Now healthy, Olentangy Orange ready for a postseason run

LEWIS CENTER, Ohio – As his teammates on the Olentangy Orange boys basketball team waited alongside the edge of the court, Jordan Edwards was tasked with making 20 free throws before practice would be declared officially over on February 15th.

It took a few minutes, but the concept wasn’t lost on the Pioneers’ senior point guard.

“I’ve got to get my free throw percentage up,” Edwards said, smiling. “It’s a standard thing.”

Working on details like foul shooting is just part of the puzzle for the Patriots as they head into a postseason filled with high hopes.

Also on February 15th, senior Mikey McCollum completed his first practice in almost a month.

McCollum is a 6-foot-4 guard and Hillsdale commit who missed the first nine games with a hip injury. He averaged 16.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first six games but then endured a left foot injury in a 71-40 win over Hilliard Davidson on January 20th.

That kept him out of the next six games.

Orange is 18-3 overall and 6-3 in the OCC-Central Division heading into its regular-season finale Friday against Olentangy Liberty, which already has the league title wrapped up at 9-0 and 19-2 overall.

“It felt good just to try and play with my teammates,” McCollum said. “It’s a left foot and ankle injury, but the hard part was they didn’t really exactly know (the extent of the injury). It was a really bad sprain, along with a tendon issue with my foot after I came down on someone’s foot in the Davidson game.”

Having McCollum healthy for the Division I district tournament would give the Pioneers another element to what they believe is an already talented unit.

They’ve gone 13-2 without McCollum, with Edwards and senior guard Elias Lewis the biggest reasons they haven’t taken a step back.

Edwards, Lewis and McCollum were key contributors last season when Orange reached a district semifinal, where it lost to Liberty 53-50 in overtime to finish 15-8 overall.

While Liberty was the 10th seed and Orange was seeded eighth a year ago, the Patriots are seeded second and the Pioneers are third and the two reside in separate brackets for this year’s postseason.

Orange, which competed in its first postseason in 2009, earned a district runner-up in 2013 as a No. 18 seed and also was a district runner-up in 2019 as a 13th seed after it upset top-seeded Dublin Coffman 77-67 in a district semifinal.

"When (McCollum) was healthy, he was our best defender I believe,” said Anthony Calo, who is in his 11th season as head coach. “We’re trying to get our chemistry back and get him back into the fold. Before he got hurt, he was also (one of) our leading (scorers). Elias has played really well this season, but with Mikey back, it’s hard to game plan for Elias.”

Lewis, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 18.8 points last season and is averaging 18 this winter, has been receiving college interest from a list of schools that includes Ohio Dominican, Mount Vernon Nazarene, Marietta and Lake Erie.

“I set the tone with scoring, getting to my spots and being aggressive,” Lewis said. “In the summer, we found out really early on that we jelled well together, which is big for us. We almost had a near perfect record in the summer and we knew it was going to be something special this year. That goes for off the court, too, because we’re always together. "

"(McCollum) is going to add the scoring of course, but he’s a competitor and he’ll grind on defense and will make those hustle plays as well (when healthy).”

Edwards, who also is 6-foot-3, is an Ashland commit whose high school journey includes missing his freshman season to an injury while attending Grove City Christian.

He moved to Lewis Center as a sophomore and became a key player off the bench last winter.

“I love these guys and this team,” Edwards said. “Our chemistry is strong, and we play really well together. We think (winning a district title) is very achievable. I think it’s very hard to guard three college basketball players.”

Senior forwards Drew Ballinger, Will Butler and Nick Chapman, junior guard Dylan Joy, sophomore wing player Devin Brown and freshman guard Levi Davis also have filled key roles for the Pioneers, who bounced back from a 62-51 loss to Hilliard Bradley on February 10th by beating New Albany 67-47 on February 14th.

There are 49 teams in the Central District tournament, and the Pioneers open February 21st at home against 46th-seeded Logan. Orange then would play host to No. 45 Chillicothe in a second-round game February 24th.

Opening the tournament with two games in which the Pioneers are heavily favored is something Calo hopes will help his team – and McCollum – rebuild the chemistry that was lost when he was injured.

The next-highest seed in Orange’s bracket is No. 7 Pickerington North, which it wouldn’t face unless both teams make it to a district final.

“What I want to do is move forward,” Calo said. “We have to dive into film and have got to continue to get tougher and execute both our offensive and defensive game plans. We have talent obviously, but our guys buy into each other. The chemistry is there, the teamwork is there and the trust is there.”