Contributed

McDonald’s of Greater Ohio and Purcell Marian High School hosted a special jersey presentation ceremony honoring Darianna “Dee” Alexander, who was recently named a 2025 McDonald’s All American.    Before she embarks on her college career as a Cincinnati Bearcat, Alexander was celebrated alongside her teammates and coaches during the jersey presentation on March 4 at Purcell Marian High School, at 2935 Hackberry Street, Cincinnati. The ceremony was during a school-wide assembly in the gymnasium.

Alexander, the No. 8 ranked girls’ basketball player in the nation according to ESPN and the first Purcell Marian Cavalier to earn this honor, will compete alongside the country’s top high school basketball players in the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games on April 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Being named a McDonald’s All American adds to a growing list of accolades for Alexander. Her high school career includes back-to-back Ohio Ms. Basketball awards as a sophomore and junior, along with being named the 2024 Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year. She has led Purcell Marian to three OHSAA State Championships and was named to the 2025 Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Midseason Team. Alexander will also represent the U.S. in the USA Basketball Nike Hoop Summit in April in Portland, Oregon.

The ceremony also featured remarks from McDonald’s Owner/Operator Brian Kilroy, who owns several restaurants in the greater Cincinnati area.

For nearly five decades, the McDonald’s All American Games have been a premier platform for some of basketball’s most elite players. The final group of 24 girls and 24 boys are selected by top analysts, prep scouts, media, and coaches from hundreds of high school athletes. Get in the Game,

The Main Event: Tickets to the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games at Barclays Center on Tuesday, April 1, are now available through ticketmaster.com or by visiting mcdaag.com.

Tune In: Fans can tune in on ESPN and ESPN2. The Sprite Jam Fest will air Monday, March 31 at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The 2025 McDonald’s All American Games will start with the Girls Game on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. 

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By Ozie Davis III MS, JD Sports Editor

Heading into the first Trotwood game, Aiken was 21-0, having easily swept through the Cincinnati Metropolitan Athletic Conference (CMAC) winning its second championship in successive years! With Player of the Year, Jaiden Arnold and Coach of the Year, Derrell Black both posting repeat performances! To say it was a historic season, win, lose, or draw is an understatement!

Yet, Trotwood 20-1 was on a historic run of their own and this game was built as the biggest in the state in OHSAA Division III, Dayton’s best versus Cincinnati’s best, particularly its Black schools. The game was pure rumble, Trotwood would win, Aiken would not be undefeated. Immediately Cincinnati and Dayton contingents went mad in good ole competitive banter in calling for, hoping for, a rematch in the upcoming State tournament. Aiken would thrash Talawanda and Ross, before being challenged by Bellbrook. Aiken fell behind, but showed their resilience in beating Bellbrook, then it was a LaSalle game in which Aiken was losing for the majority of the game until Jaiden Arnold decided it wouldn’t be so as Aiken turned 19 LaSalle turnovers into 33 points to send the game Lancers home.  The rematch was now a reality, and “Spirit of Sports TV” was with Aiken all the way. Aiken legend, Paul McMillan covered the game for the Herald and his in-game reports can be found on Spirt of Sports TV on Facebook. McMillan also made an appearance on Fox19 Sports as the Falcons pulled away from Trotwood and punched their ticket to the State Final Four. Aiken returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2016.

Athletic Director Paul Brownfield states it best, “so incredibly proud of this team. Great group of young men who have checked their egos for something far greater than themselves. This team knows they’re going out there each game representing not only the Aiken basketball team, but also Aiken High School, College Hill, and Cincinnati Public Schools. Making it back to the Final Four is something we all should celebrate.”

This Aiken team definitely deserves celebrating. Head Coach Derrell Black started this mission at Hughes several years ago prior to taking a detour as a Princeton Assistant before becoming Aiken’s Head Coach three years ago. He brung his junior high coach from Hughes, Orlando Gentry, to join him at Aiken and they put the band back together. See, Jaiden Arnold and James Burnett Jr highlighted that Hughes Jr High team so many years ago. Coach Gentry has been a guiding light to their development.” It’s been a pleasure and an honor to see the growth I have seen out of these two guys has been amazing from 7th grade to now. With ups and downs, hard conversations and through frustrations we stayed family, and they stayed brothers to guards that chose to play together as brothers when the whole city wanted them to be rivals. We need more James and Jaiden’s. They showed we can accomplish more together.

