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The Harlem Wizards will take on the Eastside Hawks at 7 p.m. at Lakota East High School Friday. All proceeds from the game will benefit Lakota East Athletics.

Lakota staff members and alumni will make up the Eastside Hawks roster.

This is the second straight year that Wizards visited the school.

According to its website, the Harlem Wizards’ mission is to create a joyous, awe-inspiring basketball experience for all. The team will perform tricks, alley-oops and involve the crowd.

After the game, souvenirs will be available for purchase. There will also be an autograph session with the players.

Food vendors will be available for dinner prior to the game. The doors will open at 5 p.m.

Presale tickets are $10. They are available at the Lakota East Athletic Office.

Tickets at the door will cost $12.

For more information about the show and tickets, call 513-759-8622.

Posted in: Events, School events, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, fundrasier, Harlem Wizards, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports

The Harlem Wizards will take on the Eastside Hawks Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at Lakota East High School. All proceeds from the game will benefit Lakota East Athletics.

This is the second straight year that Wizards visited the school. Last year, they played against Lakota administrators, teachers, coaches and former Lakota East players.

According to its website, the Harlem Wizards’ mission is to create a joyous, awe-inspiring basketball experience for all. The team will perform tricks, alley-oops and involve the crowd.

After the game, souvenirs will be available for purchase. There will also be an autograph session with the players.

Food vendors will be available for dinner prior to the game. The doors will open at 5 p.m.

Presale tickets are $10. They are available at the Lakota East Athletic Office.

Tickets at the door will cost $12.

For more information about the Harlem Wizards, visit www.harlemwizards.com.

For more information about the show and tickets, call 513-759-8622.

Posted in: Events, School events, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, fundrasier, Harlem Wizards, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports

Lakota West senior student athletes Mel Stewart, Summer Reeves and Shabazz Reeves have recently made verbal commitments to continue their athletic careers in college.

Stewart, who is 5-foot-6 libero, committed to play volleyball for Northern Kentucky University. Last season, as a junior, Stewart led the Greater Miami Conference with 406 digs and was named All-GMC First Team.

“I couldn’t be happier for Mel,” Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau told Westfirebirds.com. “NKU is a great volleyball school with a tradition of defensive excellence. Within a few years they will be making the jump to Division I and Mel will get to be a part of that. She will be able to play and contribute. This is a good fit for her.”

Fellow seniors-to-be Summer and Shabazz Reeves have both verbally committed to play basketball for Morgan State University, according Lakota West head girls’ basketball coach Andy Fishman.

“The twins connected instantly with what an academic and athletic opportunity at Morgan State would offer and it was awesome that the MSU is giving the girls an opportunity to stay together through college,” Fishman told Westfirebirds.com.

The twins also considered the University of New Hampshire, the University of Richmond and St. Francis University. In addition, Shabazz also considered playing soccer at the University of Cincinnati, while Summer had considered playing basketball at American University.

Summer averaged 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season, while Shabazz averaged 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, girls' basketball, Lakota West, Lakota West basketball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Mel Stewart, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, recruiting, Shabazz Reeves, Summer Reeves, volleyball

There has been a lot of uncertainty in Josh Chichester’s athletic career at the University of Louisville. Uncertainty on who was going to coach the Cardinals, who was going to throw him the football, what position would he play and which sport should he focus on.

Out of high school, Chichester’s athletic ability on both the football field and on the basketball court attracted the attention of many Division I programs. He was actually close to playing football at Ohio State, until the Buckeyes took away their offer. Other schools, Chichester seriously considered for both sports, included Purdue, Illinois, Tennessee and Pittsburgh, to name a few.

“Josh was a tremendous athlete, he had Division I basketball offers as well as football offers,” Lakota West football head coach Larry Cox said. “But he has always, really loved football and that has always been a passion for him.”

