September 18, 2018,  Basketball  No comments

From Fairland High School to the National Championship

By Michael Morgan

Fairland High School, located in Proctorville, Ohio, has 5 alumni currently playing college basketball.

These alumni include, Emily Chapman and Kollin Van Horn (Cedarville University), Isaiah Howell (Kentucky Christian University), Ty Staten (Ohio Northern University), and Luke Thomas (Marshall University). The former members of the Fairland Dragons men’s and women’s basketball team represent the highest amount of signees in a single school year for Fairland.

The Dragons finished the previous season as conference champs, which instills a sense of succeeding and winning within their athletes, that comes with them to college.

The athletes’ motivations began at a young age, and intensified when high school came around, as said by Ty Staten. “I knew I wanted to pursue a collegiate career very early, but I realized I actually had a decent chance to around my sophomore year of high school,” Staten said.

Fairland tries to prepare its students for college in the classroom, as well as on the court, but the speed of the game is different. “The pace of play is much faster, and the overall strength and size of the guys is the biggest difference,” Staten said.

When discussing size and speed difference, the separation between Division lll (Ohio Northern) and Division l (Marshall) is large.

Luke Thomas signed as a preferred walk-on for the Thundering Herd in hopes of earning a scholarship, he said last year in a press conference. Thomas does not fear the big stage, as that is why he came to Marshall. “I came here to get a chance to win a national title, and being a part of this team is an honor and I’m really glad I chose to play here,” Thomas said.

Hayden James, a former member of the Fairland Dragons basketball team loved playing with that group. He says that getting to be on the court at the same time as these talented players were some of his best memories of high school. “Seeing these guys succeed is awesome. I am older than them so I like to call them my sons, it is more of a joke but we all laugh about it,” James said.

Fairland graduate Conner Flynn attended every basketball game his senior year, claiming this was the best team he had ever seen in person. “I wish they all got to play together just one more year, they were amazing and may be the best team in Fairland’s history ,” Flynn said.

Thomas and Staten enjoy seeing each other perform well, as well as their other teammates. “It was really great to see my teammates move on, it feels like I helped by pushing them in practice and the offseason, “ Staten said. Thomas said it is “really cool” and he is happy that many are having success.

The two former teammates, Thomas and Staten, left behind a legacy and set an example to all those that follow in their footsteps. Staten’s Polar Bears open their season Nov. 12 and Thomas’ Herd play their first game Nov. 7.