CONVOY, Ohio — Convoy Crestview’s girls basketball team has had a very successful year. The Knights bolster a 23-3 record, which has propelled the Knights to the 2021 OHSAA State Championship semifinals.
What You Need To Know
- Convoy Crestview is using strong family connections to bottle success on the basketball court
- Six members of the Gregory family power the girls’ team, including two players and the head coach
- They are following in the footsteps of the Etzler family, who have notably impacted Crestview’s program for decades
- Both families take great pride in leading Crestview toward success
“No doubt about it, we have a great group of girls,” Coach Mark Gregory said. “Again, that’s been a big part of our success, every single girl, they’re so unselfish.”
Gregory is extremely proud of what his team has been able to accomplish, but if anyone takes a look into how they’ve bottled their success, it’s easy to see family is one of the primary reasons.
“Basketball has had a huge impact on our family,” he said.
His daughters, Bailey and Cali Gregory, are both guards for the Knights, and their older sister, Lexi, just graduated last year, but that’s not all the family involved.
“My wife is actually our bookkeeper, so she takes care of that,” Mark said. “And my daughter who graduated last year, she’s my statistician, and to top it off, I’ve got my sixth-grader, my youngest daughter, she’s my manager,” Coach Gregory said. “So I got the whole family, they’re all going to be at the state tournament, helping me in some capacity.”
Bailey said having that strong family support has been awesome through her playing career.
“Playing with my sisters has been a big thing for me and our entire school is somehow related,” Bailey said. “So, it’s just been kind of cool being able to make these memories together, and just being able to achieve these goals that all of us have wanted to achieve once in our lives.”
The Gregory family is following in the footsteps of the Etzler family, who has been carrying the Crestview program for decades.
Ray Etzler is a famed coach, whom the school’s gym is named after. His son, Doug, played at Ohio State University and now coaches the boys’ varsity team. Kylie Etzler is a senior on the team, who is filling in as assistant coach as she recovers from her second ACL injury. Two of her cousins are on the team as well.
Kylie said the shared bond has been a big reason for the Knights’ success.
“Being in a small town, you're already close, but having those family ties, it just makes you that much closer,” she said.
They’re hopeful the family-driven success continues, as Crestview seeks a state title.
“I’ve told a lot of people that’s why I think our team is so good is we’ve got a great bond because of family, but they’re just a unique team, on and off the floor,” Mark said. “That’s a big part of any kind of success in sports.”
Crestview faces Fort Loramie on Thursday at 11 a.m. at UD Arena in Dayton. The winner will play for the Division IV state championship on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.