Top Coaching Candidates For Meadowdale

 Top Coaching Prospects For Meadowdale Lions Job; Who Will Take Over After Sudden Departure of Shepard? 

With The Meadowdale job becoming open after the resignation of Derrick Shepard, we look at some of the top candidates to possibly take the job. 

By Deon Cash

These are a list of some of the top candidates throughout the miami valley. 

This is our list of potential candidates and does not reflect who Dayton Public schools Athletics have decided to interview or hire. 

 Here are the Dayton Weekly TOP ASSISTANT COACHES IN THE MIAMI VALLEY: 

Conley Smoot - 10:1  Assistant Coach  (Springfield)

Smoot, is by far, the top candidate for any job in the Mimi Valley. His knowledge of the game, and the time he pours into the Wildcats program each week is unmatched. 

He has been the defensive leader of the Wildcats program that has been to the OHSAA D-1 title game two years in a row. He has arguably the best defensive player in Ohio coming back (Aaron Scott Jr) and has a plethora of drills that help elevate kids throughout the year. While he probably is not interested, he's the best assistant coach in the game right now. 

It seems to be only one mission for Smoot, which is to bring a State title back to Springfield.  

Dion Black  - 5:1  Assistant Coach (Miamisburg) 

Black was a longtime assistant at Miamisburg, as they enjoyed great success before heading to Trotwood, where he would win a OHSAA state title. He was at the Flyght Academy last season, as they reached the Title game in his only season as Head Coach. Black has now returned back to Miamisburg as an assistant coach. 

While its not as likely for him to leave Miamisburg, Black will be in the discussion. 

Doug Spears - 3:1 Assistant Coach (Meadowdale)

Spears, who has been a coach for over 15 years, was apart of the Earl White regime at Belmont where they ran up six City League Championships before following White to Meadowdale. 

Last season despite the offensive struggles, Spears led the Lions to one of the best defensive performances in the last three decades, picking up where he left off from the Belmont dynasty. 

 With a deep connection to the Lions Wee Program,  Spears has a developed a great repoire with the program and should have a inside track to the job.  

Lucious Dorise  5:1 Assistant Coach (Meadowdale) 

Dorise has been a staple in the high school coaching ranks. Dorise coached at Jefferson and Dunbar, and has specialized on defense while in the circuit. With over a decade in the game, Dorise brings great knowledge, a ability to relate well, and is one of the next coaches to watch for. 

Dorise is also one of the elite officials in the referee network in football as well. 

John Puckett - 10:1  Assistant Coach  (Centerville)

Puckett is now on the Centerville staff, but has experience as he coached Butler HS for a stint before heading back to Centerville. Puckett has been in the game for decades and has done well with Elks and the Butler Aviators in his tenures. 

A former star QB at Chaminade, Puckett brings a wealth of offensive expertise, and key development traits to a program.   

Darran Powell  5:1 - Assistant Coach (Flyght Academy) last season 

Powell, who had to take a 5-year hiatus in one of the most controversial situations in DPS history, was cleared on all charges of the point-shaving debacle years ago.

Powell has regained some real momentum after helping coach the Flyght Academy to a Championship game last season. Powell is a City League champion who has sent a bevy of kids to the next level, and have a couple more knocking on the NFLs door. 

Powell had built a powerhouse at Dunbar before things went south, but expect to see Powell back as a head coach on the sidelines real soon. There are reports he could be headed back to Dunbar as a assiatant coach, after being offered by Miamisburg.  

Sam Anderson - 8:1  Assistant Coach (Trotwood)

Anderson is one of the next group of coaches to grab a coaching spot. With a vast knowledge of the game, and his help with assisting the Rams to state championships, Anderson is on the verge of being a Head Coach. His son is currently a starting CB for the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

Anderson has all the tools to be a good head coach, and he will be in the mix in the upcoming years. He could fit with the Lions system, with Trotwood being in close proximity.  

Anthony Parker Jr - 12:1  Assistant Coach  (West Carrollton) 

Parker Jr, the son of head coach Anthony Parker, is currently an assistant for the Pirates and is a young head coach who is finding his way. While he works with the offensive and defensive line, look for Parker to become a coordinator soon. 

While Parker lacks the experience of the other coaches, he did play at Bowling Green,  and brings championship energy from his Trotwood days. He is intelligent and seems to be finding his niche in the coaching game. Look for his name to pop up for some opportunities in the upcoming years. 

Chris Wallace - 10:1  Assistant Coach (Springfield) 

While Smoot delivers on the defensive side, Wallace is the offensive guru who keeps the offense rolling for the Wildcats. Over the last decade, you can argue that there has been no better offense than Springfield, as they recently have put one guy into the NFL (Leonard Taylor) and a plethora of other elite offensive players over the years who are on the verge of a breakout season. 

