One of the only bad things about the Ohio High School Basketball Tournament is that only about five teams in the entire state get to end their season with a win. For the rest, the season ends with a loss that brings careers to an end and the sudden realization that you probably won't get to play again with the guys you've been playing with year around since about the sevent grade. If those teammates are also your friends (which they usually are), it's a tough deal.
Unfortunately, Saturday's 42 - 32 loss to Westerville South in the Central District Finals meant the end of a fine season and an end to some fine careers at Worthington. The Cardinals finished with a 19 - 5 record and as district finalist. They certainly have a lot to be proud of.
Seniors graduating from this team are: Taylor Hobbs, Justin Hallowell, Wade Mickey, Kyler Cowgill, Jarrett Cowgill, Casey Jewett, Nidal Abu Kweik, Gavin Banks and Chris Nocar. A fine group of young men who represented themselves, their school, and their families very well throughout their entire careers.
Here is the write up in the Columbus Dispatch about the game:
Westerville South 42Thomas Worthington 32
Dominant defensive effort
Wildcats harass Cardinals into 8-of-35 shooting
Sunday, March 2, 2008 3:12 AM
By Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Westerville South players celebrate the school's first district title since 1990.
Kirk IrwinDispatch photos
Westerville South's Alex Maze penetrates the Thomas Worthington defense and puts up a shot during a defensive-oriented district final.
It might have been an ugly game for fans, but Westerville South's 42-32 victory over Thomas Worthington yesterday was a defensive masterpiece in the eyes of those who mattered.
Westerville South not only held Thomas Worthington to its lowest point total of the season but induced the tall, talented Cardinals into 8-of-35 shooting (22.9 percent) from the field.
The Wildcats (17-7) won a Division I district final and advance to play second-seeded Dublin Scioto (22-1) in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday, also in the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum.
"Sure, both teams struggled offensively, but I can say with certainty that we played very, very well defensively," Wildcats coach Ed Calo said. "We tried to blow up some of their sets and get them out of their comfort zone. … Another of our priorities was to try not to let (Taylor) Hobbs breathe."
Hobbs, the two-time Ohio Capital Conference Central Division player of the year, was limited to a season-low six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field.
Thomas Worthington coach Bob Miller had no other explanation but to congratulate South on its defensive effort.
"That's a very good defensive team and they certainly gave us problems running our offense," Miller said. "They play an outstanding, swarming, man-to-man defense. Coupled with our defense, which also played very well, it was pretty clear from the outset it was going to be a real dogfight to score."
It was South's first district championship since 1990.
"I knew after we lost (to Newark) in the district championship game last year that this was going to happen this year," Wildcats junior guard Jason Davis said. "We got a taste of it and we all wanted to take it to the next step and make history."
Although the Wildcats graduated their two leading scorers from 2007, returning starter Mike Fletcher said their cohesiveness and depth have paid dividends.
"After we lost four straight (in late December and early January), we started to come together, and a loss at home to Dublin Jerome (Jan. 25) was the turning point because it gave us some resolve," he said.
The game featured seven lead changes and three ties.
Davis made a floater with 2:10 left to put South ahead 37-32, and Traevon Jackson turned a steal into a layup with 1:41 left.
"We've had some great opportunities between 1990 and now but came up just a little short," Calo said. "Although I realize that we've been a little fortunate playing our way through this bracket, I thought we matched up well against those teams and the kids came through."
The boxscore:
Westerville South 42, Thomas Worthington 32
WS: Fletcher 2-2-7, Palumbo 1-0-2, Collins 2-1-6, Maze 1-1-3, Jabbie 1-0-2, Jackson 1-4-6, Wilson 1-0-3, Harrington 2-2-6, Davis 3-0-7. 3-point goals: Fletcher, Davis, Collins, Wilson. Totals: 14-10-42.
TW: Girardi 0-2-2, Easley 1-3-5, Hobbs 2-2-6, Craig 1-2-5, Hallowell 3-0-7, K.Cowgill 0-4-4, Nocar 1-1-3. 3-point goals: Craig, Hallowell. Totals: 8-14-32.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Meet Chris Nocar
Here is a recent interview I did with TWHS Senior Chris Nocar. He wears jersey number 52 and will be playing a significant role for the Cards this Saturday as they take on Westerville South at 3pm at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Thanks for taking the time, Chris.
Name: Chirs Nocar
Grad Year: Senior(12th)
Position: Center
Jason Savage: What are your favorite sports teams?
Chris Nocar: Columbus Crew and The Ohio State Buckeyes
JS: Do you play any other sports?
CN: Lacrosse in the Spring
JS: What do you like to do in your spare time?
CN: Play Ultimate Frisbee, Frisbee golf, Video Games.. Play basketball or throw the lacrosse ball.
JS: X-box, Wii, or Playstation?
CN: Playstation
JS: What are your plans for next year?
CN: I plan to go to 4 year college to get my bachelors of science in engineering.
JS: Where do you plan on attending school and what would you like to study?
CN: Depending on if I want to play basketball or not...If I do play basketball, I'm looking at Ohio Northern University & Baldwin Wallace. If I don't play basketball, I'll probably attend Ohio University. Regardless, I'll major in Engineering.
JS: Do you have any goals that you set for yourself as a player or the team? Do you want to share any of them?
CN: I have set goals for myself, I wanted to Improve myself specifically in the post this year. I wanted to increase my skills from next to nothing to somewhat benneficial to the team.
JS: Who is the biggest clown on the team?
CN: Taylor Hobbs
JS: Who is the most intense player on the team?
CN: Gaven Banks
JS: What has been your favorite moment this season?
CN: My favorite moment this season was in the Dublin Coffman game, attempting a dunk and getting tackled in order to make me miss.
JS: What has been your favorite moment in your basketball career?
CN: My favorite moment would be making JV my sophomore year after being cut my freshman year.
JS: Who do you look up to on and off the court?
CN: On the court, I look up to Justin Hallowell and Taylor Hobbs, they are the leaders of our teams and are the best examples to follow. If i need some help, they're both willing to fill me in on what needs to happen.
Off the court I look up most to my brother and sister. They are the role models in my life and I know that they make excellent decisions and I can trust them with anything.
JS: What former players, if any, do you remember watching play for Worthington?
CN: I remember 3 players: Marwan Gaines, Kevin Anderson, and JJ Sullinger.
JS: Chris, thanks for taking the time.
CN: No problem.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thomas Worthington - District Finalist
That has a great ring to it, doesn't it? The Cards earned their spot in the Central District Title game with a hard fought 58 - 57 overtime win over Hilliard Davidson last Saturday.
An exciting game that saw the Cards get out to a double digit lead in the second half before Hilliard started chipping away. Davidson's Corey Harvey hit a three pointer from the top of the key as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Fortunately, the Cards didn't dwell too long on the loss of momentum as senior Justin Hallowell drilled a three to open the overtime period that gave the team life. Taylor Hobbs had a bucket in the extra frame and Eric Easley hit the game winner with 16 seconds left off a drive to the hoop. Easley was being closely guarded by his man until he rubbed him off a big Chris Nocar screen at the elbow. That guy went down like a sack of hammers, but Nocar's man was there to provide some defense against Easley who gave up about 8 inches in height to the guy. No worries, as Easley banked in the shot over him.
The Cards learned their lesson because when Harvey ended up with the ball and a chance for a game winning shot again in OT, he had three hands in his face and fell short on the shot. Hallowell also had a huge block in the sequence just prior to Harvey's shot.
I give the Cards a ton of credit for the win because there were many times throughout the game where the momentum turned against them. Harvey had a huge tip dunk in the first half, there were some pretty odd foul calls down the stretch in regulation, and the buzzer beater by Harvey to send the game to OT all could've been excuses to pack it in and give up. They found a way to win.
The Cards will take on Westerville South who upset the #2 team in the state in Northland on Saturday. Northland was without 6'8" sophomore Jared Sullinger, who was being sat for academic reasons, and South took advantage.
The District Final will be held Saturday at 3:00 pm at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Best of luck to Coach Miller and the squad.
Article and Boxscore from the Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 58, Hilliard Davidson 57, OT
Eric Easley made a driving shot with 16 seconds left in overtime as Thomas Worthington (19-4) edged Hilliard Davidson (17-5).
Davidson's Corey Harvey, who made a three-point shot as time expired in regulation, missed a last-second three-point try in overtime.
Justin Hallowell had 18 points and seven rebounds and Easley scored 17 points to pace the Cardinals, who had a 13-point lead with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter.
"We had a hard time finding a specific thing that worked because of their defense, but we somehow found a way to win," Cardinals coach Bob Miller said.
Thomas Worthington 58, Hilliard Davidson 57, OT
TW: Girardi 1-0-2, Easley 4-6-17, Hobbs 4-2-11, Hallowell 5-6-18, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 3-0-6. 3-point goals: Easley 3, Hallowell 2, Hobbs. Totals: 19-14-58.
HD: Broadstone 2-4-8, Dietz 2-0-4, Blackwell 1-0-2, Goodwin 5-3-16, Harvey 7-0-15, Backstrom 3-6-12. 3-point goals: Goodwin 3, Harvey. Totals: 20-13-57.
An exciting game that saw the Cards get out to a double digit lead in the second half before Hilliard started chipping away. Davidson's Corey Harvey hit a three pointer from the top of the key as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Fortunately, the Cards didn't dwell too long on the loss of momentum as senior Justin Hallowell drilled a three to open the overtime period that gave the team life. Taylor Hobbs had a bucket in the extra frame and Eric Easley hit the game winner with 16 seconds left off a drive to the hoop. Easley was being closely guarded by his man until he rubbed him off a big Chris Nocar screen at the elbow. That guy went down like a sack of hammers, but Nocar's man was there to provide some defense against Easley who gave up about 8 inches in height to the guy. No worries, as Easley banked in the shot over him.
