A year ago, the current Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) basketball standings would have seemed unthinkable.
At a glance, three of the five leagues have a new champion. Not only are these former winners being replaced, but they’re also being dominated. The three teams that will not repeat as champions have a total league record of 13-17.
It’s not parity; it’s straight up change.
No league has endured as much change as the OCC-Central. The home of the 2025 Division 1 state champions, Olentangy Orange, has undergone a complete turnaround.
Hilliard Bradley, a team that failed to finish .500 at the end of last year’s campaign, launched to the top spot. The Jaguars have already clinched an outright league championship, and are projected to be the No. 1 seed according to the MaxPreps RPI ranking system. Dublin Coffman, who shared the same conference record of 3-7 last year, sits behind Hilliard Bradley in third place, but with a projected No. 6 seed.
Two usually strong programs– Upper Arlington and Olentangy Liberty– have struggled this season with the departure of last season’s superstars. Alex Smith chose to forgo his senior season at Upper Arlington and transferred to Florida’s Prolific Prep. Tyler Kropp graduated from Olentangy Liberty and moved on to Northwestern University.
The title defense hasn’t necessarily been easy for Olentangy Orange, as they sit in second place in the league. The ‘Neers boast strong wins over Gahanna Lincoln, Centennial, and Hilliard Bradley, but they’ve also suffered blowout losses to Princeton, St. Ignatius, and Upper Arlington. Olentangy Berlin forward Bryce Rode ‘26 still thinks they can make an impact come March.
“They’re definitely a good team with a lot of players from the team last year,” Rode said. “I think it helps that they have so many people who have been through those struggles, those challenges.”
On the other hand, their Lewis Center rivals couldn’t be any happier. Olentangy has a record of 19-2 and won its first outright OCC-Cardinal title in school history. The Braves are led by a big three of Ty Walburn, Quentin Page, and Jackson Mangham, who are all averaging over 10 points per game (PPG) according to MaxPreps.
Olentangy Berlin made a solid turnaround after a 6-17 record in the 2024-25 season. This year, they more than doubled their win total and sit comfortably in second place in the league. Rode credits the success to a great offseason.
“Over the summer and spring, a lot of these guys have great work ethics. They put the work in to get better and we’re starting to see it pay off,” Rode said.
Last year’s OCC-Cardinal winner, Hilliard Darby, plummeted to last place with a 3-7 league record.
However, Hilliard Darby isn’t alone. Last year, Pickerington North won the OCC-Ohio with an electric 9-1 OCC record. They were led by current Duquesne University guard Arness Lawson, who averaged 20.1 PPG according to MaxPreps. In 2025-26, the Panthers were fifth in the OCC-Ohio, despite the offensive production being picked up by J.R. Bates (22.2 PPG).
Delaware Hayes was one of the best teams in central Ohio before being upset in the district final by Groveport Madison. Hayes finished second in the OCC-Capital, only behind eventual division 2 state champions Westerville North. Now they are arguably one of the worst, only winning three of 21 games so far.
Finally, the OCC-Buckeye has been the strongest league, and its depth is hard to ignore. If anything, the landscape has stayed the same from last year, but the top three teams have shuffled around all season.
Pickerington Central stays at third with a 9-4 league record. While 2025 state runner-up Reynoldsburg and Newark tied for first with records of 13-1. Reynoldsburg won the Buckeye last year with an undefeated record.
