn of events, ripping Morrow live on television. “Oh here we go again, another drama queen from Northeast Ohio. You should be ashamed of yourself. You will never be anything like Michael Jordan. Gosh, I hate this show more than I dislike Woody Paige.” Morrow smirked back to Bayless and responded, “Skip, nobody has ever told you this, but how about you shut the (expletive) up.”

As the world watched Morrow commit to the Buckeyes, Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger was ecstatic when he heard the news. Many on Twitter were witnesses to Sullinger’s tweet following the breaking news, “Welcome to Ohio State Mr Morrow. Let’s do it again next year #leggo.” As Morrow and Sullinger rejoiced, the headline at the Columbus Dispatch the following morning was, “Thad Matta does it again: Mansfield wunderkid Jason Morrow signs with the Buckeyes.” It’s crazy how sports can change someone’s life.

Photo provided by Central Ohio Photography

Before Trey Burke takes his talents to Ann Arbor to become a Michigan Wolverine next fall, the senior guard of state powerhouse Northland looks make a run for a championship. Following a stellar regular season campaign in which Burke was second in all scorers in the region, at 23.9 ppg, the sharp shooting guard has his team in position for another deep postseason run.

After blowout victories over Groveport and Franklin Heights, in which the Vikings outscored their opponents 162-63, Northland is matched up against a surprising Olentangy Liberty team hot off two victories over Hilliard Darby and Delaware Hayes. The Patriots of Liberty have showcased great defensive skills thus far in the tournament, something reflective of many top OCC teams around this time of year.

With Burke in the backcourt, Satch Sullinger needs to make sure his team can handle the pressure and hit tough shots, something they had trouble doing last year in a blowout loss to Gahanna. But this Northland team is different than the ones in years past. Led by the dynamic Burke, Northland showcases a great deal of athleticism, most notably in the frontcourt behind 6’8″ juniors Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson, who each lead Central Ohio in field goal percentage at 74% and 72% respectively. For Liberty to have a good chance at winning Saturday, the Patriots need to slow. it. down. Decreasing the tempo against Northland has proven to be effective in recent memory. In a 43-41 victory over Brookhaven earlier in the season, Satch Sullinger’s team was exposed in a game where they should have dominated. Brookhaven coach Hali Robinson nearly lulled the Vikings to sleep with a slowed tempo, that had the Bearcats within one point with less than 30 seconds remaining. Northland would go on to win that game, but it showed many around the city that the Vikings can indeed, be beaten. Nearly a month later in a trip up north to Lakewood St-Edward, Sullinger’s team would lose their first regular season game in nearly two years, 84-81, but this is the last loss that the five time reigning City League champs would suffer on the season. If Liberty can increase pressure right from the jump, and slow down the tempo of Burke and his offense, an upset could be foreseeable. But with Trey Burke in the backcourt, and a monstrous frontline, Liberty is going to need their A game on Saturday to topple the second ranked team in the state.

PREDICTION: Northland wins 65-50

For the best multimedia tournament coverage, head to Cap City Preps.

With a game that featured two of the better big men in Central Ohio, it was no surprise that the two teams only combined for 76 points and a wealth of rebounds. Led by Dane McLoughlin, St. Charles held on to defeat Hilliard Bradley 39-37 tonight at Bradley. McLoughlin led the Cardinals (3-3) in scoring with 15, and they finally won a game decided in the closing seconds, after losing the last three by a total of 6 points.

The entire game was played within a 10-point window, with Bradley (2-4, 2-2) actually holding an early 10-4 lead, and seemed like they may be able to run away the game early on. But a quick 5-0 spurt to end the quarter narrowed the gap to 10-9 after one. The Jags would advance the lead to 5 again, but then the offensive struggles set in for both teams, going 3 and a half minutes before either team would score again. The teams combined to go 0-9 from the field with 2 turnovers. St. Charles would tie the game at 16 in the closing seconds of the quarter.

St. Charles took only their second lead of the game midway through the third quarter at 18-17. However, the lead would change hands 6 times in the third alone, with St. Charles making a three as time was expiring in the quarter. The fourth quarter was played close to the vest for both teams, with the Cardinals never trailing or leading by more than 4 in the frame. The four-point lead was only held for one possession by St. Charles, as A.J. Dixon would knock down his only trey of the game to pull within one with 2:39 left.

