St. John’s Cam Elwer seeks to break the all-time MAC scoring mark of 2,046 points against Minster tonight, in Delphos. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Someone recently called it the ‘sophisticated’ season, where you can dressed predictably, stay dry, and marvel at the shooting skills of a teenage high school basketball player like Delphos St. John’s Cam Elwer. And the Press Pros coverage season begins tonight with an irresistible sampling in Divisions V and VII.
My former high school basketball coach, Dave Zeller, once characterized the sport of basketball in the most simplistic way possible.
“People come out because they want to see someone put the ‘thing’ in the ring,” said Zeller. “They want to see kids shoot the ball, simple as that. You do that and they’ll go home with a smile on their face. If you don’t, next week they’re going to go someplace else. Simple as that.”
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Dave Zeller, who high school coach Frank Shannon once claimed…”was the best high school shooter I’ve ever seen.”
Well, Zeller was onto something because his high school coach at Tecumseh High School, Frank Shannon (circa 1957), once called him the best high school shooter he had ever seen…later playing at Miami University and with the Cincinnati Royals in the National Basketball Association.
And during his time at Piqua High School (1970-’92) Zeller developed some players who could, likewise, put the thing in the ring, including Bernard Newman, who followed in his footsteps as a collegiate player at Miami.
So true to his words, if you ask the average person why they enjoy high school basketball they’re going to say…”I don’t go to watch defense. I want to watch the skills of the game. I like to see players that can shoot.”
Maravich…Curry…Bird…Jordan…Durant…and for those old enough to remember, a guy named Gail Goodrich who played during Zeller’s era for John Wooden, at UCLA. Shooters….! People don’t remember defense and rebounders.
And currently, in the Miami Valley, if you enjoy the skill of putting the thing in the ring you can go to Delphos St. John tonight and see senior Cam Elwer, who recently committed to play his college basketball at Division I Furman University…because you know what? He can shoot it.
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And Elwer and the Blue Jays (typically a team full of guys who can shoot it) open area high school basketball coverage tonight on Press Pros when they host the Minster Wildcats in a MAC Conference game in Delphos…in a tiny little gym they lovingly call ‘the Vatican’, the perfect atmosphere for people who get excited over high school basketball.
Elwer averaged about 25 points a game last year for the 20-win Blue Jays before being knocked out of the OHSAA tournament in the district final round. And tonight the Jays get to test the waters of conference play against a Minster team that features 6’7″ senior forward Cole Albers and a determined defense out to stop Elwer from breaking the all-time MAC scoring record, currently held by Versailles’ Justin Ahrens. Elwer needs 30 points to do that.
Versailles’ Drake Ahrens leads the Tigers in a MAC Conference opener tonight against Parkway.
In addition, Press Pros will also feature another MAC game tonight when the the 2-1 Versailles Tigers host Parkway (1-1).
And in Shelby County League action, we’ll see the defending state champions, and revamped Russia Raiders (1-1) when they play at Jackson Center (1-1).
And if you’re a high school basketball fan you could hardly ask for three more interesting matchups.
Minster at Delphos poses the challenge of size and motivation to slow down Elwer against the overwhelming shooting skills of a Blue Jays team that might not start anyone taller than 6’2″ – a team full of players named Elwer…brothers and cousins…who can all make shots.
Versailles returns the majority of its lineup that won 15 times last year (15-12), including senior point guard, Drake Ahrens.
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Parkway is coached by veteran Doug Hughes, who guided the Panthers to a 15-win season last year before losing in the district round of the tournament.
Russia, of course, swept through OHSAA Division VII last year, winning the Raiders first state basketball title, and in its 1,000th program victory. But that team was senior-laden and this year first-year coach Devin Limburg will spend a good bit of early time mixing and matching his lineup for fit and efficiency.
Jackson Center is in its third season under coach Aaron Klopfenstein, coming off a 15-10 season in 2024-’25.
But in area Division VII Friday, all eyes will be on Delphos St. John and the remarkable challenge of holding Cam Elwer from his pursuit of the all-time scoring mark in Midwest Athletic Conference basketball…2,046 points!
“We’re a smaller team, so we’ve got to separate ourselves in different ways, whether that’s making shots or guarding or just being more tough than the other team,” said Elwer during a summer showcase appearance in Sandusky, Ohio.
And like Maravich, Curry, and Bird…the best-known shooters of their era…the Blue Jays’ guard is not shy about jacking up shots.
“I’m confident in myself, said Elwer following a 73-49 win over Minster last year. “The guys are confident in me, and I have confidence in them. They’re going to feed off me and I’m going to make a play for them.
That was then…Russia faces a rebuild after winning the 2024-’25 OHSAA Div. VII title last year.
“We know we’re going to get the best from everyone and we don’t mind that bullseye on our back. It’s exciting. I hope we play well every single game.”
So this is how we start the basketball season, and with expanded coverage for the upcoming season to showcase more of the rising names seeking to become another Cam Elwer. And can it happen?
“It depends on how hard you work at it,” Zeller used to say, who at 40 years of age could still make a hundred free throws in a row after practice. “When I started out that’s all we did…in a gym, in a barn, anywhere. I probably put up 30,000 shots a year.
“And I know this,” he would say. “Good things happen when you do. It’s what people come to see.”
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