COLUMBUS , Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team coach Artie Taylor is proud to announce the signing of the team's third recruit of the season this week with the addition of John Trew, Jr.  Trew, Jr. is another highly touted Panther recruit that will make an instant impact for ODU in 2008-09.   

"This whole recruiting thing is mind-boggling but we are ecstatic for how it worked for us on attaining John Trew Jr," commented Head Coach Artie Taylor. "John's natural athletic abilities and the skill sets he has developed through his hard work make him a great pick up for us. John possesses the abilities to make perimeter shots consistently and disrupt offenses with his length and jumping ability. I am happy to have him as a panther for the next four years and to watch him develop."  more

Trew, Jr., a 6-foot-7 strong forward from Aurora High School, averaged 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game in his senior season while playing for Dave Munson at Aurora.   Trew, Jr. was a 2-time All-Chagrin Valley Conference selection and Co-captain.   He was selected as his team's Most Valuable Offensive Player his junior (19.9 ppg. and 7.9 rpg.) and senior year.

In his junior season he was a 2-time Plain Dealer Player of the Week and named to the Streetsboro Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.   During his senior season he was again named as the Plain Dealer Player of the Week once, selected to the Fairview Park Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team, Greater Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association All-Star team, Western Reserve Basketball Coaches Association All-Star team and First Team Division II North East Ohio Inland District. Trew, Jr. was also an All-State Division II Special Mention selection.  

COLUMBUS , Ohio – The Ohio Dominican men's basketball team signed their second recruit of the 2008-09 season last week inking Malvern High School hoops star Zak Kapron.

Kapron, a 6-foot-6 forward from Malvern , Ohio , averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game as a high school senior.   Kapron, a three sport athlete at Malvern, led the IVC Championship basketball team to an undefeated regular season and the Regional Finals in his senior season.   He was selected to the All-Ohio, Eastern District and Conference First Team.   Kapron was also honored as the Eastern District and District 5 Player of the Year.     more

While playing in the North-South All-Star game Kapron scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the North team to a112-103 victory.

"We are excited to have such a talented player like Zak," said head coach Artie Taylor.   "Zak brings a high level of toughness with the ability to operate smoothly around the basket.   We look forward to working with Zak for the next four years," adds Taylor .

KANSAS CITY , Missouri - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the 2008 Division II Men's Basketball All-America teams. Players are selected by the All-America committee.

Ohio Dominican senior Brian Busch ( Beavercreek , Ohio ) was named to the Honorable Mention Team.   Busch, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, earned his first All-American Nomination after leading the Panthers back to the AMC Tournament this season.   Busch ended his Panther career averaging a double-double for the season with 16.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. He finished with a total of 19 double-doubles this year. Early in the season Busch became the 18^th player in ODU history to hit 1,000 career points when he hit for seven points on December 15^th at Spring Arbor (MI) University. He established a new school record for free throw attempts and conversions in a game when he hit 19-of-22 from the line in a 94-91 victory over visiting Point Park University in the first round of the AMC Tournament on February 28^th.  more

ODU was knocked out of the conference tournament in the semifinal round by eventual tourney champion Cedarville to finish with an overall record of 19-11 and 9-5 in the AMC .

COLUMBUS , Ohio – Playing in the tough American Mideast Conference South Division with the likes of Cedarville University , Walsh University , and Mount Vernon Nazarene University , the Ohio Dominican men's basketball team was picked to finish no better than fourth in the AMC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Panthers came together under first year head coach Artie Taylor and fought their way into the division title hunt, finishing in a tie for third and qualifying for the AMC Tournament. ODU was knocked out of the tournament in the semifinal round by eventual tourney champion Cedarville to finish with an overall record of 19-11 and 9-5 in the AMC.

ODU finished the 2007-08 season with a remarkable 11-3 record at home. One of the most exciting yet disappointing contests in Alumni Hall was the Panthers' 76-70 loss to NAIA #2 ranked Walsh University on January 8^th. ODU hung around long enough to take the lead late in the second half against the eventual AMC South champions, but the Cavaliers were able to hit a few clutch shots in the end to steal the win. But from there, the Panthers put the AMC on notice that they were a team to be reckoned with.  more

On February 5^th, the Panthers' slim hopes for a playoff spot looked dim. ODU had just lost three of their previous four games, all to conference opponents. They stood at 4-5 and needed to make a serious run in the remaining five games of the regular season in order to see the postseason. The Panthers did just that as they won the last five games of the conference schedule and their opening round game of the conference tournament against Point Park University before succumbing to the Yellow Jackets.        

For the second year in a row, the Panthers were led by the combo of senior Brian Busch and junior Donald Suel. Busch, a 6'5 forward from Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek , Ohio , ended his Panther career averaging a double-double for the season with 16.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. He finished with a total of 19 double-doubles this season. Busch also finished second on the team in free throw percentage, hitting 152-of-189 (80.4 percent) from the charity stripe. Early in the season Busch became the 18^th player in ODU history to hit 1,000 career points when he hit for seven points on December 15^th at Spring Arbor (MI) University. He established a new school record for free throw attempts and conversions in a game when he hit 19-of-22 from the line in a 94-91 victory over visiting Point Park University in the first round of the AMC Tournament on February 28^th.

Suel, a 6'3 guard from Africentric High School in Columbus , ended the season with a team-leading 18.2 point per game. Earlier this season, he scored his 1,000^th career point. He scored 272 points at Urbana University before transferring to ODU, where he has scored 950 points in two seasons. He will look to score his 1,000^th point for the Black and Gold early next season. Suel finished the season second on the team in rebounding (6.8 RPG) and free throw percentage (.796; 133-of-167).