Bradley would get the ball back after a missed shot and have one of their few mistakes of the night, as Trent Weaver would be called for a three-second violation. Weaver still had one of his better nights of the year with 19 points on 9 of 13 shooting with 6 rebounds, a steal and a block. Bradley was forced to foul as time was ticking off, and eventually had a similar situation as the other night at Mt. Vernon, trailing by 2 with 8 seconds left. The Jaguars had a great look once again, this time with Derek Tieman taking the final shot, but the ball could not fall, and was tipped around with no other looks as time expired.

1 vs. 5: Jay Bruce walk-off HR to clinch NL Central Division vs. Jared Sullinger’s 40-point outburst in 75-64 win over IUPUI

2 vs. 3: Ohio State shutting down Oregon offense in 2010 Rose Bowl vs. Evan Turner’s buzzer beating shot against Michigan

A majority of 15+ point victories, combined with a couple close games and near upsets made this another great night to be a fan of the Ohio Capital Conference.

Capital Division:

Mount Vernon survived a test last night, avoiding the near upset from Franklin Heights, 60-54 in double OT. The game featured a scoreless first overtime after Heights had erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. Mount Vernon’s Ben Hoar lead all scorers in the game with 24, including a three-point play that sparked the rally for the Jackets. In other games, Hilliard Bradley’s 21 and 19 performance from center Trent Weaver sparked the Jags in a 60-41 romping of Big Walnut. New Albany avenged last year’s early season loss to Olentangy Orange, as they held off Orange 50-45 last night. Matt Kurelic for New Albany lead all scorers in the game with 18. Delaware Hayes’ Matt Bingaya has been a great return after early season off-court troubles, adding 19 points in an 81-41 win over struggling Watkins Memorial.

Cardinal Division:

Westerville South opened with a 39-19 first half on the road at Dublin Jerome, and never looked back as they easily defeated the Celtics 86-50. In a cross-town rivalry, Olentangy Liberty got the better of Olentangy, beating them 52-31. Liberty’s Andy Yazrombek posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Westerville North had no trouble with Dublin Scioto, defeating them 61-40. Jack Gibbs for North was the high scorer with 15. In the game featuring the last of the Westerville’s, Westerville Central used a 15-1 second quarter to easily put away Marysville 58-39.

Central Division:

In the matchup of the night, Dublin Coffman used a 19-12 4th quarter to outlast Thomas Worthington 66-61. The two teams combined for 22 threes, Thomas gaining a 12-10 advantage on those, with D.J. Lightfoot nailing 5 treys en route to tying a game-high in points with 23. Hilliard Davidson easily put away Central Crossing after a rough first quarter, outscoring the Comets in the middle quarters 36-21. Crossing came back down to reality after their extremely surprising upset win over Darby last week. Hilliard Darby on the other hand, struggled to bounce back against Upper Arlington, falling to UA 56-45. The Bears’ Brian Sullivan led Arlington with 18 points and three triples. Worthington Kilbourne used a strong second half to fight off Westland 53-41.

Ohio Division:

BtBS’s player of last year’s Central District Tournament Stevie Taylor of Gahanna had 23 points in a 78-53 win over Pickerington Central. Gahanna spent most of the night at the charity stripe, knocking down 31 of 44 free-throws. Groveport got out of their scoring slump they had been in, but still wasn’t enough to handle Newark, as the Wildcats cruised to a 79-58 win. Jalen Dartis for Newark knocked down 8 threes by himself, and tied the high for all players in OCC games with 24 points. Unbeaten Pickerington North, a solid pick to win the division at the beginning of the year, survived a scrappy Reynoldsburg team 46-40. To round out the conference, Grove City avoided the upset bug by finishing off winless Lancaster 53-46.

1 vs. 8: Jay Bruce walk-off HR to clinch NL Central Division vs. Colt McCoy and Browns upsetting New England

4 vs. 5: Gahanna Lions upsetting #1 Northland 71-45 in OHSAA Regional Final vs. Jared Sullinger’s 40-point outburst in 75-64 win over IUPUI

3 vs. 6: Evan Turner’s buzzer beating shot against Michigan vs. Terrelle Pryor’s 4th and 10 scramble against Iowa to keep drive alive

2 vs. 7: Ohio State shutting down Oregon offense in 2010 Rose Bowl vs. LeBron-less Cavs defeating Boston in season opener

