CHS enters final year as part of South Central
By
Bob Patton-
The 1989-90 SCOL basketball season would be beginning very soon. Washington C.H. and Hillsboro seemed to be the favorites to take the league title this season.
At Miami Trace, Coach Harold Rose had ridden off into the sunset following an 0-21 season (6-35 for his two years at Trace). He was replaced by Kirk Hardman, who became the sixth head basketball coach in the past nine years at Miami Trace.
Hardman would have 6’6” Brad Guthrie and 6’3” Todd Henry, both of whom saw considerable action the previous season. But beyond that, the cupboard was pretty bare. There was practically no speed on this roster. It could be a long, cold winter at Trace.
Circleville would be in their final season as a member of the South Central League. Tiger head coach Tom Hamman would be in his ninth year at Circleville. Hamman was well-liked in the SCOL. He was a tough competitor, but he was admired and respected by everyone. Alluding to the rapid turnover of SCOL coaches, Hamman commented, “One thing about being in the SCOL is that you get to meet a lot of coaches.” That had certainly been true in the last 10 or 12 years.
Hamman doubted that his team would be able to rebound and play post defense against Washington and Hillsboro. Also, a lack of experienced players posed a problem for the Tigers.
The veteran coach figured that the red-and-black would have to play superb perimeter defense in order to compete against SCOL teams.
Hamman picked Washington to win the league with both Hillsboro and McClain in the thick of the battle as well.
At McClain, Coach Rick Van Matre had become known for a very deliberate, highly structured offense and a sticky defense. That was just McClain’s game, and you could expect it when the Tigers came to town.
This year, however, the veteran mentor was predicting that area fans would see more of a “run-and-shoot” game pattern from the Tigers. As one area coach joked, “That means they will fast break at least once in each game.”
The purple-and-gold had little size but had more team speed than they had enjoyed for several years. If they could rebound, they figured to get it out and run up and down the floor.
The Tigers had lost All-SCOL scoring star Shane Anderson and Donnie Yates due to graduation. They would not be easy to replace. But speedy guard Kile Cameron would be back, along with Ashley Rannells and Marcus Coleman. The Tigers would have a little more depth than last year, which gave them a few more options. All in all, area fans looked for McClain to be in contention for the league title in 1989-90.
Across the county in Hillsboro, Coach Joe Stewart would face a challenge trying to defend last year’s SCOL championship. He was beginning his eighth year as a head coach and his third at Hillsboro. He had built an overall record of 105 wins and 55 losses, but he was 39-5 at Hillsboro. Hard hit by graduation, the Indians had lost All-Ohio Scott Cumberland, with his 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, along with All-SCOL guard Tom Stanforth and point guard Pat Gilliland. Gilliland ran the offense skillfully, leaving most of the heroics to the other players, but he was an important cog in the machine and would not be easy to replace. The three players who had graduated represented 57 percent of the scoring and about 60 percent of the rebounds. It would be a real challenge for them to duplicate last year’s performance.
Stewart, however, had demonstrated a knack for preparing his teams and for developing an effective game plan. While he had lost three starters, he did return eight experienced players from last season, including All-SCOL Rhett Snyder and perimeter scorer Mike Nartker. In addition, 6’ 7” Kevin Gale was back, having lost 17 pounds over the summer, giving him much more mobility and allowing him to fit into the offensive and defensive patterns more smoothly.
The Indians would not roll over for anybody. They would be in contention again this season.
Art Myers would be entering his third season at Wilmington, his 17th varsity season overall. Last year’s 6-15 mark was something that he was unaccustomed to. He didn’t enjoy it, and he was working hard to avoid a repeat.
Senior Chris Patton would be back from last year’s team, along with juniors Mike Mertz and Mike Campbell, both of whom saw a lot of varsity action last season as sophomores. Myers expected the Hurricane to contend for the league title, but he conceded that Washington and Hillsboro had to be the favorites, with McClain also a possibility.
Last but not least, Washington C.H. under veteran head coach Gary Shaffer would be trying to replace four key players who graduated last year. Chief among the four was four-year starter Rob Pittser, who averaged 19 points, five assists and four rebounds and was arguably the best three-point shooter in the SCOL. Pittser moved on to Greenwood, S.C., playing for legendary coach Finis Horne at Lander College.
Also gone were Kevin Gibbs, Delmar McCrary and Mark Thomas. But 6’1” All-District Aaron Kidney was back, a senior this year, and 6’3” Ben Davis and 6’2” Jason Stuckey would be counted on to rebound, while excellent outside shooter Matt Warning (5’10”) would compete with transfer student Terry Rose for the fifth starter spot. It was even possible that 6’0”
sophomore Jason Pittser (Rob’s younger brother) would see some varsity action.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
At Miami Trace, Coach Harold Rose had ridden off into the sunset following an 0-21 season (6-35 for his two years at Trace). He was replaced by Kirk Hardman, who became the sixth head basketball coach in the past nine years at Miami Trace.
