Former Ohio State player Ron Lewis earns first win as coach

For Ron Lewis, the nerves of playing in a game are much different from coaching in one.

Those nerves were calmed a bit when the Worthington Kilbourne boys basketball team opened with a 10-point run en route to defeating visiting Whetstone 61-47 on Nov. 29, giving Lewis his first victory as the Wolves’ coach.

Lewis succeeded Tom Souder, who retired after going 213-269 in 22 seasons. Souder, who won state Coach of the Year honors in 2021 after leading the Wolves to their only league title, was in attendance for Lewis’ debut.

“As a player, your nerves are in the beginning,” said Lewis, who was a standout at Bowling Green and Ohio State after playing at Brookhaven. “But when you step on the floor, you’re just playing basketball. Coaching is different. You’re thinking about possession after possession after possession. The nerves are different, but they settled a little bit. Once I put myself in the game, I started to feel more comfortable.”

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Aidan Gallogly had 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals to lead the Wolves.

“I was on the board to select a new coach and I was pretty biased towards (Lewis),” Gallogly said. “He was our (junior varsity) coach (last year) … and he’s got the experience. He’s been there and done that. I like the system he’s got and the way he coaches. He’s always trying to push us.”