An outstanding 6-foot-6 junior at Upper Arlington High School, Dane Goodwin quickly won over a capacity afternoon crowd in Day 3 of the 15th Annual Premier Health Flyin’ to the Hoop at Trent Arena on Sunday. He bottomed 4 of 9 three-pointers, eight free throws and scored 34 points in a 62-34 knockout of overmatched Garfield Heights. And that’s not all.
Goodwin also had 13 rebounds, two assists and showed a grittiness that perfectly complemented his all-around game. His father might have mentioned UD a time or two, but Dane verbally committed four days before the season to Ohio State.
“Growing up we spent a lot of time (at UD),” said Dane, who’s averaging nearly 30 points. “Obviously, with my dad going there it’s a special school. We play (basketball) all the time. We post up and go one-on-one. He’s a good mentor to me and helps out a lot with my game. He’s my role model.”
Dane said he didn’t receive an offer from UD. Flyers coach Archie Miller and Damon met last year when Damon took the season off to recover from leukemia. He’s back coaching the Capital University men’s team this season.
Upper Arlington is coached by former Fairmont coach Tim Casey, an Upper Arlington grad who led Wittenberg to a national championship as a senior.
“He makes you a good coach,” Casey said of Dane Goodwin. “You get one of those every 10 years if you’re lucky. He doesn’t really have a weakness in his game. He can shoot, drive and has a mid-range touch. He’s starting to defend at a high level and he’s the most natural rebounder I’ve ever coached.”
It was the first time Casey had returned to Fairmont since he left 17 years ago. Trent Arena wasn’t built when he guided the Firebirds.
• There’s an intriguing reason why Akron St. Vincent-St. Marys coach Dru Joyce has made Dayton an annual midseason stop.
“I’ve always said that basketball in Southwest Ohio is much more mature than basketball in Northeast Ohio,” said Joyce. “Let’s just say you guys understand the game and they play harder down here. You’ve got more players. Look at your college situation. We can’t fill out Akron, Cleveland State or Kent State and you’ve got three down here that have attendance capacities. Basketball is a more mature sport here.”
The Irish were roasted 100-61 at Trotwood-Madison on Saturday and rebounded with a 64-56 defeat of Pickerington North at Flyin’ on Sunday. St. V often plays at Dunbar or Thurgood Marshall or Trotwood, then at Flyin’.
“I told the guys, the great thing about God’s Kingdom is every day you can start over,” he said. “They had some meetings (Friday night) amongst themselves. We’re better than what we showed at Trotwood. We don’t like losing like we did (to Trotwood), but we’re happy coming down.”
• Any chance Flyin’ could land on TV?
“That is the next evolution,” creator Eric Horstman said. “For us, that’s going to be the next issue, to try and figure out television. I’m biased, but you hear other coaches, media and college coaches who are here, they wonder the same thing. The venue and atmosphere is incredible and made for TV.”
Horstman said a hiccup is the HoopHall Classic at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., which is anchored on the same weekend as Flyin’. The Classic already lands live games from relatively nearby ESPN headquarters at Bristol, Conn.
Time Warner Cable and FOX Sports 1 haven’t taken the Flyin’ bait yet. All Flyin’ games can be heard on a webstream and some local radio stations involving their local teams.
• The recruitment of Gahanna Lincoln 6-7 sophomore forward Jordan Mitchell has spiked. He listed Wisconsin, Kansas, Indiana and Michigan among the many programs that have hiked their interest. Ohio State and Xavier already had offered him.
“There’s been more pressure on me,” Mitchell said after scoring a game-high 18 points in a 86-42 hammering of Thurgood Marshall in Day 3’s opener.
“As the season has gone I’ve strived more and more to take on a leading role. … This is a good experience and it’s a good atmosphere out there.”
• Huntington Prep’s Rasir Bolton on a 3 with 1.4 seconds left to beat Prolific Prep 66-64: “I was supposed to take the shot in my mind.”
A Virginia native, Bolton is a longtime veteran of high-level AAU ball, but there was a learning curve to overcome when he arrived at Huntington.
“I was the new kid,” admitted the 6-3 guard, among the nation’s most sought-after juniors. “You just have to work hard and win their confidence and they trusted me to hit the game winner.”
It was a reversal of last year’s outcome when Prolific defeated Huntington on a last-second shot.
• West Virginia coach Bob Huggins made his annual trek to Flyin’. He’s been a regular since the event was held at Vandalia and is always a fan favorite. Wright State coach Scott Nagy also watched a couple games.
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