MANSFIELD — Practice is about to begin when Jonathon Avery slips in the side entrance at Mansfield Senior’s Pete Henry Gym.
The 2005 Senior High graduate wears an oversized white t-shirt and baggy shorts that hang just below his knees, looking very much the same way he did during his All-Ohio playing days almost a decade ago. The only discernible difference is the James Harden-style beard that now covers his face.
Avery’s younger brother, Jameel Butts, is a member of Mansfield Senior’s uber-talented 10-man senior class, but Avery isn’t there to check on his sibling’s progress. His role is a more active one. In just a few minutes, Avery will be posting up on the block and swatting away shots just like he did while leading the Tygers to an improbable Final Four appearance in March of 2005.
“This is my chance to give back to the program and help these guys, the same way some of the older guys would come back and help us out when we were in high school,” said Avery, who played four years at Division I IUPUI in Indianapolis and is one of just eight players in that school’s history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. “When I was coming up, it was (current junior varsity coach) Marquis Sykes and Ricky Minard and Herman Davis. Herman is a big reason why we went to the Final Four my senior year. I had to go against him every day in practice.”
Those battles with Davis, a 2000 graduate, served Avery well. During the run to the Final Four in 2005, Avery was matched up against Lakewood St. Edward’s Delvon Roe in the regional semifinals, Solon’s Dallas Lauderdale in the regional finals and Canton McKinley’s Raymar Morgan in the state semifinals. Roe and Morgan both played at Michigan State, while Lauderdale played for Thad Matta at Ohio State.
“We played against great players that entire tournament run,” Avery said, “but I never felt overwhelmed and a lot of it had to do with the guys I was going against in practice.”
Sykes and Minard both starred at Division I Morehead State, the former graduating as the school’s career assist leader and the latter finishing as the program’s career scoring leader. Minard was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft and still plays professionally in Europe.
“A lot of schools have alumni come back so in that regard we’re not unusual,” said Senior High coach J.T. Reese, who played at IUPUI as the school transitioned to Division I in the late-1990s. “What makes our situation unusual is that a lot of the guys that come back to help us out played Division I college basketball and then played professionally.”
Avery is among them. He has played in Mexico and Chile and will leave for Lebanon within the next few weeks.
“He is somebody I looked up to when I was younger and going against him every day is only going to make me better,” senior forward Robert Jones said. “Nobody we face in the Ohio Cardinal Conference is going to be as good as he is.”
Along with Avery, recent Marietta College graduate Jacob Owens is a regular at practices. Owens, who graduated from Senior High in 2009, helped the Pioneers reach the Division III NCAA Tournament last March.
“Once you play Tyger basketball, you almost have a responsibility to come back and help out the younger guys,” Owens said. “We’ve gone out and been coached at a higher level and we really want to see them succeed.”
Yima Chia-Kur, another former Senior High standout who played Division I college basketball at Arkansas State, is also a regular at practices.
“We love having those guys in the gym,” Reese said. “They played basketball at a high level and having extra sets of eyes helps tremendously. They really embrace our guys and our guys have a lot of respect for them.”
Both Avery and Owens have high expectations for the 2013-14 Tygers, who tip off the season Friday at home against crosstown rival Madison.
“They have a chance to be special,” Avery said. “They are unique in that they have a 10-man senior class and all 10 of them can play. They have more pieces than our Final Four team had in ’05.
“I definitely think they can make a long tournament run.”
Owens agreed.
“They are big and athletic and very talented,” he said. “If the chemistry is there, it could be a great season.”
Avery and Owens, who is trying to pursue a professional playing career, both said they may get into coaching down the road. Reese isn’t surprised.
“I could definitely see them getting into coaching,” he said. “They both played the game at a high level and they both have an understanding for the game.”
For now, Avery is happy to help his alma mater any way he can.
“Once a Tyger, always a Tyger,” he said.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
