By Ozie Davis III MS, JD Sports Editor
Heading into the first Trotwood game, Aiken was 21-0, having easily swept through the Cincinnati Metropolitan Athletic Conference (CMAC) winning its second championship in successive years! With Player of the Year, Jaiden Arnold and Coach of the Year, Derrell Black both posting repeat performances! To say it was a historic season, win, lose, or draw is an understatement!
Yet, Trotwood 20-1 was on a historic run of their own and this game was built as the biggest in the state in OHSAA Division III, Dayton鈥檚 best versus Cincinnati鈥檚 best, particularly its Black schools. The game was pure rumble, Trotwood would win, Aiken would not be undefeated. Immediately Cincinnati and Dayton contingents went mad in good ole competitive banter in calling for, hoping for, a rematch in the upcoming State tournament. Aiken would thrash Talawanda and Ross, before being challenged by Bellbrook. Aiken fell behind, but showed their resilience in beating Bellbrook, then it was a LaSalle game in which Aiken was losing for the majority of the game until Jaiden Arnold decided it wouldn鈥檛 be so as Aiken turned 19 LaSalle turnovers into 33 points to send the game Lancers home. The rematch was now a reality, and 鈥淪pirit of Sports TV鈥 was with Aiken all the way. Aiken legend, Paul McMillan covered the game for the Herald and his in-game reports can be found on Spirt of Sports TV on Facebook. McMillan also made an appearance on Fox19 Sports as the Falcons pulled away from Trotwood and punched their ticket to the State Final Four. Aiken returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2016.
Athletic Director Paul Brownfield states it best, 鈥渟o incredibly proud of this team. Great group of young men who have checked their egos for something far greater than themselves. This team knows they鈥檙e going out there each game representing not only the Aiken basketball team, but also Aiken High School, College Hill, and Cincinnati Public Schools. Making it back to the Final Four is something we all should celebrate.鈥
This Aiken team definitely deserves celebrating. Head Coach Derrell Black started this mission at Hughes several years ago prior to taking a detour as a Princeton Assistant before becoming Aiken鈥檚 Head Coach three years ago. He brung his junior high coach from Hughes, Orlando Gentry, to join him at Aiken and they put the band back together. See, Jaiden Arnold and James Burnett Jr highlighted that Hughes Jr High team so many years ago. Coach Gentry has been a guiding light to their development.鈥 It鈥檚 been a pleasure and an honor to see the growth I have seen out of these two guys has been amazing from 7th grade to now. With ups and downs, hard conversations and through frustrations we stayed family, and they stayed brothers to guards that chose to play together as brothers when the whole city wanted them to be rivals. We need more James and Jaiden鈥檚. They showed we can accomplish more together.
Coach Black has done an exceptional job leading the rebuild at Aiken. 鈥淚t feels good! We have a great battle tested group who have been through a tough schedule this year. Every night we go into these games knowing that we have a group that can get the job done and as a coach that鈥檚 a phenomenal feeling.鈥 He shows great humility as the leader of this squad. Brownfield speaks very highly of his character which overflows to his team night in night out. Brownfield said, 鈥渨e knew during the hiring process that Derrell Black was a special basketball coach but over the last three years it鈥檚 been who he is as a man that has had the greatest impact on the program. His character is what has elevated the program back to where we all knew it could be. Great basketball coach, but even better person.鈥
Burnett, who is my family, thus we鈥檒l call him 鈥淏aby J鈥 says the team is focused on the state championship. 鈥淚t feels real good man just building up a program that fell off for a couple of years back to its winning ways feel great just want to keep leading my teammates to victory and winning a state championship!
The Falcons will play Sandusky at 3pm on Sunday 3/16 at Wright State. They will then face the winner of the Garfield Heights v Louisville game (played at Canton Memorial 6p Sunday) in the State Championship game 1p Friday 3/21 at UD Arena.