The Cards learned their lesson because when Harvey ended up with the ball and a chance for a game winning shot again in OT, he had three hands in his face and fell short on the shot. Hallowell also had a huge block in the sequence just prior to Harvey's shot.
I give the Cards a ton of credit for the win because there were many times throughout the game where the momentum turned against them. Harvey had a huge tip dunk in the first half, there were some pretty odd foul calls down the stretch in regulation, and the buzzer beater by Harvey to send the game to OT all could've been excuses to pack it in and give up. They found a way to win.
The Cards will take on Westerville South who upset the #2 team in the state in Northland on Saturday. Northland was without 6'8" sophomore Jared Sullinger, who was being sat for academic reasons, and South took advantage.
The District Final will be held Saturday at 3:00 pm at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Best of luck to Coach Miller and the squad.
Article and Boxscore from the Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 58, Hilliard Davidson 57, OT
Eric Easley made a driving shot with 16 seconds left in overtime as Thomas Worthington (19-4) edged Hilliard Davidson (17-5).
Davidson's Corey Harvey, who made a three-point shot as time expired in regulation, missed a last-second three-point try in overtime.
Justin Hallowell had 18 points and seven rebounds and Easley scored 17 points to pace the Cardinals, who had a 13-point lead with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter.
"We had a hard time finding a specific thing that worked because of their defense, but we somehow found a way to win," Cardinals coach Bob Miller said.
Thomas Worthington 58, Hilliard Davidson 57, OT
TW: Girardi 1-0-2, Easley 4-6-17, Hobbs 4-2-11, Hallowell 5-6-18, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 3-0-6. 3-point goals: Easley 3, Hallowell 2, Hobbs. Totals: 19-14-58.
HD: Broadstone 2-4-8, Dietz 2-0-4, Blackwell 1-0-2, Goodwin 5-3-16, Harvey 7-0-15, Backstrom 3-6-12. 3-point goals: Goodwin 3, Harvey. Totals: 20-13-57.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Some Random Photos from Parent's Night
I took some random photos while the varsity players and their parents were waiting to be introduced.
Catherine & Chris Nocar
The Cowgill Family
.jpg)
Barclay & Justin Hallowell
.jpg)
The Abu-Kwiek Family
The Jewett Family
.jpg)
The Mickey Family:
Justin Hallowell, Wade Mickey, & Taylor Hobbs
Catherine & Chris Nocar
The Cowgill Family
.jpg)
Barclay & Justin Hallowell
.jpg)
The Abu-Kwiek Family
The Jewett Family
.jpg)
The Mickey Family:
Justin Hallowell, Wade Mickey, & Taylor Hobbs
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Cards Advance to Coliseum
It was a lot of things, but pretty ain't one of them. Despite going 10 for 23 from the foul line, the Cards were able to hold off Dublin Coffman last night to advance in the Central District Tournament. The team fought hard and made plays when they needed it most.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/02/19/hsboys_alder19.ART_ART_02-19-08_C1_MK9D9FV.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 49, Dublin Coffman 45
Buoyed by a dominant third quarter, eighth-seeded Thomas Worthington (18-4) built an 11-point lead, then held off a comeback bid by Dublin Coffman (12-10) for a sectional victory.
Justin Hallowell paced balanced scoring for the Cardinals with 15 points. Point guard Eric Easley keyed the third-quarter burst with six of his eight assists.
Easley and Chris Nocar each made foul shots in the final 23.1 seconds to seal the outcome.
Sophomore Michael Green led Coffman with 22 points.
The boxscore:
Thomas Worthington 49, Dublin Coffman 45
TW : Girardi 4-0-8, Easley 1-2-4, Hobbs 2-3-8, Hallowell 6-1-15, K.Cowgill 2-1-5, Jewett 1-0-2, Nocar 2-3-7. 3-point goals : Hallowell 2, Hobbs. Totals : 18-10-49.
DC : Stucky 2-1-5, Stoudt 1-0-2, S.Gardiner 1-0-2, D.Gardiner 1-0-3, Green 7-8-22, Viers 3-4-11. 3-point goals : D.Gardiner, Viers. Totals : 15-13-45.
With the win, the Cards advance to the District Semifinal game against Hilliard Davidson. They will take on Davidson Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the Fairgrounds Coliseum.
Here is a link to the Central District Tournament Bracket:
Hope to see you there!
http://www.cdab.org/sports/bk/boys/2008/bd1brkt08.pdf
Good Luck Cards!
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/02/19/hsboys_alder19.ART_ART_02-19-08_C1_MK9D9FV.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 49, Dublin Coffman 45
Buoyed by a dominant third quarter, eighth-seeded Thomas Worthington (18-4) built an 11-point lead, then held off a comeback bid by Dublin Coffman (12-10) for a sectional victory.
Justin Hallowell paced balanced scoring for the Cardinals with 15 points. Point guard Eric Easley keyed the third-quarter burst with six of his eight assists.
Easley and Chris Nocar each made foul shots in the final 23.1 seconds to seal the outcome.
Sophomore Michael Green led Coffman with 22 points.
The boxscore:
Thomas Worthington 49, Dublin Coffman 45
TW : Girardi 4-0-8, Easley 1-2-4, Hobbs 2-3-8, Hallowell 6-1-15, K.Cowgill 2-1-5, Jewett 1-0-2, Nocar 2-3-7. 3-point goals : Hallowell 2, Hobbs. Totals : 18-10-49.
DC : Stucky 2-1-5, Stoudt 1-0-2, S.Gardiner 1-0-2, D.Gardiner 1-0-3, Green 7-8-22, Viers 3-4-11. 3-point goals : D.Gardiner, Viers. Totals : 15-13-45.
With the win, the Cards advance to the District Semifinal game against Hilliard Davidson. They will take on Davidson Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the Fairgrounds Coliseum.
Here is a link to the Central District Tournament Bracket:
Hope to see you there!
http://www.cdab.org/sports/bk/boys/2008/bd1brkt08.pdf
Good Luck Cards!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Cards Survive.....and Advance
Thomas Worthington gained a hard-fought win last night against a game Westerville North team in the first round of the Central District Tournament. Cardinal's point guard Eric Easley was a perfect 6 for 6 in the last two minutes from the free throw line to seal the victory. TWHS will take on Dublin Coffman, who was victorious over Worthington Kilbourne last night, on Monday in the second round of the tournament. Game is set to tip off at 8:00pm at Jonathan Alder.
The boxscore from the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 54, Westerville North 47
TW : Easley 1-8-10, Mickey 2-0-6, Hobbs 4-1-10, Hallowell 7-1-16, K.Cowgill 4-2-10, Nocar 1-0-2. 3-point goals : Mickey 2, Hobbs, Hallowell. Totals : 19-12-54.
WN : Hill 7-1-16, Barksdale 7-0-14, Gessner 1-0-2, Milnes 2-0-4, Workman 1-1-4, Thuman 2-0-5, Hessenauer 1-0-2. 3-point goals : Thuman, Workman, Hill. Totals : 21-2-47.
Saturday’s games —Northland (1) vs. Watkins Memorial, 6:15 p.m.; Westerville South vs. Upper Arlington, 8 p.m.
Monday’s games —Olentangy vs. Hilliard Davidson (7), 6:15 p.m.; Thomas Worthington (8) vs. Dublin Coffman, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Game Time.....take two
The Central District Tournament game between Thomas Worthington and Westerville North that was snowed out on Tuesday will be played Thursday. Tip off is scheduled for 8pm at Jonathan Alder High School.
If Thomas manages to get a win, they turn right around and play the winner of the Kilbourne - Dublin Coffman game on Friday evening.
Good Luck Cards!
If Thomas manages to get a win, they turn right around and play the winner of the Kilbourne - Dublin Coffman game on Friday evening.
Good Luck Cards!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tournament Time!
The Central District Tournament kicks off this week and the 8th seeded Cardinals take on Westerville North this Tuesday at 8pm. The game is at Jonathan Alder High School. Coincidentally, Worthington Kilbourne plays the early game at Jonathan Alder that night, with their game against Dublin Coffman starting at 6:15pm.
If the two Worthington teams advance, they'll play each other Friday at Alder, with the winner of that game advancing to the Coliseaum.
Hope to see you Tuesday.
If the two Worthington teams advance, they'll play each other Friday at Alder, with the winner of that game advancing to the Coliseaum.
Hope to see you Tuesday.
TWHS Finishes Season With Win
.bmp)
Thomas Worthington finished the season strong with a 56 - 47 win at Marysville Friday night. The Cards finish out their season at 8-2 in the OCC Central and 16-4 overall. Congrats on a great regular season....now go win some tournament games!
The extensive write up in the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 56, Marysville 47
Justin Hallowell scored 14 points as visiting Thomas Worthington (16-4, 8-2) beat Marysville (6-13, 2-8) in the OCC Central.
The box score:
Thomas Worthington 56, Marysville 47
Thomas Worthington 15 11 11 19 -- 56
Marysville 10 13 6 18 -- 47
TW: Girardi 1-0-2, Abu-Kwick 1-0-2, Easley 2-4-9, Mickey 1-0-3, Hobbs 4-2-12, Craig 1-0-3, Hallowell 4-5-14, K.Cowgill 1-2-4, Nolar 2-3-7. 3-point goals: Hobbs 2, Hallowell, Craig, Mickey, Easley. Totals: 17-16-56.
