The Caldwell Redskins Summer Shoot-Out is making a triumphant return to the early summer basketball slate this year.
Following 10 seasons of topnotch basketball featuring some of the top big and small school teams in Eastern Ohio, the event suffered a brief hiatus last June because of the pandemic.
CHS boys’ head coach Clint Crane and the Caldwell Athletic Department are bringing it back June 26 for its 11th edition.
The event, which Crane described as the athletic department’s biggest fundraiser done through the boosters, is expanding to 20 teams for the first time.
“This is our biggest fundraiser and typically, after we pay all the expenses, nets us around $7,000-$8,000,” Crane said. “We get to play against a lot of quality teams and, since we’re hosting it, we don’t have to worry about traveling.
“Shootouts can get expensive, so one that actually makes you money is a good thing.”
Another good thing is the roster of teams scheduled to make an appearance, consisting of some of the best teams the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, Muskingum Valley League, and the Inter-Valley Conference have to offer, in addition to a few other notables.
Also joining from a bit further out are Waterford, Grandview Heights, and the Western Indians from Pike County. Western is coached by former Miami (Ohio) guard Doug Williams.
“He was wanting to come down last year when it got shut down,” Crane said of Williams.
Below is a list of the participating teams and their respective pool assignments:
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Caldwell | New Lexington | Malvern | River |
| Philo | Shenandoah | Fort Frye | John Glenn |
| Cambridge | Garaway | Sheridan | Western |
| River View | Meadowbrook | Marietta | Warren |
| Waterford | Martins Ferry | Federal Hocking | Grandview Heights |
Topnotch Talent
Nearly half the teams qualified for their respective district tournaments, with Meadowbrook and Warren squaring off in a Division II Regional Semifinal game.
There’s plentiful individual talent to go around as well, starting with the host Redskins and junior-to-be Bede Lori. Lori, who’s already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore, became Ohio’s single-season free-throw percentage leader last winter.
Lori, a 6-4 guard, made 180 of 188 free-throw attempts for a 95.74 percent rating, this after shooting nearly 92 percent as a freshman. The previous mark was 95.3 percent set by West Salem Northwestern’s Trever Smith.
Bede is joined by future senior Jett Lori, who is two points away from the 1,000-point mark in his own right.
Meadowbrook will return reigning D2 Eastern District Player of the Year in Jake Singleton. Warren is bringing back two-time all-Southeast District selection Braden Sallee.
Malvern, which fell to Hiland in the district finals, returns Michael Minor. Martins Ferry brings back Jazen Miles.
The teams will face off against each team in their pool games set for 18 minutes apiece, with a running clock except for the final minute. Overtime is one minute in length; warm-ups are four.
The two teams that reach the finals, set for roughly 5:30 p.m., will have played seven games by day’s end.
“We’ve always had a pretty competitive field,” Crane said. “Each year, there are probably five or six teams coming off a good tournament run. That’s why you see them competing in the offseason.
“It’s another chance to get better, and that correlates to the regular season.”
Balancing the Field
Given that the pools consist of teams ranging from Division IV clear through Division II, Crane admitted sometimes it can be a challenge to balance things out.
But he tries to take into consideration what teams are bringing back and the types of seasons they are expected to have.
Of course, there are always some coaches who request a rigorous pool slate.
“We try to even it out as much as we can and keep league teams from playing each other,” Crane said. “We do our best to keep those separated, but otherwise, we have a pretty good feel for what each team has or has had in the past. We want it to be competitive.
“We let the coaches tell us what they are looking for and the kind of team they’re going to have. Of course, some have told me to give them the best competition no matter what.”
Three games will be going simultaneously—two at the high school and one at the elementary school, where the Redskins’ middle-school teams play. That gymnasium recently received a brand-new floor.
Games start at 8 a.m., with the more local teams playing the earlier games to allow others the chance to get into town and get situated before beginning a lengthy day of hoops.
