10 to Comprehend: The Name Game

What's in a name?

Some of us have been named after relatives, biblical figures, athletes and musicians, etc. Then some of us aren't given a name until weeks after our birth because our parents couldn't decide just what was good enough to label their newest bundle of joy.

I, myself, was supposed to be Joshua Joel, but my parents didn't want me to be nicknamed J.J. — and to this day, I thank them for that. But still, even after my parents decided on 'Derrick,' I was still given nicknames later on in life.

In high school, I was known as Dwebby, D-Webb, DW, Webster, D-Dubs, etc. I've heard it all.

This week's "10 to Comprehend" discusses some of the area's best nicknames and what those certain players have done on the court.

• At 6-foot-11, our first selection is easy to comprehend. Paint Valley's Dylan Swingle is known as 'Big Cat' to his peers and coaches, and for good reason. Swingle has most certainly come up big for the 'Cats of late, with his most recent performance being a 34-point, 18-rebound outing in an 80-75 overtime loss to Adena. In all, Swingle is averaging 18.1 points and 13 rebounds per outing, solidifying his position as one of the most recruited players in our area. I've seen teams double and even triple team this gentle giant, and he still finds a way to score. If his play keeps up, Swingle will have a shot at 2,000 career points and 1,000 career boards.
• Chillicothe's Shawnee Smith has risen to even higher heights during her sophomore season as a Cavalier. Smith is known as 'Nay' to her teammates as they look to her as their leader and go-to scorer. Smith finished the regular season shooting 41 percent from the floor (126-for-307) and 31 percent from long range (30-for-94). Her average of 16 points per contest led the team as well. Heading into this week's postseason play, Smith will be called upon to lead the Cavaliers to a second straight district final appearance. Their first test will be the Waverly Tigers (14-8) this Wednesday night at Adena High School.
• Huntington stands at just 2-18 as of now, but the Huntsmen have shown signs of life here lately. One of the reasons for that is the play of junior guard Brian Smith. With 'B' as the team and, entire school community, calls him on the floor, not only is Huntington hard to press, but they also have an extra scoring element on the floor. Smith has not participated in every game this season due to injuries and other unforeseen circumstances, but when he is on the court, Huntington is a much better team.
• Piketon's girls shocked the basketball community this past week with a 56-51 win over Westfall; knocking the Mustangs out of first place in the SVC and almost handing Southeastern the conference crown. There's one thing about that win I'm 100 percent sure about — it isn't possible without Redstreaks' point guard Avery Reuter. The sophomore sensation is commonly referred to as 'Ave' by Redstreaks' coach Brett Coreno. 'Ave' leads the team in assists and habitually does things on the court that don't show up in the next day's box score, but are always imperative to a victory. With her fire, energy and love for the game, she's one of my favorite players to watch on the hardwood.
• I'm sure you've all read Erique Hosley's name in the paper multiple times this season. So we're going to switch it up and discuss Shermans' senior Isaac Wheeler, or 'Bubba' as his teammates and friends call him. Bubba has been a magnificent inside force for Unioto, teaming up with Hosley to wreak havoc on literally every opponent this season. With averages of 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest, he's one of four players on Unioto's roster to average double-digit scoring figures. With Bubba down low, the Tanks are poised for another long tournament run.
• Our last player featured with a nickname is Unioto's Carly Adkins, who has become a spark plug for Jeff Miller's Lady Shermans. Adkins, who has taken over point guard duties in the wake of Kaylee Valentine's injury, has performed extremely well. Her teammates and coaches call her 'Carly-Car' and to this day, that's one of my favorite nicknames around our area. Carly-Car has scored a total of 102 points, grabbed 72 rebounds, logged 24 steals and dished out 20 assists this season. As the tournament begins, she will be relied upon to produce at an even higher rate.
• Performance of the Week: I have to go with Adena's Jonathan Thomas here, who scored 37 points and registered eight rebounds in Friday's 80-75 overtime win over Paint Valley. Thomas is, in my opinion, the SVC Player of the Year so far and performances in like this one only make his case that much stronger.
• SVC Boys Player of the Year Watch: As stated earlier, Adena's Jonathan Thomas leads this race. To me, Unioto's Erique Hosley has moved into second and Zane Trace's Pierce Mowery remains in third.
• SVC Girls Player of the Year Watch: This is still a no-brainer if you ask me. Southeastern's Ella Skeens is leading the area in scoring and her team is an SVC champion. She doesn't need any additional resume material. Westfall's Kelsie Robinson and Huntington's Carolane Cox are a distant second and third.

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

Power Rankings

Boys: Unioto (19-0), Adena (13-6), Westfall (12-7), Chillicothe (10-10), Zane Trace (12-7), Southeastern (6-13), Piketon (5-14), Paint Valley (3-16), Huntington (2-18)

Girls: Southeastern (18-3), Chillicothe (14-8), Westall (15-6), Piketon (15-6), Huntington (15-6), Waverly (14-8), Paint Valley (6-15), Zane Trace (3-18), Unioto (5-17), Adena (3-19)