It’s hard to believe the 2022 fall sports season is upon us.
Before discussing that, here’s a note about a winter sport.
Micah Mills, the first-year head coach of the Wilmington College men’s basketball team, will be a success. That’s the impression he left after sitting down over a cup of coffee at Kava Haus.
Simply put, he gets it
It, in this case, is what he expects out of himself, his players and program.
That Mills wants nothing more than to win does not mean he’s going to cut corners on the court, nor is he going to allow his squad to cut corners off the court.
It’s surprising he was an assistant coach for 10 years before becoming a head coach.
Mills said former Wilmington High School standout Jeffrey Mansfield has transfered to Mount Union for his final season of college basketball.
Mansfield, the best Quaker player the past couple of seasons, will leave a huge void in the WC roster.
But Mills couldn’t have been happier for the Wilmington High School graduate, a player he grew close to as a WC assistant coach. Mills said Mansfield just wanted a chance to win and given where Wilmington and Mount Union programs are on that timeline, the Purple Raiders were the clear choice.
Mills said he wishes Mansfield nothing but the best … except for the two games he’ll play against his former green and white clad teammates.
Mills, director of the Point Guard College, will be one of the featured coaches speaking at the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Clinic Sept. 25-26 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Other coaches slated to speak include Sean Miller, Tom Crean, Bob McKillop (Steph Curry’s coach at Davidson).
They are in good company with Mills.
BACK TO FALL: The sport of football includes a five-day acclimatization period for all student-athletes.
In the past, that five-day period began on the first day of practice. According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association, new this year, the five-day period could be completed beginning July 18, although attendance cannot be mandatory until official practice begins Aug. 1.
Football players who complete acclimation in July may then participate in full contact on Aug. 1. All players joining the team for the first time at any point during the season after the first day of mandatory practice must participate in a five-day acclimatization period prior to any contact drills.
PAGING MR. ROBINSON, MR. SEXTON: A modification to the OHSAA’s inclement weather policy went into effect in 2019, which states, “At night under certain atmospheric conditions, lighting flashes may be seen from distant storms. In these cases, it may be safe to continue an event if no thunder can be heard and the flashes are low on the horizon.”
Over the years, fellow News Journal reporters Shawn Robinson and Matt Sexton have lamented the quick trigger to halt a game when the lightning is seen – barely – so far off in the distance. It should be enforced in this way more often.
Don’t get us wrong. We don’t want anyone hurt, struck by lightning. That’s not a story we want to report, but many times it is clear the lightning is not an imminent threat and can be played through while keeping a close on eye on it.
STAY BACK: The month of August is a no-contact period for coaches in the sports of basketball, softball, baseball, ice hockey, boys volleyball and lacrosse.
