The results were harsh and immediate — a 1-13 finish in her first season, followed by an 0-21 campaign a year later.
“Our first game out, we lost 81-3,” Guy said. “So that kind of tells you how things kind of went.”
Now, Dunbar is no longer measuring progress in moral victories.
The Wolverines are 5-4 overall this winter, undefeated in Dayton Public Schools play at 4-0, and once again sitting atop the DPS standings.
It’s proof that a long rebuild has turned into sustained belief.
“This has been a show,” Guy said. “Seeing the struggles, but also seeing some of the successes.”
The climb was anything but linear. After the winless season, Dunbar improved to 4-17 in 2023-24. Then came the breakthrough 17-6 finish last season — a 9-1 mark in DPS play and a league championship that validated four years of patience, development and buy-in.
“I had to start 13 or 14 freshmen, fresh off the COVID year,” Guy said. “It was bad. But over the years, it’s just been trying to get girls to buy into the program.”
That buy-in, Guy said, was never guaranteed. Many players were learning the game on the fly, balancing life challenges and discovering what commitment really meant.
“We deal with kids that got a lot going on,” Guy said. “It’s kind of hard to get kids to buy-in and actually be committed to something. But once they do, and once parents buy-in, we can do it.”
Word of mouth became Dunbar’s most powerful recruiting tool. Players who stayed helped bring others with them. Friends followed friends, and belief followed effort.
Last season’s senior class — Guy’s first full group to go from freshman to graduation — set the standard.
“They were just greedy,” Guy said. “They were tired of losing. And that mentality rubbed off on the kids that returned.”
That edge remains visible this season. Dunbar’s identity is built on toughness and pressure — a reflection of its coach.
“We’re a gritty team,” Guy said. “Hard-nosed. We like to get after it.”
The numbers support it. Senior forward Donisha Davis has emerged as one of the most dominant players in the city, averaging 16.8 points and a DPS-best 15.7 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Her presence anchors Dunbar on both ends and gives the Wolverines a consistent interior force.
“I got a guard and a post player that’s pretty good,” Guy said. “If I can get these other ones to buy-in — my role players to get their jobs done — I think we’ll be all right.”
One of those guards is Aunesty Ramey, who averages 11.6 points per game and has added perimeter scoring and defensive energy. Around them is a rotation that includes newcomers, first-time basketball players and young athletes still learning the speed and physicality of varsity play.
“This year, we have a lot of new kids,” Guy said. “Kids that didn’t even play basketball, that are learning the game and growing.”
To accelerate that growth, Guy has been intentional with scheduling. Dunbar plays teams from multiple divisions, exposing players to different styles, tempos and levels of discipline.
“I want them to see how other teams communicate, talk and work together,” Guy said. “We also take them to college games so they can see the camaraderie of girls at the next level.”
It’s all part of a vision that stretches beyond wins and losses — though wins are now coming more regularly.
“When people come watch us play,” Guy said, “they’re going to see a team that competes.”
From an 81-point loss to a league championship, from winless seasons to first place, Dunbar’s rise has been steady, earned and deeply personal for the coach who started the climb.
“We’re really starting from the bottom,” Guy said. “And building it all the way up.”
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