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“To go home and be able to contribute other than being a student-athlete there is very special to me,” said Pittman, most recently an assistant at Middletown last season. “I’m excited. It’s going to be fun.”
Although the GWOC is splitting at the end of this school year, eight of the 20 current members will have changed boys basketball coaches since 2017. Yet to fill vacancies are Butler and Fairmont following the recent resignations of former Aviators coach Darren Wyrick (now at Fairfield) and Blair Albright with the Firebirds.
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A 1985 Beavercreek grad who excelled for former Beavers coach Larry Holden, Pittman extended a long coaching relationship with Darnell Hoskins at Middletown last season. Pittman was the Ponitz boys head coach (2016-18) and before that an assistant to Hoskins for seven seasons at Thurgood Marshall. Pittman also coached various boys levels at Beavercreek, Centerville and Miami Valley, and has extensive AAU basketball coaching experience.
Pittman played at UD from 1985-89 for former coach Don Donoher and was a Flyers captain as a senior. Pittman’s son, Malcolm Pittman, played basketball at Wayne and Wilmington College.
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Also on staff at Middletown with Hoskins and Pittman was former Dunbar coach Pete Pullen.
“They’re going to turn that thing around sooner than later,” Pittman said of the Middies boys program. “That’s the blueprint I’ll be taking with me.”
Beavercreek was 8-15 overall last season and 3-9 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference National East. Hess was a combined 37-79 over five seasons at Beavercreek and succeeded John Ahrns. Hess previously was the head coach at Hilliard Darby for two seasons.
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Beavercreek last won an outright GWOC Central title in 2012 and last had a winning record in 2013-14.
Pittman has worked at Victory Wholesale Group (logistics department) since graduating from UD. He’s at least the third grad to land the Beavercreek boys basketball position, following Charlie Back (2005-08) and Ahrns (2008-14).
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“In high school I worked with Holden at camps with the Beavercreek Stars program,” Pittman recalled. “I knew then I wanted to teach and coach, that was the plan. (Victory) encourages you to give back to the community in so many different ways. They were excited about me coaching and working with these young men and giving something back like something was given to me.”
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