MARY: Fridley 0-1-1, Quick 5-3-16, Milholland 2-6-10, Morris 2-2-7, Goins 1-0-2, Short 2-1-5, Staats 1-0-2, Godfrey 2-0-4. 3-point goals: Quick 3, Morris. Totals: 15-13-47.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Cards Take On Monarchs in Season Finale
Your Thomas Worthington Cardinals take on the Monarchs from Marysville in the final game of the regular season. The game is at Marysville.
Good Luck, Cards!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Cards Lose Heartbreaker In Home Finale
Last Friday was a special evening for Thomas Worthington Basketball...unfortunately, it wasn't quite perfect. Prior to the varsity game, the parents of all the players and cheerleaders were introduced and a special ceremony took place commemorating Bob Miller's 500th career victory.
The current team presented Coach Miller with the game ball from their win at Delaware Hayes the week before. Then our group of alumni (between 25 - 35 strong) came onto the court as Brad Wentz, a member of Coach Miller's first team at Worthington, presented Bob with a ring celebrating the acheivement. And finally, Athletic Director Jeff Todd presented Coach Miller with a plaque that announced that the court in Memorial Gym will now be known as Bob Miller Court. It was obvious that Coach Miller was touched by seeing many of his former players and thanked many of the people insturamental in reaching such a milestone.
He mentioned his players, past and present, his assistant coaches over the years, and his family. Wife Judy, Son Scott, his wife and their son were all on hand for the affair.
Unfortunately for the home team, Westerville Central made a lot of plays down the stretch to win by one in overtime. Both teams fought hard and it was a close game throughout, but the Warcats prevailed and took a one game lead in the division with both teams having one to play. A write up about the game is below.
I especially felt bad for a senior class that has been nothing short of great, on and off the court. The loss Friday was only their second in two years in the division. For those of us who have gotten the chance to see them over the past few years, this class will be missed not only because of their abilities on the court, but their class and good humor off it. You guys have done the program proud.
If you get the chance to see their last regular season game at Marysville this upcoming Friday or a tournament game, you should....they're a fun bunch to watch.
The Dispatch Article:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/02/02/hsboys_tworth02.ART_ART_02-02-08_C6_EP98425.html?sid=101
Boys basketball: Fernandez's shot gives Westerville Central a share of title
Saturday, February 2, 2008 3:07 AM
By Steve Blackledge
With the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship on the line last night, players from Westerville Central and host Thomas Worthington made decisions in the heat of the moment that their coaches didn't exactly endorse.
Ultimately, it was the Warhawks who were celebrating at least a share of their first championship after a 54-53 overtime victory.
Ignoring a set play, point guard Jerrell Fernandez hit a 15-foot basket that gave the Warhawks a 54-53 lead with 13 seconds left.
"We called a fist play, where we wanted to space people out, drive to the basket and hopefully either find somebody open or draw a foul," Westerville Central coach Todd Minney said. "That wasn't the play we drew up, but Jerrell's the kind of player with enough confidence to take, and make, a shot like that. To his credit, we did have two guys under the basket to rebound it."
Fernandez said his instincts told him to break off the play and take the shot.
"I looked up and saw the clock ticking down, saw an opening and just decided to take it," he said. "There are just certain times in a game when a player's got to step up and make a play and I felt that was one of those times."
Westerville Central (13-4, 8-1), a fifth-year program experiencing its first winning season, can clinch the title outright with a win over Central Crossing or a loss by Thomas Worthington (15-4, 7-2) to Marysville on Friday.
Thomas Worthington's chance to counter went awry when senior forward Taylor Hobbs missed a 26-foot three-pointer with seven seconds left.
Cardinals coach Bob Miller, who had the court named in his honor befor the game, didn't hide his unhappiness with the hasty shot by Hobbs.
"First of all, our point guard (Eric Easley) shouldn't have passed it to him," Miller said. "We're only down one, and in that situation we want to get the ball to the basket. Taylor's our leading three-point shooter and he has that kind of range, but we had plenty of time to get what we needed there."
In the fourth quarter, Westerville Central had a chance to win, but Fernandez's 25-foot three-pointer rimmed out as time expired.
It took 2:31 for either team to score in overtime.
Lucious Mayfield, inserted for the first time after teammate Max Van Meter fouled out, made an off-balance fadeaway basket to put Westerville Central up 52-51 with 1:05 to go.
"We've been playing 11 guys all year and I don't have a problem putting any of them in with the game on the line," Minney said. "Lucious made a huge shot right off the bench."
Hobbs, who scored 15 points, answered on a give-and-go with 30 seconds left, setting up the winning shot. Kyler Cowgill scored 14 points.
Just 18-66 in its first four seasons, Westerville Central has been one of the area's surprises.
"This is what we've been thinking about since day one," said Warhawks forward Tyler Devoll, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Fernandez said, "This gives our basketball program a name. It tells us we're finally good."
Friday, February 1, 2008
Cards Take On Westerville Central for Crown
Thomas Worthington can claim at least a share of the OCC Central Division title tonight with a win against Westerville Central. Both teams are tied with only one loss in the division with one game to play after tonight.
Senior & Parent night festivities will take place in between the JV and Varsity games. There will also be a ceremony celebrating Coach Miller's 500th career victory.
Hope to see you there!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Cards Beat Up Bears!
That, my friends, is a fun headline to type. The Cardinals took care of business on Tuesday night and beat Upper Arlington 69 - 57 in their only match up of the year. Next year, UA moves into TWHS' division so there will be the traditional home and home between the schools.
The Boxscore from the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worth. 69, Upper Arlington 57
TW : Girardi 3-1-7, Easley 5-6-17, Hobbs 9-5-25, Craig 1-0-3, Hallowell 3-0-6, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 3-1-7. 3-point goals : Hobbs 2, Craig, Easley. Totals : 26-13-69.
UA : Tiberi 4-0-11, Sullivan 3-2-9, Casey 4-1-13, Hidmi 1-1-4, Magoto 5-5-15, Deisering 2-1-5. 3-point goals : Casey 4, Tiberi 3, Hidmi, Sullivan. Totals : 19-10-57.
The Boxscore from the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worth. 69, Upper Arlington 57
TW : Girardi 3-1-7, Easley 5-6-17, Hobbs 9-5-25, Craig 1-0-3, Hallowell 3-0-6, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 3-1-7. 3-point goals : Hobbs 2, Craig, Easley. Totals : 26-13-69.
UA : Tiberi 4-0-11, Sullivan 3-2-9, Casey 4-1-13, Hidmi 1-1-4, Magoto 5-5-15, Deisering 2-1-5. 3-point goals : Casey 4, Tiberi 3, Hidmi, Sullivan. Totals : 19-10-57.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
We Want Some Bear Meat!
The Cards look for the 15th win of the season tonight against rival Upper Arlington. The game is at Upper Arlington with Varsity tip off at 7:30 p.m.
GO CARDS!!!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Cards Top Pick North
From the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 55, Pickerington North 44
Taylor Hobbs scored 11 of his 24 points in a 15-6 second quarter and visiting Thomas Worthington (14-3, 7-1) beat Pickerington North (5-11, 3-5) in the OCC Central.
Justin Hallowell scored 15 points for the Cardinals, who led 32-19 at halftime.
Eric Brindle scored 13 for the Panthers.
The boxscore:
Thomas Worthington 55, Pickerington North 44
Thomas Worthington 17 15 15 8 -- 55
Pickerington North 13 6 11 14 -- 44
TW: Girardi 0-1-1, Easley 1-2-5, Mickey 0-1-1, Hobbs 8-3-24, Hallowell 7-0-15, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 2-1-5. 3-point goals: Hobbs 5, Easley, Hallowell. Totals: 20-8-55.
PN: Brindle 5-2-13, Yurasek 3-0-8, Evans 1-0-2, Howell 5-0-10, Price 1-0-2, Isabel 3-3-9. 3-point goals: Yurasek 2, Brindle. Totals: 18-5-44.
Thomas Worthington 55, Pickerington North 44
Taylor Hobbs scored 11 of his 24 points in a 15-6 second quarter and visiting Thomas Worthington (14-3, 7-1) beat Pickerington North (5-11, 3-5) in the OCC Central.
Justin Hallowell scored 15 points for the Cardinals, who led 32-19 at halftime.
Eric Brindle scored 13 for the Panthers.
The boxscore:
Thomas Worthington 55, Pickerington North 44
Thomas Worthington 17 15 15 8 -- 55
Pickerington North 13 6 11 14 -- 44
TW: Girardi 0-1-1, Easley 1-2-5, Mickey 0-1-1, Hobbs 8-3-24, Hallowell 7-0-15, K.Cowgill 2-0-4, Nocar 2-1-5. 3-point goals: Hobbs 5, Easley, Hallowell. Totals: 20-8-55.
PN: Brindle 5-2-13, Yurasek 3-0-8, Evans 1-0-2, Howell 5-0-10, Price 1-0-2, Isabel 3-3-9. 3-point goals: Yurasek 2, Brindle. Totals: 18-5-44.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Roller Coaster
This is a video of the TWHS student section doing a cheer known as the 'Roller Coaster'. The video doesn't quite do it justice because the parents, located behind the Cards' bench, were doing it as well. Thought you might enjoy:
One thing to note, the student in the white hat leading the cheer is Alan Juckett. Alan is a fine athlete who was a member of last year's team. He would have been a major contributor to this year's squad had he not blown his knee out during football season, his third (or fourth) season-ending injury of his high school career.
Alan was told that through serious rehab and a lot of luck, he may have been able to come back for the tournament at the end of the season. Instead of pouting about his misfortune and his high school basketball career being over, he decided that the best way he could help his teammates (who double as his friends) would be to become the biggest cheerleader in the school and bring some life and fun to games. Mission accomplished.
