EDWARDSVILLE - Caleb Strohmeier played a key role for the Edwardsville boys basketball team in the season just completed.
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Strohmeier, along with Jack Marinko, helped the Tigers to an 18-9 mark and a berth in the IHSA Class 4A Belleville West Regional final, where EHS fell to the eventual Class 4A state champion Belleville West Maroons.
Strohmeier will now have the chance to play at the collegiate level after signing a letter of intent to play for Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, located near downtown Columbus, beginning next year in a Thursday afternoon ceremony at Edwardsville High. The Bobcats are members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, an NCAA Division II league; among other schools are the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio; Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Ky.; Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio; and Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.
“It's about a 10-minute drive from Ohio State,” Strohmeier said of the campus in Columbus. “It was just a great fit, great coaching – I went on an official visit and it was a great click; it's just a big family there – a perfect fit.”
“Caleb was an excellent, excellent player for us,” said Tiger coach Mike Waldo. “Not only was he a good player, he was a great teammate and was a big part of our program for four years – he deserves everything he gets because he's a great person of high character and he's a hard worker.
“He was part of a lot of great basketball teams and that's a credit to him – he practices well every day, played hard and tried to do good every day and was positive with his teammates every day, just an uplifting person for all of our teams and played extremely well for us.”
“Just a love of the game” first brought Strohmeier to basketball in the first place, “just playing with my dad, just growing up playing the game.”
Being a part of successful EHS teams built up a great memory bank over the years for Strohmeier. “Three great years of starting for the program,” Strohmeier said. “I wouldn't trade it for anything; I learned a lot from coach Waldo – one of the best coaches in Illinois if not the best – I'm blessed that he was my coach.”
Strohmeier plans on majoring in business administration at the school. “I'd like to get into the marketing side of the business, something along those lines,” Strohmeier said.
