Cool Hand Luke: Rowlinson's demeanor leads to historic success for Western Reserve

COLLINS — Hearing the words again caused Luke Rowlinson to rub his chin and look off in the distance in thought. As he stared at the basketball hoop in the gym at Western Reserve High School — a rim through which he's scored hundreds of baskets — the words still stung. Just as they were intended to do. But they also brought a smile of acknowledgement. "It was all true," said Rowlinson, one of the top scorers in Western Reserve boys' basketball history. "Nothing that was said was wrong." In two of the biggest games the Roughriders have played since last March, Rowlinson didn't play at his usual high level. His games weren't anything near the caliber of play that earned him All-Ohio honors in Division III each of the past two seasons. In a season-ending 52-50 overtime loss vs. Eastwood in a district semifinal in March 2020, Rowlinson struggled to shoot the ball. He finished 3-of-17 (18 percent) for just 11 points, which was nine points below his average, in the two-point loss. In his post-game comments, longtime head coach Chris Sheldon didn't shy away from those numbers. "When your best player is 3-for-17, you won't win most nights come the district tournament," he said. Then came this season, when the Roughriders traveled to Colonel Crawford on Nov. 28. In the matchup with the Eagles, the head coach was Dave Sheldon, brother of Chris. The 'Riders blew a 15-point lead and lost, 43-39, as Rowlinson scored 12 points, 11 below his current average — in the four-point loss. He was 5-of-20 shooting (25 percent). Again, his head coach didn't shy away from the statistics. "You can't be the best player on the floor if you go 5-for-20," Sheldon said after Western's only loss of the season to date. "I don't care what they are doing to you defensively. Sometimes you win and lose because of your players. "Our best player would like this one back. The good thing is, it's the second game of the season and not for a district championship." Being called out in such public fashion isn't common at the high school level. But Rowlinson isn't a common player for the 'Riders — something Sheldon knew well when he made those comments. He's the son of Lee Rowlinson, a current Western assistant who, as a player, helped Ohio Wesleyan University win an NCAA Division IIII national championship and played professionally in Europe. Luke has also scored the third-most points in program history (1,131 entering Friday). He is on pace to finish second by a wide margin. He wants to be the leader of a senior class that is two league wins away from being the first boys' basketball program in the 61-year history of the Firelands Conference to win four straight conference championships. He also wants to play in college, like his father. To reach those levels and goals, harsh words are just that. "If your best players don't play well, you lose. That's what happened both times," Rowlinson said. "I'm trying to bounce back and get right mentally to help us get another conference title — and hopefully see Crawford again in the district." Motivation came early Rowlinson's family came to Collins when Luke was in the sixth grade, moving up from Bucyrus Wynford, where Lee was a standout player and later a teacher. Although he's a Wynford lifer, the elder Rowlinson is also an avid fisherman who wanted to be closer to Lake Erie. His hobby led the family to Collins after he checked out several other nearby teaching openings. Chris Sheldon also graduated from Wynford, where his father, Rob, won more than 400 games with six district titles, two regional championships and a state title game appearance. He was a ball boy when Lee Rowlinson was playing for the Royals in the early 1980s. In conjunction with his family basketball history, Luke fell in love watching Western Reserve play for back-to-back district championships when he was in junior high. They surely didn't know at the time, but 'Riders standouts Dale Smith, Aiden Markley and Colton Puder, among others, set the base level of expectations in Collins. "Obviously I knew from the start that coach Sheldon had a really good program here," Luke said. "But seeing some really good players when I first got here and looking up to them was something to strive for." He certainly used the motivation well. Chris Sheldon has coached a "who's who" of successful players during his 19-year tenure at Western. Five of the top 20 scorers in program history played for Sheldon. His teams have averaged 16 wins per season and garnered nine FC titles. And yet for all that, Luke Rowlinson is the player who has routinely done something Sheldon hasn't seen previously. "I walked down from my administrator office to head to the football field for a Friday night home game at 6:30 p.m.," Sheldon said. "And there's Luke in the gym, sweating and getting an extra workout in with not a single person around." Sheldon noted that most high-school kids who aren't playing football are thinking about what they're wearing, who they're standing with in the student section and what they're doing after the game. "That's not Luke Rowlinson," he said. "He still goes to the football games and cheers on his friends — but only after getting in his basketball workout. Not many understand the amount of time it takes to score 1,000 points. In his case, he's shot a million shots. There is no doubt in my mind that the young man has taken a million shots." Even his opponents know that to be the case. St. Paul senior Nate Winslow has competed with Rowlinson in seven games — mostly games with FC title implications. They meet