Coaches Association Newsletter April 2020

Message From The President
David Sheldon, Colonel Crawford
On behalf of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches’ Association, we hope that this message finds you and your family safe and well. The sport of basketball, the spirit of competition, and the passion of coaches and athletes is always at a peak this time of year, with the pinnacle of those ideals within the tournaments of March Madness. Unfortunately, the time has come for the OHSAA to make the decision to cancel the 2020 regional and state boys’ and girls’ basketball tournaments. We, as the Executive Committee of OHSBCA, support Jerry Snodgrass and the OHSAA office in this decision to prioritize the health and safety of our communities around the state and follow the precedent set for the pandemic by Governor DeWine. Some of your teams and communities have all missed the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat that comes in those regional and state games. We do not dismiss your grief in experiencing this abrupt end to what has been championship seasons; however, our responsibility, as is the OHSAA, is to put what is best for all teams, coaches, and student-athletes first in every area of our lives, health and safety. Thank you for understanding our support of this decision and congratulations on your seasons.

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OHSBCA Awards 2020
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association made the selections to all of the awards for the 2019-2020 season - Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Academic All-Ohio, Academic Teams, Scholarship Society, 2-Point Field Goal, 3-Point Field Goal, Free Throw Individual and Team, and Coaches Scholarship. Winners will be featured in the Spring Hooplines.

Coaches of the Year awards will be presented at our Fall Clinic in September. Players of the Year awards will be mailed to head coaches. Winners of Academic All-Ohio, Academic Teams, Statistical Awards, and Gold/Silver certificates have been mailed to head coaches. Scholarship winners will receive checks in the mail.

OHSBCA Hall of Fame Banquet Postponed to August 22
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association 2020 Hall of Fame Banquet has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 22, 2020. The event will still take place at the Marriott Columbus University Area on Olentangy River Road. Social Hour will begin at 5:30 pm and Dinner will follow at 6:30 pm. Cost will be $40.00.

This year’s Hall of Fame Class is Chris Adams of Elida, Dave Kleman of Ottoville, Randy Montgomery of Triway / Hoover / West Branch, and Dan Schwieterman of Shenandoah. If you have any questions please contact me or Paul Wayne, Hall of Fame Chairman at wayno14@embarqmail.com.

Boys Showcase
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect all of us. At this time, the NCAA has not changed the June recruiting period and Ohio has not extended any bans that would cancel the events. This situation changes daily and we will adjust as needed. We are waiting until late April to move forward with inviting top nominated players. You may still nominate at the association web site at this time.

This year will mark the 2nd OHSBCA Division-I Recruiting Showcase presented by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association in conjunction with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The event will be held during the new NCAA Division I Recruiting Period in June. On Saturday, June 27, 2020 the top players from Ohio will assemble at Capital University in Columbus to participate in this day-long evaluation event. This event is designed to provide aspiring high school players with the opportunity to perform in front of NCAA Division I coaching staffs. Last year’s event drew over 100 college programs from the division 1 and 2 levels.

This year will see an added team event on Sunday June 28th. 16-24 high school teams from Ohio will be invited to participate in the shootout with teams playing 3 or 4 games depending on the final format. If your team has division 1 talent and you are interested in playing, you can email Joe Bogdan (joe.bogdan.44@gmail.com) to get more information and apply to be considered.

As with the popular April showcase that was run for 13 years, the new showcase has high school coaches from around the state working the event. The Showcase is open to the public, and admission to the event is $5.

2020 Coaches Sportsmanship Award Recipients
Each year all 26 Ohio High School Athletic Association sanctioned sports’ coaches associations can recognize and honor one of their members with an OHSAA Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Award. The recipients are selected by the directors of the respective associations. Individuals selected should reflect the values of sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity through all of their professional responsibilities and should be a role model for others. The OHSBCA Boys recipient is Alan Januzzi of Firelands High School and the OHSBCA Girls recipient is Bob Bell of Kirtland High School.

