Hoyng focused on more than scoring

Like most youngsters, Ryan Hoyng hopes to emulate his favorite Celina basketball players.

Saturday night in Coldwater, Hoyng passed his favorite player, Tim Homan, to become the all-time leading scorer in Celina history with a 29-point performance in the Bulldogs' 51-45 win over the Cavaliers.

"It was a little overwhelming. He was my idol." said Hoyng after Saturday's 51-45 win at Coldwater. "Growing up, I looked up to him. We always had our little jerseys. We were him. It feels great to (pass him)."

Hoyng zoomed up from ninth place to the top of the scoring charts in just the first 12 games of the season. He entered the season with 915 points, needing only 85 points to become the fifth Bulldog to reach 1,000-career points. Hoyng reached 1,000, coincidentally, in Coldwater in late December at the Asset Allocation Associates Holiday Classic.

In succeeding games, Hoyng quickly passed Derek Gagle (1,036 points) for fourth place and Mike Reichert (1,087 points) for third place to get within 46 points of the record of 1,144 before coming into last weekend's doubleheader with state-ranked Defiance and Coldwater.

Hoyng scored 18 in the 48-44 win over Defiance on Friday and easily passed Jay VanderHorst by scoring 15 points in the first half against Coldwater Saturday night.

After scoring six points in the third quarter with his team fighting to hold a lead against the tough Cavaliers, Hoyng came up big, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. His sixth free throw out of seven attempts in the quarter broke the tie with Homan, and then on the next free throw, he ended the evening with his 1,146th career point.

While he knew he was closing in, Hoyng wasn't scoreboard watching at the Palace on Saturday night to see how close he was.

"I was shooting away from the basket that told me the (individual) points," said Hoyng, who will play at NCAA Division II Ohio Dominican next season. "Wasn't in my mind too much."

When it came down to the free throws that clinched the record, Hoyng, an 84-percent free throw shooter this season, wasn't worried.

"Not too much pressure," Hoyng said with a laugh.

A key player for head coach Chris Bihn since he was a freshman, Hoyng had a breakout season last year, averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in helping the Bulldogs to a 14-9 record (7-2 WBL) and earning first-team All-WBL and honorable mention All-Ohio honors.

While his scoring prowess is well-established - recording two 30-point games in his career - his ability to create scoring for his teammates is the trait that he and Bihn love the most. Hoyng is third in the area in assists with 4.7 per game.

"That's the way I grew up," said Hoyng, whose father Mike holds the Bulldogs' records for points in a game (41) and points in a season (583 in 1981). "It's all about the team. If we win games, that's all that matters. If I score (or) if I don't, it doesn't bother me."

"Ryan has got to the next level where he understands you have to have teammates with you," Bihn said. "That makes you (tougher for opposing teams) to defend. Ryan wants to win. That's his number one priority. He's really done a great job for us. That's where I've really been pleased with his progress. His basketball IQ is through the roof and it keeps getting higher and higher."

With the record in hand, the goal for Hoyng is simple: to help his team win the WBL for the first time since the 2010-11 season, when Hoyng was in eighth grade.

"That's how it's been since day one," Hoyng said. "(Celina had a) big win over Defiance. Hopefully, we keep that rolling."

Top 10 All-Time Celina Scorers:
Player  Years  Points
RYAN HOYNG  2011-current  1,146
Tim Homan  2002-04  1,144
Jay VanderHorst  1977-80  1,127
Mike Reichert  1977-79  1,087
Derek Gagle  2006-09  1,036
Kurt Pottkotter  1991-93  990
Tim Hamen  1992-94  973
Rick Mosier  1970-72  949
Jim Miller  1989-91  941
Duane Baker  1952-54  910