SPORTS

Dartis finishes as one of Newark boys basketball's best

Kurt Snyder
Reporter
  • Jordan Dartis%27 1%2C567 points rank No. 1 in Newark history.
  • He averaged 19 points%2C five rebounds and three assists per game this season.

NEWARK – Jordan Dartis talked the talk. What Jeff Quackenbush wanted to see if he could walk the walk.

Newark's star 6-foot-3 senior guard did that and more. Dartis finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Newark's storied program, but he also ranks No. 1 in steals and No. 2 assists.

For all of the scoring Dartis did — and he did a lot of it in his four seasons — he will go down as one of the best ever to play at Newark because of everything else he did.

"That's not something you can tell people," said Quackenbush, of Dartis' team-first mentality. "That is something that shows as your teammates watch how you react and how you go through practice every day and how you carry yourself in the hallways at school. That's where it shows how unselfish you are."

Dartis averaged 19 points, five rebounds and three assists per game in leading the Wildcats to their third consecutive share of the Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division title and their first Division I district title since 2008. He is The Advocate's Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

"Getting the other players involved, that helps," said Dartis, who shot an efficient 52 percent from the field and 87 percent from the foul line. "Having everybody else scoring takes pressure off you and makes the game easier on you. I try to make the games as easy as possible."

That ease showed in Dartis' smooth style. He does not dribble the fastest nor jump the highest, but he always seems to beat his man.

Dartis finished with 1,567 points in his career, blowing by the previous career mark midway through the season. His 516 points in 27 games this season ranks fourth for a single season.

Dartis did not circle the mismatches on his schedule, looking for nights to pile up the points. His career-high 36 points came in a regular-season loss to eventual regional champion Westerville South. He had games of 26 and 24 points in two games with OCC-Ohio co-champion Gahanna.

"When we played against good competition and needed him to score, he became that scorer," Quackenbush said.

"He had to make plays. Sometimes, that's scoring, but sometimes, that's getting into the paint and getting other guys open, and sometimes, it's just rebounding."

Dartis signed a letter of intent this past November to play at Ohio University. It did not give him even an ounce of senioritis.

"He is not selfish whatsoever," classmate Kaysey Brokaw-Henderson said. "Something that sticks out about him is after he signed, he could have slacked off a bit. He still came to practice every day trying to get better."

Dartis' teammates recall practices when Quackenbush had to urge their leader to shoot more. Dartis had no problem stepping back and letting others have the spotlight.

It paid off on the court as Brokaw-Henderson, Dustin Stoneburner and Darius Shackleford each averaged nine points per game. Despite not having a true low-post presence, Newark shot an incredible 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. Dartis shot at least 40 percent from long range each of his final three seasons.

"Quack got on him a few times in practice for not shooting the ball because he likes to pass," Stoneburner said. "He does a lot more than score. He is a leader on the court and generally just knows what he is doing."

Dartis was a key member of Newark's varsity team from day one of his freshman season. He played in four district finals, finally getting the Wildcats over the hump this season. He and classmate Khayle Woods were a part of the OCC-Ohio title team two seasons ago, and Shackleford, Stoneburner and Brokaw-Henderson moved to varsity the past two seasons.

"It is such a big accomplishment," Brokaw-Henderson said. "It is such a big basketball program and knowing that we were one of the best teams to play there, it is really something to look forward to in the future when we come back."

Dartis, who cracked the program's top 10 in 21 season or career categories this season, did it his way. He simply kept the line moving.

"It's an honor to be apart of such a tradition," Dartis said. "I'm just blessed to be apart of this."

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8556

Twitter: @newarkurt

PAST WINNERS

2014 Jordan Dartis, Newark

2013 Jett Speelman, Newark Catholic

2012 Jett Speelman, Newark Catholic

2011 Ryan Green, Granville