By Aaron Blankenship | Images courtesy of Scott Dring
Aidan Dring shocked and impressed his coaches and teammates by returning to the Dublin Coffman basketball group’s beginning lineup in time for the Shamrocks’ season opener within the fall, lower than three months after present process mind surgical procedure.
Regardless of having his stamina severely weakened by 33 grueling radiation remedies that concluded simply days earlier than the beginning of his senior season, the capturing guard served as a lockdown defender and averaged 5 factors enjoying restricted minutes.
“It’s nonetheless superb to assume again to what Aidan needed to struggle by means of simply to have the ability to return to our group,” stated Coffman coach Jamey Collins, whose injury-riddled squad completed 9-12 total. “First, he needed to make it by means of a scary and troublesome surgical procedure. Then he had greater than a month of radiation that sapped him of his power and conditioning, and left him with a gas tank that obtained emptier faster than anybody else.
“However’s Aidan’s a particular younger man from a particular household, and he gave it each ounce of power he had on daily basis, and it was so fulfilling to see him come again and contribute the best way he did.”
Feeling exhausted and annoyed on the conclusion of his senior season, Dring initially determined to give up pursuing his longtime dream of enjoying faculty basketball.
However after Collins satisfied him to rethink, Dring shortly felt his aggressive itch return, and he agreed to renew visiting Division III faculty basketball packages.
It did not take lengthy for Dring to search out the appropriate house, as he made a verbal dedication to play basketball at Baldwin Wallace College on April 12.
“It’s loopy to look again at all the pieces that I’ve been by means of, and I’m actually grateful as a result of I wouldn’t have this chance with out the assistance of plenty of completely different folks,” Dring stated. “It felt good to loosen up for some time as a result of I nonetheless wasn’t 100% (wholesome) by the tip of my senior season.
“However I had a protracted speak with Coach Collins that made me rethink my determination, and I noticed that I’ve been working towards this purpose my complete life, and if I didn’t go for this now, I won’t have the ability to do it later, and I used to be most likely going to remorse it.
“It feels good as a result of I’ve labored actually laborious for this, and I deserve it.”
After Coffman’s basketball coaches and athletic director Duane Sheldon made it identified that Dring was trying to play faculty basketball, he was invited to go to Baldwin Wallace in early April.
Sheldon was the pinnacle coach at Baldwin Wallace from 2008 to 2015, main the Yellow Jackets to a 98-83 document in seven seasons.
“My go to to Baldwin Wallace was a extremely cool expertise,” Dring stated. “It’s a very nice campus and I had lunch with their present gamers, and all the pieces there simply felt proper.
“I am actually grateful to my coaches, particularly Coach Collins, Coach Sheldon and (Coffman assistant coach) Tyrel Jackson, as a result of they taught me a lot concerning the sport and did a lot for me to get thus far.”
Dring was recruited by Baldwin Wallace head coach Tom Heil, who has led the Yellow Jackets to a 101-70 document in seven seasons, after serving as Sheldon’s assistant for 5 seasons (2009-14).
Collins stated Heil is getting a gem of a frontrunner and multifaceted participant, after watching Dring regularly return to full well being over the summer time.
Now not feeling drained from his radiation remedies, Dring has continued to regain his skill to be a menacing defender who handles, distributes and shoots the ball with a deft contact.
“(Heil) noticed Aidan after we performed at Baldwin Wallace final summer time when he was at his greatest, and he felt like he’s taking a danger price taking,” Collins stated. “After some relaxation, Aidan appears to be like like Aidan once more, and I really feel like Baldwin Wallace goes to get rewarded for his or her religion in him, as a result of he is probably the greatest younger males and teammates that anybody can have.
“At first, I used to be simply pleased that Aidan has been in a position to fulfill his dream of enjoying faculty basketball. However after I’ve seen him play not too long ago and make a transfer on the courtroom that exhibits his true capabilities, I now assume that this son-of-a-gun has an opportunity to be a pleasant faculty participant who’s going to assist Baldwin Wallace . ”
Scott and Jenn Dring are extremely happy with their son, particularly after witnessing Aidan’s psychological and bodily toughness when his well being quickly declined late final summer time.
Aidan had excessive expectations for his senior season, after averaging 8.1 factors and being named second-team all-league and honorable point out all-district whereas main the Shamrocks to a 12-7 document as a junior.
Nevertheless, Dring started having dizzy spells and feeling nauseous in August, and he grew to become so unwell on his solution to a recruiting go to to Allegheny Faculty in early September that he needed to abruptly return house and go to the hospital.
That is when an MRI revealed that he had a big ependymoma tumor rising close to the decrease a part of his mind stem. Ependymomas are uncommon cancerous tumors that begin within the mind or spinal twine.
Simply six days after the tumor was discovered, Dring had mind surgical procedure.
“Once they informed me they’d discovered a mass on his mind, it felt like an out-of-body expertise, and I misplaced all management and began crying,” Jenn Dring stated. “Aidan was stoic, however he was frightened about shedding the life he knew and now not having the ability to play basketball.”
