Not surprisingly, Staten and his cohorts lost only slightly more than the Harlem Globetrotters. Oak Hill was ranked as one of the top 10 high school teams in the nation, finishing 29-4, while All-Ohio Red went 201-9 during his three summers with the team, winning 29 of 33 tournaments and three consecutive national crowns.
Dayton native Adreian Payne, who’s suiting up for Michigan State, and OSU’s Aaron Craft, Jordan Sibert and J.D. Witherspoon also spent their summers toiling for All-Ohio Red.
“It was a great team,” Staten said. “I’m smiling just thinking about it, the good times we had. We had a target on our backs every game. There wasn’t a lot of us — we only had about seven players — but we played hard, we played together and every player brought something to the table that was needed.
“We never practiced,” Staten added. “We probably had one or two practices in three years. We had one or two plays. We’d pass and pick away and get the ball to Jared whenever he was open. If he was doubled, he’d kick it out, and we’d make plays. He’d rebound, and we’d all play defense together as a team.”
Buckeye star
The 6-foot-9, 280-pound Sullinger has become a national player of the year candidate, and his success is no surprise to Staten.
“I have to say Jared is probably my favorite player I ever played with, period. He just makes basketball fun,” Staten said. “You always know you have to raise your level of play just to be on the court with him, and I felt there were games I needed to raise my level of play — not to compete against him but for us to have a great team.
“I know he was always going to give us 100 percent to help us win, and I felt I always needed to be right there giving an equal amount of energy.”
Although he spent only one year at Oak Hill, Staten also developed bonds with the players at that school, including Doron Lamb, a Kentucky standout, and Roscoe Smith, a key contributor for UConn.
“I joke with them a lot, text them after games,” Staten said. “Like Doron, I tell him he had a good game and joke with him and give him a hard time. I text Craft and tell him he’s doing a great job. I talk to Jared a lot. I always tease him and say, ‘Yeah, but after this year, you’re leaving (for the pros), aren’t you?’ And he always tells me, ‘Nah, I’m not leaving.’ I say, ‘Man, just go ahead a leave.’ I’m just messing with him, just giving him a hard time.
“I like to stay in touch with my teammates, especially when I see them play. I really give Roscoe a hard time at UConn. He got the No. 1 play on (ESPN’s) ‘NOT’ Top 10 plays of the day one time. I had to call him and talk some trash to him.”
Staten is first in the Atlantic 10 and leads all freshmen nationally in assists with 6.1 per game. His friends have kept up with his exploits, too.
“They always say, ‘Yeah, I’ve been hearing a lot of good things on you at Dayton. I’m hearing you’re in the top 10 in assists, keep that up.’ Or, ‘I saw the game against such and such,’ just letting me know I’m playing well, that they’re hearing about me from where they are.
“I miss them a lot. ... I wish we could all play together again. But we’re all doing good where we’re at, and we’re all proud of each other and rooting for each other.”
Focused on future
Staten may pine for those days of dominance, but he said he hasn’t regretted his decision to come to UD.
“I’m happy with the way things are going right now,” he said. “I’m just concentrating on getting more key wins in this league. I’m just focused on getting to the NCAA tournament.”
Even if the Flyers fall short, though, Staten believes the program is positioned for long-term success with a strong freshman class that includes Devin Oliver, Brandon Spearman and Ralph Hill, along with two promising recruits from Michigan on the way in LaDontae Henton and Percy Gibson.
Southern Illinois transfer Kevin Dillard, a former Mr. Basketball from Illinois, also figures to be a major factor in the backcourt for the Flyers after sitting out this season.
“I think we can have a good team next year, only losing two players,” Staten said. “I know Chris (Wright) is a big part, but we have some starters coming back. D-Mo (Oliver) and Brandon will be a year older, as well as Ralph, and we have a good recruiting class coming in. And KD (Dillard) will be eligible, too.
“I’m looking forward to playing with KD. Playing against him every day in practice, he’s a good player.”
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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