Defending City League champion Northland found itself in a dog fight last night against Beechcroft. After the first horn, the Vikings held a four point lead. Behind Michigan bound point guard, Trey Burke, who lives for the big shot, the Vikings would benefit from his 32 points in an 81-62 victory. Burke would prove to be exceptionally clutch in the third frame, as the Vikings outscored their counterparts, 24-9, which would prove to be monumental in their victory. Fresh off the graduation of Jared Sullinger and JD Weatherspoon, Northland has shown that they are still the class of the city with convincing wins last night over Beechcroft, who was a solid team a year ago and Mansfield Senior, a consistent power in Northeast Ohio. Behind Burke, and the emergence of big men Jalen Robinson and Devon Scott, it’s unknown if any other league opponent can match up with the size and athleticism that Satch Sullinger’s team brings to the floor. In his senior season, Trey Burke finally has the keys to the offense, and with his 28.5 ppg that he has put up this far, it will be intriguing to see where he can take his team.

• Defending City League-South champs Marion Franklin were upset by rival Independence, 84-77.
• Coming off a winless campaign in 2009-10, the West Cowboys continued to struggle last night, losing to Ron Tanner and Eastmoor, 102-72.
• Behind Traevon Jackson, Westerville South squeaked out an OT victory over Reynoldsburg, 82-78. Jackson, who is heading to Wisconsin next fall, scored 27 for the Wildcats.

The Jags, as they have to open the previous two games, struggled out of the gate, falling behind 14-7 before heading to the end of the quarter down that same margin of 7 at 18-11. The Heights lead would open up to 9 as the quarter with an inside jumper. However, the Jags went on a 10-0 run, sparked with threes by A.J. Dixon and Derek Tieman that gave Bradley the lead. Hilliard would push the lead to 4 but never anymore than that in the quarter and trailed 30-29 at halftime.

The 3rd opened up with a Jacob Starinsky bucket and a Tieman steal that led to a Dixon layup. The Jags would continue to pressure Heights into turnovers and missed shots, extending the lead into double digits with a Derek Tieman free throw, giving Bradley a 45-34 lead that they would never relinquish. The margin would extend to as many as 17 at one point in the quarter, but the 3rd would end with a 63-50 Bradley lead.

In the 4th, Heights would continue to fight back as they have so far this season, shrinking the deficit to 67-60, before a Trent Weaver bucket extended the lead back to 9. Weaver had an impressive night on the glass, pulling down 10 boards en route a double-double, leading Bradley in scoring with 20 points. No matter the deficit, the Falcons continued to claw their way back into the game, with their last gasp being a three to close the game to 73-67.  A pair of free throws by Tieman and Evan Bell would close out the game.

As the Chicago Cubs wrapped up a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night at Wrigley Field, talks intensified between Isiah Thomas and the organization who hasn’t won a championship in 102 seasons. Thomas, who flew to Chicago on Tuesday, met with GM Jim Hendry about the job opening. Sources say the two had a 30 minute meeting concluding with Thomas talking to the media about the allegations. Thomas was questioned by many members of the media about his intentions for the club if he is hired. “World Series baby! That’s what we do here in Chicago. Jim and I had a nice discussion and talks have really caught fire lately.” What is more puzzling to the situation is that Thomas has no background with the Cubs, let alone baseball itself. In the early 2000s, Thomas was in charge of the Indiana Pacers, leading them to the playoffs multiple times but was eventually relieved of his duties. Then, the former Piston great was hired by James Dolan and the New York Knicks in an attempt to bring the New York franchise back to the level that it was at when Patrick Ewing sported the blue and orange. After acquiring Zach Randolph,  Fred Jones and Dan Dickau on a draft day trade with the Trailblazers, Thomas proceeded to sign Jared Jeffries and Jermaine Jones to full mid-level exception deals which recked the New York salary cap. Relieved of his duties on April 2, 2008, Thomas fell into relative obscurity until being introduced as the head basketball coach of Florida Internation in 2009. After securing a 7-25 record in his first season on campus, speculation raged whether or not the 12 All-Star would return. When family problems put an end to Lou Piniella’s career, somehow the Cubs came calling. The Cubs? Really?

