6’8″ Minster center, Cole Albers, gets plenty of attention, on and off the court, because…you can’t coach size! (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The Wildcats are in northern Ohio playing good competition with the expectation that their experience at Midwest Live will help them be ready when practice starts in November.
Sandusky, OH — Near the shores of Lake Erie, where the catch-of-the-day perch tastes as good as you anticipated, a lot of basketball is being played this weekend.
Teams from all over Ohio and bordering states came to Cedar Point Sports Center for Midwest Live showcase. Across 10 courts, whistles and squeaky shoes replaced the screams of roller-coaster riders at nearby Cedar Point.
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The thrills, however, on the basketball court are measured. Summer basketball for high school teams is about coaches and players getting reacquainted and, in other cases, getting to know each other.
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Minster journeyed north for the second straight year to the invitation-only event organized by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.
“It’s one of the coolest events, all good teams, all well-coached,” Minster coach Mike McClurg said.
The Wildcats, a Division VII team, faced and lost to Division V schools Maumee Valley Country Day and Canton Central Catholic. But this event is not about scoreboard watching. The teams played hard and to win because it’s always more fun to win.
McClurg’s team plays its final games on Saturday against Genoa, another Division V team, and Freeland, Michigan. On the way home, McClurg will have time to reflect on the weekend. But after Friday’s games he already saw his team getting out of this weekend what he wants.
“We get to spend some time together as a group, learn about each other,” he said. “You figure out what your depth looks like, you figure out how you’re going to score, you figure out how you’re going to guard. That’s what you do in the summer.”
Minster coach Mike McClurg is ultra-watchful. “We’re exposed to some things now. And we’ve got to figure out what our depth looks like. That’s really the two main things I can say at this point.”
Maumee presented the challenge of guarding more quickness than the Wildcats typically face and a 7-footer, which they never see. Weaknesses were exposed, and there’s no better time than the summer to identify them and make plans to fix them when preseason practice begins.
“We’re really jumpy in how you close out on the basketball, and when it gets reversed,” McClurg said. “We’re exposed to that right now. And we got to figure out what our depth looks like. That’s really the two main things I’d say right now.”
The weekend is especially important for small schools like Minster. McClurg always gets a late start because of football playoffs. And this year the baseball team won the state title.
“You’ve got to get a lot of things figured out,” he said. “We get about a week together, where we get to spend some time, build some camaraderie, build some teamwork, and figure ourselves out on the court as well.”
McClurg has two spots figured out for sure. Cole McClurg, his son, will be his starting point guard for the fourth year. He runs the team and scores.
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“I feel like we got better, like the chemistry is getting there,” Cole McClurg said. “Next season can be an amazing season. Not going into the list of the things we want to do, but I feel like we could go really far in the tournament and do some really good things. This group can be really special.”
The other is 6-foot-8 center Cole Albers, who battled the 7-footer, should some good post moves and knocked down a couple 3-pointers.
Shooting was spotty, but Cole McClurg cashed this contested jumper in Saturday’s action against Maumee Valley Country Day.
“We had some positives, negatives, like always,” he said. “We’re still learning to play with each other. We’re only bringing back a couple guys from last year, starters-wise. I feel like everybody’s starting to figure out their roles. That’s been the whole goal of our summer. I feel like we got a lot of good coming out of today and this whole week.”
Both Coles also benefit from the exposure to college coaches who attend the event. McClurg said his son is looking to play Division III while Albers is a Division II prospect.
Albers has choices if he wants them. He has Division I offers to play tight end in football. But he’s waiting to see what colleges think of him as a post player developing his moves around the basket, as a three-point shooter and being a willing passer.
“Right now still trying to chase basketball, it’s been my dream,” Albers said. “But I still love football at the same time.”
There’s plenty of summer left to athletes to make decisions and coaches to prepare for the first practice, hoping the lessons learned in the summer haven’t been forgotten.
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