I was fortunate enough to coach Alan as an 8th grader at Worthingway and I can't tell you how proud I am of this young man. If you make it to the last home game on Feb. 1, you will see Alan leading 'Miller's Maniacs' in chants, cheers, and jeers.
One thing to note, the student in the white hat leading the cheer is Alan Juckett. Alan is a fine athlete who was a member of last year's team. He would have been a major contributor to this year's squad had he not blown his knee out during football season, his third (or fourth) season-ending injury of his high school career.
Alan was told that through serious rehab and a lot of luck, he may have been able to come back for the tournament at the end of the season. Instead of pouting about his misfortune and his high school basketball career being over, he decided that the best way he could help his teammates (who double as his friends) would be to become the biggest cheerleader in the school and bring some life and fun to games. Mission accomplished.
I was fortunate enough to coach Alan as an 8th grader at Worthingway and I can't tell you how proud I am of this young man. If you make it to the last home game on Feb. 1, you will see Alan leading 'Miller's Maniacs' in chants, cheers, and jeers.
Cards at Pick North Tonight
The 13-3 Thomas Worthington Cardinals head to Pickerington North tonight for another key OCC Central match-up. The Cards are currently tied with Westerville Central (which is ironically located North of Westerville North...guess they couldn't name it Westerville More North) atop the OCC Central.
Good Luck Cards!
Good Luck Cards!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Coach Miller Wins 500th!
Photo by James D. DeCamp - Dispatch
Coach Bob Miller got the 500th victory of his career and the Cardinals got their 13th win of the season over Delaware Hayes last night 62-53. It was a great atmosphere as TWHS had about 30 - 40 rowdy students on hand to witness the event.
After the game, the students surrounded the bench chanting 'Bob, Bob, Bob!' and 'That's 500!'. Then after the handshake and hugs from his players, Bob put down the clipboard and headed into the students to celebrate. You think he's having any fun?
Congratulations Coach on a wonderful achievment!
Here are some articles on the milestone:
From This Week Worthington:
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/twn/content/pool/exclusives/2008/january/012208-WOR-Sports-Miller.html&tab=tab1
Cardinals' Miller earns 500th career coaching win
Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008
By PATRICK DOLAN
ThisWeek Staff Writer
There will be a time for Thomas Worthington High School boys basketball coach Bob Miller to reflect on his career and all of his accomplishments and milestones, including his 500th win, which he reached Tuesday night with a 62-53 victory at Delaware.
Until then, however, his primary focus is his team and the remainder of this season, namely winning the OCC-Central Division championship and making a run in the Division I district tournament.
With the win over Delaware, the Cardinals improved to 13-3 overall and 6-1 in the OCC-Central and moved back into a first-place tie in the league with Westerville Central. The Warhawks had improved to 6-1 with a 52-38 win over Pickerington North last Saturday.
Next on the schedule for the Cardinals is a league game Friday at Pickerington North. The Panthers, who are tied for third in the league with Delaware at 3-4, defeated Thomas 61-60 in overtime on Dec. 14.
"I think at some point I will look back on (reaching 500 wins) and cherish it more than right now," Miller said. "We've got another big game Friday. ... Every game is so important because we're tied with Westerville Central. I've been trying to concentrate on that."
Immediately after the win over Delaware, Miller received hugs from his players while being serenaded by a group of Thomas students, many of whom were clad in red T-shirts that read "Millers Maniacs." The students chanted "That's 500" and "Bob, Bob, Bob" and after they gathered around him on the court, he jumped around with them.
"Yes, we have some crazy student fans," Miller said with a laugh.
Delaware athletics director Kevin Reed acknowledged Miller's milestone and presented him with the game ball. Miller then took the microphone and addressed the crowd with a brief speech, in which he thanked his family and all of current and former players and assistants.
"It's nice to kind of get it over with and move on," Miller said moments later after meeting with his team. "As long as I've coached, I've had a lot of really good teams, a lot of really good players. That's how you win games, win championships. And my assistant coaches through the years have done a lot of the work and have helped develop players as well."
According to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association, 34 coaches had reached the 500-win milestone before this season. Ed Heintschel of Toledo St. John's joined that list earlier this season, and now Miller, who improved his record to 500-256.
In addition to Miller, the other active members of the 500-win club are Heintschel, Richard Kortokrax of Kalida, Joe Petrocelli of Kettering Alter, Gary Shaffer of Washington Court House, Mike Mueller of West Chester Lakota West, Larry Jordan of Chillicothe Southeastern, Norm Persin of Oak Hill, Tom Eibel of Wellington, Al Welch of Wayne Trace, Bob Pasci of Twinsburg and Jerry Doerger of Clermont Northeastern.
Kortokrax was the state's all-time leader in wins at the start of the season with 745. Petrocelli was second with 740.
According to the OHSBCA, Miller is the second boys coach in the area to reach 500 wins. The first was former Buckeye Valley coach Richard Meyer, who retired with a 506-229 record in 36 seasons. Tom Petty of Bloom-Carroll should be the next area coach to reach that milestone if he continues to coach. As of last Monday, Petty, who is in his 28th season with the Bulldogs, owned a 469-143 record.
The only other active coaches in the area with 300 or more victories were Kent Riggs of Canal Winchester (338-135), Pete Liptrap of Pickerington North (337-213), Ray Miller of West Jefferson (318-225), Mike Hoyng of Sparta Highland (307-197), Tony Bisutti of Dublin Scioto (303-169). Their records were current as of last Monday.
Miller, who compiled a 150-54 record in 10 seasons at Groveport and entered this season with a 337-199 record in 24 seasons at Thomas, said he was concerned that the countdown to his milestone would be a distraction to his players.
"Everyone kept talking about it," said Miller, who has guided his teams to 12 OCC championships and three district titles and has been selected OCC Coach of the Year 11 times, district Coach of the Year four times and state Coach of the Year in 2003. "I didn't want to put any more undue pressure on (the players), but I thought the kids played extremely well on the road (against Delaware)."
Senior guard Taylor Hobbs said the players have been looking forward to Miller's milestone victory for a while.
"We tried not to talk about it too much and get him too nervous about it," Hobbs said. "At the beginning of the season, just a few (players) were aware of (the milestone), but as we got closer everyone knew.
"It's huge for us. We were pumped for it. It gets us all excited and I'm sure he was pumped up and excited about it. ... He's just a great guy. He's just a great coach."
From The Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/01/23/bobmiller500.ART_ART_01-23-08_C1_O694S3T.html?sid=101
High school basketball: Worthington coach still all business after 500th win
Wednesday, January 23, 2008 3:20 AM
By Steve Blackledge
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
DELAWARE, Ohio -- If you believe Bob Miller, career victory No. 500 last night meant no more or no less than any other in his 34-year coaching career.
Straight-faced, he quickly strayed from the subject of the milestone and explained how a 62-53 win over Delaware was "much more important" to Thomas Worthington's chances of winning an Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship. He then began talking about the Cardinals' next opponent.
Miller is all business most of the time, but make no mistake, he was close to tears when Thomas Worthington's student cheering section, affectionately called Miller's Maniacs, serenaded him at game's end. He was besieged with hugs from his players, assistant coaches and longtime supporters. Delaware athletic director Kevin Reed presented him the game ball.
"We've known about this since the start of the season and we've sort of counted it down to ourselves with each win," Cardinals senior guard Taylor Hobbs said. "He never said a word to us about it. That's just the way he is."
The record books of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association are not in sync, but one can safely say Miller is one of only three dozen coaches with 500 wins. Twelve are active.
Among Central District coaches, only Dick Meyer of Buckeye Valley (506-229) has more victories and Miller (500-256) could pass him by season's end.
Miller, who spent his first 10 seasons at Groveport and the past 24 at Thomas Worthington, said one of the high points of the evening was being greeted by Vance Mitchell, one of his former Groveport players from 1982.
"He wondered if I still remembered him and I said, 'Gosh, are you kidding,' and we rattled off every name from that team. Those are the kind of moments that make it special."
None of Miller's closest friends is surprised that he is still coaching. He also is in his 43rd year of teaching.
"I think Bob will stay around for several more years because basketball is what he loves," said Hamilton Township coach Dave Clinger, who assisted Miller twice spanning parts of three decades. "He doesn't play golf or have that many hobbies.
"Bob's longevity and success is due to the fact that he's never stopped learning. … To a lot of people, he probably comes off as conservative, but he's very receptive to change. When he first started coaching back in the 1970s, everybody was playing run-and-gun ball. He came up with defenses to beat teams with superior talent. Now, almost all the OCC teams have copied that style."
Retired Newark coach Gary Walters, who won more than 400 games, said Miller has simply outworked many of his peers.
"His intellect, passion for the game and meticulous preparation have certainly served him well," Miller said. "His scouting reports to this day are amazing to see. Usually, coaches write bullets on tendencies of opponents and their plays. Bob writes pages and pages of diagrams. I don't even know how he reads them."
Walters recalled a beach vacation that they and their wives once spent together.
"Bob and I must have spent close to an hour discussing how to defend a pick and roll, and Bob was drawing diagrams in the sand. Our wives weren't too happy about that."
Hobbs scored 15 points, Eric Easley 14 and Justin Hallowell 12 to pace Thomas Worthington. The Cardinals (13-4, 6-1) shot 54 percent from the field.
