New league well-represented in News Journal Classic

If area assists leader Dylan Gulley sets a record for hand-outs in Thursday's 37th News Journal All-Star Basketball Classic there's probably a chance the record for 3-point goals will fall, too.

At Colonel Crawford, home of the inaugural Northern 10 champions, assists from Gulley and 3-pointers from Todd Entenmann went hand-in-hand. One set of hands to the other.

Entenmann set a school record and led the area this season with 91 triples, so he was doing most of the work on any of those baskets where Gulley fed him the ball beyond the arc.

"I'm sure he thinks that," Gulley said, laughing about the cheap assists, "but he's never brought it up."

And he never will.

"We do it together," Entenmann said. "It was 'You do it, I do it.' That's the way it went."

Besides, there were probably just as many times when Gulley threaded a pass in traffic for an easy basket.

"He's an incredible passer, one of the best I've ever seen," said Entenmann, who averaged 22 points and was named District 6 Division III Player of the Year. "It's cool when he got the crowd going with a sweet pass.

"I don't know how he passed it sometimes the way he did ... and when I missed I just felt awful."

For the record, the Classic record for 3-pointers is eight, set by 2011 MVP Tyler Lilly of Mansfield Christian. The assist mark of nine was set in 1985 by Malabar's Don Williams and equalled in 1997 by Galion's Adam Kellogg.

"Dylan influenced the game in so many ways," Crawford coach David Sheldon said. "He's probably the quickest player I've ever coached. We had the least amount of turnovers in our league and a lot of that starts at the point guard position.

"Todd was a self-made scorer. He lived in the gym 12 months a year and turned himself into a great scorer. I definitely think those two fed off each other."

Entenmann and Gulley are among five players from the six Crawford County schools playing in the Classic, which reflects well on the new N-10 Athletic Conference. Four of the all-stars — the Crawford duo, Buckeye Central's Austin Wurm and Dalon King of Bucyrus — will dress for the North.

Crestline's Nate Coffman, solely carrying the N-10 banner for the South, may feel like they're ganging up on him. As a future tight end for Tiffin University and one of only three area players to average a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) he can handle it.

It's the task of defending North high-flyers Naradain James of Mansfield Senior and Tyrell Edmiston of Plymouth that worries the future physical therapist.

"I'm not trying to get put on a poster getting dunked on," Coffman joked. "I don't want to take a charge and the refs not call a charge and then I get dunked on. If I take a charge it's going to be out at half-court when they're coming up the floor.

"I'll jump up and try and block their shots from the side."

Wurm, who averaged 19 points, six rebounds and three steals en route to special mention All-Ohio honors, is versatile enough to do a little of everything. BC coach Phil Loy calls him one of the hardest workers he's ever coached.

"I've always had that (work ethic); I was always the water boy for my older brothers (Jared and Evan). While they were on one of the floor I was at the other end shooting," said Wurm, who is being courted by a number of Division III college programs. "We had a key to St. Bernard's, so my dad and my brothers and I would go and shoot around. I just really enjoy the game and I work outside a lot (on the family farm), so (working hard) just came naturally."

A lot of these N-10 rivals share history. Coffman, now 6-3 and 230 pounds, played soccer, of all things, in second grade with Gulley. Wurm played middle school basketball against King, who plans to attend Cleveland State and major in education. He wants to be a social studies teacher and coach.

"I've had a good connection with a bunch of teachers at my school," the Bucyrus point guard said, "and it's just something that's interested me."

King spent his sophomore year in Iowa before returning to Bucyrus and helping the Redmen to their two best back-to-back seasons in nearly a half-century.

"Basketball in Iowa, the kids are humongous," King said. "The game we lost to go to state, the other team started 6-6, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4 and 6-foot.

"It will be real nice playing with Austin — and his scoring ability — instead of against him."

For all the success Crawford has had in Sheldon's nine years at the helm, this is the first time they've had two All-Ohioans in the same lineup. Entenmann was third-team and Gulley received honorable mention to complement his all-league laurels as a wide receiver and state medal in a sprint relay.

They began developing chemistry in eighth grade. Before then, Entenmann had attended Mansfield Christian, his parents' alma mater. His 518 points this season are second on the school's single-season scoring list and he's also second in career 3-pointers at Crawford behind 2014 all-star Connor McCreary.

Entenmann takes the most pride in his 88 percent free throw accuracy.

"Because they're free," he said. "It's something I really worked on. We did a lot of shooting in practice. That's probably the main thing we do, that and defense."

Crawford holds shoot-arounds before school twice a week during the off-season. During the season, every practice includes five minutes of shooting nothing but 3-pointers.

That's the ol' marksman in Sheldon rearing its head. His 7 3-pointers for Wynford in 1994 stood as the Classic record for several years. And the son of Hall-of-Fame coach Rob Sheldon doesn't let his players forget it.

"I'm 39 now," he said, shooting down any ideas off a 3-point contest. "I'll talk to my guys, though. I'll tell them 'Coach Sheldon is still the best shooter in the gym, boys.' And they'll start laughing."

jspencer@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @jspencermnj

If you go

• Wha t: 37th News Journal All-Star Basketball Classic

• When: Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday

• Where: Lexington High School

• Coaches: Troy Keene, Plymouth (North); Tom Cooper, Mount Gilead (South)

• Lid-lifter : The Richland County Bears will face the Ashland County Dragons in a Special Olympics showdown at 6 p.m.

• FYI: Tickets are $10, which covers the cost of both games of the doubleheader. All proceeds go to the Rehab Center Children Fund. Tickets are available at the News Journal, the Rehab Center, Lexington High School and at the door.

Dunk contest added

As an added attraction, a dunk contest featuring Mansfield Senior's Naradain James, Plymouth's Tyrell Edmiston, Ontario's Brad Garverick and Ashland's Brett Vipperman will take place at halftime of the Special Olympics game.

There will be a semifinal round in which each competitor gets two dunks and then a championship round between the two finalists who will each get two more dunks in front of three judges.

In a similar dunk contest during last week's girls all-star doubleheader in Shelby, Edmiston won the body of work award and Garverick earned best dunk. James also competed in that contest along with Shelby's Cody Stine.