BASKETBALL Ursuline selects Gunther as coach

The LaBrae High graduate was a defensive standout at Ashland College.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The handbill passed out by Keith A. Gunther to the larger-than-expected group of candidates interested in basketball got the message across.
"Defense First."
It was Gunther's first contact with his perspective squad as the new boys coach at Ursuline High.
Wednesday's meeting preceded the announcement of the former LaBrae High and Ashland College player as the school's newest coach.
Gunther replaces Steve Leslie, who served three seasons and will be Mooney's new baseball coach.
Gunther is Ursuline's fourth coach since 1993 when Mitch Cerny guided the Irish to the Division III state championship.
Dave Petty coached for two seasons before Brian Danilov had a successful stint from 1996-2000.
Focus is defense
During an informal session following the meeting, Gunther, 35, explained what he hopes to accomplish in his first head coaching job.
"My primary focus is defense," said Gunther, who will be pressed to assemble a staff in the upcoming weeks in preparation for the 2003-04 season. "I expect our intensity to be at the college level.
"My focus is defense first and that's what I told the kids," Gunther said. "Offense will be important, but defense will be number one at Ursuline. If you look at successful pro teams, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, great defenses are the ones that win."
Gunther, an adult probation officer for Trumbull County Eastern District Court Judge Ronald J. Rice, plans to start open gym Saturday.
Trumbull Player of Year
The 1986 LaBrae graduate was Trumbull County Player of the year. He played three seasons for Roger Lyons at Ashland and his senior year for Keith Dambrot, who is now an assistant at the University of Akron. Dambrot coached LeBron James as a freshman and sophomore at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Gunther spent the last six seasons as an assistant at Newton Falls to Roy Sembach.
Newton Falls and Ursuline met several times during those years, with the Tigers holding a 3-1 edge.
"It's a change coming here," he said of Ursuline. "It's a different type of kid. There's athletic ability and a talent level that puts our program in great position in Division III."
Gunther interviewed for the Ursuline job three years ago and he also applied for the LaBrae position five years ago.
"It had to be the right opportunity and the right situation for me to leave Newton Falls where the athletic department treated me well and where the community was wonderful," he said.
High scorer
Gunther, who averaged 25 points per game at LaBrae, said he had a rude awakening in college.
"It wasn't all about scoring," he said.
It'll be the same at Ursuline.
"If other teams take a shot, it has to be one they're not happy with," Gunther said. "It really frustrates a team if they have trouble scoring. With the ability we have, we're not going to slow it down. But it takes preparation to find out what a team does well and take that away."
He finished with 918 points in his Ashland career, but he was also two-time defensive player of year in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Gunther and his wife, Jill, have two daughters, Megan and Macey, who attend school in Braceville.
bassetti@vindy.com