Trio of former Tornadoes shining on college hardwoods
A high school team is generally pretty fortunate to have one player from a team go on to play college ball, but the 2006 Dover Tornadoes had a trio of players who went on to enjoy success at the next level.In 2006, Bryce Sanborn, Micah Mills and Eric Dummermuth were all playing varsity basketball for the Tornadoes. Mills and Sanborn were starters, and Dummermuth was a sophomore role player coming off the bench. Bryce was a senior, and Micah was a junior.
“That 2005-06 team finished with a record of 19-1 in the regular season, and 20-3 overall,” said Dover coach Bob Von Kaenel. “We went 14-0 in the East Central Ohio League, and the only regular season loss was to Massillon. We finished with a loss to Zanesville in the district tournament.”
Mills has taken his game to the next level at Ohio Valley University.
“Micah is a tireless worker,” Von Kaenel said. “He was a 2007 graduate of Dover High. In his senior year, he was named first-team ECOL, and second-team District 5, He played in the District 5 All-Star Game, and was a team assist leader for two consecutive seasons.
“For his efforts, he earned a basketball scholarship to Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, W.Va.,” the coach continued. “At OVU, he was named captain of the team in his sophomore season. He is a natural leader who plans to teach and coach in the future.”
Mills is the son of Martha Mills and Harry Ocheltree.
“It is a great environment to grow as a man, as an athlete, and in my walk in faith,” Mills said of his experience at OVU. He is majoring in secondary education.
The team went 5-17 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) last year, 6-21 overall.
Sanborn, a 6-8 senior center at Mount Vernon Nazarene, finished up his career this year.
“A 2006 graduate of Dover High, Bryce was selected to play in the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association State North-South All-Star Game. He also played in the District 5 Game,” Von Kaenel said. “Bryce was selected first-team Academic All-Ohio in Division II, and then received a basketball scholarship to Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.
“At MVNU as a senior, he was named to the Academic All-America Regional Team,” Von Kaenel added. “He also finished sixth in the nation in rebounding in the NAIA College Division this past season. He had a high game of 22 rebounds twice this year. He is the son of Tyler and Cheryl Sanborn.”
Sanborn was the team’s Champions of Character Award recipient at the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
Dummermuth is a sophomore forward at Notre Dame College of Ohio.
Eric was named third-team All-America this past season in the NAIA National Teams. He was fourth in the nation in scoring and ninth in the nation in rebounding, and has scored more than 1,000 points in only two seasons at Notre Dame College.
Dummermuth had one of the greatest single seasons in the history of Notre Dame College, and for his efforts, he made the 2009-10 NAIA Division II All-America third team.
Dummermuth was the only sophomore to crack any of the three All-America teams, and he becomes just the second player in the history of the Notre Dame College program to receive All-American honors (Jerome Pierce).
Dummermuth set new single-season scoring and rebounding marks for Notre Dame, averaging 22.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 35.7 minutes per contest, shot 57.7 percent (244-for-423) from the field and made 73.6 percent (184-for-250) of his attempts from the free-throw line for the Falcons this past season, who finished 19-12.
“Eric is a 2008 graduate of Dover High, where he had a storied athletic career,” Von Kaenel said. “In soccer, he was a two-time first-team All-Ohio goalie, and he earned even more success in basketball. His senior season, he was named the Division II Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year. In the AP Polls, he was selected first-team All-Ohio, and the East District Player of the Year. He was chosen to play in the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Classic, as well as the State North-South All-Star Game. For his efforts, he received a basketball scholarship to Notre Dame College of Ohio in South Euclid.”
He finished fourth in the nation in rebounding, and ninth in the nation in scoring. His 16 double-double games were in the top five in the nation as well. Eric is the son of Jerry and Debbie Dummermuth.