NEWPORT — Corey Wiley calls Trey Oldenburg, “My Christmas present.”
Wiley was a few months into his second stint as Jefferson’s boys basketball coach in December of 2022 when a skinny freshman walked into practice during Christmas break.
“The first time I saw him, I knew he was going to be something special,” Wiley said.
Wiley was right.
Oldenburg grew into the school’s top boys scorer with 1,326 career points and led the Bears to a school-record 18 victories this season by averaging 15.8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
He has been named the Monroe County Region Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“It went great,” Oldenburg said of his senior season. “I played with a great group of guys and a great coaching staff. I love all the coaches.”
Oldenburg said deciding to become a Jefferson Bear was one of the best decisions of his young life.“I was playing for a homeschool team,” he recalled. “In the middle of the season I decided I wanted to experience high school basketball. Obviously, it was a great choice.
“I prayed about it and God said something to me.”
Oldenburg was always blessed with basketball talent. His game took off when he decided to play football after his sophomore year.
He hit the weights and transformed his body.
“He changed his lifestyle and committed to the game,” Wiley said. “He was going to the weight room every morning. Once he committed to football, he was able to impose his will. He was no longer intimidated by contact. He became the hammer instead of the nail.”
Oldenburg enjoyed becoming the hammer.
“Lifting did a lot for me,” he said. “Coach Beaudrie (football coach Rob Beaudrie) helped me gain a lot of weight.”
Football was a new sport for Oldenburg.
“It was a little weird getting used to,” he admitted.
Oldenburg played a key role for a Jefferson football team that won the Huron League title and made it to the Division 5 state semifinals.
Oldenburg also transformed his game on the basketball court this winter.
“We wanted him to play off the ball a little more,” Wiley said. “He went from 22 shots a game to 16, but his efficiency went way up. … He is a phenomenal leader and his relationships with his teammates is beyond anything.”
The son of Aaron and Dayna Oldenburg wants to study sports management in college.
“I am undecided where I am going, but I want to play college basketball,” he said.
Coach of the Year: Jordan Bollin, Whiteford
OTTAWA LAKE – Sometimes dreams are difficult to interpret.
Jordan Bollin, a 2006 Bedford graduate, often said coaching boys basketball at his alma mater was his dream job.
He landed that job in 2020 after going 68-41 in five seasons at Dundee.
Bollin won Monroe County Region Coach of the Year honors in 2023 after leading Bedford to an 18-6 record, but overall finding success at the Division 1 school was more elusive.
He finished with a 45-67 record over five seasons and started thinking back wistfully to his days at Dundee.
So, when he had the opportunity to replace his close friend Nick Abolos at Whiteford, Bollin leapt at the opportunity.
And he discovered that his original dream had been wrong.
“Doing what you enjoy is what matters most,” he said. “Most young coaches think they know everything. You have to be willing to learn, adapt and change.”
In this case, change was very good for Bollin.
Under his tutelage, Whiteford crafted a 21-4 record, won a share of the Tri-County Conference title and captured a district championship.
Bollin has been named Monroe County Region Boys Basketball Coach of the Year for the second time in the last four years.
“It was a welcome change,” Bollin said of the move to Whiteford. “When I was at Dundee, I got a taste of the smaller-school feel. At Whiteford it seems like there is a little more community involvement. The guys were a tighter-knit group. They grew up together.”
The Whiteford players were eager to listen and learn.
“Coaching matters more at a smaller level,” he said. “Bedford was more like a college. You can have more impact at a smaller school.”
Bollin wondered about his impact early on.
“We scrimmaged at Riverview Gabriel Richard in the preseason and got blitzed,” he said with a chuckle. “We walked into the hallway after the first two (scrimmages) and I said, ‘Boy, that was terrible.’”
But Bollin realized he was throwing a lot of things at his players in a short amount of time.
“I knew we had something special as far as chemistry and the way the team was constructed,” he said. “All the guys played hard and played their roles.”
The Whiteford athletes possess a winning DNA.
“They have a winning culture here from every coach coming up,” Bollin said. “They believe they are going to win whatever sport or whatever arena they are in. They expect to win. I don’t think you can quantify that.”
And the Bobcats did win under their new coach, racking up seven straight victories to open the season.
Then, they ran into TCC favorite Lenawee Christian.
“We played them at our place and were down by 20 at the half,” Bollin said. “We came back and took the lead with three minutes left in the game, but ended up losing.
“I learned a lot about our team that night. They were not going to roll over. They were built that way from all of their sports at Whiteford.”
The Bobcats avenged the loss to Lenawee Christian on the road late in the season to share the league championship.
