COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Caris Levert and the Cavs are in the midst of a battle for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference. There isn’t much separation between spots two through eight – the Cavs are right in the middle of the group and every game is crucial the final couple weeks of the season.

The former Pickerington Central basketball player is in his eighth NBA season and he’s averaging more than 13 points per game for Cleveland. Back home in Pickerington Levert paved the way for sustained success like the program never experienced before.

In Levert’s senior year not only did the Tigers make it to state for the first time but they also finished the job winning their first state championship. Levert was the best player on the team and he had company with Jae’Sean Tate who plays for the Houston Rockets and Taco Charlton who was a first round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017.

Since that breakthrough run in 2012, the Tigers returned to state in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023. They won the program’s second state championship in the ’22 run with Devin Royal and Sonny Styles.