New Lue? Lutheran East lacks seniors, but not talent: 2024-25 boys basketball preseason tour

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — There are no seniors on Lutheran East’s roster. That is rare for most teams, and Sam Liggins will experience coaching such a squad for the first time. His program is coming off a second straight OHSAA Division III state championship and third in four years, but this team will have a drastically different look. The Falcons also will be in the new Division V and without 6-foot-10 center Jesse McCulloch, who is now at Michigan State. Liggins joked “the McCulloch Era” is now over, but the Falcons do not lack talent. Junior forward T.J. Crumble is back from Richmond Heights as a four-star prospect with several major college scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan and Virginia to Arizona State, Georgia Tech and LSU. Freshman guard Dylan Zeigler already has three offers from Creighton, Nebraska and Stanford while joining two returning guards in the backcourt with Chris Hill and Mal’si Pearson. Hill is the lone returning starter from last season’s state-title team. Check out the Falcons from their four-team scrimmage Wednesday at Brecksville-Broadview Heights on the cleveland.com preseason boys basketball tour with the video above. Below is a quick snapshot of the team: In the rotation: T.J. Crumble (6-7, jr., F), Dylan Zeigler (6-0, fr., G), Mal’si Pearson (5-11, jr., G), D.J. Jenkins (6-2, so., G), Jayden Nellemsbey (6-4, so., F), Muhammad Manigat (6-2, so., G), Ty Harrison Jr. (5-9, so., G), Devontey Perkins (6-7, so., F), Jerome Davis Nov. 30 vs. Olentangy Liberty at Reynoldsburg, Dec. 1 vs. Euclid at Cleveland Heights Great Lakes Classic, Dec. 6 vs. Bedford, Dec. 7 vs. Oak St. Mary at Novi Catholic Central Shamrock Classic (Mich.), Dec. 11 vs. Cleveland Heights, Dec. 19 vs. John Marshall, Dec. 22 vs. Warrensville Heights at Garfield Heights NEO Christmas Classic, Dec. 28 vs. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin Jan. 3 at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Jan. 5 vs. Garfield Heights at Baldwin Wallace, Jan. 10 at St. Vincent-St. Mary, Jan. 15 vs. Cleveland Central Catholic, Jan. 18 vs. Huntington Prep at Flyin’ to the Hoop in Dayton, Jan. 22 vs. St. Ignatius, Jan. 26 vs. SPIRE at Brush Chet Mason Invitational, Jan. 31 vs. Benedictine Feb. 4 at Maple Heights, Feb. 7 vs. Lutheran West, Feb. 11 at Mentor, Feb. 14 vs. Rhodes In case you missed it ⦁ The OHSAA has expanded to seven divisions: What’s changed? ⦁ Early preseason state rankings for all seven divisions ⦁ Ohio State commit Dorian Jones closing in on next level before last ride at Richmond Heights ⦁ T.J. Crumble taking on new role in familiar setting at Lutheran East ⦁ Is freshman Dylan Zeigler just heating up? ⦁ Cornerstone Christian’s Quinn ‘Turtle’ Kwasniak zeroing in on more OHSAA records