>>>PHOTOS OF JOSH CHICHESTER AT LAKOTA WEST AND AT LOUISVILLE <<<

Chichester passion for football led him to sign with U-of-L and head coach Bobby Petrino, who left for the Atlanta Falcons job before Chichester participated in a single practice. Chichester described the coaching change as “a tough time” for him and the other recruits. However, he has enjoyed playing for head coach Steve Kragthorpe (hired in 2007 and fired in November of 2009) and for current head coach Charlie Strong.

Meanwhile, his basketball career at U-of-L lasted one year when he averaged 1.8 points in six games for U-of-L head coach Rick Pitino in 2007-2008.

“My ultimate goal is to play professional football,” Chichester said. “As I grew older and wiser, I realized … I couldn’t worry about being a dual-sport athlete, so I decided to drop basketball.”

>>>2011 LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE<<<

Chichester was also a dual-position player for the Cardinals last season, splitting time between tight end and wide receiver. Out of high school, he was recruited only as a wide receiver. Currently, in this year’s media guide, the 6-foot-8, 258-pound Chichester is listed as the No. 1 tight end on the depth chart.

“Playing tight end never came up until last year when I was bigger, faster, stronger, which I had to be in order to play the position,” Chichester said. “The transition was not as difficult as I thought it would be. The difficult part was learning the proper blocking techniques and schemes.

“I hope it helps me (reach the NFL), but I was determined to play wide receiver or any other position to help our team.”

In his career, Chichester has 69 receptions for 860 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season, Chichester was tied for the team lead with five touchdown receptions. He also graduated from Louisville with a degree in justice administration. Currently, he is working on his master’s degree.

WHO WILL THROW IT TO CHICHESTER IN 2011: As well as having numerous head coaches, Chichester has seen four different quarterbacks start for the Cardinals during his three seasons on the team. This season, he could see two more if high-touted recruits freshman Teddy Bridgewater or sophomore Dominique Brown (Winton Woods) can wrestle away the starting job from former walk-on junior Will Stein.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, Bobby Petrino, boys' basketball, Charlie Strong, football, Illinois, Josh Chichester, Josh Chichester football, Josh Chichester Louisville, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Ohio State, photo gallery, photos, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rick Pitino, Steve Kragthorpe, Tennessee

Karen Moeller, 65, who taught 17 years at Adena Elementary and was also a teacher at Shawnee Early Childhood School, passed away Saturday, June 18, at her Liberty Township home. The career elementary school teacher was diagnosed with brain cancer in November of 2007 and was given a year to 18 months to live.

Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Kimball Perry wrote a story about Moeller’s life, which included how she met her husband.

On the first day of his senior year at Otterbein University, Steve Moeller convinced a gorgeous sophomore to hop in his car for a ride.

He took Karen Fischer out for a sandwich – and was with her through more than 40 years of marriage, two children and a life of hop-scotching across the country as a basketball coach’s family.

Perry’s story also went into the type of marriage the couple would have, their children and Moeller’s caring personality.

“I was drawn to her immediately. She had a great personality, was very funny, very easy going, smart,” said her husband, Steve Moeller.

“It was just a whirlwind romance.”

Two years later, the couple married. A high school football coach at the time, he had to be at practice two days after their Saturday marriage, so he took his bride for an abbreviated honeymoon at Niagara Falls.

“She didn’t care about the sizzle. She didn’t care about anything other than making other people happy,” her husband said. (more…)

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: Adena Elementary, Adena Elementary School, basketball, Bob Huggins, brain cancer, death, funeral, Karen Moeller, Lakota Local Schools, Shawnee Early Childhood School, Steve Moeller

According to the official athletic site of Florida State University, Seminoles.com, Lakota East assistant girls’ basketball coach Brooke Wyckoff has been hired as an assistant coach at FSU. The university’s women’s head coach Sue Semrau announced the hire this past Tuesday.

“Brooke has been associated with every aspect of women’s basketball,” Semrau told Seminoles.com. “As a player she excelled at every level from college to USA Basketball to the WNBA. As a coach, she has proven to be a strong teacher and has a passion for the defensive end of the floor. Brooke Wyckoff is a rising star in the coaching world.”

