By Aaron Blankenship | Photographs courtesy of Scott Dring
Aidan Dring stunned and impressed his coaches and teammates by returning to the Dublin Coffman basketball crew’s beginning lineup in time for the Shamrocks’ fall season opener, less than three months after having brain surgery.
Though his stamina was severely dented by 33 grueling radiation remedies that ended simply days earlier than the beginning of his senior season, the shooter served as a lockout defender and averaged 5 factors taking part in restricted minutes.
“It is at all times superb to suppose again to what Aidan needed to undergo simply to have the ability to come again to our crew,” mentioned Coffman coach Jamey Collins, whose injury-riddled aspect completed 9-12 on mixture. “First he needed to survive a scary and troublesome operation. Then he had greater than a month of radiation which robbed him of power and conditioning, and left him with a tank of gasoline that emptied quicker than anybody else.
“However Aidan is a particular younger man from a particular household, and he gave him each ounce of power he had daily, and it was so rewarding to see him come again and contribute the best way he did. .”
Feeling exhausted and annoyed on the finish of his senior season, Dring initially determined to cease pursuing his longtime dream of taking part in faculty basketball.
However after Collins satisfied him to rethink, Dring quickly felt his aggressive itch return, and he agreed to return to the Division III faculty basketball packages.
It did not take lengthy for Dring to seek out the best residence, as he verbally dedicated to taking part in basketball at Baldwin Wallace College on April 12.
“It is loopy to look again on all the pieces I have been by way of, and I am actually grateful as a result of I would not have had this chance with out the assistance of lots of totally different individuals,” Dring mentioned. “It was good to chill out for some time as a result of I nonetheless wasn’t 100% (wholesome) on the finish of my senior season.
“However I had an extended dialog with Coach Collins that made me rethink my choice, and I noticed that I have been working in the direction of that objective all my life, and if I do not go now, I may not be capable to do it later, and I used to be in all probability going to remorse it.
“It feels good as a result of I labored actually exhausting for it, and I deserve it.”
After the basketball coaches of Coffman and athletic director Duane Sheldon made it recognized that Dring was seeking to play faculty basketball, he was invited to go to Baldwin Wallace in early April.
Sheldon served as Baldwin Wallace’s head coach from 2008 to 2015, main the Yellow Jackets to a 98-83 file in seven seasons.
“My go to to Baldwin Wallace was a very cool expertise,” Dring mentioned. “It is a very good campus and I had lunch with their present gamers, and all the pieces went effectively there.
“I am actually grateful to my coaches, particularly Coach Collins, Coach Sheldon and (Coffman’s assistant coach) Tyrel Jackson, as a result of they taught me a lot concerning the recreation and did a lot for me to get right here. That a lot.”
Dring was recruited by Baldwin Wallace head coach Tom Heil, who led the Yellow Jackets to a 101-70 file in seven seasons, after serving as Sheldon’s assistant for 5 seasons (2009-14) .
Collins mentioned Heil was getting a gem of a multi-faceted chief and participant, after watching Dring regularly return to full well being over the summer season.
Not feeling drained from his radiation remedies, Dring continued to rediscover his potential to be a threatening defender who manages, distributes and shoots the ball with deft contact.
“(Heil) noticed Aidan once we performed Baldwin Wallace final summer season when he was at his finest, and he felt it was value taking a threat,” Collins mentioned. “After a little bit of a relaxation, Aidan seems to be like Aidan once more, and I really feel like Baldwin Wallace goes to be rewarded for his self-confidence, as a result of he is among the finest younger males and teammates you may ever have. have.
“At first, I used to be simply joyful that Aidan was in a position to obtain his dream of taking part in faculty basketball. However once I noticed him play just lately and make a gesture on the court docket that exhibits his true talents, I now suppose that this son of iron has an opportunity to be a great faculty participant who will assist Baldwin Wallace.”
Scott and Jenn Dring are extremely happy with their son, particularly after witnessing Aidan’s psychological and bodily power when his well being quickly declined late final summer season.
Aidan had excessive expectations for his senior season, after averaging 8.1 factors and being named All-League Second Group and All-District Honorable Point out whereas main the Shamrocks to a 12- 7 as a junior.
Nevertheless, Dring started to have dizziness and really feel nauseous in August, and he turned so in poor health on his approach to a recruiting go to to Allegheny Faculty in early September that he needed to abruptly return residence and give up. to the hospital.
That is when an MRI revealed he had a big ependymoma tumor rising close to the underside of his brainstem. Ependymomas are uncommon cancerous tumors that begin within the mind or spinal wire.