Combine that with his ability to get elite play callers like Tae'Sean Smoot and Bryce Schondelmyer to elevate their games to D-1 levels, and Wallace is arguably the best offensive coach / coordinator in the game. 

Like Smoot, Wallace only concern seems to be getting that elusive State Championship to Springfield.  

Stay tuned for more on who is hired for Meadowdale by following us

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@SELIVE365

@Daytonhighschoolsports 

Dayton Dominates Cincinnati in D-2 Districts; Chaminade, Dunbar, Alter All Grab Wins at Cintas

OHSAA TOURNAMENT RECAP (BOYS BBALL)

 DAYTON DOMINATES CINCINNATI IN D-2 DISTRICT FINALS 

With the Cincinnati D-1 schools doing the most damage in the earlier games, it was time to see how the top D-2 teams would fare in the District Finals. There were three games, with the other Regional Semifinalist coming from the Columbus Area.

Here are the Results and Recap of D-2 District Finals

Game 1 

CHAMINADE DOMINATES WYOMING, CRUISES TO TITLE BEHIND DICKEY, WASHINGTON BROS

The Chaminade Julienne Eagles have been tested all season, and besides a couple of slip ups, they have been on point, rising to almost every occasion. 

Usually it's George Washington III (#1 in Dayton Weekly Rankings -GCL) who does the leading. 

But on this day, it was senior do-it-all guard in Evan Dickey (#5 ranked player -GCL) who put the Eagles on his back and guided them to back to back District titles.

Dickey scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, snatched a few steals, assists, and blocks and helped shut down the Wyoming guards as the Eagles cruised to a 65-35 victory to advance back to the Regionals.

George Washington III, the Michigan commit and finalist for Mr Basketball, dropped 13 in the win, while his younger brother, junior Forward B.B. Washington (#12 Ranked player - GCL) had 14 on the night.

While the Washington family has gotten the shine, Dickey continues to show why he is such a valuable guard. And with his size, is a legitimate D-1 or D-2 prospect, standing at 6'5 at the combo guard spot. 

Wyoming had no answer for Dickey or the Eagles for that matter.

"Evan has been a very reliable and consistent player for us the last two seasons. It's great to have a selfless guy on the team who cares about winning and doing the right things to help us win. Even if it does mean giving up stats for the  betterment of the team. 

He has been a class act, a real leader, and we really appreciate that." Eagles Coach Szabo stated earlier in the year. 

He also has a 4.2 GPA and is one of the top uncommitted guard prospects in Ohio. 

Chaminade will face Bishop Watterson in the Regional Semifinals at Vandaila HS.

Game 2

DUNBAR DEFEATS WOODWARD BEHIND ALLEN, STIFLING DEFENSE; 

TAE'S SPIRIT "INSPIRES" WOLVERINES 

The Dunbar Wolverines have faced adversity all season, and they seemed to be finding a calm during those times. It was evident as they held off a scrappy Woodward team in defeating the Bulldogs in their 2nd meeting at the Cintas Center. 

The game was back and forth until Dunbar forged ahead as PG-SG Antuane Allen, the #2 player in the Dayton Weekly Hoop Rankings (DPS), went off in the 1st half to give the Wolverines a double-digit advantage in the 2nd quarter. 

Allen scored 14 points of his game high 28 points in the 1st half on a barrage of drives, including a thunderous slam midway through the 2nd quarter.  

Woodward would battle back, cutting it to single digits, even getting it as low as 6 in the 4th quarter. The offense, which shot poorly in the 1st half, had picked it up and with the home crowd pushing, there was a momentum shift. 

However, combo forward Antoine Allen (Ranked #7 - Dayton Weekly Rankings) who was in foul trouble most of the game game, would come back in the 2nd half and provide double figure points, crucial passing, and the interior presence to help alleviate the heavy pressure Woodward was putting on.

After the game Coach Tony Dixon and the Allen Twins would talk.

"We played well today, and we have to take care of the ball and continue to make good decisions if we want to move forward. We also have a real reason to play for." Dixon said.

Antuane Allen, the star guard spoke as well.

"We are playing for Tae. His spirit lives on. We know we gotta ball when we get on the court. That's what he would have wanted."  

Allen is speaking on teammate Daveontae Williams, who passed away earlier this season.

Dunbar last won the District in 2017 when they would defeat a Luke Kennard - led Franklin team to reach the OHSAA State Semifinals. They were led by A.J. Harris, Dorianne Dawson, Chris Johnson, and  Terrance Landers, and was coached by Peter Pullen who is now at Trotwood. 

Dunbar will now have a rematch with Alter on Thursday night at Vandaila HS for a chance at a Regional Final.