Calvin Edwards and Rob Matthews scored 12 each for Delaware (7-8, 3-4).
sblackledge@dispatch.com
And Finally, a blog Dispatch writer Steve Blackledge wrote last week leading up to the event (Thanks to Jim VanArsdall for the heads up on this).
http://blog.dispatch.com/boysbasketball/2008/01/miller_nears_major_milestone.shtml
Miller nears major milestone
Long-time Thomas Worthington coach Bob Miller -- one of the really good guys in the profession -- will shoot for career victory No. 500 on Tuesday at Delaware.
In this day and age when each high school sport is increasingly becoming a year-round job, a coach who stays around long enough to achieve 500 wins deserves a hearty round of applause. Many of us forget that coaching is merely a supplemental position to one's teaching career. The modest stipend never matches the extra hours these coaches put in for the love of the game and loyalty to their players, often at the expense of their own families.
This isn't merely a milestone rewarding Miller's longevity. Stop and think for a moment how difficult it is for one to achieve 500 wins. A coach of an average program would have to finish 10-10 for 50 consecutive years to amass this number.
The 500 club has only 30 members, eight of whom remain active. No coach in central Ohio has won this many games.
Miller went 150-54 as head coach at Groveport (a .735 winning percentage) from 1973-1983 before taking over at Worthington, where he is 349-202 (.633) since. He has won roughly two out of every three games during a 34-year span.
It's not entirely accurate to judge a coach based strictly on his won-loss record. Some outstanding coaches may never get the opportunity to coach talented players. Some ordinary coaches may have won state titles based on the players he inherited. Some may coach in tougher leagues than others.
Just for the sake of argument, let's see how Miller stacks up with some of the area's other veteran coaches in terms of career winning percentage, starting with 100 career victories:
1. Tom Petty (Bloom-Carroll) 470-142, .768
2. Joe Arndt (Tree of Life) 147-58, .754
3. Kevin Weakley (Worthington Christian) 140-46, .753
4. Brett Norris (Hilliard Darby) 216-85, .718
5. Kent Riggs (Canal Winchester) 337-135, .714
6. Jamey Collins (Dublin Coffman) 157-63, .714
7. Chris Rider (Reynoldsburg) 242-104, .699
8. Kent Burgert (Beechcroft) 154-72, .681
9. Brent Freshour (Pleasant) 213-105, .670
10. Bob Miller (Thomas Worthington) 499-256, .661
11. Doug Stiverson (Logan Elm) 125-69, .644
12. Tony Bisutti (Dublin Scioto) 302-169, .641
13. Pete Liptrap (Pickerington North) 337-212, .614
14. Mike Hoyng (Highland) 307-197, .609
15. Jeff Quackenbush (Newark) 118-76, .608
16. Kevin Logsdon (Hilliard Davidson) 210-139, .602
17. Sean Taylor (Eastmoor Academy) 100-67, .599
18. Larry Eberst (Delaware) 176-118, .599
19. Keith Barr (Fairfield Union) 175-122, .589
20. Ray Miller (West Jefferson) 318-224, .587
21. Steve DeDent (Jonathan Alder) 136-96, .586
22. Roger Jury (Marion Harding) 167-120, .582
23. Ed Calo (Westerville South) 263-191, .579
24. Ray Corbett (Grandview) 276-204, .575
25. Jim Morgan (Tree of Life) 157-117, .573
26. Satch Sullinger (Northland) 178-133, .572
27. Donovon Barrett (Buckeye Valley) 105-80, .568
28. Scott Jemson (Gahanna Christian) 200-153, .567
29. Dave Gustin (Bexley) 187-147, .560
30. Dave Clinger (Hamilton Township) 181-143, .559
31. Randy Kortokrax (Hartley) 107-86, .554
32. Jim Simpson (Centerburg) 260-218, .544
33. Tim Casey (Upper Arlington) 221-192, .535
34. Bob White (East) 266-236, .530
35. Jerry Groves (Pickerington Central) 107-98, .522
36. Sam Davis (New Albany) 215-198, .520
37. Vince Lombardo (Watterson) 264-259, .505
38. Don Worstell (Franklin Heights) 101-107, .486
39. Steve Comstock (Big Walnut) 244-270, .475
40. Kevin Thuman (Westerville North) 126-160, .440
41. Andy Clark (Ready) 106-143, .426
42. Van Gregg (Whitehall) 234-345, .404
-- By Steve Blackledge
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Bouncin' Bob Goes For 500 Tonight
Coach Bob Miller goes for his 500th career victory and the 13th of the season tonight at Delaware Hayes High School. JV starts at 6 and the Varsity at 7:30 pm.
There will be some former players travelling to catch the game, so if you feel like braving the weather, you'll have company.
GO CARDS!!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Catching Up With.....Nathan Edick, class of 2007
Nathan Edick is a Freshman at Marietta College. As I noted in an earlier post, he currently is leading the nation in Division III in 3-point field goal percentage. He's shooting 61.1% from 3.
Nate took a few minutes to tell us how things are going for him at Marietta. Thanks, Nate.
Jason Savage: What has your experience been like playing basketball at Marietta College?
Nathan Edick: It has been a major adjustment from high school as far as the tempo of the game to the phyical play during practice. So far it has been a good experience playing with better players and facing opponents that are at a different level but im struggling with the losing we are currently experiencing after the year we had last year at TW. We are a young team and are improving each day.
JS: Is it going like you expected at the beginning of the season? Better, Worse, What you expected?
NE: I was not sure what to expect coming into the year. I am surprised with my playing time because in the fall I personally felt I was behind others on the team but our style of play is to push it up the court and look for a quick 3 or post feed. So I feel my style of play fits in well with our gameplan. At the same time it is going worse than I expected as far as wins and losses but the OAC is a very difficult league.
JS: Did you set any goals for yourself at the beginning of the season? Would you care to share any of them?
NE: I personally set goals such as making an impact on the team where needed and I wanted to lead the team in 3 point % after the amount of shooting I did over the summer with my neighbor Barry McGraw. I also wanted to lead the team in free throw % but at the time I do not hold that.
JS: Have you declared a major?
NE: I have not declared at the time but am debating between History and Business.
JS: What has been the biggest adjustment for you between college and high school, both basketball and school-wise?
NE: Basketball: How physical the game is and mentally preparing for each practice.
School-Wise: The amount of reading and work put into studying outside of class, may hours spent in the library.
JS: What is your favorite moment playing basketball for TWHS?
NE: My favorite moment would have to be beating Kilboune at their place by 24 or last year winning on senior night to finish the season 10-0 in the OCC and cutting down the nets with the players and Coach Miller. Honestly everything that was involved with last years team was an amazing time because of our success and we were truly a Team. I've realized you dont truly know how much something means to you until it is gone.
JS: Finally, who do you remember watching play hoops for TWHS when you first started going to games?
NE: I remeber witnessing a few JJ Sullinger led teams but my memory of those were how many people were at the games. When I first started truly watching the games were in middle school when Kevin Anderson, Joe Davis, Brian Williamson, Tommy Young and those guys.
Nathan will be playing for Marietta this Wednesday the 23rd at Capital and the following Wednesday (the 30th) at Otterbein. Both games start at 7:30 pm.
Good Luck, Nate!
Nate took a few minutes to tell us how things are going for him at Marietta. Thanks, Nate.
Jason Savage: What has your experience been like playing basketball at Marietta College?
Nathan Edick: It has been a major adjustment from high school as far as the tempo of the game to the phyical play during practice. So far it has been a good experience playing with better players and facing opponents that are at a different level but im struggling with the losing we are currently experiencing after the year we had last year at TW. We are a young team and are improving each day.
JS: Is it going like you expected at the beginning of the season? Better, Worse, What you expected?
NE: I was not sure what to expect coming into the year. I am surprised with my playing time because in the fall I personally felt I was behind others on the team but our style of play is to push it up the court and look for a quick 3 or post feed. So I feel my style of play fits in well with our gameplan. At the same time it is going worse than I expected as far as wins and losses but the OAC is a very difficult league.
JS: Did you set any goals for yourself at the beginning of the season? Would you care to share any of them?
NE: I personally set goals such as making an impact on the team where needed and I wanted to lead the team in 3 point % after the amount of shooting I did over the summer with my neighbor Barry McGraw. I also wanted to lead the team in free throw % but at the time I do not hold that.
JS: Have you declared a major?
NE: I have not declared at the time but am debating between History and Business.
JS: What has been the biggest adjustment for you between college and high school, both basketball and school-wise?
NE: Basketball: How physical the game is and mentally preparing for each practice.
School-Wise: The amount of reading and work put into studying outside of class, may hours spent in the library.
JS: What is your favorite moment playing basketball for TWHS?
NE: My favorite moment would have to be beating Kilboune at their place by 24 or last year winning on senior night to finish the season 10-0 in the OCC and cutting down the nets with the players and Coach Miller. Honestly everything that was involved with last years team was an amazing time because of our success and we were truly a Team. I've realized you dont truly know how much something means to you until it is gone.
JS: Finally, who do you remember watching play hoops for TWHS when you first started going to games?
NE: I remeber witnessing a few JJ Sullinger led teams but my memory of those were how many people were at the games. When I first started truly watching the games were in middle school when Kevin Anderson, Joe Davis, Brian Williamson, Tommy Young and those guys.
Nathan will be playing for Marietta this Wednesday the 23rd at Capital and the following Wednesday (the 30th) at Otterbein. Both games start at 7:30 pm.
Good Luck, Nate!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Cards Crush Central Crossing
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/01/19/hsboys_rdp119.ART0_ART_01-19-08_C7_9293SAJ.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 73,
Central Crossing 35
Justin Hallowell scored 16 points and host Thomas Worthington (12-3, 5-1) jumped to a 40-21 halftime lead in beating Central Crossing (7-7, 1-5) in the OCC Central.
Taylor Hobbs had 13 points for Thomas Worthington.
