A run to a state championship features plenty of opportunities.
Buchtel senior Marcel Boyce Jr. and Archbishop Hoban freshman Sam Greer made the most of their chances in March as the Griffins and the Knights won boys basketball state championships at the University of Dayton Arena.
Not bad for two student-athletes who entered the 2022-2023 school year receiving more interest for football.
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The 6-foot Boyce is set to play wide receiver at Wayne State and Greer is expected to get college coaches attention as a 6-foot-8, 290-pound offensive tackle.
Their basketball skills helped create a buzz around Akron as Buchtel won the Division II state championship on the afternoon of March 19 and Hoban won the Division I state championship during the evening the same day .
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Boyce was the top scorer in six of Buchtel's seven tournament games after being the third-leading scorer during the regular season. He scored 31 points in a 75-58 regular-season win over Canton McKinley and 29 points in a 71-55 regional final win over Gates Mills Gilmour Academy.
"I was looking at the stats and he is averaging the most points throughout the whole playoffs and he still doesn't have a college offer for basketball," Buchtel sophomore Stevie Diamond said. "That's crazy. We have all been talking about it. It's like, 'He's gotta get an offer for basketball, but it is kind of too late now."
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Diamond is Buchtel's quarterback in football, and also started in basketball with seniors Khoi Thurmon, Amire Robinson, Jayden Maxwell and Boyce.
Thurmon and Robinson, Buchtel's leading scorers in the regular season, remain happy with how Boyce succeeded in the tournament.
"It was amazing because he opened up opportunities for other players," Thurmon said of Boyce. "His scoring took pressure off of me and other players. It was easier for me to find him. Marcel stepped up. People were not really noticing that he could really play ball as well. He came in and did his thing and helped lead us to the state championship."
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Boyce consistently attacked the basket for layups in March and also contributed 3-pointers.
Boyce made two free throws with 14.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lead Buchtel to a 51-49 win over Rocky River Lutheran West in the Division II state final . He finished that game with 18 points and six rebounds.
"Marcel's teammates identified that he had the hot hand in the tournament and they went to him often," Buchtel coach Rayshon Dent said. "His teammates have big-time confidence in his ability, and that is one of the things that spearheaded the run to a state championship."
Thurmon scored 11 points and Maxwell contributed 10 points in the state final against Lutheran West.
Diamond was Buchtel's leading scorer with 13 points in a 60-50 state semifinal win over previously undefeated Columbus Bishop Ready . Boyce and Thurmon scored 12 points apiece and Robinson chipped in 11 points.
"Everybody played their part well in the tournament," Boyce said. "It was a different ballgame once you get in the playoffs. It is not like the regular season. Everybody is trying to win and everybody is competing at the highest level that they can to advance. Everybody learned their role and played their role well so we could get the victories and win a state championship."
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Greer went from a junior varsity player in the beginning of the basketball season to a varsity starter by January after an injury to senior Jayvian Crable.
Greer started alongside junior Jonas Nichols and seniors Will Scott Jr., Logan Vowles and Andrew Griffith. He also got to play with his older brother, junior reserve Josh Greer.
"It was a fun overall experience to share together," Sam Greer said. "We had pretty good chemistry when we were out on the court together."
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Hoban coach T.K. Griffith said the Greer brothers' grandfather, Terry Ruip, 73, was the mastermind of the giant HOBAN sign overlooking Interstate 76 . He and fellow seniors in Hoban's class of 1967 patterned the HOBAN letters after the AKRON sign on the slope near Akron Municipal Airport and the Rubber Bowl.
"The Greer brothers brought integrity, Hoban family and toughness to the team," T.K. Griffith said.
Nichols and Scott were Hoban's leading scorers in the majority of the regular season and postseason games.
"The Greer brothers contributed a lot to this team," Nichols said. "Josh started five or six games and then Sam got brought up to varsity. Josh was totally supportive. In the state championship game when Sam was doing well, Josh helped him along and was his biggest motivator."
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Sam Greer was a presence offensively in Hoban's final three games and was solid on defense in the state final against Mr. Basketball Devin Royal of Pickerington Central.
He totaled 11 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and flashed his dribbling skills in a 56-37 win over Walsh Jesuit in a regional final , and was involved in both key runs at UD Arena as Hoban beat Toledo St. John's Jesuit 49-36 in a state semifinal and Pickerington Central 53-47 in the state final .
Greer made a layup, a 3-pointer and a tip-in in Hoban's 12-2 run in the first six minutes of the game against St. John's, and made three shots in the paint in Hoban's 18-6 run in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter against Pickerington Central.
Greer finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks against St. John's, Nichols had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Scott scored 12 points.
Greer totaled 12 points, five rebounds and three steals against Pickerington Central, Vowles had 17 points and seven rebounds and Scott had 13 points and eight rebounds.
"The Benedictine game [on Jan. 13] to start overtime, we felt we needed a bigger presence and I wanted to get the jump ball so I put Sam in to get the jump ball," T.K. Griffith said. "He did two or three good things and that was the moment where we shifted over to him."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Marcel Boyce Jr. of Buchtel, Sam Greer of Hoban win state titles
