The 1998 Lehman Boys Basketball team was coming off a dismal 4-17 season. The future looked very bright for the 1998-2000 Lehman Boys Basketball team. I remember sitting at the District Finals at UD and told then Coach Henry Stolly, "We will be playing here next year". With five seniors; Kyle Goubeaux, Tommy Middleton, Eric Hewitt, Bryan Tobe and Ben Kohlhorst coming back and the junior class of Sam Mikolajewski, Ryan Ratermann, Tony Staley, Tony Cianciolo, Jake Sinclair returning. The 1998-99 Cavaliers were going to be awesome.
In May of 1998, Henry Stolly called a team meeting. He informed the basketball team, he was resigning to take the JV coaching position and a teaching position at Bellefontaine. "We were all stunned because everyone in that locker room that day knew that the 1998-99 Lehman Basketball team was going to be good, very good".
Former Lehman Basketball players, I will leave this space for you to put your thoughts from that morning.
Henry Stolly came to Lehman in 1994, inherited a 5-16 squad and had four seniors, Rob O'Leary, PJ Thornberry, Aaron Nuss, Mitch Hoying coming back. Juniors Matt Hartings, Craig Bergman and Kevin Geise rounded out the 1994-95 roster. That team started off 5-1. Beating Marion Local, Covington, Jackson Center and Botkins to start the season.
In August of 1998, Lima Native Jerry Fries was hired. Fries was at the helm for 4 years, 1998-2002, Mike Piatt was there from 2002-2007, Bruce Vanover 2007-10 and Isaiah Williams 2010-13.
I think Lehman needs to get a committee together in the years to come and say hey: We need to hire a coach who will be here for 10 plus years, build a winner on a consistant basis and cut down the nets after a District Championship on a consistant basis.
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