The 1990 Catholic Central High School graduates were reunited on the bench this winter as part of the Irish coaching staff.
“We’ve been close for a long time,” said Mullen, who served as an assistant coach last season before taking the head coaching job last spring. “When I decided to take the job, honestly there were only two people I was going to ask.”
Earlier this spring, Vollmer joined Mullen’s staff. A few weeks later, Roediger moved back to Springfield and enrolled his boys — senior Ian Roediger and sophomore Sean Roedgier — at Catholic Central and joined the coaching staff.
“It happened pretty quickly,” Jim Roediger said. “Before we knew it, June basketball started.”
The goal all year long, Mullen said, has been to prepare the team for the postseason. The third-seeded Irish (16-8) will play second-seeded Cedarville in a district semifinal game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Troy High School with a second straight district final appearance on the line.
The coaching staff knows a thing or two about postseason runs — all three played key roles on the 1990 team that finished as D-IV state runner-up.
“(Postseason tournament runs) make everyone’s high school experience different,” Mullen said. “We knew that. We tried to bring that mentality to this team since Day 1. Everything has been tilted towards the tournament. We’ve talked about the second season all season.”
Low expectations
In 1988-1989, the Irish won 26 straight games and advanced to the D-IV state semifinals, falling to eventual state champion Columbus Wehrle. The team graduated seven seniors, including D-IV Player of the Year Maurice Houston and Richie Griffin — which didn’t leave much playing time for the junior class.
Mullen called the 88-89 Irish team “arguably the best time in Catholic Central history,” which played a key role in their state run the following year.
“(The 88-89 team) was better than any team we played against (their senior year),” Vollmer said.
Irish coach Dave Smith also left the program after the season, joining Larry Hunter’s staff at Ohio University. He was replaced by 23-year-old Wittenberg grad Tim Sullivan.
“Although we had played together forever, we had a team in front of us and we couldn’t get on the court,” Mullen said. “It was about as low of expectations as you could have.”
The Irish entered the season with a chip on their shoulder — and played like it.
“We kind of played as the underdogs all the time because we knew we didn’t have much, so we knew what we needed to do,” Roediger said. “Every game — we knew we needed each other. We couldn’t just rely on (Maurice Houston) from the previous year. We had to rely on each other to win.”
“A dream come true”
The 1989-1990 Irish would finish the regular season 17-3, earning one of the top seeds in their sectional. Their postseason run, however, almost got sidetracked before it even started. They trailed Russia by nine points in a first-round game entering the fourth quarter, but were able to pull out the victory.
The Irish beat Jackson Center in a sectional final and beat Lockland in the following game to claim the district championship. In the regional semifinal, Catholic Central pulled out an overtime victory against Franklin-Monroe.
The Irish punched their ticket to the state tournament with a victory over Lima Central Catholic thanks to what Vollmer called, “The Shot.”
“St. Patrick’s Day. We’re down with 43 seconds and it came down to (Mullen) hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send us there,” Vollmer said.
Mullen was hit in the eye during the play, losing his contact.
“I hit the floor and looked up and all the fans were up and down,” he told the Dayton Daily News. “I never saw it go in. It’s a dream come true.”
In the state semifinal, the Irish pulled away late in the fourth quarter to beat Mansfield St. Peter’s, earning a state championship rematch with Columbus Wehrle.
“That was a team effort,” Roediger said. “We needed everyone to win that one.”
In the state final, Roediger got into foul trouble and the Irish trailed early.
“They were better than us, one through five,” Mullen said.
After winning four straight state championships, Columbus Wehrle closed in 1991.
“It’s special”
A year ago, the 24-2 Irish advanced to a Division IV regional semifinal game, but graduated eight seniors and returned just two players with varsity experience.
With a new coaching staff and a new group of players, the Irish finished the regular season 14-8.
They’re in the midst of another postseason run. On Wednesday, Irish senior Tyler Galluch hit a free throw with four seconds remaining to lift Catholic Central to a 49-48 victory over Legacy Christian Academy.
They advanced to play Cedarville in a district semifinal game for the third straight season. The Ohio Heritage Conference South Division split two conference games during the regular season.
“It’ll be a battle,” Mullen said.
The support from the Catholic Central community has been as strong as ever, Mullen said. The same group of people who supported their team more than 30 years ago still attend nearly every Irish game, he said. The student section has also continued to provide support over the years.
“In home games, it matters,” Mullen said. “When that crowd is going crazy, the kids respond. We’ve had a few games where the crowds were spectacular.”
The best part of their state championship run, Mullen said, was doing it with guys he grew up playing with at Catholic Central — a feeling the coaching staff hopes to instill in their current players.
“We watched teams do well (growing up) and you wonder if your years are going to be that way,” Mullen said. “To be able to make that run with guys you hung out with, it’s special. Those are the things with your teammates that you’ll never forget.”
About the Author