Coach Black has done an exceptional job leading the rebuild at Aiken. “It feels good! We have a great battle tested group who have been through a tough schedule this year. Every night we go into these games knowing that we have a group that can get the job done and as a coach that’s a phenomenal feeling.”  He shows great humility as the leader of this squad.  Brownfield speaks very highly of his character which overflows to his team night in night out. Brownfield said, “we knew during the hiring process that Derrell Black was a special basketball coach but over the last three years it’s been who he is as a man that has had the greatest impact on the program. His character is what has elevated the program back to where we all knew it could be. Great basketball coach, but even better person.”

Burnett, who is my family, thus we’ll call him “Baby J” says the team is focused on the state championship.  “It feels real good man just building up a program that fell off for a couple of years back to its winning ways feel great just want to keep leading my teammates to victory and winning a state championship!

The Falcons will play Sandusky at 3pm on Sunday 3/16 at Wright State. They will then face the winner of the Garfield Heights v Louisville game (played at Canton Memorial 6p Sunday) in the State Championship game 1p Friday 3/21 at UD Arena.

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By Spencer Wheelock, wheelock@seyferthpr.com

The McDonald’s All American Games is headed to the basketball mecca of Brooklyn for the first time ever, descending on Barclays Center for a showdown featuring basketball’s future all-stars. McDonald’s announced the final rosters for the game, which includes Purcell Marian High School standout and University of Cincinnati commitment Darianna Alexander who will represent the Girls West Team in this year’s game. University of Cincinnati commit Shon Abaev of Calvary Christian Academy in Florida will join the Boys East Team.

For almost five decades, the McDonald’s All American Games have been a red thread connecting some of the game’s most elite players. The Selection Committee has revealed the next group of 48 athletes to hold the most prestigious honor in high school basketball.

The final group of 24 girls and 24 boys were hand selected by a collection of the game’s top analysts, prep scouts, media and coaches, from hundreds of potential high school players. This next generation of players represent communities from across the nation, each looking to make their own unique mark on the Games’ rich history, continuing a 48-year legacy of impact both on and off the court.

Community has remained a key fixture in the Games’ mission since its founding and this year is no different.       At the 2025 Games, McDonald’s is taking its commitment to community a step further with new and continued investments in neighborhood networks and local organizations, such as Ronald McDonald House. The Games will once again benefit RMHC through its network of local Chapters. There many ways to be part of the action:

Pre-Games Warm-Up: The Sprite Jam Fest, featuring a 3-Point Contest, dunk competition and a knockout game, will be held on Monday, March 31. Ticket information will be provided at a later date.

The Main Event: Tickets to the 2025 McDonald’s All American Games at Barclays Center on Tuesday, April 1 are now available through ticketmaster.com or by visiting mcdaag.com.

Tune In: Fans can tune in on ESPN and ESPN2. The Sprite Jam Fest will air Monday, March 31 at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The 2025 McDonald’s All American Games will start with the Girls Game on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and the Boys Game will immediately follow on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The post Purcell Marian’s Darianna Alexander to play in McDonald’s All American Games appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Cresta Lewis
cresta@cristofolikeeling.com

Event Details:

Date: Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28

Location: Xavier University’s Cintas Center – Cincinnati

Website: https://www.holidayhardwoodclassic.com

Direct Ticket Link: https://goxavier.com/sports/tickets

Phone / Email: 513-236-1352 / neumannrw@gmail.com

Organized by: Neumann & Associates and Xavier University

Event Description:

    Don’t miss Cincinnati’s premier high school basketball showcase, featuring 24 varsity teams from Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Indianapolis and Dayton.

    The 3rd Annual Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine/TriHealth Holiday Hardwood Classic will be held at Xavier University’s Cintas Center on Friday, December 27 and Saturday, December 28. Twenty-four boys and girls high school teams will play six games both days beginning at 12 noon.

     Presented by LaRosa’s, Skyline Chili and Home City Ice, in association with media partners Cincinnati’s ESPN 1530, FOX19 and The Cincinnati Enquirer, the lineup features some of the top high school teams in the region.

    Tickets: Advance daily pass (beginning November 15): $12. Day of event daily pass: $15 at Cintas Center box office; $3 off with a canned or dry good donation to Freestore Foodbank at Cintas Center. Each daily pass grants access to all six games on the same day.

    Parking – Free

Feature Image: File photo

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By: Mike Dyer

CINCINNATI — Purcell Marian High School 2025 wing Dee Alexander is staying home! The five-star player, ranked No. 6 nationally in the 2025 class by ESPN, picked the University of Cincinnati over Ohio State and Illinois on Wednesday.

