Bohlman a quality ‘rat’ for Acorn
There was no hesitation in Acorn Coach Chris Ledbetter’s voice when asked to describe his all-everything guard Damian Bohlman.
“Awesome, outstanding and dedicated” were just a few of the many superlatives the Tigers’ longtime leader used to depict his star player, one he’s known for years. Yet, there was one description Ledbetter noted could accurately sum up Bohlman without any bias.
“Gym rat” — and not the kind of the rodent persuasion, either.
“His work ethic is just crazy,” Ledbetter said. “I’m telling you, that boy is in the gym all afternoon. I’ll close it up at 4 o’clock, and that joker is still in there. I just tell him, ‘Hey, turn off the lights when you leave.’ ”
Fittingly enough, it’s been Bohlman who’s been turning the lights out on the Tigers’ opponents.
The 6-3 guard is averaging nearly 28 points per game and has been massive in every facet for Acorn (17-5), which has been a major player in a deep pool of state title contenders in Class 2A.
The Tigers have lost just one game against a team from their class, and that came eight days ago against Class 2A No. 1 Dierks, 59-41, in the championship game of the Cossatot River Invitational. They’re about to jump into their meat of their 2A-4 Conference schedule, where they’ll face No. 2-ranked Lavaca at least twice and play home-and-home matchups against last season’s conference champion Mountainburg.
But Ledbetter isn’t worrying about what contests lie ahead, nor is he fretting about what could’ve happened during in his team’s other four early-season losses. He’s more focused on what his group is doing now and what they could do down the line if they continue to improve the way he believes they have.
And for Acorn, having Bohlman at the controls will give it a chance to win regardless of what’s going on.
“Damian Bohlman is as good of a leader as you’re going to find,” Ledbetter said. “He sets us up and gets us going, but he’s a great motivator and he keeps the guys’ heads on straight, too.
“That type of leadership is what this group needs. I start four seniors, and I’ve had those kids since they were in seventh grade. I knew they were going to be a good group, even in pee-wee. I’d been watching them forever, and I finally got them in junior high. I can’t say enough about them.”
According to Ledbetter, each one of those seniors have their own unique characteristic that drives the Tigers. Tyler Lyle, a 6-1 forward, provides a wealth of athleticism and can score when needed. Jake Lyle, the team’s point guard, has been steady all year, but he’ll be sidelined for the next six weeks after recently breaking his foot.
Jacob Cottman, a 5-11 two guard, is a three-pointer specialist for the Tigers, which Ledbetter mentioned has been a big part of their overall success through 22 games. And then there’s Bohlman, who simply does a little bit of everything and is drawing collegiate interest from a number of Division II schools.
After putting together many big games as a junior, Bohlman had aspirations of getting bigger and stronger while improving on his midrange game during the offsea- son in preparation for what he hoped would be an even better senior year. Those desires were off and running, but took a hit when he suffered an injury during a camp while playing for the Spartans Blue summer team.
“I know that I’ve always been a little undersized when it comes to playing travel ball,” Bohlman said. “So that’s what I really wanted to focus on. But then, I had that setback where I broke my arm at Lake Hamilton in a game against Poyen in camp. I went up to dunk it, and one of the little dudes came in and cut me. I tried to catch myself.
“But after I broke it, I never had a bad mindset. I was always thinking that I was going to be good. I just kept working because I knew I’d get better soon.”
If there was a shining light on Bohlman’s injury, it was the timing of it. That ordeal occurred months before his final season with the Tigers began, and it gave his arm time to fully heal. Once he did, it was back to business as usual.
Bohlman said he immediately started shooting as soon as he got the all clear from his doctors. He even went to a college camp when he received that clearance.
“I was ready to get back at it,” he said. “Didn’t want to waste or lose any more time. I just wanted to get back in the grind of it, get ready to kick my senior year off.”
He’s been everything that Ledbetter felt he would be for the Tigers. Bohlman has put together multiple 30-point games, including a 37-point night in a 79-65 win over 2020-21 runner-up Caddo Hills, and has had several outings where he’s filled up the stat sheet in rebounds, steals and assists.
Bohlman, though, is his own critic and revealed he’s found cracks in his skillset that needs to be sealed.
“My last couple of games, for myself personally, I’ve felt that I haven’t exceeded at the level that I want to exceed at,” he said. “For me, I know I can definitely do better than what I’ve done, especially in those past few games. But as a team, I’m proud of where we’re at right now.
“We’ve got a great personal connection. Just the bond and chemistry we all have. … we can just fight and battle in games, and we know that we’re always going to give it our all and have each other’s backs. I can really see us getting all the way to the finals if we just continue to click. We’ve got it in us.”
Ledbetter said he also believes Bohlman has it in him to become as good as he wants to be, even if it means leaving those gym lights on a little longer.
“He puts in the work,” he said. “He does the stuff the coaches love. I’ll probably never coach another one like him, to be honest. He has it all.”