Game 3

ALTER KNOCKS OFF D-3 CHAMPS WITH LATE COMEBACK; RUFFALO DELIVERS IN CLUTCH

The Alter Knights reached the OHSAA D-2 Semifinals last season, riding the senior leadership and clutch play to reach the Final Four. They would be bounced out by eventual D-2 champion St Vincent St Marys in the semifinals.

Taft won the D-3 title last season. 

So once Taft was moved up to D-2, the question remained: how far can the champs go after losing the likes of Raveon Griffith and Mehki Elmore?

Well, for the final 7 minutes of the final quarter it looked as if the State champs were headed to the Regionals. 

And then in a span of a minute or so, the Knights had pulled the improbable. A comeback win of historic proportions. 

Taft had held a 5-point lead with a minute left, after it looked as if the Senators size, intensity, and depth had wore down the Knights.

But after a big three, the game was cut to 2, and this is where it got crazy.

Taft would go down and get fouled, but miss the 1 and 1. Alter would then come down, miss a 3-pointer, but star guard Anthony Ruffalo would snatch a rebound and get fouled, tying the game and setting up the final moment.

Ruffalo would sink the and-one opportunity, with just 4 seconds left, and after a missed shot at the buzzer Alter would rejoice in a unbelievable win that showed the heart of the State Semifinalist. 

"We never gave up and believed we could get it done." Ruffalo, the #3 ranked player in the Dayton Weekly Rankings (GCL) stated. 

"We kept fighting and knew we could do it." 

Now the Knights will face Dunbar in a rematch of a big time game earlier this season. Dunbar won that game in the Richard Kidd Invitational hosted at Centerville HS.  

Follow Us on the OHSAA State Tournament at:

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Dayton vs Cincinnati Districts (D-1 Boys) Recap; Centerville Rolls; Fairmont, Wayne, Moeller Fall

D-1 District Recap: Centerville Rolls, Fairmont, Wayne, Moeller Fall 

 In the annual District matchups, the boys D-1 division battled the best of Cincy with a spot for a Regional berth in the balance.

Here's how the local teams fared against their Cincinnati counterparts.

Game 1 

Princeton Powers Past Moeller Behind Arnold, Williams

In the matchup between Cincy schools, Moeller was unable to stop Jaiden Arnold (20pts, 2 stls) and Dorian Williams (18pts, 6reb) as the Tigers rolled past the Crusaders 57-36. 

Princeton used a stifling 2nd quarter to break open a close game and push the halftime lead to 27-12, in which they never looked back.

Princeton will face Fairfield in the Regional Semifinals. 

Game 2

Centerville Grinds Out Big Win Behind Defense, Role Players; Wins 5th Straight District Title 

The Centerville Elks pushed to their 5th consecutive District Title after a impressive display of defense and teamwork as they dominated Anderson 63-39. 

Centerville gave up 11 points at half, and was led by Collin O'Connor, Kyle Kenney and Baboucarr Nije. 

"Collin, Kyle, Baboucarr and Dulguun played great today, doing all the things that we needed to help us win the game." Gabe Cupps, the Co-GWOC Player of the Year said.

"Its hard to stay in front of Collin, and once he gets going he's hard to stop." 

The Elks will face Elder in the Regional Semifinals. 

Cupps has committed to Indiana.

Game 3 

Elder Pulls Away Late, Downs Fairmont as Browne Shines 

Cincinnati Elder used its size, clutch shooting, and timely defense to knock off a feisty Farimont team and now will face the Centerville Elks in the next game. 

Behind the clutch play of  their big man Carson Browne Elder was able to control the tempo in the 2nd half, as it was a near dead heat at halftime. 

Fairmont was led by Jamison Roundtree and Brock Baker in the loss. 

Game 4 

Fairfield Knocks Out Wayne as Crim Explodes

The Fairfield basketball team felt like last year was a year for them to elevate, but Centerville knocked them out in the Regionals.

This year they have came back with a vengeance as they ousted the Wayne warriors in convincing fashion 76-51. Deshawn Crims led the scoring with 18 in the first half to set the tone.

Fairfield used random double teams to slow down Wayne's star player - and it did the job as Lawrent Rice was unable to get free in the first half behind a myriad of defenses. 

Our plan was to double Lawrent and take the ball our of his hands. Fairfield Head Coach Myrick said after the game.

"That kid is special, and we did a good job of getting the ball out of his hands and keeping defenders in his face. He still had 18 despite how we played him."  

#2 played great tonight for us. Our whole team played well. We will face Princeton for the 3rd time, so we will get ready for that challenge. 

D-2 GAMES ON DECK TODAY 

Today will bring up the D-2 Games at the Cintas Center at Xavier, in which will feature

2pm Chaminade vs Wyoming 

4pm Dunbar  vs Woodward

6pm Alter   vs Taft