Loving, Heintschel, Brown garner top state honors

3/21/2013

St. John's Jesuit senior Marc Loving repeated his honor as Division I player of the year on the Associated Press All-Ohio boys basketball team released Monday, and the Titans' Ed Heintschel has been named co-coach of the year in D-I.

Also earning a top individual honor was Bowling Green senior Vitto Brown, who was named co-player of the year in Division II.

Joining Loving on the All-Ohio first team was Whitmer senior Nigel Hayes, and earning a second-team spot in D-I was Anthony Wayne senior Mark Donnal.

Jordan Lauf of Napoleon was named to the third team in Divsion II.

The 6-foot-8 Loving, who will play at Ohio State University, averaged 21.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the fifth-ranked Titans, who finished the regular season at 19-3, and won their second straight Three Rivers Athletic Conference title.

Loving shared D-I player of the year honors with two other players in 2012.

During the season, Heintschel (609-190 career record), in his 34th seasons at St. John's, became the 10th boys coach in Ohio history to reach 600 wins.

Hayes, a 6-7 senior who will play at Wisconsin, averaged 16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season for the 17-5 Panthers, after leading Whitmer to the D-I state championship game as a junior. He was named to the All-Ohio second team the past two seasons.

Donnal, a 6-10 senior who will play at Michigan, contributed 18.5 points and 10.6 rebounds during the regular season for a 17-4 Generals team that won its first Northern Lakes League title in 15 years. Anthony Wayne reached the D-I regional semifinals before losing to Rogers last Thursday.

Brown, a 6-8 senior who will play at Wisconsin along with Hayes, averaged 23.7 points and 13.0 rebounds for the 12-10 Bobcats.

He shared top player honors in D-II with Dan Monteroso of St. Clairsville and Luke Kennard of Franklin.

Lauf, a 6-5 senior who will play at Toledo, averaged 21.6 points and 9.6 rebounds for the 8-13 Wildcats after leading Napoleon to an NLL title as a junior in 2012.

Heintschel shared his coaching honor with Sean Taylor of top-ranked unbeaten Columbus Northland, and first-year Cincinnati Walnut Hills coach Ricardo Hill, whose third-ranked Eagles finished the regular season 21-1.

Northland and Walnut Hills have each reached the D-I state semifinals along with unranked Rogers and eighth-ranked Mentor.

Sharing top coaching honors in Division II were Joe Petrocelli of Kettering Alter, Doug Davis of Lima Bath, David Bargar of Chagrin Falls, and Frank Spotleson of Canton South.