The Box Score:
CC : Rivers 1-0-2, Black 2-0-6, Grace 2-2-6, Barnes 4-0-9, Miller 0-4-4, Paxson 3-0-8. 3-point goals : Black 2, Paxson 2, Barnes. Totals : 12-6-35.
TW : Girardi 2-2-8, Abu-Kwiek 0-4-4, Easley 1-0-2, Mickey 1-0-3, Hobbs 4-4-13, Craig 2-0-5, Banks 1-2-5, Hallowell 7-1-16, K.Cowgill 1-1-3, J.Cowgill 1-0-2, Jewett 1-2-4, Nocar 4-0-8. 3-point goals : Girardi 2, Mickey, Hobbs, Craig, Banks, Hallowell. Totals : 25-16-73.
That means win #12 for the Cards and #499 for Coach Miller's career.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/01/19/hsboys_rdp119.ART0_ART_01-19-08_C7_9293SAJ.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 73,
Central Crossing 35
Justin Hallowell scored 16 points and host Thomas Worthington (12-3, 5-1) jumped to a 40-21 halftime lead in beating Central Crossing (7-7, 1-5) in the OCC Central.
Taylor Hobbs had 13 points for Thomas Worthington.
The Box Score:
CC : Rivers 1-0-2, Black 2-0-6, Grace 2-2-6, Barnes 4-0-9, Miller 0-4-4, Paxson 3-0-8. 3-point goals : Black 2, Paxson 2, Barnes. Totals : 12-6-35.
TW : Girardi 2-2-8, Abu-Kwiek 0-4-4, Easley 1-0-2, Mickey 1-0-3, Hobbs 4-4-13, Craig 2-0-5, Banks 1-2-5, Hallowell 7-1-16, K.Cowgill 1-1-3, J.Cowgill 1-0-2, Jewett 1-2-4, Nocar 4-0-8. 3-point goals : Girardi 2, Mickey, Hobbs, Craig, Banks, Hallowell. Totals : 25-16-73.
That means win #12 for the Cards and #499 for Coach Miller's career.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Edick Tearing It Up at Marietta
Nathan Edick (class of 2007) is currently leading the nation in Division III in three point field goal percentage. That's right, the 5'9" Freshman has made 44 of 72 threes through 13 games for 61.1%. Good enough for number one in the nation. Wow!
http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings
I will be speaking with Nathan shortly to get his perspective on his first year at Marietta and posting it in a future blog.
Keep shooting, Nate!!!
http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings
I will be speaking with Nathan shortly to get his perspective on his first year at Marietta and posting it in a future blog.
Keep shooting, Nate!!!
Bought the Head-Fake, Big Time!
This is Bruce Baxter, class of 1965. Bruce also doubles as my father-in-law and trust me, his daughter has better legs than he did / does.
Bruce was kind enough to bring a few old pics of his playing days over for me to scan. There were several great pictures and some articles detailing some big wins during that era.
Bruce now has visual evidence that he could once get off his feet pretty well (I was arguing that it was just the camera angle, but to no avail). He also has visual evidence that he wanted to block that shot so bad, he bit on the head fake, big time.
Bruce lives in Powell where he and his son, Scott ('87), own a Financial Services business. Bruce has three grandchildren....and one on the way.
** Don Blackstone is #44 in the background realizing that he's going to have to try to block the shooter's second attempt.
Home Game Tonight!
Thomas Worthington goes for the 499th win of Coach Bob Miller's career and their 12th win of the season tonight. The foe is Central Crossing. JV starts at 6pm.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Cards Complete Weekend Sweep!
From the Columbus Dispatch:
Thomas Worthington 58, Westerville North 54
Taylor Hobbs had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Thomas Worthington (11-3) past host Westerville North (2-11) in a nonleague game.
The win brings the Cards overall record to 11-3 and Coach Miller to 498 career wins.
The box score:
TW: Girardi 2-2-8, Easley 2-5-10, Mickey 3-0-7, Hobbs 6-5-19, Hallowell 4-1-10, K.Cowgill 1-2-4. 3-point goals: Girardi 2, Hobbs 2, Easley, Mickey, Hallowell. Totals: 18-15-58.
WN: Hill 4-3-12, Deboer 3-2-10, Barksdale 1-0-2, Workman 3-0-8, Thuman 3-0-9, Forrest 5-0-13. 3-point goals: Forrest 3, Thuman 3, Workman 2, Deboer 2, Hill. Totals: 19-5-54.
Thomas Worthington 58, Westerville North 54
Taylor Hobbs had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Thomas Worthington (11-3) past host Westerville North (2-11) in a nonleague game.
The win brings the Cards overall record to 11-3 and Coach Miller to 498 career wins.
The box score:
TW: Girardi 2-2-8, Easley 2-5-10, Mickey 3-0-7, Hobbs 6-5-19, Hallowell 4-1-10, K.Cowgill 1-2-4. 3-point goals: Girardi 2, Hobbs 2, Easley, Mickey, Hallowell. Totals: 18-15-58.
WN: Hill 4-3-12, Deboer 3-2-10, Barksdale 1-0-2, Workman 3-0-8, Thuman 3-0-9, Forrest 5-0-13. 3-point goals: Forrest 3, Thuman 3, Workman 2, Deboer 2, Hill. Totals: 19-5-54.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Cardinals on the Road
No time to enjoy last night's victory. Thomas Worthington travels to Westerville North tonight to take on the Warriors. JV is at 6pm.
Good Luck Cards!
Good Luck Cards!
Thomas Beats Marysville 57-47
The Cards got their 10th victory of the season and the 497th of Coach Bob Miller's career, beating Marysville in an OCC Central Matchup. Westerville Central also won, so both teams are tied for first in the division at 4-1. Pickerington North lost, falling out of the three way tie.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/01/12/hsboys_rdp1.ART_ART_01-12-08_C4_3C91OO7.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 57,
Marysville 47
Taylor Hobbs scored 16 points and host Thomas Worthington (10-3, 4-1) jumped to a big halftime lead and held off Marysville (4-8, 0-5) in the OCC Central.
Kyle Goins scored 21 points for the Monarchs.
The Box Score:
Thomas Worthington 57, Marysville 47
MARYSVILLE : Quick 8-2-19, Devine 1-0-2, Guisinger 1-0-3, Goins 8-0-21, Short 1-0-2. 3-point goals : Goins 5, Guisinger, Quick. Totals : 19-2-47.
THOMAS WORTHINGTON: Girardi 2-0-4, Easley 1-5-8, Mickey 1-0-3, Hobbs 6-2-16, Craig 0-1-1, Hallowell 6-0-15, K.Cowgill 2-3-7, Nocar 1-1-3. 3-point goals : Hallowell 3, Hobbs 2, Mickey, Easley. Totals : 19-12-57.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/preps/stories/2008/01/12/hsboys_rdp1.ART_ART_01-12-08_C4_3C91OO7.html?sid=101
Thomas Worthington 57,
Marysville 47
Taylor Hobbs scored 16 points and host Thomas Worthington (10-3, 4-1) jumped to a big halftime lead and held off Marysville (4-8, 0-5) in the OCC Central.
Kyle Goins scored 21 points for the Monarchs.
The Box Score:
Thomas Worthington 57, Marysville 47
MARYSVILLE : Quick 8-2-19, Devine 1-0-2, Guisinger 1-0-3, Goins 8-0-21, Short 1-0-2. 3-point goals : Goins 5, Guisinger, Quick. Totals : 19-2-47.
THOMAS WORTHINGTON: Girardi 2-0-4, Easley 1-5-8, Mickey 1-0-3, Hobbs 6-2-16, Craig 0-1-1, Hallowell 6-0-15, K.Cowgill 2-3-7, Nocar 1-1-3. 3-point goals : Hallowell 3, Hobbs 2, Mickey, Easley. Totals : 19-12-57.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Home Game Tonight!
Your Thomas Worthington Cardinals (9-3, 3-1) take on Marysville (4-7, 0-4) in an OCC Central Match-Up. Coach Bob Miller goes for career victory number 497 and the Cardinals try to keep atop the division. Pickerington North and Westerville Central are also 3-1 in the division.
JV game starts at 6pm.
GO CARDS!!!
JV game starts at 6pm.
GO CARDS!!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Thomas Wins Battle of Worthington
Here is the This Week Worthington's article describing TWHS' 54-43 victory over Worthington Kilbourne this past Saturday. I was able to catch the game and it really was a great atmosphere. Both teams played hard and the student sections were loud and a lot of fun. A good night for Worthington Basketball.
There was an additional tie in as fellow alum Scott Baxter '87 is on Tom Souder's coaching staff at Kilbourne.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/twn/content/pool/basketball07/boys/gameoftheweek/bgame_010708.html&tab=tab2
Boys Game of the Week
Thomas maintains Kilbourne mastery
Thomas 54, Kilbourne 43Monday January 7, 2008
By PATRICK DOLAN ThisWeek Staff Writer
For the second year in a row, the Thomas Worthington High School boys basketball team owns bragging rights in the community.
Approximately 1,500 people packed the gymnasium at Thomas last Saturday and watched the Cardinals defeat Worthington Kilbourne 54-43 in a non-league contest to improve to 9-3 overall. Kilbourne dropped to 3-5.
The contest marked the third meeting between the programs since Kilbourne opened in the fall of 1991. Thomas also prevailed in the first two matchups, 54-30 in the first round of the Division I district tournament in 1993 and 49-25 last season.
"Winning it two years in a row, it's great, it's really nice," Cardinals guard Taylor Hobbs said.
"It's bragging rights," Thomas forward Justin Hallowell said. "It's a big win."
