Tigers’ three-sport star has game

June 13, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Springfield’s all-time leading basketball scorer is quick to credit those who have helped elevate his game.

“They are great coaches,” said Graham Mincher of head coach Eric Fender, who is assisted by his father, Tom. “Without them, I couldn’t be where I am with basketball.

“They really helped me through the years,” said the Tiger who scored 1,468 points to break Mark Metzka’s record. “They are great guys.

“It was a lot of fun coming to practice every day,” Mincher said, adding that he learned a lot from the most experienced assistant coach in the Mahoning Valley.

“He’s pretty old-school,” Mincher said of Tom Fender. “He liked when I scored, but he’d get on me about defense because it’s not all about scoring.”

In addition to his three varsity seasons on the court, Mincher was the Tigers quarterback for most of three seasons and a playoff game in 2014. He also tried running track this spring, qualifying for the regional meet in the long jump.

“At Springfield, we’ve always been very encouraging for athletes as to play as many as you can,” Eric Fender said. “You only get to play high school athletics once.

“Graham has been one exceptional athlete.”

The Vindicator’s Male Athlete of the Year stepped into the spotlight midway through his sophomore football season. Because of an injury, Mincher took over as starting quarterback.

“It was difficult at first,” said Mincher, adding that he had played a few series in the opener and that helped him find a comfort zone.

The Tigers finished 7-3.

As in football, Mincher became a basketball starter as a sophomore.

“From a young age, after seeing him play in seventh and eighth grade, you could see his maturity, that he had an understanding of the game,” Fender said. “He was that rare athlete to know the game so well.”

Fender’s highest praise is that Mincher reminds him of his brother Chad, a standout at Poland High School from 2002-05.

Mincher is the son of Greg and Jeanine Mincher. He has two older sisters — Rachel and Arielle — who were athletes at Springfield.

“My dad played basketball and football. He’s the one who really got me started in sports,” Mincher said. “[What I’ve accomplished] wouldn’t be possible without him.”

Mincher’s junior year was simply outstanding. The Tigers again went 7-3. But a 42-21 win over Crestview in Week 8 — the Tigers’ first win over the Rebels in 15 seasons — helped them earn a share of the Inter-Tri County League Tier One title and a playoff game.

Mincher was unstoppable that night, passing for two touchdowns and running for two others.

“That was kind of the turning point of the season,” Mincher said. “That was what really pushed us to winning a share of the title and sending us to the playoffs.”

In basketball, the Tigers were perfect in the regular season, going 22-0 for the first time.

“It’s crazy — probably the best feeling I’ve ever had in basketball,” Mincher said after he scored 25 points as the Tigers defeated Salem, 57-42.

Last fall, the Tigers’ football team went 4-6.

“This year was a little rough,” said Mincher, noting the loss of Mark Schuler, Brandon Chamberlain and Ryan Kohler to graduation the previous June. “There was a lot of talent on team, 12-13 seniors who played. It was tough losing them.”

After football season ended, Mincher went to work rewriting the Tigers’ basketball record book. He scored 52 points against Sebring to set the single game record.

He scored 647 points to set a single-season mark.

His most memorable momentt was the night he broke the Springfield scoring record in a game at South Range.

“They stopped the game and announced [the record],” Mincher said. “I had so many family members there for me.

“My aunt made a shirt for me. When they paused the game, I was shaking everybody’s hand and hugging all my family members,” Mincher said. “That was pretty cool.

“It was a big game that decided the ITCL championship — we ended up winning by one point.”

Although he enjoyed football, Mincher said basketball was his favorite.

“In my opinion, I think I’m better at basketball than football,” Mincher said. “Other people disagree with me because they think if I really want to play quarterback at some colleges, I could.

“Basketball is overall more fun and exciting to play, especially when you have big student sections and crowds,” Mincher said. “It’s more exciting to me. It’s so loud compared to football.”

Instead, Mincher has a different mission. He’s enrolling at Youngstown State University with hopes of walking on with Jerry Slocum’s men’s basketball team.

“There’s definitely been interest at the Division III level,” Fender said.

Mincher averaged 27 points during his senior year.

Mincher said he’s always planned to go to YSU. His walk-on plan developed during his senior season.

“I’m just going to have to perform at a higher level, get better, that’s for sure,” Mincher said.

Mincher hasn’t decided on a major but says it will be something involving math. He finds computer science, engineering and finances intriguing.

“I’ve always really liked history and geography, but I feel that math has always clicked with me,” he said.

Considering the numbers he produced on the court, it’s no wonder.