Alexander, the two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient, led Purcell Marian (29-1) to a third consecutive state title in March. Purcell Marian is No. 15 nationally in the season’s final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.

She had one of the most accomplished seasons in Ohio high school girls basketball history this past winter.

Alexander was named Tuesday afternoon to the MaxPreps Junior All-America Team. Last week, she was named to the MaxPreps All-America Second Team. She was also the Gatorade Ohio high school player of the year and the Ohio MaxPreps player of the year.

Scoring 1,896 points in her high school career, Alexander had been considering 15 programs publicly since announcing the finalists on Instagram in November 2023.

Those scholarship offers include the University of Connecticut, South Carolina, Iowa, Louisiana State (LSU), Ohio State, University of Southern California, Texas, Notre Dame, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia Tech and others.

Alexander became the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s all-time girls basketball state tournament scoring leader during the first half of this year’s state final. She scored 134 career points in the state tournament from 2022 to 2024 — with all those games at UD Arena.

Purcell Marian has an 83-4 record for the past three seasons.

The NCAA’s early signing period for basketball starts Nov. 13, 2024.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By: Mike Dyer

CINCINNATI — Wilberforce University men’s basketball coach Mark Mitchell, who led the Taft High School boys basketball team to its first state championship, has died. Mitchell was 56 years old.

Mitchell, the father of Indiana Fever guard and former Ohio State star Kelsey Mitchell, was the Wilberforce University men’s basketball coach the past four seasons. Wilberforce is an NAIA program in Wilberforce, Ohio (Greene County).

Withrow boys basketball coach Berdo Allen, a 1996 Taft graduate, said Mitchell made a significant impact on countless lives. Mitchell was assistant coach while Allen played at Taft.

“He was tough and loving at the same time,” Allen said. “It just took my breath away (hearing the news). He always said if ever needed anything to call him. His honesty got us prepared for the real world.”

Prior to Wilberforce, Mitchell returned to coach high school basketball in the Cincinnati area after he had been an Ohio State women’s basketball assistant coach for four seasons. Mitchell helped his daughter Kelsey become Ohio State’s first four-time All-American in women’s basketball among several other accolades. Kelsey Mitchell was selected by the Indiana Fever as the No. 2 overall selection in the 2018 WNBA Draft.

“As a program, we are devastated to hear of the passing of former assistant coach Mark Mitchell,” Ohio State women’s basketball head coach Kevin McGuff said in a statement to WCPO 9. “Mark was extremely dedicated to his family, friends and players. His passion for young people allowed him to positively shape the lives of so many who had to the privilege of playing for him. We mourn with Cheryl, Kelsey, Chelsea, Kevin, Cam and the extended family. Mark will always remain in our thoughts and prayers.”

Mark Mitchell led Taft to the 2011 Division III state title in its first-ever state final appearance. Taft won 25 games that season and never lost to a team from the state of Ohio.

Indian Hill boys basketball coach Ricardo Hill said Mitchell’s contributions to high school basketball are very significant especially for Taft’s state championship. He said Taft’s basketball program had “remarkable” success in basketball and beyond thanks to Mitchell’s leadership.

“It’s a sad day for Cincinnati,” Hill said.

During Mitchell’s tenure at Taft, the Senators won eight Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference titles, nine sectional and four district titles and the state title. For his efforts, he was voted CMAC coach of the year eight times.

Mitchell turned around the Senators’ program instantly in his first year, going 22-3 and winning the city championship after inheriting a program coming off 10 consecutive losing seasons, according to his coaching biography.

“Coach Mark Mitchell was a motivational and inspirational coach that always shared his passion and energy with the students of CPS,” said Josh Hardin, Cincinnati Public Schools Athletics Manager.

“He was a different kind of coach, he was a state champion level coach that elevated the students and staff around him. “His presence in the basketball world and Cincinnati community will be sorely missed.”

Prior to his appointment at Taft, Mitchell served as an assistant coach at Winton Woods High School from 2001-03 where he helped the Warriors to a Division I state runner-up finish in 2002.

Former longtime La Salle basketball coach Dan Fleming was friends with Mitchell for many years.

“He was a big-hearted person who cared about his guys,” Fleming said. “It’s just a tremendous loss for basketball and Cincinnati specifically.”

