There has been enough basketball success in the Lima area this year to keep even the most casual fans intrigued. The captivating story of Lima Senior High and Lima Central Catholic’s sensational seasons has, deservedly, captured headlines and chronicled two teams that will make deep runs in the tournament. Their remarkable drama has overshadowed another interesting story this season: the reinvigoration of the Perry and Shawnee basketball programs.
One of the truths I discovered in my own coaching career was that, often, the best coaching was being performed by leaders whose teams were struggling to win games. This is especially true for coaches who are trying to rebuild programs in the face of limited talent, inexperienced players and lofty expectations from booster clubs and parents who are sometimes blind to the reality of that challenge.
For Perry’s Matt Tabler, and Shawnee’s Mark Triplett, the enormous amount of time, energy and passion these coaches have invested in building their programs has begun to pay dividends.
Tabler, in his ninth season as the Commodores’ head coach, is no stranger to success. He was an important player on a couple of Lima Central Catholic teams in the early 1990s that advanced to state. His calling card was passion and intensity. He’s led the Commodores to four Northwest Central Conference titles in his tenure but this year’s edition is moving into unchartered territory. Perry’s 21 wins, and counting, marks the first time a Commodores basketball team has ever reached that plateau.
It’s not as if Perry lacks a proud history of basketball prosperity. The Commodore squads in the 1960s, led by coach Lenny Volbert, featured great players including the likes of Saul Allen, Otto Barcus and Walter McNeal. Believe me, they were the real deal. And when Perry paired Jimmy Conrad with Clay Tucker over a decade ago they were a force to behold. Conrad became a first team All-American at Ohio Northern University and Tucker has played professionally all over the world after his student-athlete days at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
This year’s Perry squad is led by the dynamic guard duo of Jakoby Lane Harvey and Plummie Gardner. Jakoby, voted the Player of the Year in the NWCC, leads the team in scoring (16.5 heading into Tuesday’s game) and assists (7.0) and Gardner is the Commodores’ best 3-point threat. Their sixth man, Orion Monfort, brings double figure scoring to the mix and the addition of 6 foot, 4 inch Kobe Glover at the semester helped move the Commodores to another level. Perry was scoring at a 72.0 points per game clip heading into Tuesday’s district semifinal against Fort Recovery, but coach Tabler is most impressed with his team’s defense. “We are dynamic on defense and put a lot of pressure on the ball,” he says. “Our defense is the catalyst for our offense.”
Perry won the sectional during the weekend and after Tuesday’s 57-54 victory against Fort Recovery, the Commodores will be playing for their first-ever district hoops crown Friday night. Regardless if it wins the district crown or not, the future is bright for Perry. The Commodores will return most of their key players next season and will be bolstered by the addition of talent from a junior-varsity squad that finished with a 17-5 record.
Shawnee’s Mark Triplett took over the reins of the Indians’ program three years ago at the tender age of 25. Shawnee claimed only 16 wins in the previous four seasons before his arrival and presented the youthful Triplett with a daunting challenge. “I had to learn on the fly,” Triplett says. His advantage was his familiarity with his athletes. Triplett coached the present senior class of basketball players when they were in junior high and, together, they have reset the course of the Indian program. After back to back eight win seasons, Shawnee broke through this year, winning 14 regular season games and earning a bye in the sectional tournament.
Despite recent difficult times, Shawnee boasts an illustrious history of basketball greatness. Jeff Miller, one of the best players ever in our area, led the Indians to their first berth at state in 1965 before embarking on a promising career at Ohio State University. That began an era of basketball royalty at Shawnee that included Bruce Burden (Kent State), Jeff Stocksdale (Indiana) and Dan Perry (Kentucky), all of whom played division one basketball. Coach Jeff Heisten led the Indians to their second trip to state in 2000 and shortly after, Lamar Butler burst on the scene, winning Ohio’s coveted Mr. Basketball and then enjoyed a solid career at Ohio State University.
Coach Triplett, who played at St. Marys Memorial High School, is quick to credit his seniors for Shawnee’s success this season. “They really wanted to be the group that turned it around,” Triplett declared. “And they bought in to our emphasis on defense and unselfishness.” The seniors have provided a blueprint for winning for the younger players in the program. “It’s all about making a commitment to improve in the offseason,” says Triplett says.
Shawnee was led by its remarkable point guard, Jaden O’Neal, who was recently named Player of the Year in the Western Buckeye League. It seems like only yesterday that I watched Jaden step out on the court as a shy and diminutive freshman in the Tip Off Classic. Jaden’s body was not quite ready to compete at that level, but his heart, poise and basketball IQ have always been way ahead of the game. O’Neal is now the complete package, averaging 23 points a game with 5 assists this season, and is a major reason Shawnee has ascended. Sean McDonald provided the Indians with another explosive scorer and the team had eight different players who scored in double figures in at least one game this season.
Shawnee fell to Elida in the sectional final during the weekend but with three starters and seven lettermen returning next season, look for the Indians to continue their rise to prominence.
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