Simply six days after the invention of the tumor, Dring underwent mind surgical procedure.
“After they informed me they discovered a mass on his mind, it felt like an out of physique expertise, and I misplaced management and began crying,” Jenn Dring mentioned. “Aidan was stoic, however he was afraid of dropping the life he knew and never with the ability to play basketball anymore.”
On September 9, famed neurosurgeon Jeffrey Leonard eliminated Dring’s mind tumor in an eight-hour surgical procedure, as Scott and Jenn handed their 21st marriage ceremony anniversary praying for his or her son within the ready room.
Dring returned residence simply three days after his surgical procedure, and he stunned his teammates and coaches when he began attending Coffman’s open fitness center periods two days later.
Nevertheless, Dring then needed to endure 33 consecutive days of radiation remedy, starting in late October and ending on November 24, which considerably drained his power.
“What Aidan was in a position to accomplish coming again to our crew was unreal as phrases can’t describe what it was prefer to see him when he was at his lowest (restoration) second,” mentioned Ryan Lynn , which was Aidan. finest buddy since kindergarten and a Coffman graduate by his aspect on the finish of Might. “It was surreal to have Aidan on the pitch with us at our final open gymnasium as a result of not lengthy earlier than he could not even stroll.
“Aidan did not have the season he hoped for, however he contributed and he motivated us to wish to carry out the very best in ourselves daily. There have been occasions when a few of us did not really feel high quality as a result of we have been knocked out or sick, however then we have been watching how effectively Aidan was taking part in after having mind surgical procedure and he wasn’t even complaining in any respect, and it made us all wish to comply with in his footsteps.
Dring obtained streams of letters and tweets with phrases of encouragement from numerous individuals, 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 introduced his household with three tickets simply behind the Buckeyes’ bench for a house recreation.
A big group gathering was held in Aidan’s honor the day earlier than his surgical procedure, and his older brother, Tyler, returned residence from the College of Cincinnati to help his household in the course of the surgical procedure.
Liv Dring — a rising senior at Coffman and Aidan’s youthful sister — and her basketball teammates painted the large 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 help for Aidan earlier than the Celtics and Shamrocks confronted off in a soccer recreation on September 10.
A number of Coffman soccer gamers put Aidan’s #23 uniform quantity on their ankle band earlier than taking part in Jerome. And after the Shamrocks defeated the Celtics 49-42 in time beyond regulation, Coffman’s gamers posed for a photograph in midfield with Liv, who held up a big photograph of her brother.
“Your entire Central Ohio basketball group, and so many others, have been superb by way of this course of, and we’re so grateful for his or her help,” Jenn Dring mentioned.
Dring was cleared to begin taking part in full-contact exercises once more in early November, and he returned to Coffman’s beginning lineup when the season opened.
Though he was additionally depleted by a nagging virus that knocked him out of the beginning lineup for a number of video games in January as he regained his confidence and began to take flight, Dring continued to coach and in school .
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 Ohio Capital Faculty Athlete Award. Convention-Ohio Division for sustaining excessive educational and athletic requirements.
“I labored actually exhausting, however by no means acquired my stamina again,” Dring mentioned. “I used to be round 80-90% of my earlier power stage for the primary two minutes of the sport, however after that it might drop to solely round 50%, and I might really feel exhausted as I continued to run across the pitch. . 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% value all of the exhausting work I put in, as a result of that I acquired to play with these guys and be part of that crew once more.
Dring plans to main in sports activities advertising, with the objective of incomes a spot in Baldwin Wallace’s beginning lineup.
Jenn Dring mentioned her son has already confirmed to be a serious success story regardless of what number of minutes he performs or what number of factors he scores for the Yellow Jackets.
“We’re so happy with Aidan,” Jenn mentioned. “The truth that he is completed what he is completed within the final 10 months is astounding it doesn’t matter what he is executed at Baldwin Wallace. We’re very fortunate as a result of some households could have fallen aside in these circumstances, and I wish to ensure that we by no means lose the sensation of gratitude for the way we acquired by way of this and what we now have.
Collins mentioned he would not be stunned to see Aidan proceed to excel in basketball on the high stage.
“Over the previous three weeks, Aidan’s power has returned and he is beginning to appear to be the all-league participant he was earlier than all of this occurred,” Collins mentioned. “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.
“It was an emotional curler coaster of a season. I could not have shed extra tears for Aidan than I have already got, however what’s particular is that the majority of them have been of pleasure as an alternative of disappointment as a result of Aidan has continued to pursue and obtain his goals.
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