North central Ohio’s most prolific scorers can’t even drive themselves to practice yet, but their driving the narrative on the area’s basketball courts.
Local programs are experiencing a youth movement of sorts this winter, but young doesn’t necessarily mean inexperienced.
North central Ohio’s freshman and sophomore classes have been nothing short of sensational through the first half of the season. Take a look at some of region’s top young players:
Parker Proper, Danville
A 6-foot-2 freshman guard, Proper is Danville’s leading scorer at 12.8 points a game and is the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference’s top 3-pointer shooter (27-for-56). Proper was the quarterback of the football team, which reached the Region 27 championship game.
The Blue Devils are 10-2 on the year and trail Fredericktown by a game in the chase for the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference title.
Kaylen Brooks, Mansfield Senior
A sophomore, Brooks is doing things never before seen at Senior High. The 6-foot sharpshooter is averaging 22.9 points a game, unofficially the fifth highest single-season scoring average in program history.
His 299 points last year are the most ever by a Senior High freshman. The talk around town is Brooks could eclipse Dapreis Owens’ career scoring record of 1,478 points. That mark has stood since 1988.
Brooks scored a career-high 37 points in a win at Wooster earlier this season, tying the record of former teammate Kyevi Roane for most points in a game by a sophomore. He dropped 32 in a loss to state-ranked Massillon earlier this week.
Cardae Brown, Ontario
Like Senior High’s Brooks, Brown already is an proven scorer.
The 6-foot-3 sophomore averages 22.3 points a game and scored a career-high 33 earlier this season against Highland. He almost certainly would have eclipsed that mark last weekend, dropping 32 in about three quarters of action against Madison.
Brown broke the freshman scoring record last year, averaging 16 points a game and scoring 338 points. He is on pace to break the career scoring record of 1,520 points held by 1990 grad Chris Morris.
Brown is more than a scorer. He’s also averaging 3.5 rebounds and a team-best 3.8 assists per game.
Trindon Flenoury, Ontario
If Brown doesn’t break Morris’ career scoring record, classmate Flenoury just might.
The 6-foot-1 marksman is averaging 18.7 points a game after scoring 334 points as a freshman.
Flenoury scored 32 points in last week’s loss to River Valley, Ontario’s first setback of the season. He averages 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists a night and is the Warrrios’ top 3-point shooter, connecting on 27-of-76 triples (36%).
Trey Remy, Ontario
While Brown and Flenoury handle a majority of the scoring load, classmate Remy provides the muscle underneath the basket. The 6-foot-6 center averages 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.
A three-sport standout, Remy leads the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 18 blocked shots. He also ranks among conference leaders with 25 offensive rebounds.
Jayden Perkins, Lexington
A freshman, Perkins introduced himself to north central Ohio on opening night when he scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 61-33 win over Clear Fork.
Less than two weeks later, the 6-foot-2 swingman scored the game-winning basket in the closing seconds of a 63-61 win over Mansfield Senior. He is averaging 11 points and five rebounds a game.
Lowen Ferguson, Hillsdale
The Falcons got off to a late start to the season because of the football team’s extended postseason run, but sophomore Ferguson has picked up where he left off as a freshman. The undersized point guard averages a team-best 16.5 points and 5.2 assists a game.
Ferguson was a Division VII All-Ohio honorable-mention selection as a freshman, when he helped pilot the Falcons to Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001.