Early, it appeared as though the game would follow the same course as last year's contest, in which Thomas built a double-digit lead in the first half and never seriously was challenged in the second half. But Kilbourne did not go quietly this time.
The Cardinals took a 13-6 lead in the first quarter and stretched it to 18-6 on a 3-pointer by Hobbs with 6 minutes, 7 seconds left in the second quarter. But after going 1-for-10 from the field in the first quarter, the Wolves started hitting shots and were able to trim their deficit to 23-22 by halftime.
"I thought we did a great job of settling down in the second quarter," Wolves coach Tom Souder said.
Kilbourne went ahead 27-26, marking its first lead of the game, on a 3-pointer by guard Bryant Bechtel with 2:43 left in the third quarter. The Wolves' biggest lead was three points and they held a 31-30 advantage after guard Chris Michalski hit a shot in the lane as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter.
"I think things were a little bit too easy at the beginning of the game," Cardinals coach Bob Miller said. "We got out to a sizable lead and then they started pecking away. They didn't panic and kept pecking away and all of a sudden they're winning the ballgame."
Thomas retook the lead seven seconds into the fourth quarter on two free throws by guard Eric Easley. Then, with the Cardinals holding a two-point lead, Hobbs made a 3-pointer with 6:37 left to make it 38-33.
That score was followed by a three-point play by Cardinals backup center Chris Nocar, who drew a foul as he scored from underneath the basket. He converted the ensuing free throw with 5:01 left to give the Cardinals a 41-33 lead. The Wolves got no closer than five points for the remainder of the game.
"I thought that was a big play," Miller said of Nocar's three-point play.
Thomas converted 23 of 30 free throws for the game, including 10 of 15 in the fourth quarter. "We were real proud of our guys in the fourth quarter," Miller said. "I thought our kids played with a lot of poise in the fourth quarter. We struggled in the middle two quarters, but in the fourth quarter we scored 24 points and shot well from the foul line. They were in foul trouble and we were able to build our lead with free throws."
The Wolves realize they let an opportunity to capture their first win over the Cardinals slip away. "The fourth quarter just killed us," Wolves center Goran Lokas said. "Once we got down (in the fourth quarter), it was kind of over."
Hallowell led the Cardinals with 18 points and 10 rebounds and added six assists. Hobbs had 16 points and seven rebounds and Easley had 11 points and seven assists.
"We didn't want Taylor to have a big night and we didn't want Justin to have a big night," Souder said.
Guard Kyle Lindquist scored 13 points to lead the Wolves. Lokas had 10 and Bechtel added nine.
"We talked about two things before the game, that the game was going to come down to toughness and execution," Souder said. "I thought toughness-wise, we were the better team. But I thought execution-wise, Thomas was the best team. I thought they executed when they needed to and we didn't. I've got no problem with the way our kids battled and fought and scratched. We just have to play mentally tougher."
The Cardinals applauded the Wolves for overcoming a double-digit deficit in the first half to keep the contest competitive.
"A lot of credit goes to Kilbourne," Miller said. "I thought they gave a tremendous effort."
"We were hoping to get a good lead and keep it, but they fought hard and came back and gave us a good game," Hallowell said.
The fact that the outcome was not decided until late in the fourth quarter kept the crowd boisterous throughout the game. Each school's student section exchanged chants with the other throughout the contest. At times, the noise from the crowd got so loud that it became difficult for the players to communicate on the court.
"I thought with the crowd and the noise, the kids handled themselves quite well," Miller said.
Moments after the final buzzer in last year's game at Kilbourne, students from Thomas ran onto the court in celebration, apparently upsetting some students from Kilbourne. Within seconds, several students from both schools were involved in an altercation that led to shoving and at least one punch being thrown.
A police officer and other adults separated the students and the scuffle quickly was extinguished. Fans then filed out of the gymnasium without further incident. No players were involved in the scuffle.
No such incident occurred in this year's game.
January 08, 2008
There was an additional tie in as fellow alum Scott Baxter '87 is on Tom Souder's coaching staff at Kilbourne.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/twn/content/pool/basketball07/boys/gameoftheweek/bgame_010708.html&tab=tab2
Boys Game of the Week
Thomas maintains Kilbourne mastery
Thomas 54, Kilbourne 43Monday January 7, 2008
By PATRICK DOLAN ThisWeek Staff Writer
For the second year in a row, the Thomas Worthington High School boys basketball team owns bragging rights in the community.
Approximately 1,500 people packed the gymnasium at Thomas last Saturday and watched the Cardinals defeat Worthington Kilbourne 54-43 in a non-league contest to improve to 9-3 overall. Kilbourne dropped to 3-5.
The contest marked the third meeting between the programs since Kilbourne opened in the fall of 1991. Thomas also prevailed in the first two matchups, 54-30 in the first round of the Division I district tournament in 1993 and 49-25 last season.
"Winning it two years in a row, it's great, it's really nice," Cardinals guard Taylor Hobbs said.
"It's bragging rights," Thomas forward Justin Hallowell said. "It's a big win."
Early, it appeared as though the game would follow the same course as last year's contest, in which Thomas built a double-digit lead in the first half and never seriously was challenged in the second half. But Kilbourne did not go quietly this time.
The Cardinals took a 13-6 lead in the first quarter and stretched it to 18-6 on a 3-pointer by Hobbs with 6 minutes, 7 seconds left in the second quarter. But after going 1-for-10 from the field in the first quarter, the Wolves started hitting shots and were able to trim their deficit to 23-22 by halftime.
"I thought we did a great job of settling down in the second quarter," Wolves coach Tom Souder said.
Kilbourne went ahead 27-26, marking its first lead of the game, on a 3-pointer by guard Bryant Bechtel with 2:43 left in the third quarter. The Wolves' biggest lead was three points and they held a 31-30 advantage after guard Chris Michalski hit a shot in the lane as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter.
"I think things were a little bit too easy at the beginning of the game," Cardinals coach Bob Miller said. "We got out to a sizable lead and then they started pecking away. They didn't panic and kept pecking away and all of a sudden they're winning the ballgame."
Thomas retook the lead seven seconds into the fourth quarter on two free throws by guard Eric Easley. Then, with the Cardinals holding a two-point lead, Hobbs made a 3-pointer with 6:37 left to make it 38-33.
That score was followed by a three-point play by Cardinals backup center Chris Nocar, who drew a foul as he scored from underneath the basket. He converted the ensuing free throw with 5:01 left to give the Cardinals a 41-33 lead. The Wolves got no closer than five points for the remainder of the game.
"I thought that was a big play," Miller said of Nocar's three-point play.
Thomas converted 23 of 30 free throws for the game, including 10 of 15 in the fourth quarter. "We were real proud of our guys in the fourth quarter," Miller said. "I thought our kids played with a lot of poise in the fourth quarter. We struggled in the middle two quarters, but in the fourth quarter we scored 24 points and shot well from the foul line. They were in foul trouble and we were able to build our lead with free throws."
The Wolves realize they let an opportunity to capture their first win over the Cardinals slip away. "The fourth quarter just killed us," Wolves center Goran Lokas said. "Once we got down (in the fourth quarter), it was kind of over."
Hallowell led the Cardinals with 18 points and 10 rebounds and added six assists. Hobbs had 16 points and seven rebounds and Easley had 11 points and seven assists.
"We didn't want Taylor to have a big night and we didn't want Justin to have a big night," Souder said.
Guard Kyle Lindquist scored 13 points to lead the Wolves. Lokas had 10 and Bechtel added nine.
"We talked about two things before the game, that the game was going to come down to toughness and execution," Souder said. "I thought toughness-wise, we were the better team. But I thought execution-wise, Thomas was the best team. I thought they executed when they needed to and we didn't. I've got no problem with the way our kids battled and fought and scratched. We just have to play mentally tougher."
The Cardinals applauded the Wolves for overcoming a double-digit deficit in the first half to keep the contest competitive.
"A lot of credit goes to Kilbourne," Miller said. "I thought they gave a tremendous effort."
"We were hoping to get a good lead and keep it, but they fought hard and came back and gave us a good game," Hallowell said.
The fact that the outcome was not decided until late in the fourth quarter kept the crowd boisterous throughout the game. Each school's student section exchanged chants with the other throughout the contest. At times, the noise from the crowd got so loud that it became difficult for the players to communicate on the court.
"I thought with the crowd and the noise, the kids handled themselves quite well," Miller said.
Moments after the final buzzer in last year's game at Kilbourne, students from Thomas ran onto the court in celebration, apparently upsetting some students from Kilbourne. Within seconds, several students from both schools were involved in an altercation that led to shoving and at least one punch being thrown.
A police officer and other adults separated the students and the scuffle quickly was extinguished. Fans then filed out of the gymnasium without further incident. No players were involved in the scuffle.
No such incident occurred in this year's game.
January 08, 2008
Catching Up With....Kevin Anderson '03
Kevin Anderson was a 4 year starter at TWHS who graduated in 2003. After spending a year at Hargrave Military Academy, he has spent the last four years as a starter for Dereck Whittenburg's Fordham Rams.
Here is a link to his player profile on Fordham's Site:
http://fordhamsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/anderson_kevin00.html
Here is a link to his career stats at Fordham on Yahoo's site:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/37926
Kevin's older brother, Tony Anderson '01, currently serves as TWHS' JV coach.
Since Fordham plays in the Atlantic 10, some of their games are televised on FoxSports Net, College Sports TV, etc. Keep an eye out for #14.
A Little Review...2006-2007 TWHS Preview
The following article is the preview of the 2006-07 TWHS season, as published by This Week Worthington. It is intended to give you a little background on who some of the current players are and what was expected at the beginning of the season. I'll be updating the team's progress soon....
