Ohio high school boys basketball: Meet the state’s best forwards for the 2023-24 season

Who are the top forwards in Ohio high school boys basketball this season?

With fall sports in the rearview mirror, the high school basketball season is finally here.

SBLive Sports is highlighting some of the best players in Ohio heading into the winter season.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at some of the best of the best in high school boys basketball. We started with point guards, combo guards and wings and are now moving on to the forwards.

Here are 20 of the best forwards in Ohio entering the 2023-24 high school boys basketball season.

There are hundreds of standout boys basketball players in Ohio, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive! You can discuss the other forwards worthy of fans’ attention in 2023-24 by connecting with us on Twitter @SBLiveOH or emailing ryan@scorebooklive.com.

(Note: All stats/information was gathered prior to the season starting)

T.J. Crumble, Richmond Heights, sophomore

After helping Cleveland Heights Lutheran East win the Division III state championship last winter, the 6-foot-8 Crumble transferred to last year’s Division IV state champs, Richmond Heights. He’s one of the top prospects in the 2026 class, already with offers from a list of schools that includes Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Illinois.

Gavin Dalen, Milford, senior

The 6-foot-9 Dalen averaged 12 points and nine rebounds and received honorable mention all-state honors last season for the Eagles.

Brayden Gross, Louisville, junior

Now in his third season with the Leopards, the 6-foot-6 Gross has been offered by Walsh. Last season, he averaged 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds and added 42 blocked shots.

Wendell Henry, Lakewood St. Edward, senior

Henry is a 6-foot-6 forward who helped the Eagles reach a Division I regional semifinal and go 21-3 last season. 

Sam Johnson, Worthington Christian, senior

This 6-foot-7 standout who has committed to Cedarville helped the Warriors earn a Division III state runner-up finish in 2021. Last season, he averaged 19 points while making second-team all-state.

Julius Kimbrough, Canton South, senior

After helping Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas win a Division III district title in 2022, the 6-foot-5 Kimbrough averaged 13.7 points and 5.6 rebounds last season for the Knights before transferring to South in the offseason.

Ian Ioppolo, Mentor, senior

A 6-foot-6 senior, Ioppolo averaged 22 points and seven rebounds and was third-team all-state in Division I last season as the Cardinals went 19-6.

Kingston Land, Archbishop Moeller, junior

Ladd, who stands 6-foot-8, has offers from Bryant, Ohio University and Xavier.

Tyler McKinley, Winton Woods, senior

A Cincinnati signee, the 6-foot-9 McKinley averaged 17 points and seven rebounds over his first two prep seasons while playing for Cincinnati Walnut Hills before playing last season in Missouri. He averaged 16 points and 8.5 rebounds through the Warriors’ first four games this winter.

Jason Moore, Marysville, senior

The 6-foot-7 Moore was honorable mention all-state in Division I Iastseason when he averaged 17.5 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Austin Niekamp, Marion Local, junior

Niekamp, who is 6-foot-8, helped the Flyers reach a Division IV regional final last season.

Jaden Payne, Youngstown Ursuline, senior

Last season, the 6-foot-7 Payne averaged 16.5 points while earning special mention all-state honors and helping the Fighting Irish earn a Division II district runner-up finish.

Eli Roberts, South Webster, junior

The 6-foot-7 Roberts averaged 18 points and was named special mention all-state honors in Division IV last winter.

Reece Robinson, St. Ignatius, senior

The 6-foot-8 Robinson averaged 14.5 points and nine rebounds through four games for the Wildcats, who reached a Division I regional semifinal a season ago.

Brady Rollyson, Uniontown Green, senior

The Ohio State baseball commit is a 6-foot-4 forward and four-year competitor who helped the Bulldogs share the Federal League title while averaging 15.7 points and eight rebounds last season.

Alex Smith, Upper Arlington, sophomore

One of the state’s top sophomore prospects is the 6-foot-9 Smith, who has offers from Bryant, Ohio University and Toledo. 

Jayquan Stubbs, Cleveland Heights, junior

Listed at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Stubbs has football offers from Akron, Bowling Green and Toledo but also is a standout for the boys basketball team. He began his prep career at Garfield Heights Trinity before transferring to Cleveland Heights.

Landon Vanderwarker, Delaware Hayes, junior

After spending his first two seasons at Northside Christian, one of the state’s top junior prospects at 6-foot-7 transferred to Delaware. Vanderwarker was first-team all-state in Division IV, averaging 22.8 points, 11.7 rebounds, three assists and 2.7 steals while leading his team to its first district title. He has offers from Ohio University and Virginia Commonwealth.

Jacob Wassler, St. Xavier, junior

Listed at 6-foot-11, Wassler has emerged this winter to average 13 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Bombers.

Jeremy Wilson, Richmond Heights, senior

Wilson, who is 6-foot-6, transferred in from Solon prior to last season to help the Spartans win the Division IV state title as he received honorable mention all-state honors.

(Feature photo of Richmond Heights' Jeremy Wilson by Ben Jackson, SBLive Sports)