Perkins' new coach getting to know his team

SANDUSKY — Perkins boys basketball coach Andy Hoying is getting acquainted with his team, slowly but surely. The first-year coach lead the Pirates to a 5-2 mark in the Deuce Brand Summer Classic at Cedar Point Sports Center this week. Perkins edged Old Fort 20-16 in the first round of bracket play before falling to Hilliard Davidson. Hoying, who was hired in April, was just glad to have his team together for the tournament that featured 12-minute games with a running clock until the final minute. Perkins will play its final summer league game Wednesday. "We're just kind of wrapping up," Hoying said. "We have one more league game (at CPSC). We got a little bit of a late start with the success of our (state finalist) baseball team, but we love to see that. Hopefully we can carry that over to basketball. "I feel like it's been a productive summer so far." The Pirates have a five-man senior class consisting of Kash Koch, Sam Schweinfurth, Levi Groot, Kellen Glass and Ashton Wadsworth. "I'm really happy with our senior group. I think we've got some good leadership," Hoying said. "I've only seen the baseball guys a little bit, but I'm really happy with Glass and Groot. I think they could have a really good year." The Pirates' baseball tournament run trumped a basketball team camp at the University of Findlay. "This is probably the first time we've had the group together," Hoying said Tuesday. "We were originally going to go to the Findlay camp for three days and stay overnight. That was during the same week of the state (baseball) tournament so we had to move some things around." Hoying took the Perkins job after working for a year as director of student-athlete success at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. Before that, he was an assistant coach for the Mercyhurst men's basketball team from 2021 to 2024. Hoying, who was a star high school player at Jackson Center in western Ohio, is living in a short-term apartment in Milan while he looks for a place closer to Perkins. He's also seeking employment in the business world. "The community's been great," he said. "We're running a youth camp right now so it's good to see the young faces in the gym." Sandusky goes 1-5 over 2 days Sandusky defeated rival Perkins 58-55 in pool play but lost its other five games. The Blue Streaks were bounced 25-24 by Monroeville in their bracket-play opener. "We're piecing a team together," Sandusky coach DeMar Moore said. "The JV and varsity are sharing pretty much the same kids. We got a lot of guys out with football and work and things like that. Our first two games this morning we played with five and the last game we played with six. You have to dance with who brought you." It's quite a contrast from last summer when the Streaks played in the prestigious Midwest Live event and went on to make the state semifinals in Division III. Still, Moore is optimistic about this winter. "Cam Jones has been playing well and Jayvion Williams has been really good for us," Moore said. "Some of our younger guys like (incoming freshmen) Zion Henlon and Dewade Moore are playing varsity minutes and playing well. Just trying to see what we've got this summer." Clyde, Vermilion win bracket games Clyde took Olentangy to the limit in the second round of bracket play, losing 16-14. Coach Jared Shetzer was encouraged by his team's showing after a 3-3 mark in the tourney. "We have been playing Division I schools like Olentangy, and Division II schools all summer long," he said. "We have played 30-plus games against tough opponents like Avon and Avon Lake. Even though we lost, we can be a good team. Now we just have to keep guys healthy until November." Vermilion won two bracket games, defeating Woodmore and Fremont Ross 17-15. The Sailors lost to Olentangy in the semifinals.