for a final time on Friday in Norwalk. "Luke and I were talking recently about how we can dislike each other on the court but still connect off the court," Winslow said. "We're competitive, but as soon as the game is over, we're friends. "He can do everything," Winslow added. "He's tall, he can shoot, he can dribble, he can dunk … he just practices. The kid does not get out of the gym. He's in there every day before school. That kid deserves everything he's been rewarded with so far because he works for all of it." Tough love The father is always pushing the son — as anyone would expect with Lee's credentials as an educator, coach and former star player himself. But each time has a catch. "My dad is always telling me what I need to improve on," Luke said. "He also compliments me a lot. I think I'm a lot harder on myself than he is. He tells me 'good job' a lot and is really a positive influence." As for Sheldon, Luke acknowledges that the level of tough love from his head coach is much different. "Coach expects the best out of us," he said. "And if we're not doing our best, he's going to let us know." Throughout a game, it's not uncommon for Sheldon and Rowlinson to barely even communicate with each other. But that isn't to be mistaken for a frigid relationship or frustration. "For kids like Luke, and John (Skrada) and Jude (Muenz), for that matter — when you've been with me for three or four years, there's not a whole lot I have to tell them at this point," Sheldon said. "If I'm still talking to them a lot at this point during games, then maybe I haven't done my job well enough. "They know what the expectation is before I say anything, or what the assignment, call or read is," he added. "The challenge now is how they respond when things aren't going exactly how you planned it." As son of a legendary Wynford coaching figure, Sheldon knows players who are good at the sport and also love the game bring a specific challenge. Sometimes a coach has to be harder on them than on their teammates. "And that doesn't mean we're not going to be there to pick them up or tell them when they're doing good things," Sheldon said. "But at the same time, if you're going to be good, the best players have to have the ability to respond to adversity within them. "If our team is going to be successful, more often than not, it's going to be because of what Luke does in the game," he added. "If he can't handle me, then he sure isn't going to be able to handle an opponent or game situations when things aren't going well. But we've all seen for the last few years, Luke is exactly that type of kid." The payoff For his part, Rowlinson is quick to credit a talented cast of teammates, which has included Skrada and Muenz. "My teammates are getting me the ball, setting screens and getting me open," he said. "I just want to get better and see my teammates succeed and be the best player I can be." After contributing 83 points in 17 games as a freshman in 2017-18, Rowlinson averaged 13 points per game as a sophomore for a 'Riders team that went 17-5 and reached a district semifinal. Then came last season's breakout campaign, as Rowlinson averaged 19.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Western finished 19-4 with another sectional title and a third straight FC championship. After earning honorable mention in 2019, Rowlinson was an All-Ohio third team selection in 2020. This season, the 'Riders are 12-1 — the lone setback being the game at Crawford. They are two wins away from at least a share of the possible historic fourth straight FC title. Rowlinson currently averages 23.5 points — tops in the FC and among Huron County teams — and 5.8 rebounds per contest. Yet when his numbers are mentioned, Rowlinson immediately focuses on the recent losses. "Because we're motivated," he said. "The guys in this locker room are very motivated because our last two losses were brutal. We felt like we gave those away. We are zeroed in and we're looking forward for another shot." Rowlinson's accomplishments are possible because he's one of the humblest kids he's ever coached, Sheldon noted. "Everyone has their own personality, and I'm not going to knock those," Sheldon said. "But Luke is one who you are always going to want to cheer for because he doesn't miss (church) service on Sunday morning. He understands mom and dad are the boss — and he knows who is in charge inside the school building and his classroom. "That's all you can ask for in a kid, and he symbolizes that." -------------------------------------- Western Reserve scoring leaders 1. Shawn Shriver (2000-04), 1,382 2. Mike Hyde (1960-63), 1,183 3. Luke Rowlinson (2018-21), 1,131* 4. Tim Weisenberger (1971-74), 1,021 5. Bill Burke (1949-52), 1,014 6. Dave Mesenburg (1969-72), 1,001 7. Jerry Mahl (1958-61), 943 8. Nolan Todd (2008-12), 934 9. Gary Tillson (1954-56), 916 10. Chad Fairchild (1986-89), 892 11. Sam Moore (1987-90), 873 12. John Skrada (2018-21), 859* * — denotes still active Rowlinson season accomplishments — All-FC first team (2019-20) — OHSBCA District 6 first team (2019-20) — OPSWA NW district (second/first team, 2019-20) — Div. III All-Ohioan (honorable/third team, 2019-20) Rowlinson program rankings — Most 3-pointers made in a career (174, 2018-21)* — Most points scored in a sophomore season (286, 2018-19) — Most points scored in a junior season (456, 2019-20) — Sixth-most points in a single game (38 vs. Plymouth, Jan. 18) — Sixth-most points in a single season (456, 2019-20) * — denotes still active NOTE: Rowlinson's current 23.5 points per game average would rank fourth in program history and ninth in FC history.