This winter, Brooke Wyckoff was named to the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. In her senior year at Lakota High School in 1996-1997, Wyckoff averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks per game. She was also named All-GMC First Team three times, Butler County Player of the Year three times and All-Ohio First Team twice during her high school career.

Wyckoff also competed in volleyball, basketball and track at Lakota and holds school records for blocked shots and in the 400-meter and 800-meter runs in track.

At FSU, Wyckoff scored 1,350 career points (10th most in school history), pulled down 804 rebounds (sixth most in school history) and blocked 209 shots (second most in school history).

After her senior season at FSU, Brooke was named to the All-ACC First Team and was selected 26th overall in the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Orlando Miracle. She went onto play nine seasons in the WNBA before returning to her hometown to help coach Lakota East before the start of last season.

“I am thrilled to be back with the Florida State University women’s basketball program,” Wyckoff told Seminoles.com. “My experience here as a player was the springboard for so many wonderful opportunities over the last 10 years and it is an honor to come full circle and take the next step in my basketball career; this time as a coach.”

For Lakota East, Wyckoff coached the 2009-2010 junior varsity team and was a varsity assistant in 2010-2011 under head coach Nikki Drew, who played against Wyckoff in high school.

“From a playing standpoint, she was hard to guard because she was a mismatch for most guards (Wyckoff is 6-foot-2). Brooke could see over traps, shoot over most and definitely had a versatile arsenal. You never knew what she was going to do,” said Drew, who starred at Mercy High School before playing at Xavier University. “The best thing about Brooke though, it was never about her, it was the team’s success that mattered. She is one of the most humble people I have ever met.”

Lakota East finished with 19-6 overall record and a 10-4 record within the Greater Miami Conference this past season. The Thunderhawks were one of the final eight teams in the state tournament before losing to Pickerington North High School in the regional title game.

Wyckoff actually has a younger sister on the basketball team. Her sister, Whitney, will be senior next season. For the past two seasons, Whitney has been named to the All-GMC girls’ basketball First Team.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, Brooke Wyckoff, Florida State, Florida State University, FSU, girls' basketball, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Nikki Drew, Whitney Wyckoff, WNBA

The Lakota West Athletic Department has announced that it will have a girls’ basketball camp, a wrestling camp and a boys’ basketball camp in June. The girls’ basketball and wrestling camps will take place June 13-16, while the boys’ basketball camp will take place June 20-23.

The girls’ basketball camp, which is for grades kindergarten through ninth, will focus on improving fundamental basketball skills. The camp’s staff will feature Lakota West coaches, current and former Lakota West players, current and former college players and special guest instructor Laurie Pirtle.

The cost to attend the camp is $90 (includes camp t-shirt and basketball) until this Monday, April 11. Afterwards, the cost will go up to $100. Last year, the girls’ camp sold out and had more than 80 registered campers by April 30. For more information, email Lakota West head girls’ basketball coach Andy Fishman at a.fishman@lakotaonline.com or download the Lakota West girls’ basketball camp flyer.

The wrestling camp is designed for two age groups, grades second through sixth and grades seventh through twelfth. Each group will have campers work with someone close to their own skill and weight level. The session for the older wrestlers will feature instruction from collegiate wrestlers and coaches.

The cost to attend the camp is $50 for the younger age group and $85 for the older age group. For more information, download the Lakota West wrestling camp flyer.

The Lakota West boys’ basketball camp is designed for students in grades second through ninth. The cost to attend the camp is $95. Camp staff includes Lakota West’s coaching staff as well as current and former players. For more information about the camp, download the Lakota West boys’ basketball camp flyer.

Also in June, there will be summer leagues for boys’ and girls’ basketball. For more information on the leagues refer to the camps’ flyers.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, basketball camp, basketball camps, boys' basketball, camps, girls' basketball, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, wresling, wresling camp

Lakota East senior Cameron Lee has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. This past winter, Lee was a key member of the Lakota East’s Greater Miami Conference championship team.

