Crawford 12: Tradition of success lifts Colonel Crawford basketball to new heights

Editor's Note: This is the seventh of a summer series.

NORTH ROBINSON - You don't win 13 consecutive sectional championships by accident.

"We started here 19 years ago and we started a foundation," Colonel Crawford basketball coach David Sheldon said. "Our first three years, we had to work really hard at that. The kids that we see now have come through our program and have seen the success we've had. They know what it takes in the offseason, and into the season, because of the guys who set the tone ahead of time."

So it should come as no surprise that the most successful team in the area over the last decade is this year's No. 1 returning team in the Crawford 12.

" It's just the consistency from being at the program for 19 years ," Sheldon said. "I have the same assistant coaches — Nate Hill, Brett Kaple, Adam Daniels — and down. My junior high guys, that has been the key because our kids have seen success.

"And success breeds success."

It starts in the summer

The most important thing to building a successful program is starting to instill core values at a young age. That's exactly what the Eagles do every summer.

"We have a camp going all the way down to our second graders," Sheldon said. "I get to know them at a young age, I know them all by name and I see them in the hallways. Then they come to junior high, and what people don't know is in June our varsity staff spends six straight days with our junior high kids, and we coach them — three days at Crawford, then we go away for three days.

"I think that's huge because you develop a relationship with those kids. X's and O's is huge in coaching, but it's about relationships and getting kids to buy in. The one you've seen is every kid has a role, and that role is the most important for the team to be successful. They buy in, they want to win , and they want to put years on banners."

This group is no different. Returning the lone All-Ohioan in the county, along with three starters and role players that saw quality varsity minutes. Add in junior Brayden Holt, an All-Ohio transfer from Wooster Triway, and you can see why expectations are high again in North Robinson.

"Last year was a mystery going in with just one guy back that averaged seven points per game," Sheldon said referring to eventual All-Ohioan Trevor Vogt . "Now we bring a lot of guys back that had varsity basketball experience. We had a JV team that was unbelievable and won the league, only lost one game. There has been so much great competition in the offseason, and we're fortunate with the addition of Brayden Holt in our district. He's a very nice player and our guys have embraced him, it's like he has been a part of us when we went the whole month of June."

Again, it all starts in the summer.

Buying into roles

No team has five star players who can equally share the ball. And what would be the fun in that, anyways?

Something Sheldon pushes from a young age is buying into a role, and performing those duties to the best of your abilities.

"The biggest challenge is kids setting their egos aside," he said. "We live in a society of instant gratification and in team sports, people have to be able to put that aside and realize what is best for the team to win. I think we've established a culture of that, and our guys understand that.

"Some have to be great screeners or rebounders, while others are great scorers. Getting everyone to buy into that role is the toughest thing, but because of the culture we set, kids want to do that when they're part of Colonel Crawford basketball to win."

This year's team will be no different.

Junior Payne Degray was honorable mention All-Ohio last year averaging 13.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting a league-best 61.6% from the field. Add in Holt, who averaged 16.5 points per game at Triway as a sophomore, and the bulk of scoring should come from them.

But it won't be limited to these two by any means. Juniors Connor McMichael (4.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists), Jacob Cochran, and Peyton Baker, along with sophomore John Degray (3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds) will play key roles as well.

And in their final seasons, seniors Logan Goddard (4.7 points, 38 3PM), Kaden Bruner (3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 25 3PM), Lucas Foy (1.2 points), and Brady Hill will look to leave their mark on the program.

"Everybody thinks they should play varsity as a freshman or sophomore," Sheldon said. "A lot of times we rely on juniors and seniors — every now and then we have a special freshman or sophomore — so it's getting guys to buy in and wait their turn. We have a plaque in the locker room every year for the senior class that says — What's your mark going to be?

"It's getting guys to stay the whole time so they can leave their legacy when they leave Colonel Crawford."

What's crazy is this group of seniors has never not seen success at the program. They were in kindergarten when the Eagles' sectional championship streak began.

"We've been fortunate, but it's getting tougher," Sheldon said. "Another thing is that parents need to understand that my son has to do this in order to be part of the Colonel Crawford basketball program. We've been very fortunate that parents have bought in.

"But a lot of that is because I've known their parents growing up because I'm the dinosaur in the greater area."

zholden@gannett.com

419-617-6018

Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Crawford 12: Tradition of success lifts Colonel Crawford basketball to new heights