Mitchell also coached at Western Hills for the 2018-19 season. He previously coached at Western Hills as a varsity boys basketball assistant and junior varsity head coach in 1997-98. He was the program’s varsity summer league head coach in 1997.

In addition to coaching, Mitchell worked as a physical education and health teacher at Taft (2003-13), Winton Woods (2002-03) and in the Lakota Schools from 1993-2002.

Mitchell, a 1985 Princeton High School graduate, was an offensive tackle on the Vikings’ 1983 Division I football state championship team. He later played at Eastern Kentucky University.

“He was a Princeton legend,” Allen said.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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By: Mike Dyer | WCPO 9

DAYTON, Ohio — Purcell Marian High School has its three-peat.

The Cavaliers defeated Shaker Heights Laurel School 79-52 Saturday night in the Division II girls basketball state final at University of Dayton Arena. It is the third consecutive state championship for Purcell Marian (29-1).

“I just got done telling people I got to let this one sink in,” Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley said. “Well, I got to let all three of them sink in. I look ahead too much. What can we do better next year? That was my mindset in the past. I got to let these three sink in.”

Purcell Marian, winners of 27 consecutive games, is the sixth girls basketball team in state history to win three consecutive state titles.

Purcell Marian won the 2023 Division II state title, 2022 Division III state title and was a 2021 Division III state semifinalist.

Only three Ohio high school girls basketball programs have won four consecutive state titles or more including Mount Notre Dame (2006-09).

Purcell Marian junior wing Dee Alexander, a two-time Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient, is already thinking about next year.

“Our job is not completed yet,” said Alexander. “Once we get a state title next year my job will be completed in high school.”

Alexander scored 18 points and had six rebounds. She became the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s all-time girls basketball state tournament scoring leader Saturday night. She has scored 134 career points in the state tournament from 2022-2024.

“It means a lot because I’m just now finding this out so it’s something very special to me,” Alexander said.

Junior Ky’Aira Miller scored 18 points and had five rebounds and three assists. Freshman center Samaya Wilkins scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds.

It’s been a significant week for Purcell Marian, which is a reigning two-time state champion and ranked No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps. Alexander was named Ohio Ms. Basketball for a second straight season Wednesday. Alexander won the Gatorade Ohio player of the year award on Thursday morning.

Purcell Marian joined some very elite company in girls basketball state history this weekend.

Purcell Marian is the 16th team in state history with four consecutive trips to a state Final Four. Entering this year’s state tournament, 20 schools had won at least three girls basketball state titles overall.

Purcell Marian dominated Copley Friday in a state semifinal. It never trailed on Saturday. After two early ties, the Cavaliers led 20-10 at the end of the first quarter and 38-20 at halftime.

The outcome was never in doubt.

Purcell Marian went ahead 60-35 at the end of the third quarter. The Cavaliers won 23 consecutive games by double digits. The most recent game Purcell Marian won by single digits was a 56-51 win at Cooper Dec. 12.

Laurel School was led by sophomore Saniyah Hall who scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds. Laurel School completed its season with a 19-11 record.

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.

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Power forward is one of the nation’s top basketball players in 2024 class

By: Mike Dyer, WCPO

CINCINNATI — Former Walnut Hills High School basketball star power forward Tyler McKinley announced Thursday he has given a verbal commitment to the University of Cincinnati.

The 6-foot-9 1/2 McKinley, a four-star player by 247 Sports, is rated among the nation’s top players in the 2024 class. McKinley verbally committed to the UC staff before making the public announcement Thursday.

“It was just the relationship that we built,” McKinley said. “I was the first visit on campus. I was always considered a priority. But, over time it was bigger than basketball. Me and coach (Wes) Miller and all the assistant coaches – we were just had a family bond. It felt like it was only right to go there.”

McKinley said he committed to UC through a FaceTime call with UC coach Wes Miller and assistant coach Andre Morgan.

“(Miller) was excited,” McKinley said. “He was screaming. It was a good feeling.”

McKinley played for Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) this past season and helped the Lions win the GEICO Nationals title in Fort Myers, Fla. McKinley scored 17 points and had six rebounds in the championship game.

McKinley is expected to complete his senior season at Link Academy, sign with UC in November and then enroll in 2024.

His verbal commitment to the Bearcats continues the significant recruiting momentum for the UC men’s basketball program among local high school star players. Freshman Rayvon Griffith, a former Taft High School star, signed with the Bearcats this past November.