Avenging the embarrassing scrimmage loss to Gabriel Richard with a 16-point victory in the finals earned Whiteford its district title.
Great success in his first season surprised Bollin a bit.
“I guess I thought there would be more of a learning curve,” he said. “But the whole team was Academic All-State. I underestimated how quickly they would pick things up.”
There is another learning curve that lies ahead as the Bobcats lose seven seniors to graduation.
“We’ll have six guys back who got some good experience and playing time,” Bolling said. “We’ll take some time over the summer and figure out what we have.
“I don’t know how well we will do, but I know the boys will compete.”
ALL-REGION PLAYERS
Hunter Barton, Jefferson, 6-1, 9
Burst on the scene with 13.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. “Phenomenal, young player,” Ida coach Jared Karner said. “Can hurt you in a lot of ways.”
Luke Beaudrie, Jefferson, 5-8, 11
Averaged 8.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game. “Would start for every team in the county at point guard,” Jefferson coach Corey Wiley said.
Luke Bishop, Dundee, 6-1, 12
Rang up 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. “Luke was our leader and basically did everything for us this year,” Dundee coach Larry Middleton said.
Nick Coberley, Bedford, 5-11, 12
Notched 9 points and 3 rebounds per game and led the team in steals and assists. “He did everything for us and was a true leader, said Bedford coach Nick Brillhart.
Jordan Godfrey, Flat Rock, 5-9, 10
Emerged as a leader, averaging 13.2 points, 2.5 steals and 3 assists per game. “A very versatile player being able to play point guard and the off guard,” Flat Rock coach Rick Smith said.
Zennon Grant, Huron, 6-2, 12
Huron’s MVP recorded 13.7 points a game. “He expanded his game from primarily an outside shooter to a player who could score at all three levels,” Huron coach Ted Tackett said.
Cole Griffith, Whiteford, 6-2, 12
Led his team in both scoring (13.9) and rebounding (6.4) while shooting 52 percent from the field. “We ran our offense through Cole this year,” Whiteford coach Jordan Bollin said.
Trent Ison, Carlson, 6-3, 12
“Trent was undoubtedly our best athlete and player,” Carlson coach Phil Biodi said of the senior who averaged 15.1 pts, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.
Rylee Schiffler, Summerfield, 5-9, 11
“Is on pace, God willing, to be the all-time winning player in Summerfield history,” said Summerfield coach Phil Schiffler. Averaged 9.8 points per game.
Caden Schroyer, Whiteford, 6-2, 12
Stuffed the stat sheet with 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3 assists a game. “One of the most unique players I’ve ever had the privilege of coaching,” Whiteford coach Jordan Bollin said.
Aidyn Stahr, Airport, 6-0, 12
“He was asked to guard one of the other team’s best players in addition to leading us offensively,” Airport coach Ryan Marino said of his senior who averaged 11.5 points per game.
Brody St. John, Summerfield, 6-2, 12
Topped 1,000 career points while averaging 19.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. “One of the best guards we saw all year,” said Erie Mason coach Isaac Skaggs.
David Sweeney, Erie Mason 5-10, 11
Shot 36 percent on 3-pointers and 85 percent on free throws, averaging 10.1 points per game. “He had a ton of responsibility and he handled it well,” Mason coach Isaac Skaggs said.
Landon Talladay, Milan, 6-5, 12
Averaged a double-double of 16.2 points and 10.8 rebounds a game. “Landon has been a tireless worker to become the best player that he can be,” Milan coach Bill Eaddy said.
Jacob Towne, Ida, 6-1, 12
Wound up as the leading scorer for Ida with 9.7 points and 8.3 boards per game. “Monster rebounder for his size,” Ida coach Jared Karner said. “Tough to match his physicality.”
SPECIAL MENTION
Players: Gavin Albring, Ida; Jackson Baumker, State Line; Dillon Byrd, Airport; Logan Doom, Erie Mason; Levi Evans, Dundee; Zach Farmer, Milan; Cole Forster, New Boston Huron; Luke Henegar, Whiteford; Carlos Perry, Monroe; Mason Ray, Dundee; Preston Roque, State Line Christian; Owen Snyder, Ida; Luke Sliwinski, Gibraltar Carlson; Jackson Surma, New Boston Huron; Evan Szalay, Flat Rock.
Coaches: Phil Biondi, Gibraltar Carlson; Jared Karner, Ida; Nathan Nash, State Line Christian; Phil Schiffler, Summerfield: Ted Tackett, New Boston Huron; Corey Wiley, Jefferson.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Trey Oldenburg goes from skinny homeschooler to Player of the Year
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
