OHSAA boys basketball state finals: Westerville North, Olentangy Orange
Westerville North (DII), Columbus Academy (DV), Reynoldsburg and Olentangy Orange (DI) compete in the OHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship title games at University of Dayton Arena.
The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and several former central Ohio basketball players have had a hand in their respective teams getting this far.
The Houston Rockets have three Columbus-area connections, including 2005 Westland graduate Josh Bostic, who is in second season as a development coach.
Bostic joined Houston in October of 2023, having retired in 2022 following a professional career that was mainly overseas.
The Rockets, seeded second in the Western Conference, trail No. 7 Golden State 2-1 in their best-of-seven first-round series. Game 4 is 10 p.m. Monday at Golden State.
“It’s an exciting time to be a Rocket,” Bostic said. “I’m one of the player development coaches and video coordinators, so I’m working directly with the players in skill development and showing them video. … (I’m) going over what we worked on and what we see, and I’m also preparing scouting videos and scouting reports (and) grabbing clips for some of the head assistants. I’m learning and being a sponge.”
Bostic hopes his coaching career continues to blossom.
“I never thought about coaching during my playing career, but when the time came, it just kind of actually flowed in and I love it,” he said. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I don’t like to put a title on what (my future) is. I know I want to be dealing with players in some capacity. Whatever that title is, so be it is my attitude. I want to be attached to the game.”
After graduating from Westland, where he starred in basketball and football, Bostic went on to a standout basketball career at Findlay, helping the Oilers win the NCAA Division II national title in 2009. He earned Player of the Year honors that season for NCAA Division II, the Midwest Region and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Bostic still has close ties to the Columbus area. His parents, Jerome and Linda, remain in central Ohio, and Bostic returned to Westland in June of 2023 when his No. 22 basketball jersey was retired during a ceremony in the school’s gym.
“I made it back for (the number retirement),” Bostic said. “That was really special just knowing it’s been a long journey from those Westland days to be here now. To be able to go back and experience that was amazing.”
Bostic, 37, also remains in contact with former Westland athletic director Greg Burke.
“He’s seen it all and with him and his personality and the smile that he has, Houston has made a really good choice in bringing him in,” Burke said. “Any team in the NBA would want that type of experience and personality representing them on the court and on the sideline.”
Here are other central Ohio connections to the NBA playoffs:
Mike Conley Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves point guard played one season for Ohio State in 2006-07, and it was a memorable one.
The Buckeyes won Big Ten regular season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA national championship game, falling 84-75 to Florida to finish 37-4.
Conley left OSU after his freshman season and was the No. 4 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, selected by Memphis. He also has played for Utah in what is now an 18-year NBA career.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves lead the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers 3-1 in their Western Conference first-round series. The Lakers host Game 5 at 10 p.m. April 30.
Neil Johnson, Houston Rockets
A graduate of Dublin Jerome and Ohio State, Johnson has spent three years in the Rockets’ front office, focusing on analytics.
Johnson is director of quantitative research and development, with his job focusing on tracking player data.
He graduated from Ohio State in 2013 with a computer science and engineering degree.
Johnson played basketball and baseball at Jerome, graduating in 2009.
Chris Quinn, Miami Heat
A standout point guard at Dublin Coffman and Notre Dame, Quinn is Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s right-hand man.
Quinn is associate head coach. This is his 11th season on Miami’s staff.
The eighth-seeded Heat are down 3-0 to top-seeded Cleveland in their opening-round Eastern Conference series. Game 4 is 7:30 p.m. Monday at Miami.
“Two things that always stood out about Chris as a player (were) his ability to communicate and connect with people of all ages and backgrounds and his understanding of the game,” said Jamey Collins, who coached Quinn at Coffman. “Watching those two things carry over into his coaching career and his rise through the coaching ranks has been awesome to watch. He clearly has the respect of all of the players and coaches he is working with.”
A 2002 Coffman graduate, Quinn was named Dispatch Player of the Year as a senior. He played in the NBA for Miami, New Jersey, San Antonio and Cleveland and also played overseas before retiring in 2013.
After serving as director of player development at Northwestern for one year, Quinn joined the Heat in September of 2014.
Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets
A 2014 graduate of Pickerington Central who went on to play at Ohio State, Tate is in his fifth season with Houston after previously playing overseas.
The forward has yet to play in the postseason after suffering a right ankle injury late in the regular season.
Tate helped Central win the 2012 Division I state championship.
“Jae’Sean is my guy,” Bostic said. “We talk often and we get to work on the court together. It’s truly a blessing to see someone from the same area, knowing what I know about Columbus and how tough things can be and how many really good athletes there are from the city. To make it out is a blessing. I love having a fellow 614 guy so I can yell ‘O-H’ and I can hear that ‘I-O’ back.”
Gary Trent Jr., Milwaukee Bucks
Born in Columbus, Trent Jr. is a guard for Milwaukee, which trails Indiana 3-1 in an Eastern Conference first-round series. The fifth-seeded Bucks face elimination when they visit fourth-seeded Indiana for Game 5 at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Trent’s father, Gary Sr., played at Hamilton Township before starring at Ohio University. He was drafted by Milwaukee in 1995 and played for Portland, Toronto, Dallas and Minnesota.
Trent Jr. played high school basketball in Minnesota and California. He played collegiately at Duke before being drafted by Sacramento in 2018 and also has played for Portland and Toronto.
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.