Lee averaged 8.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game this season for the Thunderhawks, which finished the year with a 23-2 overall record and a 13-1 record in conference play.

As a junior, Lee averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists and as a sophomore he averaged 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds.

Lee was selected to the All-GMC Second Team this past season for his impact as Lakota East’s first player off the bench.

According to a news release from Sinclair, Lee joins a team coming off four consecutive 20 win seasons as well as being ranked simultaneously in the top 20 of the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) polls.

Meanwhile, his senior teammates Michael Boyd and R.J. Leppert were recently named to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Division I First Team. Lee and senior Jalen Goodwin were both honored by being named by the Enquirer as Division I Honorable Mention.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, boys' basketball, Cameron Lee, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Sinclair, Sinclair Community College

Lakota East senior Michael Boyd, who was named the Greater Miami Conference Boys’ Basketball Athlete of the Year this winter, will make an appearance in the Division I-II Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association North-South All-Star basketball game this Sunday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. at Capital University in Columbus.

Boyd joins fellow local athlete Ryan Fleming of La Salle on the south roster. Fleming is replacing La Salle teammate Brandon Neel. La Salle won the Division I state title this season. Fleming, who has signed on to play at Northern Kentucky University, led his team in rebounding (4.9 per game) and assists (3.0 per game). He also averaged 8.8 points per game. Neel averaged a team-leading 14.6 points per game this season.

This past season, Boyd led his team in scoring and in assists. He averaged 11.5 points and 3.9 assists per game. Boyd, who was recently named to the Division I AP All-Ohio Second Team, also averaged 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game.

St. Xavier coach Scott Martin will be the co-head coach in the all-star event, while Lakota East head coach Wally Vickers is the game’s director. Vickers was named the GMC and the Division I AP All-Ohio Coach of the Year this season.

Boyd and Vickers helped Lakota East win its first outright GMC title this season. Overall, the Thunderhawks finished with a 23-2 record and a 13-1 mark within the GMC. Lakota East also advanced to the regional semifinals in the state playoffs this season.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: All-Star, All-Star game, basketball, boys' basketball, Brandon Neal, Division I-II Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association North-South All-Star basketball game, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Michael Boyd, Mike Boyd, Ryan Fleming, Scott Martin, Wally Vickers

The Lakota West Athletic Department has announced that it will have a girls’ basketball camp, a wrestling camp and a boys’ basketball camp in June. The girls’ basketball and wrestling camps will take place June 13-16, while the boys’ basketball camp will take place June 20-23.

The girls’ basketball camp, which is for grades kindergarten through ninth, will focus on improving fundamental basketball skills. The camp’s staff will feature Lakota West coaches, current and former Lakota West players, current and former college players and special guest instructor Laurie Pirtle.

The cost to attend the camp is $90 (includes camp t-shirt and basketball) until this Monday, April 11. Afterwards, the cost will go up to $100. Last year, the girls’ camp sold out and had more than 80 registered campers by April 30. For more information, email Lakota West head girls’ basketball coach Andy Fishman at a.fishman@lakotaonline.com or download the Lakota West girls’ basketball camp flyer.

The wrestling camp is designed for two age groups, grades second through sixth and grades seventh through twelfth. Each group will have campers work with someone close to their own skill and weight level. The session for the older wrestlers will feature instruction from collegiate wrestlers and coaches.

The cost to attend the camp is $50 for the younger age group and $85 for the older age group. For more information, download the Lakota West wrestling camp flyer.

The Lakota West boys’ basketball camp is designed for students in grades second through ninth. The cost to attend the camp is $95. Camp staff includes Lakota West’s coaching staff as well as current and former players. For more information about the camp, download the Lakota West boys’ basketball camp flyer.

Also in June, there will be summer leagues for boys’ and girls’ basketball. For more information on the leagues refer to the camps’ flyers.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, basketball camp, basketball camps, boys' basketball, camps, girls' basketball, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, wrestling, wrestling camp