by News Release PER – Ohio Prep Sports Media Association
For Immediate Release – March 20, 2025
Garfield Heights Junior Marcus Johnson Named Ohio Mr. Basketball
Marcus and Sonny Johnson (1998) are the first father-son duo to win the prestigious award
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior Marcus Johnson of Garfield Heights High School was named 2025 Ohio Mr. Basketball on Thursday by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association. Marcus Johnson gives his family the first father-son Mr. Basketball combination in Ohio history. His father, Sonny, now the head coach at Garfield Heights, won the award as a player at Garfield Heights in 1998.
Johnson will be presented with the award this weekend at the University of Dayton Arena during the OHSAA state boys basketball championships, a stage his team nearly reached before a 49-48 loss Sunday to Louisville in the Division III state semifinals. Johnson, a finalist last season as a sophomore, and has been an All-Ohio first-team selection since his freshman year.
Johnson won this season’s award with 110 points from the statewide panel. Delphos St. John’s junior Cam Elwer was the runner-up with 48 points and Olentangy Orange senior Devin Brown, whose team will play Saturday night for the Division I state championship, placed third in the voting with 43 points. Other finalists included Steubenville senior Aiden Davis, Brunswick junior Trey Drexler, and Kettering Archbishop Alter senior RJ Greer.
Now in its 38th year, the prestigious Mr. Basketball award was first given by the Associated Press in 1988. It has been voted on by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association since 2017.
