Basketball summer league keeps Kiper’s spirit alive
Team Piatt won the Mark Kiper Summer League Adult Division. The team consisted of Evan Steiner, left, Carter Piatt, Justin Rupp, Eric McLaughlin, Jayden Watts and Jack Steiner.
Mark Kiper was the kind of student-athlete who was always trying to find ways to get better at basketball and to help others excel.
Kiper led Triway in assists as a junior and senior on teams that went 17-5 and 19-2, respectively, in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Unbeknownst to his parents until a thank-you letter was mailed to their home, Kiper helped a youngster struggling in school by shooting hoops and talking with him at the request of a social worker.
Tragically, after Kiper’s freshman year at The College of Wooster, he was killed while working for the Ohio Department of Transportation in 1997.
The Triway community helps keep his memory alive with the Mark Kiper Summer League. This summer marked the 27th year for the league, which is now organized by Keith Snoddy and Jock Rottman.
“Mark was a hardworking kid, and the league is a great tribute to him,” said Snoddy, a Wayne County Sports Hall of Famer, Triway alum and former Titans head coach who’s now an assistant on Nathan Loney’s boys basketball staff. “The outside courts were named Kiper Courts because of that; he played there all the time. That's how he got better.
“It’s just a shame what happened, but his memory and legacy will live on for a long, long time.”
For many years the Kiper League primarily held its games on the outdoor courts named after Mark, located on the school campus, but with the construction of the new school, the courts were removed. The family has been told new outdoor courts will be constructed, which also will be named after Mark.
Joan Kiper remembered an example of the selfless way Mark lifted others without even thinking twice about it.
“There was a social worker who contacted Mark when he was in high school and asked if he would meet with a kid on the outdoor courts on a Saturday morning and play basketball with him,” Joan Kiper said. “The kid was having a lot of issues and stuff, and so he went and played basketball with him.”
Joan and Charlie didn’t know anything about it until the social worker mailed a thank-you letter to Mark, which he read to his parents.
“When was that? I didn’t know anything about it,” Joan Kiper had said to Mark.
“Oh, it was nothing,” Mark said. “I just helped because she asked me to.”
As a proud member of the Titans, Mark Kiper led outstanding teams in assists as a junior and senior that featured Ohio Player of the Year Ryan Lent.
“Getting the assists award and winning meant more to Mark than scoring,” Joan Kiper said.
Approaching 30 years of letting new classes of players learn the game, as well as adding an adult league, Charlie Kiper has pitched in as the Mark Kiper Summer League scorekeeper.
“I guess everybody really liked what Mark did; he was popular and played good basketball,” Charlie Kiper said. “It’s really nice that the league keeps his memory alive.”
There were eight junior high teams this summer, comprised of players from the area who will enter seventh grade, eighth grade or ninth grade.
Team Gumber defeated Team Soss 41-31 in the junior high title game, led by Kaedyn Peterson, who scored 32 points. Harper McDaniel and Jaxson Graves added four points each.
Team Soss was paced by Blake Terakedis’ 16 points while Caiden Soss added seven.
In the adult division, Team Piatt edged Team Rottman 55-49. A Triway varsity team also competed in the adult league.
Justin Rupp (14 points), Jack Steiner (12), Carter Piatt (10) and Eric McLaughlin (9) led a balanced attack for the champs. Evan Steiner added seven points, and Jayden Watts had three.
The veteran Rottman team was led by captain Jock Rottman (13 points), Alex Kacere (10) and Evan Garrison (eight). Former area hoops standouts Brad Chisnell, Tommy Brenner, Drew Frizell, Rob McCarter, Andrew Scogin and Brandon Lanz also were on Team Rottman.
“(Former Triway coach) Randy (Montgomery) started our summer league mainly to improve our team,” Snoddy said. “We played our Triway High School team against adult teams all the time and got our butt kicked nightly, but it does help you get better whenever you play against better competition.
“I wanted to get the junior high league going, and Rick Rottman helped me do that. Jock Rottman organized the adult league.”