By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Admitting it’s not what he planned when he took the job last year; Wynford boys basketball coach Steve Mohr has resigned that position.
“It all revolves around my health situation,” Mohr said of the decision to leave the bench. “My cancer has advanced to the point I need a stem cell transplant in June.”
That procedure, Mohr said, will require a three-week hospital stay and an additional four to five weeks of isolation. It comes during the time of the offseason he feels is increasingly critical to building a successful program. When Mohr took the post he did so after receiving a prognosis from doctors that a stem cell transplant was probably three years away, not one.
“I think it’s in the best interest of the kids and the program for me to step aside,” Mohr said. “It just didn’t work out, unfortunately.”
Wynford Athletics Director Travis Moyer said Mohr came through when the district and basketball program needed him most.
“His willingness to step in when we needed him – we were fortunate to get a gentlemen who was extremely knowledgeable about basketball and had a great deal of experience to step in and help us when we needed somebody to step up,” Moyer said. “I’ll be forever grateful for him helping us out in that situation.”
Mohr became just the fifth head boys basketball coach at Wynford in a program steeped in tradition for 50 years. He succeeded Tim Ehresman. The Royals went 7-16 this season and reached the Division III sectional finals.
“You always want you teams to be playing their best basketball at tournament time,” said Mohr. The Royals won four of their last five regular season games and defeated a bigger, more experienced Ashland Crestview team in the tournament opener.
“Our game against Ashland Crestview we were a very good basketball team that night.”
Mohr said regardless of his team’s record this year, he was very proud of their development as a team and as players.
“Our kids hung together and did things the right way,” Mohr said. “I credit that to our senior leadership.”
Mohr’s coaching background included successful stints at Buckeye Central, Shelby, Elyria, Marion Harding and Colonel Crawford before going to Wynford as the district’s superintendent. While he had worn multiple hats involving administrative duties as principal and athletics director while coaching before, this was his first time juggling both coaching and being the top administrator in a district.
“First of all, just to be a Wynford basketball coach is a great honor. Next to being Wynford superintendent it’s the greatest (professional) honor I’ve had,” Mohr said. “It was just a great group of kids.”
Mohr called coaching the Royals “a special time for me.” He told his team this week he was resigning as coach.
“You realize what you miss, just the opportunity to spend time with kids every day,” Mohr said about going back to coaching after being an administrator. “It was the highlight of my day.”
Mohr, who is in a retire/rehire situation as superintendent at Wynford, said he plans to continue on in that position.
“I don’t think so, but one never knows,” Mohr said about retiring all together. “I have every intention of continuing to work as superintendent.”
Moyer, who is leaving the district at the end of the school year to coach football at Wapakoneta, said the process to find Mohr’s replacement would be thorough.
“I know the importance of basketball in this community,” Moyer said. “I’m sure they will be aggressive seeking out the best person they can for the job.”