Farewell

Today, Ohio High School Hoops comes to you with mixed emotions. Judging by the title of the post, most of you can guess what is coming next.

Yes, today will be our final post on Ohio High School Hoops. This will not be clever or eloquent, because I'm not that talented. I will just come straight from the heart.

After 20-plus years of being involved in high school basketball in some capacity, I feel God leading me in another direction. When something is a staple in your life for that long, it's hard to let go as was the case for me. We finally decided to trust God's will in regards to this situation, and with faith follow his lead. I am not certain where this path is going to lead me, but I trust the navigator.

I tried to push his voice aside, but eventually He had to start playing hardball. Basketball started to lose its enjoyment for me and it longer was fun. The daily grind along with my other job just became overwhelming. Basketball is certainly a 24/7/365 sport in 2011.

So, over the last couple weeks, I have been praying about this and really seeking a bold answer from God if this is the right thing to do. We will no doubt miss everyone, but I feel at peace with the decision to leave basketball at this time.

There is no telling what God has in store for me, but I will trust in him and know that His plan for my life is far greater than anything I can control. Will I ever be back involved with basketball, well, only God knows the answer to that.

For now, I'm going to relax a little bit, try some new things, and spend a lot more time with my beautiful wife. Maybe even think about starting a family and bring a few little Stubbs' into the world.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few special people. Obviously, God has given me the strength and a vision to be able to do this over the years and surrounded me with some wonderful people. So, as always, we give thanks to the Lord first and foremost.

My wife Lois has been unbelievable through all the this with all the time spent away from home. She is truly a gift from God and I certainly out punted my coverage with her. I can't even begin to describe how supportive she has been over the years. She is amazing!

My mom, dad, and sister have been great supporters over the years. They always backed me know matter what crazy idea I had. I love you all so much. I could never repay them for all they have done.

John Stovall is another name I would like to mention. He has really showed me the ropes in this business and how to conduct myself. He is always willing to lend a hand or an ear and he certainly never had to. He gave me some great advice not just in terms of the basketball world, but so much more. I greatly appreciate you man!

Other thank yous have to go to Adam Shoulders, Rob Taylor, Ty Kish, Rodger Bohn, Chris Johnson, Chas Wolfe, and Corey Albertson. You guys are amazing in this business!

Thank you to all the players for giving me the privledge to watch you play over the years. You guys are what it's all about. I was just blessed with a computer, you were the ones that make this all happen.

To all the coaches, who have made my job a million times easier, I thank you. I thank for all the returned calls, emails, and information you provided over the years. I know I could be a pain. I have to especially thank Jason Bates, Michael Bates, Mark Mitchell, Rob Stircula, Peter Pullen, Kim Clifford, Anthony Calo, Carl Kremer, Rich Saffield, Michael Jebbia, Michael Fuline, Dave Shutt, and Travis Trice.

Through AAU and other things I have met some great people along with developing some wonderful relationships. Coach Vic, Coac Burke, Jeff Potts, Adam Vincenzo, Brian Bishop, Calvin Thornton, Renny Tyson, Myron Bess, Lucius Jones, Danny Peters, Todd May, Jerry Watson, Mike Duncan, Winston Grays, Larry Rogers, Randy Gardner, Ed Lyshe, Brad Kretzer, Randy Forrest, Quentin Rogers, George Howard, the guys from the WV Wildcats, and many others along with some terrific college coaches.  We may have not always agreed on everything, but I respect you guys.

Thank you to Eric Frantz for giving me a chance at JJHuddle and pretty much always letting me do my thing. You have been unbelievable over the years.

To every person who ever came to this site, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I apologize if I missed anyone at all. We love you all and will certainly miss you all! I leave you with one of my favorite verses:

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

-Philippians 1:3-11