By Bill Bray
FREMONT – The class of 2023 has produced many top athletes. Six of the talented class are making their way through the 2022-23 basketball season led by Anthony Vann and Ayden Carter. At 7-13, the six plus a few underclassmen are fighting through adversity. Vann and Carter, for two, believe their team can come together and give their all for the last few games of the season, and then the Division I tournament that has Ross playing TRAC opponent Lima Sr. for the third time.
The first two games against Lima Sr., though seeing some improvement, came with two losses. The first game at Lima saw Ross defeated 71-43. “The majority of the season has been rough because we all came to the gym from different worlds,” said Anthony Vann. “But as the season progressed and the team began to get into the flow of a game, the second meeting, though a loss, was only by eight points at 61-53”. Is the third time around, a sectional championship game, the charm? Stay tuned.
Lately there is a different air surrounding Ross basketball due in part to the contributions of the six seniors, including Carter (Basketball), Vann (football), Carter Rodriguez (football, Soccer), Mason Durnwald (Golf), Adam Hrynciw (football) and Jacob Krebs (Basketball).
Vann brings the toughness of a polished football player to the hardwood, while Carter brings the polished basketball player who has perfected his game to this high level by dribbling the ball for close to 12 months a year over the last school year.
“Boog’s (nickname given to Vann, the third team all Ohio football player, by his teammates) and my communication are now syncing and the team communication has just taken a lot of time,” Carter said. “Vann and I have been playing basketball together literally since sixth grade. But it’s not the same because we are different people now. We have newfound egos. He’s a scholarship athlete headed to Concordia, I’m a scholarship athlete going to Walsh. So respectfully we are going to butt heads on some things and think our thoughts are the right ones.” “Honestly,” Carter continued, “the two of us communicate the best when we are playing off each other. He’s giving me shots; I’m giving him shots. We are crashing the boards together. Cahill (John Cahill, head coach) says it all the time, the team is going to play off the two of us. If we are high energy and ready to play, the rest of the team will follow along. But if we are down low, sluggish, and getting on each other then we don’t produce a winning team.”
The athletes have grown in their maturity according to the two leaders.
Vann distributes the charisma, energy and the ‘let’s go play hard’ mentality. Carter is geared toward the sport he loves. The team looks to him for the ‘basketball tactics’ as Carter calls them. “While Boog is pumping the team up with his aggressive style of play, I am telling them to cut here, screen there, and this or that is going to be open. It’s a reflection of my IQ for the game,” Carter said.
So, with the learning process about how each other ‘ticks’, the two leaders are now taking their team into battle with a winning attitude. “We all just have to come together,” Vann said. “it’s crazy to think about. We are like a tribe; we all must come together after being so different. Our teammate, Carter Rodriguez, played football and soccer,” Vann added. He is a prime example how an athlete’s whole mindset must change when coming to the hardwood. It takes time to get the proverbial basketball shoes on and play the game that is so different than what our bodies and minds are used to.”
“We have proven that the second half of the season,” Carter said. “We have rebounded now and have won three of our last five games. I just feel our communication and our leadership has been much better the second half of the season. We are going to go out there and play hard. Whatever the result of the game is, we are going to obviously try to win and have our game plan. If we execute the game plan, play hard and have energy we can stay in the fight with any team. Maybe we aren’t as skilled as some teams, but we can make up for it in other aspects of the game. We depend on playing hard to help us out. The remainder of the season all depends on our effort to how the results are going to be.”
The proof is in the numbers. The six seniors have been giving their all through the season. With two regular season games remaining, Carter’s numbers lead the team. The all-Ohio candidate has scored 438 points, crashed the boards for 112 rebounds and has accumulated 55 assists. Vann has scored 173 points, he has collected 96 rebounds and has dished out 21 assists. Not to discount what the other seniors have contributed, here are their numbers. Rodriguez is second in scoring with 214 points, collected 48 rebounds and dished off 36 assists. Mason Durnwald, three-point specialist, has scored 68 points, collected 48 rebounds and has six assists to his credit. Adam Hrynciw, destined for the Air Force Academy on a scholarship, has 63 points, 68 rebounds and nine assists to his credit. Lesser used Jacob Krebs has seven rebounds and four assists.
Carter and Vann are hoping their team wins can grow right along with their individual totals. No matter how far they go, this group of Little Giants has learned that coming from different worlds and gelling into one winning team takes more than just points on the board.
Vann and Carter will part ways after the season as Vann will try to improve on his high jump abilities, and Carter will end his high school sports career on the tennis court.
Vann will continue his education at Concordia University just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. “My main goal is to get my degree and to become an anesthetist. I want to have a professional career. Concordia knows exactly what kind of player they are getting in me. I have been told that I may be playing my freshman year. That is certainly my goal.”
Meanwhile Ayden Carter will continue chasing his basketball dreams while lacing up the shoes for Walsh University. “I basically chose Walsh because they have a winning program. They win at Walsh, period. They were their conference’s champion last season and are sitting in first place again this year. They are held at a high standard. I picked Walsh because of their winning culture. I’ve taken numerous games on the chin here, but the coaches there know Ayden Carter is a winner. They are expecting me to come in a produce for the program and that is what I intend to do.” Carter will be majoring in communications in hopes of obtaining a career in pharmaceutical sales.
Ayden Carter (front with ball), The remaining, left to right from bottom to top, Mason Durnwald (2), Jacob Krebs (25, Carter Rodriguez (10), Adam Hrynciw (4) and soon to be four-year letter winner Antony Vann (1).