GWOC boys hoop coaches
1st season: Collin Abels, Northmont; Blair Albright, Fairmont; Pat Carlisle, Butler; Michael Holweger, Springboro; Nathan Short, Sidney.
2nd: Michael Bashore, Greenville; Brook Cupps, Centerville.
3rd: Heath Butler, Piqua; Matt Higgins, Lebanon; Rocky Rockhold, Trotwood-Madison.
4th: Isaiah Carson, Springfield.
5th: Kent Anderson, Xenia.
6th: John Ahrns, Beavercreek; Nathan Chivington, Fairborn; Travis Trice, Wayne.
7th: Tim Fries, Miamisburg; Tim Miller, Troy.
28th: Dan Gerhard, West Carrollton.
The best thing about taking over a high school sports team is there’s only one break-in season. And in Greater Western Ohio Conference boys varsity basketball, that’s something five new head coaches are juggling.
“It’s interesting. The GWOC had familiar faces for a long, long time,” reflected second-year Centerville coach Brook Cupps. “And rightly so; they were very successful in their stints. It’s a great opportunity for some of the new guys who are coming in.”
A fresh coaching movement has swept through the conference. Centerville defeated host Fairmont and its rookie coach Blair Albright 54-44 on Friday night.
Also in the GWOC Central, Collin Abels is in his first year as Northmont’s head coach following a messy ending for Jim Brown’s long tenure there. Nathan Short (Sidney), Pat Carlisle (Butler) and Michael Holweger (Springboro) also are first-year guys.
Cupps and Greenville’s Michael Bashore are in their second seasons.
Dan Gerhard of West Carrollton is the greybeard of the bunch. He’s the only head coach with double-digit seasons – 28 – and he’s on his second stint with the Pirates.
Ironically, this wasn’t the first time Cupps and Albright had matched wits. Both had met previously in the postseason when Cupps was at Graham and Albright at Columbus DeSales.
“We have some history,” Albright said. “I talked to him a little bit (on Friday) just for some guidance and advice about, ‘Hey, this is how I’m feeling. Is that how you felt, I hope? I’m hoping year two is a little better than year one.’ ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘definitely.’ ”
The Elks long ago bought into Cupps, but it took that break-in season of 2012-13. At 5-0, Centerville is a mirror of his great Graham teams: five interchangeable parts, none of which stands out individually, but together form a, well, team.
“The first year everybody was just getting to know him and learn the offense,” said Elks junior Joey Weingartner after putting a game-high 21 points on the Firebirds (1-2). “Now, it’s time to improve and progress from here.”
The Elks have done just that with a shut-down defense. Fairmont matched Lebanon’s 44 points against Centerville. The Elks stifled Troy, Fairborn and Piqua to 33 points or less.
Centerville will host Springboro on Sunday in a GWOC Challenge doubleheader. On Tuesday, Thurgood Marshall will visit. Centerville is at Wayne next Friday.
There goes Centerville’s undefeated season; or maybe not. If the Elks can successfully maneuver past that gauntlet, it’s a victory for the relative new guy in charge. There was no chance of that happening last season.
“There is no doubt,” Cupps said. “It is a night-and-day difference.”
That can’t happen soon enough at Fairmont, where the girls team set the bar as defending state champs.
“It is a process and you have to continually remind yourself of that,” Albright said. “You want every day to be taking a step forward and building brick by brick, but that’s not realistic. There’s an adjustment period that’s got to happen with us to the players and the players to the new system.”
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