Jim Dabbelt - Dabbs Blog

As I begin my month of long-awaited, well-needed downtime, I wanted to take this time to say a few things about the summer.

First of all, the Border Battle was tremendous yesterday, the cream of the crop event in Ohio this summer. I just got the official word from BB personnel, including Tom Jenkins, that there were 174 college coaches in attendance yesterday. I can attest that the place was jammed with coaches. The entire west side of the fieldhouse was packed, and they saw some outstanding hoop action.

Here is the breakdown: The morning session saw Ohio beat Michigan 13-11, and in the afternoon it was 18-6 Ohio. Even more of a breakdown, the Class of 2011 was won by Michigan 8-4, while the Class of 2012/13 games was dominated by Ohio 18-6. Finally, the class of 2014/15 was captured by Ohio 9-3. Total score was 31-17 Ohio over Michigan (which is hopefully repeated in November on the gridiron ;)

"Michigan brought much better players this year," said Jenkins. "Also, we had about 70% of the BCS conference prospective kids here this year, compared to 85% last year."

Also, congrats to Logan Pastor of Green High School, who verbally committed to BGSU this afternoon. I personally saw her and really like her game.

I want to thank all of the players, parents, and coaches who have supported me this summer in my quest to bring to the fans of girls basketball, the very best coverage of the game. I have developed a solid following in the Dayton area, but try to include more statewide happenings as I see them. Over the summer, I have met some very solid and outstanding people from all corners of the state, and I just wish I could promote more of Ohio's kids. Just stay tuned to my Ohio's Best page for updated commitments, and events, along with Kelly's Korner for some great info on fitness and training.

For now, I am going to enjoy a few weeks off. I am finishing up this term in school with finals coming up next week, then a short time to enjoy some other things with my family. You can stay tuned right here, or on my twitter or facebook pages for the latest happenings, feel free to join both.

Might hit some fishing spots, will definaltely hit the golf course, and just sit back and recharge the battery before hitting the courts again later in the fall for the Top 64. Note on that Oct. 3 event, it will be held at Pickerington Central this year, NOT Olentangy. Make note of that.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer, and thanks to all of the players I had a chance to meet the past couple of months. See some of you on the fall sports scene!

Now don't think I am complaining, because believe me, I love what I am doing. Putting this website together and keeping it updated is an incredible undertaking, and anytime I can help someone, it is all worth it. Whether the player is from Dayton, Cincinnati, or more recently Cleveland...this is a great tool to promote the key players.

But even the "hardest worker in Dayton girls basketball" as I was so humerously called last weekend, needs a break. That time is now.

Every summer, I take the month of August off and away from the courts. With the exception of going to the Urbana Univ. open gym Sunday afternoon (yes, I know it is August 1...but I will take off Sept. 1 to make up for it), I will not be watching, reporting, or thinking about this wonderful game. It is my way of regenerating the battery for my next stretch of hoops.

I have seen some amazing hoops this summer, and have had the chance to travel to cities like Lexington, Bloomington and Bowling Green. Without question, this area of basketball continues to put out some great players.

Things are going to heat up tomorrow, as the Border Battle takes place at BGSU. Last year, Ohio decimated their opponents from Michigan, and I look for that to continue. It will be a great day for hoops, so follow my twitter page for all of the updates (www.twitter.com/JDabbs86).

There are over 20 Dayton area players who will be there tomorrow, and a few more at Urbana on Sunday.

Meanwhile....it is time to start my break. I will be continuing to tweet and write on here about things in August, but not on the basketball court. When I return on September 2, I will begin to assemble my Top 100 in Dayton, and Top 30 in Cincinnati. Those lists will be released in November.

So I want to say a big congrats to all of the area players who shined this summer. I have spoken to the right people and coaches, and believe me, you have been noticed.

* I did want to release some info regarding my future AAU coverage on this website, now that the 2010 season is history. I tried a new format this year, by having a subscription basis on a Spring/Summer page. Major thanks to the Dayton Metro and MBA Elite programs who took advantage of the coverage this year, and supported my efforts this summer. But nobody else seemed interested in becoming part of this page, not even some of the local teams. With that being said...I will not be doing the subscription basis next spring. I have not yet decided what, if any, AAU coverage I will be doing next summer. I just don't know yet.

I am personally glad that the AAU season has ended...so now hopefully people will realize what it is all about...the kids. Coaches, adminstrators, and myself should all refocus and display the great talent that the Dayton area possesses.

With 5:30 a.m. right around the corner, and a long trip to BG, I will call it a night. Ohio needs to continue to show why they are one of the top 3 states in the nation for girls hoops. That will happen tomorrow.

So for some of you, I look forward to seeing you participate in fall sports. I will be attending numerous volleyball and soccer games to cover the games for a print publication. Make sure you stop by and say hello, and even talk hoops a little. I also hope to be attending at least one day of some fall basketball leagues in September.

Jim Dabbelt is a lifelong resident of the Miami Valley, having been born in Dayton, and raised in the northern community of Tipp City. He began his career in basketball during his prep career, as a member of the Tippecanoe High School girls basketball staff, enjoying a trip to the Ohio state finals during his senior year of 1986.

Upon graduation, Jim began his basketball promoting duties as a free lance contributor to the Tipp City Herald for a few years, and in 1989, he began his AAU girls basketball career.

Following that season, Jim joined the staff as an assistant coach with the Logan AAU basketball team, which won the Ohio AAU state championship at nearby Miami East High School, near Dabbelt's hometown. A noted member of that team was Katie Smith, a 1992 Logan High School graduate, who went on to play at Ohio State University, and earned two gold medals as a member of the US Olympic women's basketball team.

In 1990, Jim created the Tipp City AAU organization, where he served as president and head coach for six years. Included in that run were two championships at the prestigious TAKE/ABC Summer Classic.

In 1992, the Ohio Girls Basketball Update was created by Jim, focusing on the top girls basketball players in Ohio. During that time, Jim was the sole girls basketball writer for the Ohio High School Basketall Magazine, while contributing information to publications such as the USA Today, Dick Vitale's publication, and Street and Smith.

While he stepped away from coaching in 1996, he remained active in the girls basketball community via the opportunity to promote the premiere players. He remained in this capacity until 2005, when he returned to coaching with the nation's premiere AAU organization, the Dayton Lady Hoopstars.

In 2003, Jim created and directed The Dabbelt Report, a website which quickly became a household name for all girls basketball players, coaches and fans in Southwest Ohio. The website was generally considered the premiere girls basketball site in Ohio. During it's three year tenure, The Dabbelt Report generated over four million hits.

Now in 2009, The Dabbelt Report has become nationally considered the premiere girls basketball website in Ohio.