BEREA, OHIO — Duane Sheldon is returning home today (Wednesday, May 21, 2008) and will be announced as the 21st head basketball coach in school history of Baldwin-Wallace College. He succeeds his mentor, Steve Bankson, who retires June 30 after 28 seasons as basketball coach and athletic director at the College.

 

Sheldon, a former student-athlete, 1993 graduate and assistant coach under Bankson, returns to his alma mater after spending the last six years building Heidelberg College’s program into an Ohio Athletic Conference champion.

 

“In addition to the success he has demonstrated at each stop in his coaching career, Duane Sheldon understands the inter-relationship between athletics and academics that we prize at Baldwin-Wallace,” said B-W President Richard Durst. “We are pleased to welcome Duane as the next basketball coach at his alma mater and look forward to working with him as we build upon the proud tradition in basketball here.”

 

Sheldon, who also earned his master’s degree in 2000 from Ashland University, is no stranger to Berea. He is a 1989 graduate of Strongsville High School and began his coaching career at local Middleburg Heights Midpark High School, then joined Bankson’s staff at B-W before coaching at Heidelberg College.

 

At Heidelberg from 2002-2008, Sheldon built the Student Prince basketball program into the 2007-2008 OAC Tournament champion. With its OAC tourney title, Heidelberg and Sheldon received the OAC’s automatic berth in the 2008 NCAA Division III National Tournament. And this year, in his first as its athletics director, he led Heidelberg to an all-time best finish of second in the OAC All-Sports Trophy standings.

 

“We [Duane and his wife Laura, who also is a B-W graduate, and their three children, Jacy, Ajay and Emmy] are delighted and excited to be coming back home to Berea and B-W to a strong tradition of excellence in both academics and education,” said Sheldon, who led Heidelberg to a 23-6 record this winter. “We look forward to hopefully making a difference in the lives of the students who attend B-W.

 

“I am also grateful to the faculty, administration and staff at Heidelberg who were so helpful in making my experience in Tiffin an outstanding one,” said Sheldon, who had a 36-19 slate the past two seasons. “I also want to thank both my assistant coaches and student-athletes for making it an extremely enjoyable and rewarding experience.”

 

As a student-athlete at B-W, Sheldon was a three-time letterwinner, a co-captian and a first-team Academic All-OAC pick. He also was tabbed as the Best Defensive Player.

 

Sheldon also is honored to be taking over the reigns of the Yellow Jacket program from Bankson.

 

“I am honored and priviledged to follow Coach Bankson at B-W,” said Sheldon. “He continued a tradition of excellence, is a class individual and coach, and it makes this opportunity that much more special to me and my family. I am looking forward to getting started.”

 

In coming back to Greater Cleveland, Sheldon returns to the sites of earlier triumphs as a basketball star at Strongsville High School and in his first head coaching position at Midpark High School in Middleburg Heights.  During his five seasons at Midpark, he was named the Associated Press Northeast Ohio Coach of the Year in 1997-1998 for leading his team to an 18-4 record and was the Pioneer Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. The following season, his team compiled a 21-2 campaign and a final ranking of eighth in the Ohio AP poll.  Under his leadership, Midpark High achieved the best record in school history and broke more than 80 school records. His career record was 78-42.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.  You can get all of the latest B-W athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.