“It keeps me locked in knowing I’m playing for him, for his name and I gotta hold myself accountable,” he said. “I just have to play well for him.”
The Irish senior is the grandson of longtime Catholic Central coach and athletic director Russ Guenther, who died in 2015 and later had the court named in his honor in 2017.
Russ Guenther began his career at Catholic Central in 1965 where he coached baseball, basketball and football. He became athletic director in 1975 and held the position for 25 years, playing an integral part in developing the school’s athletics program. The Irish made several state championships during that time, including winning a state boys basketball title in 1996.
Keegan Guenther is leaving his own legacy at Catholic Central in honor of his grandfather.
“Every time I meet somebody new, they say his name,” Keegan Guenther said. “It’s going to be hard to live up to that, but it’s very nice. I’m proud to live for him and I do everything I do for him.”
The senior, a four-year varsity player, is averaging 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for the Irish (6-7, 6-5 Ohio Heritage Conference South Division).
He’ll likely become the eighth player in program history to surpass 1,000 points in the next few weeks, joining former teammate Tyler Galluch and other Irish greats like Jason Collier and Jason Ronai.
“It’s been very fun,” Keegan Guenther said. “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had an opportunity to play since my freshman year. Obviously playing with (Galluch) helped me out a lot my freshman year. I’ve been trying to get better every single year, and now I’m kind of at the point where I’m trying to help the younger guys get better and give them what I got my freshman year.”
Keegan Guenther is one of the most relentless players he’s ever coached, said Irish coach Matt Mullen.
“He’s unlike, other than (Galluch), any player that I’ve coached from a tenacity standpoint,” Mullen said. “It’s his hard work. It’s his dedication to the school. It’s his dedication to his family and his name. There’s a lot of pressure with that last name in our community, not just because of the floor, but because of the generations that have gone there. He’s a young kid, and he doesn’t talk about it, but he feels it, and I’m just super proud of how he’s improved every year.”
This year, Keegan Guenther, a 6-4 post player, spent the offseason working on his outside game. He’s already made six 3-pointers this season after hitting seven all of last year.
“The whole offseason was (spent) transforming to an outside game, not just playing center, being able to play guard or a wing,” he said. “It’s been a lot of shooting in the offseason, and it’s been feeling good so far. I need to shoot it more.”
Russ Guenther was a history teacher and served as athletic director when he was in high school when Mullen was in high school.
“(Russ Guenther) was a consummate professional,” Mullen said. “I know that there’s a lot of coaches around the county that loved him because of the way he handled himself. He was never going to be a screamer. He led by example, kind of like (Keegan) does. It’s interesting how, knowing his grandpa, I see a lot of that in him.
“He leads without yelling at people. He leads by example. He’s a leader in the classroom, and he’s a leader in the community. Kids really look up to him.”
Just like they once did for the name written along the sideline.
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