Hardman would have 6’6” Brad Guthrie and 6’3” Todd Henry, both of whom saw considerable action the previous season. But beyond that, the cupboard was pretty bare. There was practically no speed on this roster. It could be a long, cold winter at Trace.
Circleville would be in their final season as a member of the South Central League. Tiger head coach Tom Hamman would be in his ninth year at Circleville. Hamman was well-liked in the SCOL. He was a tough competitor, but he was admired and respected by everyone. Alluding to the rapid turnover of SCOL coaches, Hamman commented, “One thing about being in the SCOL is that you get to meet a lot of coaches.” That had certainly been true in the last 10 or 12 years.
Hamman doubted that his team would be able to rebound and play post defense against Washington and Hillsboro. Also, a lack of experienced players posed a problem for the Tigers.
The veteran coach figured that the red-and-black would have to play superb perimeter defense in order to compete against SCOL teams.
Hamman picked Washington to win the league with both Hillsboro and McClain in the thick of the battle as well.
At McClain, Coach Rick Van Matre had become known for a very deliberate, highly structured offense and a sticky defense. That was just McClain’s game, and you could expect it when the Tigers came to town.
This year, however, the veteran mentor was predicting that area fans would see more of a “run-and-shoot” game pattern from the Tigers. As one area coach joked, “That means they will fast break at least once in each game.”
The purple-and-gold had little size but had more team speed than they had enjoyed for several years. If they could rebound, they figured to get it out and run up and down the floor.
The Tigers had lost All-SCOL scoring star Shane Anderson and Donnie Yates due to graduation. They would not be easy to replace. But speedy guard Kile Cameron would be back, along with Ashley Rannells and Marcus Coleman. The Tigers would have a little more depth than last year, which gave them a few more options. All in all, area fans looked for McClain to be in contention for the league title in 1989-90.
Across the county in Hillsboro, Coach Joe Stewart would face a challenge trying to defend last year’s SCOL championship. He was beginning his eighth year as a head coach and his third at Hillsboro. He had built an overall record of 105 wins and 55 losses, but he was 39-5 at Hillsboro. Hard hit by graduation, the Indians had lost All-Ohio Scott Cumberland, with his 21 points and 11 rebounds per game, along with All-SCOL guard Tom Stanforth and point guard Pat Gilliland. Gilliland ran the offense skillfully, leaving most of the heroics to the other players, but he was an important cog in the machine and would not be easy to replace. The three players who had graduated represented 57 percent of the scoring and about 60 percent of the rebounds. It would be a real challenge for them to duplicate last year’s performance.
Stewart, however, had demonstrated a knack for preparing his teams and for developing an effective game plan. While he had lost three starters, he did return eight experienced players from last season, including All-SCOL Rhett Snyder and perimeter scorer Mike Nartker. In addition, 6’ 7” Kevin Gale was back, having lost 17 pounds over the summer, giving him much more mobility and allowing him to fit into the offensive and defensive patterns more smoothly.
The Indians would not roll over for anybody. They would be in contention again this season.
Art Myers would be entering his third season at Wilmington, his 17th varsity season overall. Last year’s 6-15 mark was something that he was unaccustomed to. He didn’t enjoy it, and he was working hard to avoid a repeat.
Senior Chris Patton would be back from last year’s team, along with juniors Mike Mertz and Mike Campbell, both of whom saw a lot of varsity action last season as sophomores. Myers expected the Hurricane to contend for the league title, but he conceded that Washington and Hillsboro had to be the favorites, with McClain also a possibility.
Last but not least, Washington C.H. under veteran head coach Gary Shaffer would be trying to replace four key players who graduated last year. Chief among the four was four-year starter Rob Pittser, who averaged 19 points, five assists and four rebounds and was arguably the best three-point shooter in the SCOL. Pittser moved on to Greenwood, S.C., playing for legendary coach Finis Horne at Lander College.
Also gone were Kevin Gibbs, Delmar McCrary and Mark Thomas. But 6’1” All-District Aaron Kidney was back, a senior this year, and 6’3” Ben Davis and 6’2” Jason Stuckey would be counted on to rebound, while excellent outside shooter Matt Warning (5’10”) would compete with transfer student Terry Rose for the fifth starter spot. It was even possible that 6’0”
sophomore Jason Pittser (Rob’s younger brother) would see some varsity action.
(Continued next week.)
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]