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Jason Meyer was dominating for the Buccs as he scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
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Team
Covington
Bethel
Tri-County North
Tri-Village
Twin Valley South
Newton
Franklin Monroe
Arcanum
National Trail
Ansonia
Mississinawa Valley
Bradford
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CCC
9-2
9-2
9-2
9-2
8-3
6-5
5-6
4-7
3-8
2-9
2-9
0-11
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ALL
16-4
16-4
16-4
14-6
15-5
10-10
9-11
5-15
5-15
4-16
3-17
0-20
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January 18, 2002 – COVINGTON
Matt Witt and Bethel are the real deal. Jason Meyer and Covington are also the real deal. Two great players and two great teams got together tonight for a heavyweight title fight and the game was much better than advertised.
For the past week the hype was running rampant. Similar to a highly anticipated prize fight, the participants kept a low profile, allowing the public and press to hype the event. The two teams let their play speak for itself on the court and what we witnessed was a fierce battle that left us wanting more.
The game started off slowly as both teams missed their first few shots. Bethel's Matt Witt started the scoring with two free throws and a quick flurry later, the Bees were up 6-0. Jason Meyer scored the games next 8 points and gave the Buccs their only lead of the night, 8-6. A jumper and two 3-pointers by Witt gave the Bees a 16-12 lead at the end of the first.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the second as the defensive intensity picked up. The Buccs missed many open looks at the basket which resulted in only 5 points in the quarter. Bethel got more balance out of their starting five as Kevin Shoup snuck inside and benefited by two pretty passes from Matt Witt. Bethel knocked down 11 points in the quarter to go up by 10 at the half which had the Buccs staggering on the ropes.
Bethel looked for the knockout in the third as Matt Witt put on a show. After Jason Meyer hit 2 free throws to start the half, Witt nailed a 3-pointer to put the Bees up 30-19. Bert Roeth countered with a 3-pointer of his own but Bethel snuck in two layups to increase their lead to 12 points, 34-22. Jason Meyer hit a jumper to cut the lead to 10 but Matt Witt canned two 3-pointers in a row to stagger the Buccs and force a timeout with 3:00 to go in the period.
Hurt and out of rhythm, the Buccs needed something to get them going. Jason Meyer stepped up like a true champion and willed the Buccs back into the contest. Jason scored 13 points in the final 3:00 to close the gap to 9 points, 49-40 at the end of the period.
The Buccs appeared to be gaining in confidence and finding their stroke. A jumper by Jarod Meyer and 4 free throws by Clint Mohler and Bert Roeth cut the Bee's lead to 3 and Bethel seamed to be staggering. Bethel quickly got on the offensive and went inside with two layups which pushed the lead back to 7 but Jason Meyer drilled a 3-pointer to make the score 53-49. After a Jarod Meyer free throw, Matt Witt landed two big haymakers with a 3-pointer and a 3-point play off of a drive to the hoop. Again, the Bees increased their lead back to 9 points, 59-50 and time was running out on the Buccs.
The Buccs made one last run at the Bees and closed the gap to 59-54 but the time continued to tick away which forced them to foul. Bethel nailed the majority of their free throws down the stretch and came away with a narrow, split decision victory, 68-64.
As with any great championship fight there is always a demand for a rematch. There was probably not one person in the gym tonight who wouldn't want to see this one again. Surely both teams would probably want it. The game was that good!
- By Ben Robinson
Covington Scoring:
Jason Meyer – 33
Bert Roeth – 13
Jarod Meyer – 11
Josh Burelison – 3
Clint Mohler – 2
Derick Brumbaugh – 2
Bethel Scoring:
Matt Witt – 39
Kevin Shoup – 14
Brian Shoup – 6
Drew Bowman – 6
Josh Priaulx – 3
Covington Rebounding:
Jason Meyer – 14
Clint Mohler – 6
Bert Roeth – 6
Jarod Meyer – 4
Derick Brumbaugh – 3
Josh Burelison – 2
Alex Hague – 1
Bethel Rebounding:
Matt Witt – 8
Kevin Shoup – 7
Brian Shoup – 6
Drew Bowman – 4
Josh Priaulx – 2
Brett Kopp – 1
The Huelsman Factor…
Someone once said of John Wooden that his won-loss record was only half his legacy. The other half was his influence on the game of basketball through the coaches he trained who ultimately became successful in their own right. Men like Denny Crum and Jim Harrick are just two examples of the Wooden legacy and how it can come to impact the sport.
