‘You are all a part of this’
By Joe Scalzo
Strong foundation led to state berth
Over the past week, Warren Harding High boys basketball coach Steve Arnold has spent a lot of time talking to his players — and not just his current ones.
Since winning the Division I regional title on Saturday, Arnold has received calls from former players like Prescott Burgess (a 2003 graduate who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens), Mario Manningham (a 2005 graduate who now plays for the New York Giants), Rocco Cironi (2005), Bryan Wright (2006), Keelyn Franklin (2007) and Chris Henderson (2008).
And that’s just an abbreviated list.
“Keelyn was one of the first guys out of the stands on Saturday” when the Raiders won the regional title, Arnold said. “I simply told those guys, ‘You are all a part of this.’
“They’ve helped build what we have now. I’m very appreciative of those guys and those former players. They have a piece of the regional championship and hopefully they’ll have a piece of the state championship.”
Arnold, a 1982 Harding graduate who played collegiately at Ohio Dominican, is 134-29 in seven years with the Raiders. Harding will play Columbus Northland in Friday’s Division I state semifinal at Value City Arena.
Henderson nearly made it last year but the Raiders lost in overtime to Lakewood St. Edward in the regional final when the Eagles hit a game-tying 3-pointer in regulation that, according to replays, came after the buzzer.
“We’re obviously very excited to be here,” said Arnold. “We were within a fraction of a second — or however you want to categorize it — of reaching the Final Four last year.
“But sometimes it’s not on your time, it’s on God’s time. Obviously last year was very frustrating but the guys came back and worked hard all summer to get back here.”
Harding made its only other state tournament appearance in 1966, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Dayton Chaminade 68-60. Warren Western Reserve qualified in 1989 — a year before merging with Harding —and fell to Cleveland St. Joseph 61-59.
Northland, the state’s top-ranked team, is making its first state tournament appearance after losing in the district tournament the past two years. The Vikings are 70-3 over the past three years.
“When I took over the job nine years ago, all we talked about was winning the North Division [of the Columbus City League],” said Northland coach Satch Sullinger. “Everyone was chasing Brookhaven, who had won it 12 years in a row.
“To be where we’re at now, it lets the kids know that hard work pays off.”
Although both teams have talented players, the spotlight will be on two: Jackson, a University of Wyoming recruit, and Sullinger (6-9, 260), an Ohio State recruit who won Mr. Basketball on Wednesday and is ranked among the top juniors in the country.
Jackson is a slasher who uses his instincts, wingspan and athleticism to cause problems for opponents.
“I watched them [Harding] play St. Eds and I watched that kid [Jackson] bring them back,” said Satch Sullinger. “He’s very impressive.”
Although Sullinger can handle the ball and shoot outside, his size and strength are best utilized under the basket.
“We have not seen a player of his caliber,” said Arnold. “He’s pretty much a man-child in the paint. We’re anxious to have the opportunity to play against him and see how we match up.”
The Raiders could certainly use senior guard Sheldon Brogdon, a YSU recruit averaging nearly 20 points per game before a season-ending knee injury. But Arnold has tried to build a team good enough to withstand a huge loss.
So far, so good.
“We miss him, but we’ve found a way to get it done,” Arnold said. “This is my seventh year and we’ve always talked about forming a team. Teams can devise defenses to take one player out of the game, but when you play as a team, as we’ve done all year long, different guys can hurt you each and every night.
“We’ve helped define roles for players and they’ve fulfilled those roles.”
scalzo@vindy.com