Alan Januzzi - Firelands
Boys SEI Award Winner
Alan just completed his 21^st year as a head boys’ basketball coach in Northeastern Ohio, his 5^th at Firelands High School. He has compiled over 230 wins and led his 2003 Open Door Christian Team to the State Final Four. His Lutheran West Teams won back to back Patriot Athletic Conference Championships from 2014 to 2016.

He was a recipient of the OHSBCA Hall of Honor Award in 2012 and the North Coast League Scholastic Recognition Award in 2008. In addition to coaching basketball, Alan also serves as an assistant coach in Cross Country Coach and Track at Firelands.

Alan has been the volunteer treasurer of the Lorain County Boys Basketball Coaches Association for 20 years. That association has provided over $90,000 in scholarships to Lorain County Boys Basketball Seniors since its inception. He is a 1982 graduate and captain of the Lorain Catholic Spartans District Championship Team.

Bob Bell - Kirtland
Girls SEI Award Winner

Bob Bell has coached basketball for 49 years, including 41 years as a head coach. He coached boys’ basketball for the first 27 years, 23 years as a head coach at Willoughby South and Painesville Riverside. Bob then spent 22 years as a girls’ basketball coach, 18 as the head coach at Kirtland. Bell has accumulated 511 varsity basketball wins (212 wins with boys and 299 wins with the girls).

During his tenure at Kirtland, his teams won 10 league championships, 13 sectional titles and one district crown (2005). He has won many Coach of the Year Awards, cumulating in AP Ohio Division III Girls Coach of the Year. He retired from teaching after 37 years in 2009.

Throughout his coaching career, Bell has tailored his coaching style around two things – being consistent and doing things the right way. He was a graduate of Hannibal River High school where he played football, basketball, and baseball.

2020 OHSBCA North-South All-Star Game
The OHSBCA featured event, Ohio North-South All-Star Game, has been canceled for the 2020 basketball season, due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The Boys have been playing this event since 1958 and the Girls since 1981. Once before in 1962 and 1963, the Boys North-South Game was canceled due to the NCAA and the OHSAA State Board not sanction All-Star games.

The Boys and Girls North-South Coaches selected this year will roll over to next year. The games will be played on Friday, April 23, 2021, with the D1 & D2 game starting at 6:30 pm followed by the D3 & D4 game at 8:15 pm. The following rosters are this year’s Boys and Girls North and South All-Stars that would have played in the game.

2020 Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game
The 29th Annual BSN Sports Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game has been CANCELLED due to the COVID-19 Outbreak. The Ohio-Kentucky All-Star committee decided to reveal this year’s 2020 All-Star Teams. “The Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Committee wants to say congratulations to this years All-Stars and Coaches. We really appreciate your understanding with our decision during these tough times.” Here are the selections for the Ohio All-Star Teams.

Ohio Virtual Coaching Clinic
The OHSBCA will be hosting Two Virtual Coaching Clinics. A link to attend the clinic will be sent out one day prior to the clinic. Each clinic can hold a Maximum of 100 individuals. If you have any questions, please contact Adam Hall (ohsbcapublicrelations@gmail.com). We hope you can make plans to join us.

Monday, April 6th - 7:00 PM
Kevin Bille, General Manager of Plain Values & JPV Press will discuss the topic “Connecting within Your Culture.”

Thursday, April 9th - 7:00 PM
Pat Estepp, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Cedarville University will present the topic “Match-Up Zone Defense.”

Girls Showcase
After lengthy discussions with showcase personnel and receiving feedback from girls district directors and the executive board, the Girls Showcase will be suspended for this year, 2020. We will not be taking nominations for the girls showcase this year. We will revisit the showcase next year with hopes that the NCAA will rearrange their recruiting calendar to better support scholastic events as they did with the boys calendar. We are always open to suggestions and ideas on how we can reinvent the Girls Showcase to make it a positive event in the future.

FUTURE ELECTIONS
In 2020, the following positions are to be elected: 
1. Even Number Districts Directors (3-year term)
2. Girls District Directors of Districts 2 & 3, District 6 & 7, Districts 5 & 12, and Districts 15 & 16 (3-year term)
For these ALL POSITIONS, the candidate must be a member of the OHSBCA.