On a more local scale, the success of Covington basketball could hardly have had more impact on the game here in Miami County. Three of the county's high schools are currently under the management of coaches with Covington ties....Allen Mack (Miami East), Steve Fisher (Bethel) and Matt Pond (Tipp City). And...all three, when asked to specify an aspect of that Covington influence, identify their experience under Bob Huelsman as having helped shape their character and ultimate success as a head coach. Coincidentally, two of the three...Mack and Fisher...have won state championships, no doubt due in a large part to that Huelsman influence.
Allen Mack was a reserve guard in the class of '83 who played behind starter Steve Dunn, himself now an assistant coach at Covington. Although he never logged a lot of playing time, Mack was an avid participant and student of the game. "When you played for coach Huelsman you were always aware of the system...the plan...that Bob had put together," said Mack earlier this fall. "You came to learn that the closer you stayed to the plan the better off you'd be in close and tough ballgames. I also learned a valueable lesson about patience...and how important it was to recognize your best attributes as a team and to be patient within your limitations. It won us some games and kept us close enough to have a chance in some that we didn't. I've never forgotten that."
For Fisher's part, his experience came as Huelsman's assistant before taking over as head coach for the '86-'87 season. His comments echo many of Mack's when he relates back to his time under Huelsman. "Bob was a master of making the best of what he had to work with," says Fisher. "We never had the benefit of many players who could single-handedly carry us...so we made the game fit our personnel. We worked very hard to execute what we could do well...and that was usually play sound defense and make the best of our offensive possessions."
Huelsman himself is quick to recognize some of his influence when he watches his former colleague's teams. "Defense," says Huelsman, is the most recognizeable carryover from Mack and Fisher's days at Covington. "They both run their own version of the 1-2-2 and tweak it to fit their personnel. They're also smart enough to know if you have a Matt Witt or Travis Mumma on offense you play to that advantage. Everything you know as a coach seems to work better when you have good players."
No one knows that fact of coaching better than Matt Pond. In his second season at Tipp as head coach, Pond is languishing through one of those developmental periods that all programs must endure. He could use a few more good players and has his own thoughts on how he benefitted from the Huelsman influence. "Bob was such a great competitor that you always wanted to bust your tail to prove yourself as a player," laughs Pond. "I spent my share of time in the Huelsman doghouse and believe me, it was better to be on the inside looking out than the outside looking in. I'd like to think that my teams play with the same attitude and intensity that Bob's did."
Still more testimony to Bob Huelsman's influence is the number of his former players still in Covington and still involved with the Buccaneer basketball program. Besides the afore-mentioned Steve Dunn, Tom Burelison (7th & 8th grade), Steve Simon (6th grade), Whitey Forsythe (8th grade girls) and Jim Tobias (freshman boys) are all presently active as coaches, and if asked...proud of their Covington heritage.
Friday's game with Bethel is the biggest game of the season for current coach Roger Craft's Buccaneers, who, though not directly related to the Huelsman factor, comes by it in a cousin-like manner, having served as Steve Fisher's assistant after Fisher succeeded Huelsman. When asked about coaching in a situation so near an influence like Huelsman, Craft was most candid and complimentary. "Bob could not have been more supportive since I took over. While he has let me be my own person, I know he would be there as a resource if I needed him. How could anyone ask for more."
Huelsman, Fisher, Dunn and Tobias. You might think about the significance and the coincidence of the relationships if you attend Friday night's game. One thing's sure. Regardless of the outcome, all will leave with mutual respect and appreciation for what they've been through together. And isn't that what sport is really about?