On Sept. 9, famend neurosurgeon Jeffrey Leonard eliminated the tumor from Dring’s mind throughout an eight-hour surgical procedure, as Scott and Jenn spent their 21st marriage ceremony anniversary praying for his or her son within the ready room.
Dring returned house simply three days after his surgical procedure, and he shocked his teammates and coaches when he began attending Coffman’s open-gym periods two days later.
Nevertheless, Dring then needed to endure 33 consecutive days of radiation remedy remedies, starting in late October and concluding on Nov. 24, which severely drained his power.
“What Aidan was in a position to accomplish by making it again to our group was unreal, as a result of phrases can’t describe what it was like seeing him when he was at his lowest second (of restoration),” stated Ryan Lynn, who has been Aidan’s greatest pal since kindergarten and graduated from Coffman alongside him in late Might. “It was surreal having Aidan again on the courtroom with us throughout our final open fitness center, as a result of not lengthy earlier than that, he couldn’t even stroll.
“Aidan didn’t have the season he hoped for, however he contributed, and he motivated us to wish to get the very best out of ourselves on daily basis. There have been instances when a few of us weren’t feeling nicely as a result of we had been banged up or sick, however then we’d take a look at how laborious Aidan was enjoying after having mind surgical procedure and he wasn’t even complaining in any respect, and that made all of us wish to observe in his footsteps. ”
Dring acquired streams of letters and tweets with phrases of encouragement from numerous folks, together with faculty coaches, highschool coaches and gamers from different groups.
Ohio State males’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann despatched Aidan a video message wishing him a speedy restoration, and gifted his household with three tickets proper behind the Buckeyes’ bench for a house sport.
A big group gathering was held in Aidan’s honor the day earlier than his surgical procedure, and his older brother, Tyler, drove house from the College of Cincinnati to assist his household through the surgical procedure.
Liv Dring – a rising senior at Coffman and Aidan’s youthful sister – and his basketball teammates painted the big rock outdoors Coffman’s soccer stadium white. College students from Coffman and Jerome had put inexperienced and gold handprints on the rock in a unified present of assist for Aidan earlier than the Celtics and Shamrocks squared off in a soccer sport on Sept. 10.
A number of Coffman soccer gamers put Aidan’s No. 23 uniform quantity on their ankle tape earlier than enjoying Jerome. And after the Shamrocks defeated the Celtics 49-42 in additional time, Coffman’s gamers posed for an image at midfield with Liv, who held up a big photograph of her brother.
“The whole central Ohio basketball group, and so many different folks, had been superb by means of this course of, and we’re very grateful for his or her assist,” Jenn Dring stated.
Dring was cleared to start collaborating in full-contact practices as soon as once more in early November, and he labored his approach again into Coffman’s beginning lineup by the point the season opened.
Regardless of additionally being additional drained by a nagging virus that knocked him out of the beginning lineup for a number of video games in January simply as he was regaining his confidence and starting to hit his stride, Dring saved grinding away in apply and within the classroom.
Dring scored a career-high 18 factors within the Shamrocks’ 66-56 loss to Hilliard Bradley of their regular-season finale on Feb. 18, and he was honored with the Scholar Athlete award within the Ohio Capital Convention-Ohio Division for sustaining excessive tutorial and athletic requirements.
“I labored actually laborious, however I by no means obtained my stamina all the best way again,” Dring stated. “I had about 80 to 90 % of my earlier power stage for the primary two minutes of video games, however after that it will plummet to solely about 50 %, and I might really feel worn down as I continued operating up and down the courtroom. It was irritating.
“However my teammates gave me the power I wanted to maintain going, as a result of they trusted me to play and be a frontrunner, so it was 100% price the entire laborious work I put in, as a result of I obtained to play with these guys and be part of that group yet another time. ”
Dring plans to main in sports activities advertising and marketing, with the purpose of incomes a spot in Baldwin Wallace’s beginning lineup.
Jenn Dring stated her son has already confirmed to be a significant success story, no matter what number of minutes he performs or what number of factors he scores for the Yellow Jackets.
“We’re so happy with Aidan,” Jenn stated. “The truth that he has completed what he is completed the final 10 months is astounding it doesn’t matter what he does at Baldwin Wallace. We’re very lucky as a result of some households may need crumbled below these circumstances, and I wish to be certain that we do not ever lose the sense of gratitude for the way we have come by means of this and what we now have. ”
Collins stated he gained’t be shocked to see Aidan proceed to excel in basketball on the subsequent stage.
“Over the last three weeks, Aidan’s power has returned, and he’s beginning to resemble the all-league participant he was earlier than all of this occurred,” Collins stated. “It says lots concerning the character of Baldwin Wallace’s program that they might nonetheless see his potential, and now we’re all actually enthusiastic about his future.
“This was an emotional rollercoaster of a season. I could not have shed any extra tears for Aidan than I’ve already, however what’s particular is most of them have been for pleasure as a substitute of unhappiness as a result of Aidan has continued to pursue and obtain his goals. ”
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