Credit Russia coach Spencer Cordonnier for guiding the Raiders to an unbeaten season and the area favorite to win the Division VII title. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
With the boys basketball tournament just days away, who are the contenders, and who are the men who have put them in position to be there. Some thoughts….!
A discussion last week with area basketball fans evolved into coaching as it relates to the upcoming boys tournament.
“Could there be another area of the state where there are so many really good coaches?” someone asked. “And if you had to put your finger on some of them and what makes them what they are, who would you pick…and how could you leave someone out?”
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And in part his recognition is true about the collection of area coaches and how they’ve mentored their respective teams to a #1 or # 2 seed for those so talented, or even those who’ve done more with less…talent, size, and experience. And at the risk or leaving anyone off some subjective list…and to the reality that I’ve observed some more than others…let me share tribute to at least some of them, and why they are who they are.
I would start with Spencer Cordonnier at Russia, because he has all of the above – talent, size, and experience – and he’s avoided the pitfalls of an unsuspected Saturday night when someone knocks you off because you had a letdown from the night before. Cordonnier and the Raiders have made it through unbeaten, 22-0, and from my observation Cordonnier’s basketball IQ is not that much different from anyone else’s. But he coaches with a trust in his players that they’ve earned, and he’s done a masterful job of navigating the respective expectations of both players and the community. I would expect this to be Cordonnier’s last as a head basketball coach, and he’s approached it with an attitude of nothing ventured, nothing gained. And indeed, so have his players. Perfectly, so far, and the area favorite to win the Division VII title.
While I haven’t seen Tri-Village (20-2) in person yet, I have for years respected what Josh Sagester has accomplished with players of all sizes and degrees of ability. His best attribute as a coach? Sagester has really high expectations for himself, and he uses that without putting unrealistic pressure on his players. They just observe and do their best to make the most of the short time they have to play high school basketball. Because, basketball in the community of New Madison is like playing in the Super Bowl every Friday night. And that, too, is largely due to Josh Sagester.
Kurt Goettemoeller and Marion Local have frankly surprised me this year (20-2), because I didn’t believe they could put football behind them so quickly and find another, equally competitive gear. But credit Goettemoeller for doing it. They stress defense, and they are uber-competitive…because that’s what you are if you do anything at Marion Local. If you remember, Goettemoeller won a state title in 2018 with a group that reminds me a lot of the one he has currently – competitive, defense-minded, and not afraid to lose. Because, when you can play like that…you might just win.
I definitely didn’t see Tipp City and Brock Moon finishing 19-3, and outright champs of the Miami Valley League. A good season? Yes, but if you asked a hundred people outside of 45371 to name a starter at Tipp no one could do it…except teams that play against them. I credit Moon and a lot of what he says in timeouts, because I’ve overheard some of them from the baseline. It’s do what we know we can do the best we can, and let the other team make the adjustment to us. That’s paraphrasing, of course, but damned if it hasn’t served them well. A #2 seed in Division III.
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A lot of people in Miami and Shelby County don’t get to see Delphos St. John, but what Aaron Elwer does with a lineup of players 6’2″ or smaller is simply fun to watch. They’re small, they all run and they can all shoot from behind the three-point line…and Elwer has them convinced they can win that way. They’re 20-2 entering the tournament, a #1 seed in Division VII, and they defy the old saying about live by the three and you die by the three. Because, even if his son, Cam Elwer, isn’t having a good night, someone else is. They really do a great job of spreading it around. Speaking of Cam Elwer, he’s the most individually exciting of any player I’ve seen this year because of his shooting. And at the root of it all, that’s what the game is about. As a team they shoot 90% from the foul line.
At 16-5 and a #1 seed in Division II, I guarantee that most didn’t expect that kind of season from coach John Willoughby and the Sidney Yellow Jackets. But Sidney’s athletic and Willoughby knows exactly how to make the most of it because he grew up as a basketball player with that same likeness. Over the years I can’t think of many coaches who have better sideline instincts and recognition than Willoughby, and his players have followed his lead to a #1 seed in the tournament. Like I said, how many of you would have taken that bet in October? Not many.
At 16-6 a lot of people will overlook #1 seed Versailles, in Division V, playing in the Southwest V bracket. It’s easy to forget, but coach Travis Swank had a team much like this one in last year’s regional round of the tournament with a similar record. They get there because they play tough teams night after night, and that’s due to Swank. He’s as good a ‘big picture’ coach as you’ll find anywhere, always concerned with having his team ready to play when it matters most. This is his time of year.
Want one more? Few programs have had more physical challenges than Minster the past two seasons, and yet Mike McClurg has the Wildcats at 14-8 and a #2 seed in the tough Northwest Div. VII bracket, along with Delphos St. John. McClurg has some key pieces with Brogan Stephey, Kole Richard, and Cole Albers and orchestrates them well with role players that when I’ve seen them more often than not fill their role. Winners of five of their last six…and by no accident. On a given night, Stephey and Richard are about as good shooting the ball as you can see.
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