Trotwood should have another shot at state title

Here’s some final thoughts on that crushing setback and other notable subjects for the just-concluded boys and girls basketball seasons:

Trotwood KO’ed by Akron SVSM: How did this happen?

• Trotwood had beaten Akron SVSM 100-61 in mid-January. No one expected another blowout, but the Irish beating the Rams also seemed a long shot.

Trotwood (26-3) has company in sharing a colossal letdown. Dunbar had two future NBA players in its 2005 lineup in Daequan Cook and Norris Cole but lost a 95-90 shootout to Upper Sandusky and Jon Diebler in a D-II state semi.

BOYS SCHEDULE: State semfinals, finals

Unbeaten Alter started a lineup of five future NCAA D-I players, including future NBA All-Star Jim Paxson, but lost to Columbus Linden McKinley in the 1975 Class AAA state semifinals. McKinley won state with an 18-8 record.

Both Dunbar and Alter won multiple state boys basketball titles since those crushing defeats. With just two seniors in its rotation, Trotwood is still in the running for an elusive state title. Three juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen suited up for the Rams on Thursday. If high-scoring Trotwood is to hoist championship hardware it'll be without senior standouts Torrey Patton and Amir Foster.

“We like what we’re returning but we’ve got work to do,” Trotwood coach Rocky Rockhold said. “At the end of the day we didn’t meet our final goal.”

• It’s anyone’s guess about the future of Dunbar boys basketball. Veteran Wolverines coach Pete Pullen and assistant Darran Powell, also Dunbar’s football coach, have a strained relationship with Dayton Public Schools director of athletics Mark Baker. That’s the result of a series of incidents last football season that included playoff-bound Dunbar forfeiting two games because of an academically ineligible player and missing the postseason. Soon after Pullen resigned as Dunbar’s AD.

ALL-OHIO: Boys basketball teams

The most serious incident involves accusations of Dunbar being instructed by Baker to lose to Belmont in Week 10 so both City League teams would qualify for the playoffs. An investigation into that by the Ohio High School Athletic Association is ongoing.

Powell has not been renewed as Dunbar’s football coach, although that could still happen. There are concerns about sweeping coaching changes for City League football and basketball, most notably at Dunbar.

Pullen has led Dunbar to four state titles in 13 seasons. He shrugged off a suggestion that a regional final loss to Trotwood might have been his last as the Wolverines' coach. "Whatever happens, I'll be just fine," he said.

• We might have seen the end of an era for the Wayne (15-9), Springfield (23-4) and Tri-Village (19-8) boys.

Wayne will have returning juniors L’Christian “Blue” Smith and Darius Quisenberry to build around, but the Warriors didn’t come close to their previous success and are just two seasons removed from a D-I state title. Springfield will be without senior Danny Davis for the first time in four seasons.

Tri-Village (D-IV) will graduate the last remaining starter from its 2015 D-IV state title team in Gavin Richards. Bethel (21-4) and high scoring junior Caleb South were the Cross County Conference’s best this season.

• Versailles (25-2) was loaded with underclassmen, including 6-6 junior Justin Ahrens, who’s verbally committed to OSU. Breaking through the grip Cincinnati teams had on the D-III region the last two seasons is the Tigers’ recurring goal.

• No program will face a more total reboot than the Alter girls, but what a ride it was. With seniors Libby Bazelak and Braxtin Miller in its lineup, the Knights won the last three D-II state titles, played in four consecutive state championships and amassed a 115-5 record.

Alter’s top six players this season were seniors. It’ll be a victory for the Knights if they come anywhere close to that kind of success next season.

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