Devin Royal, Bronny James among stars to watch in Play-by-Play Classic at Nationwide Arena

The 14 boys basketball teams participating in the Ohio Play-by-Play Classic on Dec. 17 at Nationwide Arena have combined for 21 state championships, and seven of the players are ranked in the top 100 nationally.

While full regular-season schedules prevented the teams from looking too far ahead, the magnitude of an event capped by a rematch of last season’s Division I state final is impossible to ignore.

“We got asked to come and our schedule was full. I had to call somebody and say ‘I’m sorry we have to drop you because we can’t pass up on this opportunity,’ ” Olentangy Orange coach Anthony Calo said. “When I was at Westerville South (as an assistant under my father, longtime coach Ed Calo), we were playing in big showcase games like this and like Flyin’ to the Hoop at Kettering Alter. I’ve always wanted to play in a game like this, and now we got invited. It’s really cool.”

Super 12: Central Ohio's top boys basketball players entering 2022-23 season

Super 7: Central Ohio's top boys basketball teams entering 2022-23 season

Orange, which is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the OCC-Central Division entering a Dec. 16 game at Upper Arlington, begins the day at 10:40 a.m. against Cleveland Heights.

That game is followed by Dayton Chaminade Julienne-Garfield Heights (12:25 p.m.), Africentric-Cleveland St. Ignatius (2:10 p.m.), Cleveland Heights Lutheran East-Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (4 p.m.) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary-Chatsworth (California) Sierra Canyon (6 p.m.) before Pickerington Central faces Centerville at approximately 8 p.m.

Here are five things to know entering the Play-by-Play Classic:

1. The son of LeBron James makes for drawing power.

Bronny James arguably will garner the most attention of all the players competing this weekend. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound senior shooting guard from Sierra Canyon is ranked 34th nationally by ESPN.com and 41st by 247Sports.com and has offers from Ohio State, Memphis and Southern California among others.

Unlike his father in 2003, James cannot immediately jump to the NBA from high school. In 2006, the NBA instituted a rule that American players must be both one year removed from graduation and turning 19 in the calendar year of the NBA draft.

LeBron James led SVSM, the two-time defending Division II state champion, to titles in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

2. Six more players in the Ohio Play-by-Play Classic are nationally ranked, and some have signed.

Central forward Devin Royal, an Ohio State commit who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this month, is ranked 50th nationally by ESPN.com. Four spots behind him is Chaminade Julienne shooting guard George Washington III, who decommitted from OSU on Labor Day and later signed with Michigan.

Also ranked by ESPN are Africentric star and Xavier recruit Dailyn Swain (No. 87) and Centerville’s Gabe Cupps, last season’s Mr. Basketball and an Indiana recruit (No. 88).

Among juniors, Sierra Canyon small forward Isaiah Elohim is 14th nationally. CVCA guard Darryn Peterson is fourth nationally among sophomores, according to ESPN.

3. Pickerington Central-Centerville features fewer stakes but much intrigue.

The Tigers snapped the Elks’ 45-game winning streak with a 55-48 victory in the state final March 20, and while nothing close to that is on the line this weekend, this game pits future Big Ten opponents in Cupps and Royal and carries the inevitable revenge storyline.

Royal also was a finalist for Mr. Basketball last season. Central is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the OCC-Buckeye entering a Dec. 16 game at Groveport, and the Elks are off to a 3-1 start.

“We know (the final) was a great game. They’ll be ready and so will we,” Tigers coach Eric Krueger said. “It will be a great opportunity for our kids to be on a big stage at Nationwide and we’re excited for the kids, for that opportunity.”

4. Olentangy Orange’s veteran lineup embraces its chance to shine.

The Pioneers are centered around three senior guards in Jordan Edwards, Elias Lewis and Mike McCollum. Lewis and McCollum have been in the rotation since they were sophomores.

McCollum, a Hillsdale recruit, averaged 12.6 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, and Lewis averaged 18.8 points. Edwards, an Ashland signee, is a versatile athlete who averaged 6.4 points last season.

Senior forward Nick Chapman and junior guard Dylan Joy are perimeter threats.

5. Basketball is no stranger to Nationwide Arena.

The home of the NHL’s Blue Jackets since the franchise began play in 2000, Nationwide Arena has played host to first- and second-round men’s NCAA tournament games five times — most recently in 2019 — and will do so again in March.

The women’s Final Four was played there in 2018 and is scheduled to return in 2027.

All games of The Basketball Tournament, better known as the TBT, were played at Nationwide in summer 2020.

More:Centerburg's Colton Martin named Columbus area high school athlete of the week

More:Six key numbers for Ohio State basketball to work on as North Carolina game looms

dpurpura@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekDave

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Play-by-Play Classic in Columbus: Top players to watch