Orrville boys basketball improves on, off floor
Orrville High boys basketball coach Sly Slaughter, in his second stint leading the Red Riders, had OHS at 10-5 entering a Jan. 28 game at Norton. The Riders also are 5-3 in the Principals Athletic Conference.
Sly Slaughter has been part of Orrville’s boys basketball team for much of the past three decades. He’s been in the middle of some of the Red Riders’ greatest times and teams.
He would obviously like to see that level of success again, but when he took over as head coach this offseason, beginning his second stint, he was put in charge of a major work in progress.
“Right now we have a mantra with the girls program that ‘We Are One,’” Slaughter said. “So when we talk about the overall state of the program, we have to mention that we are one program, boys and girls. With that being said, the state of the program is good.”
The year has been somewhat of a success after the team went 5-18 overall a year ago, 4-10 in PAC play. The Red Riders, who won four consecutive games to start the new year, were 10-5 after a 68-54 win over Tuslaw on Jan. 24. They were set to play at Norton on Jan. 28 traveling to Northwest on the final day of January.
Orrville’s record included a mark of 5-3 in the Principals Athletic Conference, a game behind Manchester (6-2). Northwest leads the PAC at 8-0.
The program is what it’s all about, though, not just the season. And Slaughter is looking at things from a long-term angle. In order for the varsity team to return to glory, the lower levels have to get there first. Slaughter said those things are in good hands.
“This year we had 220 youth boys and girls playing basketball through our Boys & Girls Club programs, with 27 teams grades K-6,” he said. “To me that is an amazing number for a community this size. Overall, on the boys side, our program numbers are up with 28 players at the seventh and eighth grade levels, 11 at the freshman level, and 20 at the reserve and varsity level.”
Orrville this season has players like senior guards Michael Diehl and Jax Haley leading the way. The rest of the team is underclassmen.
Malakhi Gray, a sophomore guard who last year was a second-team all-conference selection, is among the leaders. Juniors Kodah Allen and Braylon Slaughter — the coach’s son — and sophomores Brayden Cox and Case McDaniel are key contributors.
It’s away from the court that Slaughter said his troops are really making their mark.
“I think the high points to this point have been watching our young men do things around the community and participating in helping others,” he said. “Our team started this summer with visiting a nursing home, helping to do some outside work to help a local preschool prepare for the school year, helped a fellow citizen remove their brick patio, rang the Salvation Army bell during the holidays, read to elementary students and participated in More Than a Game.
“This year one of our goals is to make sure that we are helping in the community that helps us so much, and that’s what is most important to us as a coaching staff. Wins will come, but developing good young men is what we strive to do most.”
Slaughter, who coached the Red Riders to a state Final 4 appearance in 2010 and started on the school’s first state title team in 1992, said not much has changed since his first tenure. One thing, though, has stayed rock-solid consistent.
“To me there is no better coaching job than Orrville basketball,” he said. “Orrville basketball means so much to me because of the life lessons I was taught by coach (Steve) Smith and many other players that came to support me and provide me with mentorship during my time as a player.
“It also is important to me that my son and all the players know and understand what it means to be a Red Rider basketball player.”