Brunswick's Trey Drexler among finalists for Ohio Mr. Basketball

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association announced the 2026 Ohio Mr. Basketball Award finalists Wednesday. The winner will be revealed March 19.Voting is underway for the 231 registered OPSMA members and will end at noon Monday.The voting process for OPSMA members is the same as that used to determine the Heisman Trophy winner in college football. First-place votes get three points, second-place votes get two points and third-place votes get one point.Mr. Basketball was selected by The Associated Press from 1987-2016. Since 2017 it has been presented by the OPSMA, but most of the voters have remained unchanged.The All-Ohio teams will begin being released March 23.Trey Drexler, Brunswick, 6-0, sr.The two-time Mr. Basketball finalist averaged a school-record 26.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting .497 from the floor, .451 from 3-point range and .850 at the foul line this season. The Blue Devils (21-4) set a school record for victories in a regular season and captured a consecutive league championship for the first time, making Drexler the unanimous repeat choice as Greater Cleveland Conference Player of the Year in one of the toughest public-school leagues in Ohio. The IU Indy recruit's season ended with a broken wrist sustained in a fall against Euclid on Feb. 17, placing him second in Medina County history with 1,754 points in 91 career games. Among his top scoring efforts were 31 and 37 points against traditional D-I power Mentor and 30 apiece against Akron Archbishop Hoban and defending D-IV state runner-up Glenville. Cameron Elwer, Delphos St. John's, 6-2, sr.Last year's Mr. Basketball runner-up is a Furman University commit. During the regular season, Elwer averaged 29.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists and two steals for the undefeated Blue Jays from the Midwest Athletic Conference. Elwer shot 64% from the field, including 59% from the 3-point line, and 93% at the foul line. The four-time District 8 Player of the Year also is a four-time All-MAC first-team selection, including as the unanimous MAC POY for the past three seasons while leading the Jays to three straight league titles. Entering the regional tournament, Elwer had 2,664 career points, which is seventh in OHSAA history. He recently passed LeBron James and was 18 points shy of passing Geno Ford (2,681) for sixth. Already the program's all-time points leader, Elwer recently became the Jays' assist record-holder as well. St. John's is 87-14 in Elwer's 101 career games entering the regional tournament.Marcus Johnson, Garfield Heights, 6-2, sr.The state's reigning Mr. Basketball has been even better this season, averaging 30.1 points with 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.7 steals. Johnson has done it with a younger team that returned no other starters and played a tougher schedule that included a trip to the City of Palms Classic in Florida during December. The Bulldogs (15-6) also played some of Cleveland's top teams. Johnson has been a first-team All-Ohio selection since his freshman season, including twice in D-I. Johnson is headed to South Carolina after initially committing as a sophomore to Ohio State.Gator Nichols, Maysville, 6-0, sr.The two-time East District Player of the Year and reigning Ohio D-IV Player of the Year is averaging 24.2 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals for the defending state champions. Nichols is shooting 45% from the floor, 40% from 3-point range and 77% from the line. In 99 career games, the all-time scoring leader in Maysville history has 1,858 points, 319 rebounds, 326 assists and 161 steals.Trey Sagester, Tri-Village, 6-3, sr.The two-time D-VI Southwest District and Western Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year and reigning OPSMA D-VI Player of the year is averaging 24.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.7 steals for the undefeated Patriots. Sagester, the back-to-back District 9 POY and North/South All Star Game representative, is the school's all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 points while being apart of 92 wins. He is on pace to play in the top five most games in OHSAA history, along with ranking in the top 20 for 3-pointers and top 25 for points. Jason Singleton, Columbus Academy, 6-4, sr.The Central District and two-time District 10 Player of the Year, Singleton is the Central District's nominee for Mr. Basketball. After leading Academy to a state runner-up in 2025 when he made third-team All-Ohio, the guard is averaging 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.0 block while shooting 51% for the top-seeded 21-4 district championship team that is riding a 17-game win streak. A four-year starter with over 1,300 career points, Singleton has helped the Vikings to a 92-13 record. After entertaining offers from many Power 4 programs, including Ohio State, where his father Jason Sr. was a standout from 1995-99, Singleton signed with Harvard.Josh Tyson, Lakota West, 6-3, jr.The Southwest District and Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year averages 16.5 points, 3.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Tyson, a super quick guard, led team to 21-1 regular season, with only loss to national prep power La Lumiere, 72-71 in OT, at Flyin' To The Hoop, when he scored 28 points. He is a four-star recruit being courted by numerous Power 4 schools.