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/thisweeknews/112207/Worthington/Sports/112207-Sports-459004.html
Thomas Worthington High School boys basketball coach Bob Miller believes his team is capable of picking up where it left off last season, when it finished 17-4 overall and captured the OCC-Central Division championship.
But experience has taught him that success isn't guaranteed from one year to the next.
"Every year is a new challenge," said Miller, who is in his 25th season with the Cardinals and 35th overall as a head coach. "We really have to play well to match what we did last year. We only returned two starters, but we have a lot of experience back. The potential definitely is there, but our schedule is challenging and we have some injuries."
Thomas, which opens Saturday at home against Marion-Franklin and plays Tuesday at Grove City, lost three players from a year ago to graduation in guards Pat Barren and Nathan Edick and center John Spaniel. All three were starters.
Edick was second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points and making 52 3-pointers as he was first-team all-league and honorable mention all-district. He made a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give the fifth-seeded Cardinals a 48-45 win over Dublin Jerome in the first round of the Division I district tournament.
Thomas concluded last season with a 68-43 loss to seventh-seeded Grove City in the second round.
Barren, a two-year starter, averaged 3.5 points last season and made second-team all-league. Spaniel also averaged 3.5 points and made honorable mention all-league.
The Cardinals return two starters in 6-foot-4 senior guard Taylor Hobbs and 6-6 senior forward Justin Hallowell. Hobbs averaged 14.9 points and made 55 3-pointers and was named OCC-Central Player of the Year and made second-team all-district. Hallowell averaged 10.5 points and made second-team all-league.
"They play so well together," Miller said of Hobbs and Hallowell. "They're very unselfish players. They just have to keep getting better."
Also back are seniors Jarrett Cowgill (6-5 center), Kyler Cowgill (6-5 center), Casey Jewett (6-5 forward) and Wade Mickey (5-11 guard) and juniors Eric Easley (5-7 guard) and Nick Girardi (5-10 guard). Easley, Mickey and Kyler Cowgill are expected to join Hobbs and Hallowell in the starting lineup to start the season.
Two players who did not return for their senior seasons were guards Luke Dinan and Alan Juckett. Both are recovering from knee injuries.
Jewett, who averaged 4.7 points last season, and Jarrett Cowgill are sidelined with leg injuries suffered during football season.
"I don't know when I'll get them back," Miller said. "We'll have to wait and see."
Rounding out the team are seniors Nidal Abu-Kwiek (5-11 guard), Gavin Banks (5-8 guard) and Chris Nocar (6-7 center), junior Jordan Peters (6-2 forward), sophomore Ty Craig (6-0 guard) and freshman Chris Rock (6-4 center).
"We have a lot of experience," Miller said. "We're in the process of trying to develop depth. We're hoping to do that and at some point get (Jewett and Jarrett Cowgill) back. Last year we had a good shooting team and I think this team will be a pretty good shooting team as well."
One of the primary goals for Thomas is to defend its league championship. The Cardinals went 10-0 in the OCC-Central last season to place ahead of Delaware (6-4), Central Crossing (4-6), Pickerington North (4-6), Marysville (3-7) and Westerville Central (3-7).
"The league was very young last year," Miller said. "Every team has some good players back this year. There are a lot of good players in the league. That, of course, will make (defending the title) more difficult, more challenging."
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/thisweeknews/112207/Worthington/Sports/112207-Sports-459004.html
Thomas Worthington High School boys basketball coach Bob Miller believes his team is capable of picking up where it left off last season, when it finished 17-4 overall and captured the OCC-Central Division championship.
But experience has taught him that success isn't guaranteed from one year to the next.
"Every year is a new challenge," said Miller, who is in his 25th season with the Cardinals and 35th overall as a head coach. "We really have to play well to match what we did last year. We only returned two starters, but we have a lot of experience back. The potential definitely is there, but our schedule is challenging and we have some injuries."
Thomas, which opens Saturday at home against Marion-Franklin and plays Tuesday at Grove City, lost three players from a year ago to graduation in guards Pat Barren and Nathan Edick and center John Spaniel. All three were starters.
Edick was second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 points and making 52 3-pointers as he was first-team all-league and honorable mention all-district. He made a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give the fifth-seeded Cardinals a 48-45 win over Dublin Jerome in the first round of the Division I district tournament.
Thomas concluded last season with a 68-43 loss to seventh-seeded Grove City in the second round.
Barren, a two-year starter, averaged 3.5 points last season and made second-team all-league. Spaniel also averaged 3.5 points and made honorable mention all-league.
The Cardinals return two starters in 6-foot-4 senior guard Taylor Hobbs and 6-6 senior forward Justin Hallowell. Hobbs averaged 14.9 points and made 55 3-pointers and was named OCC-Central Player of the Year and made second-team all-district. Hallowell averaged 10.5 points and made second-team all-league.
"They play so well together," Miller said of Hobbs and Hallowell. "They're very unselfish players. They just have to keep getting better."
Also back are seniors Jarrett Cowgill (6-5 center), Kyler Cowgill (6-5 center), Casey Jewett (6-5 forward) and Wade Mickey (5-11 guard) and juniors Eric Easley (5-7 guard) and Nick Girardi (5-10 guard). Easley, Mickey and Kyler Cowgill are expected to join Hobbs and Hallowell in the starting lineup to start the season.
Two players who did not return for their senior seasons were guards Luke Dinan and Alan Juckett. Both are recovering from knee injuries.
Jewett, who averaged 4.7 points last season, and Jarrett Cowgill are sidelined with leg injuries suffered during football season.
"I don't know when I'll get them back," Miller said. "We'll have to wait and see."
Rounding out the team are seniors Nidal Abu-Kwiek (5-11 guard), Gavin Banks (5-8 guard) and Chris Nocar (6-7 center), junior Jordan Peters (6-2 forward), sophomore Ty Craig (6-0 guard) and freshman Chris Rock (6-4 center).
"We have a lot of experience," Miller said. "We're in the process of trying to develop depth. We're hoping to do that and at some point get (Jewett and Jarrett Cowgill) back. Last year we had a good shooting team and I think this team will be a pretty good shooting team as well."
One of the primary goals for Thomas is to defend its league championship. The Cardinals went 10-0 in the OCC-Central last season to place ahead of Delaware (6-4), Central Crossing (4-6), Pickerington North (4-6), Marysville (3-7) and Westerville Central (3-7).
"The league was very young last year," Miller said. "Every team has some good players back this year. There are a lot of good players in the league. That, of course, will make (defending the title) more difficult, more challenging."
Catching Up With.....J.J. Sullinger '01
Here's a clip from the This Week Worthington blog about former TWHS, Arkansas, and Ohio State stand out J.J. Sullinger:
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=special&story=sites/twn/php/blog.php&blog=ThisWeekSports/2008/01/jj_off_to_belgium.html
J.J. off to Belgium
J.J. Sullinger, world traveler.
Former Thomas Worthington star and Ohio State role player flew out of Columbus about an hour ago to go to Belgium, where he'll join his newest team, Spotter Leuven of the Belgium Basketball League.
So let's see ... that makes the Phillipines, Poland and now Belgium in which he's played over the last year. And his wife just had a baby two months ago. Not a bad life I must say.
J.J. will be teammates with former Brookhaven star -- and former OSU teammate -- Ron Lewis, who is one of Leuven's leading scorers at 17.0per game. Sullinger replaces former Oklahoma State star Mario Boggan onthe team's roster.
Best of Luck to you and your family, J.J.!
P.S. Try the waffles!
http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=special&story=sites/twn/php/blog.php&blog=ThisWeekSports/2008/01/jj_off_to_belgium.html
J.J. off to Belgium
J.J. Sullinger, world traveler.
Former Thomas Worthington star and Ohio State role player flew out of Columbus about an hour ago to go to Belgium, where he'll join his newest team, Spotter Leuven of the Belgium Basketball League.
So let's see ... that makes the Phillipines, Poland and now Belgium in which he's played over the last year. And his wife just had a baby two months ago. Not a bad life I must say.
J.J. will be teammates with former Brookhaven star -- and former OSU teammate -- Ron Lewis, who is one of Leuven's leading scorers at 17.0per game. Sullinger replaces former Oklahoma State star Mario Boggan onthe team's roster.
Best of Luck to you and your family, J.J.!
P.S. Try the waffles!
The Thomas Worthington Hoops Blog is Live!
We have been kicking around ideas on how to best communicate what's going on with Thomas Worthington's basketball team, former players, and any other information we want to get out to each other. Since any moron can set up a blog, I felt qualified and set one up for us.
Subscribe to the blog to get frequent posts about what's going on inside and out of the world of Thomas Worthington Hoops without peppering your email with a ton of posts from the Yahoo! Groups page. We will use that space to keep the calendar, host the photo album and announce upcoming alumni events. This blog will be used as an informal way to communicate what's going on in a (somewhat) timely manner.
You can comment on the posts, or if you would like to write and post entries for the blog, let me know and I will be glad to give you access.
Any questions, comments or suggestions are more than welcome.
Thanks,
Jason Savage '91
Subscribe to the blog to get frequent posts about what's going on inside and out of the world of Thomas Worthington Hoops without peppering your email with a ton of posts from the Yahoo! Groups page. We will use that space to keep the calendar, host the photo album and announce upcoming alumni events. This blog will be used as an informal way to communicate what's going on in a (somewhat) timely manner.
You can comment on the posts, or if you would like to write and post entries for the blog, let me know and I will be glad to give you access.
Any questions, comments or suggestions are more than welcome.
Thanks,
Jason Savage '91
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)