When BtBS questioned Hendry about the situation at a press conference today, the GM offered a different story. “There’s no way in hell we would hire Isiah Thomas. He sucked at coaching basketball, what makes you think he could do baseball?” Hendry became more distraught when a reported questioned the job he was doing, as the reporter stated, “Well Jim, what have you done lately? Offer up your best pitcher for a scrub second baseman? Have you seen the standings lately? You’re 21.5 games out of first place and 20 games under .500, maybe you should worry about your job.” Hendry had a sharp response to the young reporter saying, “You should worry about whether or not you’ll be able to pay your car payment in the next month. I’ve seen your stuff, first reporter in history to write in ebonics, oh and tell your mother I’m sorry for the back pain.” The fued escalated as Aramis Ramirez barged into the media room to complain at Hendry. “How the hell you gonna hire Isiah Thomas? You already brought Alfonso Soriano’s bum ass in here and traded away Derrick Lee.” Hendry had no response to his best player, and opted to leave the room. Before walking out the door, a reporter in the back yelled at the emotionally torn general manager, yelling, “Hell, hire Steve Bartman!”

As for now it remains to be seen what’s going to go down in the Cubs organization. For a club who hasn’t won a championship since Teddy Roosevelt’s administration, you would think they would try a little harder to win, but with baseball you never know. If Isiah Thomas couldn’t build a winner with the most money and the biggest market in the NBA, maybe things would be different if he were to be hired by the Cubs. As long as the Wilson Chandler Project isn’t moved to Chicago, the Cubs can’t get any worse. It’s not like Thomas will unload their entire roster for a group of free agents three years from now. This is the latest from Chicago, a city where on game days, there’s more drive by’s than line drives.

In his three years as the general manager of the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates, Neal Huntington hasn’t shied away from shocking moves. First was in his inaugural season, shipping off Jason Bay. Then in his second year, sending Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Nate McClouth and Adam LaRoche packing for new cities, new teams and new dreams. Well Huntington has pulled the trigger once again, with what he calls his “Legend Package.”

During a one hour press conference on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, Huntington announced his new plan of action for the organization. Many had no idea what he was referring to and when the plan was revealed, it left the numerous members of the media in Pittsburgh stunned. In what Huntington called, “a deadline deal,” the last place Pirates acquired LW Wayne Gretzy, not sure where he is going to play but they have had similar problems with Lastings Milledge, P Roger Clemens, who will likely be sent to jail for a very long time in the next year and SG Michael Jordan, who in the mid 90s explored a baseball career in the Chicago White Sox organization.

“We feel Gretzky will give us needed depth and a bat to go to in the later innings. I heard he scored alot, runs I believe. He’s about as old as Andy LaRoche, and hey, they both suck so I figured might as well sign him.”

When asked about the Clemens acquisition, Huntington replied, “He can’t be much worse than Ross Olendorf, and he is a fighter, that’s what we need. Come on, the guy has denied steroid use for the past three years, he can handle adversity.” When BtBS attempted to contact Jordan on the situation, Michael had no valuable comment. “The Pirates. Me? No, can’t be possible. I gave up that sport awhile back.”

After a bombardment of criticism from the Pittsburgh media, Huntington stayed strong with his bold move.

“Look, playoff baseball hasn’t been played here since Pamela Anderson was a virgin.”

Huntington would add later, “It’s August 31st!!!!!! Trade Deadline, duh.”

When you’re 33 games out of first place and 44 games under .500 anything is possible. But for Pittsburgh, this is truly shocking. Usually they trade players, not sign them. With a month left in the season, it’ll be very interesting to see how the Bucos do down the stretch with the AARP squad out on the field at PNC Park. “When we win 35 straight games and steal the World Series, I’ll be the one laughing. Neal Huntington. Out” Can’t blame a guy for wanting to win, but Huntington’s plan for success is about as dismal as the Stimulus Package.

• In other National League news, the Cincinnati Reds extended their lead over the St. Louis Cardinals to seven games after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 in a game where the Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman came in relief.

• The Chicago Cubs have found their heir apparent to Lou Piniella. Sources tell BtBS that Isiah Thomas has been in contact with the organization about the managerial position. Thomas, who is under contract with the Florida International basketball program, told Behind the Box Score that, “If I can get this job, I will finally be able to complete my masterplan. Operation Knick Destruction.” Not sure how he will be able to accomplish that but this is coming from a man who believed Eddy Curry was the savior for New York basketball.

• Omaha Nighthawks RB Maurice Clarett practiced with his new team today in front of a crowd of seven. Clarett, who served three and a half years in prison in Toledo is excited for his new start. “It’s a blessing. Instead of facing Big Bubba on every down, I’ll face guys with less intention.” Clarett is slated as the no. 2 back behind Ahman Green who is returning from hip replacement surgery.