McComb, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, is a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Head coach Shawn McCullough left to be head coach at Springfield. McComb has drawn interest from Kent State, Miami, Toledo and Division II Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee.
“Anthony’s game has grown,” Rockhold said. “When he was younger he was really relying on the jump shot and relying on other guys creating for him and getting the ball to him. He’s always been able to shoot the ball well, but he definitely is doing a better job of really attacking the rim, which obviously fits what we do very well.”
Biggie Luster, another 6-2 senior guard, is moving to Trotwood from Rockford East in Illinois. Luster’s father is from Dayton and a Dunbar graduate and is moving with his son. Luster said there is a greater chance for a full season in Ohio.
“We were going day by day to see what the virus was going to do and just took our chances,” Luster said. “Dad gave me a choice, and I thought about it a little bit and said I want to go there.”
Luster is a high-percentage, left-handed shooting guard who has played at the point and guarded the other team’s best player. Luster was sixth man on a 34-4 East team that reached the state final his sophomore year. Last year he took on a leadership role and averaged 12 points. He has received recruiting interest from Division I Eastern Illinois and Indiana State and Division II Ferris State and King (Tenn.).
“He seems to shoot the ball really well and really looks like the kind of kid who can really stretch some defenses,” said Rockhold from what he’s seen on video. “We see a lot of zones. He may be able to help us with that.”
Bringing transfers into an established program culture doesn’t worry Rockhold. The Rams have averaged over 90 points a game the past three years, including 101 when they won the Division II state title in 2019.
“You can have multiple guys in our system – we’ve proven that,” Rockhold said. “We’re always excited when kids come to Trotwood or are a part of Trotwood. We feel like we’ve built a culture that allows seamless entry and exit with our guys.”
McComb and Luster will join a backcourt led by senior point guard Carter Mims. Rockhold wants the ball in Mims’ hands a lot. Mims, who is 5-5, averaged 11 points a game in only 14 games because of injury and played a lot of minutes for the state title team. At the Dayton Elite Open Gym event in July he showed he could score from the 3-point line and attack the basket against the best players in the area.
“He’s capable of doing it, he really is,” Rockhold said. “Undersized obviously, but I don’t know a lot of guys who can stay in front of him. He is lightning fast, and his shot is getting better and better.”
Courtney Blake, another 6-2 senior guard, averaged 11 points last year and is another good shooter. Also returning are Demontae Raglin, a 6-5 senior, Tymier Blanton, a 6-3 junior, and Sellers Little, a 5-8 junior, who backed up Mims at the point last year.
Youth will give the Rams even more depth. Sophomore Paul Woodard is a true point guard who played JV last year and had a good spring. Rockhold also expects three to four freshmen to contribute to varsity, led by 6-2 guard Delamarr Raglin, who is Demontae’s brother. The younger Raglin is rated as one of the top freshmen in Ohio.
“We’ll be able to play pretty much positionless other than to make sure we’ve got the ball in Carter’s hands early,” Rockhold said.
The Rams will be playing as an independent after leaving the Greater Western Ohio Conference. They have a challenging schedule against Lima Shawnee, Cincinnati Winton Woods, Cincinnati Hughes, Wayne, Centerville, a two-day event at Mount Vernon Nazarene and another invitation to Flyin’ To The Hoop, which probably means a high-level national opponent.
“We get a lot of folks who want to play against us,” Rockhold said. “I like the way our schedule has shaped up. It’s going to be good for us.”
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