RESURGENT DUNBAR SET TO FACE DEFENDING STATE CHAMP
There are a few select boys high school programs in Ohio whose names resonate at a different decibel. St. Ignatius football, Graham wrestling, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball and St. Xavier swimming are a few.
Dunbar basketball is another.
The Wolverines own five state titles, seven state finals appearances and nine final four appearances since 1971. Only three schools in Ohio history have more basketball state championships than Dunbar: SVSM, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph and Middletown.
“I talk about it all the time,” Wolverines head coach Lyle Cole said. “When you put that blue on and that crest on, it means so much, and these guys are learning what that means. When you put the name ‘Dunbar’ on, it’s more than what some peo- ple think.”
Over the past 26 months, Dunbar’s been bruised.
A fight at the end of a January junior varsity basketball game in 2018 led to a Wolverines ban from the 2019 postseason and ongoing Ohio High School Athletic Association probation, which runs through June for all Dayton Public Schools and through 2022 for Dunbar.
In August, during the second quarter of a footballgame with Roger Bacon, a Dunbar player head-butted a referee. An ongoing court case exists.
Wednesday, Dunbar freshman Qua’Lek Shelton, 15, was laid to rest after dying from wounds suffered in a drive-by shooting Feb. 16. Shelton was an exceptional track athlete and AAU national champion in multiple age-group events.
“The kids have been going through crisis counseling, been going through peer counsel- ing...just trying to get through the situations, which have been one after the next,” Lyle said. “We have to continue to move in the right direction. We have to keep pushing forward and make good things happen. It is a tough time at Dunbar right now. Our kids are really under pressure. People are expecting for us to do something off the wall and people are expect- ing us to do something dumb. We’ve got good kids.”
Dunbar’s basketball team has helped supply some relief.
Despite finishing the regular season with an uncharacteristic six wins, the Wolverines have beaten Waynesville (68-65 in overtime) and Eaton (69-50) to reach today’s Division II district semifinal against defending state cham- pion Trotwood-Madison (21-2). Tip is 6 p.m. at Trent Arena.
“We’ve gotten here under a lot of adverse circumstances,” Cole said. “This is different. We don’t have the Norris Coles and the Aaron Pogues and the Daequan Cooks. We have players right now who have shown that they want to be here and give their all. That’s all we can ask for.”
Trotwood won at Dunbar 108-87 on Jan. 11.
“Our kids still have what we call a little bit of ‘Blue,’” Cole said. “They’re not fully ‘Blue’ yet, but they are earning their stripes. It’s about protecting the crest and that’s what we’re doing. We’re trying to protect it on the court and off.”
Gauntlet: Of the eight teams left in the girls Division I Princeton District, six — Mount Notre Dame (No. 1), Fairmont (No. 2), Wayne (No. 3), Mercy McAuley (No. 5), and Springboro (No. 6) – are ranked in the top eight of the MaxPreps Ohio computer rankings (regardless of division). The other two teams are Lakota West (No. 10) and Walnut Hills (No. 11).
Honors: The Southwestern Buckeye League named its all-league teams. Oakwood senior Darren Rubin wasthe Southwestern Division boys playerof the year, while Franklin’s Brian Bales was coach of the year. Madison swept the Buckeye Division awards with senior Grant Whisman and Jeff Smith earning player and coach of the year honors, respectively. Valley View’s Aubrey Stupp and Steve Dickson swept the Southwestern Division girls player and coach awards, while Carlisle’s Tony Phillips was the Buckeye Division coach of the year and Madison senior Kenzie Saunders was the top player.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-554-0477 or email efrantz@maxpreps.com.