By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com

Athletes headed for a hall of fame are most often remembered and regaled for their exploits on the field of competition. For some those moments etched in memories came naturally as a product of extraordinary talent. For others, the accomplishments regaled years later were a result of equally extraordinary hard work.

Although Derek Weisenauer certainly possessed a great deal of talent on the basketball court, his inclusion in the Class of 2014 in the Wynford Athletic Hall of Fame is owed in large part to the hard work he put in beginning in elementary school.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Weisenauer said of taking his place among the all-time Wynford greats. “Growing up the first memories I have are (Phil) Gebhardt and (Mike) McGuire making a run to the Final 4.”

Although Weisenauer’s Wynford teams did not make it to Columbus during his career, the mark he left on the program was indelible nonetheless. He finished with 19 games of 20 or more points before he graduated in 2000 including a high game of 36 and a career total of 1,072. Fourteen of those 20-point games came during his senior campaign when he led the team in scoring with a 19.4-point average.

Weisenauer also set a school record for three-pointers in a career with 148.

“A lot of it, for me, was in the driveway – getting the footwork down and the quick release,” Weisenauer said of his marksmanship from the three-point arc. “Not being the most athletic guy, I realized I had to get the footwork right and learn to come off of screens the right way.”

Weisenauer’s high school coach, another Wynford Hall of Famer in Rob Sheldon, often described long-range bomber as a “gym rat” for his tireless work ethic and desire to perfect his aim.

“He (Sheldon) was one of the biggest reasons (for our success),” Weisenauer said. “He really built up the Mini-Royals. I started going to that in the third grade. That really set our program apart.”

What set Weisenauer apart was his endless effort to improve his shooting, even if it meant shoveling the driveway at home so he could get in more winter practice or enduring 90-degree heat in the summer.

For all the wins – 50 in Weisenauer’s three-year varsity career in which he averaged in double figures every season – the Wynford sniper says two stand out above the others.

“My junior year was the year (Colonel) Crawford was 19-1 and we gave them their only loss of the regular season,” Weisenauer said. “It was double overtime.”

The contest on the Royals’ home court lived up to its “House of Thrills” billing. Weisenauer poured in a team-high 28 points that night including a half-court buzzer beater to end the first half.

“Another one is our senior year,” Weisenauer recalled. “Lucas was the number four team in the state and we beat them in overtime.”

It was the Cubs’ first loss of the season and Weisenauer again led the way with 21 points.

Weisenauer received plenty of post-season recognition. The three-year letter winner was an All-NCC pick three times, All-Crawford County three times and All-District twice.

As a senior another coach got in his ear and talked Weisenauer into playing football where he was a defensive back and a wide receiver.

“If I had it to do over again, I definitely would have played football all four years,” Weisenauer said. “I’m glad Travis (Moyer) talked me into going out.”

Weisenauer continued playing basketball after high school with two seasons at Tiffin University. After college he played on several three-on-three tournaments throughout the country and made it to the Hoop-It-Up three-on-three nationals two times where his teams finished eighth one time and third the other.

Weisenauer is currently a CPA at the Columbus firm of Russell, Eckert, Mealer and Kalb. He lives in Hilliard and is married to Buckeye Central graduate Lindsay Kehres.