“Sometimes I might not give them enough credit for how good they are. Or how much time they put into preparation – how confident they are,” – Delphos St. John coach Aaron Elwer (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Aaron Elwer’s focus on basketball, and patience for talent to develop and trust in each other, delivered Delphos St. John its first OHSAA basketball championship in 24 years.
Delphos St. John boys basketball coach Aaron Elwer doesn’t speak about it, specifically. He’s never made mention of it in an interview.
Not with this reporter, anyway.
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But his ability to focus and be single-minded about his players, their talents, and their goal to be a champion was a noted element to the Blue Jays winning the OHSAA Division VII basketball title last week, their first in 24 years (2002), and just the fourth in school history.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
That, and his son Cam, of course…a first team all-state player and runner-up for Ohio’s Mr. Basketball recognition.
And, there was more…an enviable roster of complementing players eager and efficient to shoot the three-point shot (nearly 50% for the year).
Delphos St. John, by the way, is where iconic hall of fame coach Bob Arnzen toiled for 43 years and won 676 games, but only one state championship in 1983, despite finishing runner-up twice…in 1954 and 1973.
Those are long stretches between drinks of water, and for his quenching that long-suffered thirst this year Aaron Elwer is honored with our Press Pros area boys Coach of The Year recognition.
Denied last year by losing in the regional round of the tournament, Elwer admits to having apologized for falling short to his oldest of two two sons playing for him (Cam).
“I don’t know why I apologized to him, but I just did,” says Elwer.
“And all he said to me was, ‘Next year, Dad.’ I’ll never forget that.”
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Elwer, along with Cam, junior son Andrew, and nephew Easton Elwer made good on the prediction, running the table in 2026 with 28 wins, wire-to-wire ranking as the state’s #1 in Division VII, and a style of basketball that rival coaches pointed to as the perfect example of talent, focus, and willing to share the ball.
Thanks to senior leadership, the Blue Jays made a regular habit of showing up at the gym before sunup for voluntary shooting. And it’s no coincidence that they led the MAC conference in scoring, shooting percentage, and carried the reputation of being a multi-edged sword to defend against.
Delphos St. John coach Aaron Elwer acknowledges their first OHSAA state title in 24 years after their Division VII win over neighboring Kalida.
Furman University assistant coach Pat Estepp shared with me in early January that Cam Elwer, alone, “Is one of the truly elite shooters, nationally, in high school basketball.”
St. Clairsville High School coach Ryan Clifford described defending the Blue Jays this way after losing in a holiday exhibition game in Columbus.
“It’s discouraging,” said Clifford. “You do a pretty good job in defending Cam because you have no choice, only to have him him pass to another shooter who’s going to make a three-pointer, anyway. I know the family thing is an advantage, but their ability and instinct for each other is something you don’t see every day.”
And it’s something that without talking about, Aaron Elwer has nurtured for the past four years, realizing that his collection of talent and commitment was that rare, and that genuine.
“I’ve never allowed myself to become overwhelmed with pressure [to win],” says Elwer. “Because, as the games got bigger and the time [tournament] got closer my emotions got better because I knew the kind of guys we have.
“They just kept doing it, and they did it every day. This group had everybody’s back, and they gave me a lot of peace of mind.”
And yet…..
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“Sometimes I might not give them enough credit for how good they are. Or for how much time they put into preparation – how confident they are,” said Elwer following their 66-36 dismantling of Division VI #1 Marion Local in January, Marion’s only regular-season loss.
True or not, he managed it all perfectly, avoiding the pitfalls that come with being undefeated…and over-confident. And there were some close calls.
When he talked about it following the Jays’ overtime win against Lima Central Catholic in January, Elwer smiled and said, “We did not play our best basketball game, and it’s not always going to be as easy as it’s been.
“But our response at different times is just a credit to what we’ve developed through being together, our overall toughness.”
Through a singleness of purpose, perhaps?
A different level of trust?
Because they were relatively injury-free, and fresh entering basketball season? None of them played football.
There’s no one answer for winning a title in anything.
But notwithstanding, Aaron Elwer was the one who held the reins throughout, and guided them through to one of the more impressive title stories in recent OHSAA basketball history – certainly in recent St. John’s history.
The family thing, for sure, in Ryan Clifford’s words.
And their talent and instinct for each other is something you just don’t see every day – all those sunup shooting sessions!
Our congratulations to Aaron Elwer for seeing it through…our 2026 Press Pros area Coach of The Year in boys basketball.
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