McKinley had more than a dozen scholarship offers throughout the recruiting process including Xavier, Ohio State, Kansas State, South Carolina, West Virginia, Dayton, Tennessee, Ohio University, Miami University, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Virginia Tech.

His finalists included UC, Ohio State, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Alabama and Tennessee, according to 247 Sports.

“I would say for UC fans they’re getting a hard-working kid, very versatile — he can score on all three levels,” said Link Academy assistant coach Alex McGlothin, McKinley’s brother. “He wants to make his team better.”

McKinley was rated Ohio’s No. 1 player in the 2024 class when he decided to transfer to Link Academy in mid-August 2022.

McKinley was star player for two seasons at Walnut Hills. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks as the Eastern Cincinnati Conference player of the year during the 2021-22 season. He was a Division I honorable mention all-state selection, too.

After winning a national championship in April, it was continued to be a busy spring for McKinley. In addition to his UC verbal commitment, McKinley is among 35 athletes expected to participate in the 2023 USA U19 Men’s National Team Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The camp begins Sunday.

The 12-member team is scheduled to be announced before the U.S. squad departs for the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, scheduled for June 24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.

The United States will square off with Lebanon, Madagascar and Slovenia in pool play.

Ten athletes invited to the USA Basketball camp recently concluded their college freshman years. Jonas Hayes (Georgia State University), Kevin Kruger (UNLV), T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State University) and Micah Shrewsberry (Notre Dame) are among the court coaches during training camp.

McKinley has also been invited to the NBPA Top 100 camp June 26 in Orlando.

This story was originally published by WCPO.

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By Michael Mitchell

The Cincinnati Herald

Hamilton Commissioners honored two of Ohio’s best on March 16 at the Todd Portune Building in downtown Cincinnati. The Purcell Marian Girls Basketball Team and the Princeton Vikings Girls Basketball Team both brought home state titles.

The Princeton Vikings won OHSAA Division 1 game against Olmsted Falls 69-51 and the Purcell Marian Cavaliers won their OHSAA Division II game against Badin Rams, 64-54, led by Ms. Ohio Basketball, Sophomore Darriana (Dee) Alexander with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Purcell Marian’s coach Jamar Mosley and Dee Davis and honored with their own day in Hamilton County, March 16th for Mosley, and March 19th for Davis.

The post Girls State basketball champs honored by county officials appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Dee Alexander scores a game-high 34 points to lead the Cavaliers

By: Mike Dyer

DAYTON, Ohio — Purcell Marian High School girls basketball coach Jamar Mosley jokingly admitted he forgot to wash the game jerseys before Thursday’s Division II state semifinal.

“It was a rookie mistake on my end,” Mosley said with a smile.

All kidding aside, one thing was clear early Thursday afternoon: This is not a Purcell Marian rookie team.

Sophomore Dee Alexander, named Ohio Ms. Basketball Wednesday afternoon, scored a game-high 34 points to lead Purcell Marian past Bryan 61-47 to advance to its second straight state final. Alexander added eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks. Freshman McKenzie Jones added seven points.

“I knew I had to step up,” Alexander said. “I know this is a big game for us. Just overall the whole season was big for us. So it was just me stepping up and giving my team the ball as much as I possibly could and getting to the basket.”

The Cavaliers, winners of 16 consecutive games, persevered through a double-digit deficit at University of Dayton Arena. Purcell Marian (26-2) advances to play Canal Fulton Northwest (27-2) in the Division II state final at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. Northwest defeated Proctorville Fairland 56-34 in the second state semifinal Thursday afternoon.

Purcell Marian is playing for its second straight state championship after winning the Division III title in 2022.

It wasn’t easy at times Thursday for Purcell Marian during the 11 a.m. tipoff. The Cavaliers trailed by 11 with 5:06 left in the second quarter. Purcell Marian went on a 12-0 run to end the first half.

“I’m just proud of our girls as they persevered,” Mosley said. “We got down by (12 points) in the second quarter and the girls just fought back and took the lead going into halftime.”

Purcell Marian, which is appearing in its third consecutive state Final Four, opened a 10-2 run in the third quarter and never looked back.

Purcell Marian coach Jamar Mosley admitted he forgot to wash the jerseys before today’s state semifinal. I asked Dee Alexander if she felt tired at the end of the game. Alexander had 34 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Alexander played nearly 32 minutes. pic.twitter.com/8i6VmJ6sa8

— Mike Dyer (@MikeDyer) March 9, 2023

Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati

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