After winning a conference title, Columbus Academy boys basketball is eyeing a bigger prize

COLUMBUS, OH – Founded in 1911, Columbus Academy has built an athletics reputation that includes winning a record 12 state championships in field hockey, earning the second-most state titles in Ohio history in boys golf with 12 and having 49 seasons of at least one singles or doubles team reach the boys tennis state tournament.

The boys basketball team has had some bright moments over the years, but it felt especially memorable to the Vikings when they beat Worthington Christian 50-45 on Feb. 10.

That victory gave Academy just its ninth league championship and adds to the spotlight for a program that is having one of its best seasons under 11th-year head coach Jeff Warstler.

“You always want to win your league, especially because basketball doesn’t get them,” Warstler said. “We’ve only had nine in 110 years, which is our lowest of any sport. Because so few guys are on the floor, you’ve got to play the guys that can play and it can make a big difference if you have a Division I-caliber player.”

The Vikings last won a district championship in 2007-08 but have their eyes firmly set on that goal after receiving the No. 3 seed for the Central District tournament.

In 2018-19, Academy put together its best season under Warstler, capturing the MSL-Ohio Division title at 6-2 and earning a district runner-up finish.

The Vikings, who lost 71-67 that season in a district final to eventual state champion Harvest Prep to finish 20-5 overall, shared this year’s league title with Worthington Christian at 10-2 and is 19-2 overall heading into their regular-season finale Thursday against Horizon Science.

After losing in a district semifinal to go 17-6 last season when a senior-dominant lineup led the way, Academy’s ability to take a step forward this winter wasn’t expected.

“It’s been great,” senior post player Charlie Heywood said. “We’ve had a lot of contributions from younger players. We’ve built a strong team bond this year and it’s really helped us through the tough games we’ve been in.”

The growth of the 6-foot-6 Heywood, a Kenyon commit who was a backup last season when 2022 graduate Kevin Reeves averaged nearly a double-double, has been one of the key aspects to the team’s success.

Better health to one of its most talented young players also has helped.

Sophomore MJ Jackson, a 6-3 forward, is averaging 10 points and nine rebounds after missing most of last season due to injury.

He was pulled up for a varsity game last winter when Reeves was out with sickness and wound up reaggravating an injury to his left knee that had been a problem when he was in middle school.

“I had no blood flow in my knee, so we had to drill a few holes in there and it didn’t heal correctly,” Jackson said. “We had to go in there again and do it all over again. It started in middle school and followed me until last year.

“I focus on rebounding, and if I can get a bucket, I get one. I’d say chemistry is our big thing. We’ve all known each other and do a lot of hard work. We’ve had to mature a little bit faster than other teams because we’re so young.”

Sophomore Theo Falkenhain, a 5-10 guard, started last season and has progressed into the team’s leader in scoring average (12.5), assists (2.5) and steals (2.3). He also leads in 3-pointers with 24.

“We’ve got a lot of sophomores that have been playing with these dudes for as long as I can remember,” Falkenhain said. “A lot of the seniors are great leaders. We work hard in practice every single day, so our chemistry is really good. Last year I was lucky enough to start as a freshman, so I think this year I’ve focused on leadership and being the point guard and trying to make everyone feel comfortable in big-game settings.

“We treat each game like it’s our last game and put everything out there. (The regular season is) like 22 Super Bowls out there. You’ve got to work hard and grind it out on the defensive end.”

Jason Singleton, who played for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team when they made a Final Four run in 1999, has served as athletics director at Academy since 2019.

His son, freshman Jason Singleton, has stepped into a key role as well, along with senior Yiling Hu and sophomores Harmon Gouhin and Anderson Davis.

With four players listed at 6-4 or taller, Academy figures to have the height to provide problems for opponents throughout what it hopes is a long district tournament run.

The Vikings split during the regular season with Worthington Christian, which is the No. 2 seed for the district tournament, and Bexley, which is the fourth seed in Division II.

KIPP Columbus, which Academy beat 51-49 on Dec. 6, is the highest seed in the Vikings’ portion of the bracket at No. 6.

Africentric, which was a state semifinalist last season, is the top seed and would be Academy’s opponent if both teams reach a district final.

“We were in the district final in 2019 when I literally thought we were the second-best team in the state and the first-best team in the state (Harvest Prep) beat us,” Warstler said. “I didn’t see this coming on. I thought we had some offensive talent and we had games that were winnable that were 50-50 games and when you have that many sophomores coming out there to play along with a freshman, you don’t necessarily expect to win all of those.

“I (teach) third-, fourth- and fifth-grade (physical education) and I had Theo, MJ and Harmon and almost all of these guys in PE class. It’s kind of nice seeing those guys come up through the school. Since (the coaching staff) took over 11 years ago, we’ve made it all about defense, so they understand what it takes.”