Veteran Massillon head coach and alum basks in state title winning season
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
MASSILLON--29 years ago, Josh Hose had fervent dreams of playing in the OHSAA state basketball tournament.
He was a junior and Massillon had the tallest team in Stark County that was primed to make that dream a reality. However, a 68-58 loss to a smaller Canton McKinley team in a Division I district championship rudely shelved those aspirations.
Last season, in his seventh year at his alma mater, Hose felt he had the team to make a deep run ending in Dayton. An unexpected 72-67 upset defeat to an eight-win Shaker Heights team in a Division II district championship at Wooster High School left him and his horde of Tigers not so much dejected but mainly stunned and confused as their season came to a screeching conclusion no one in Massillon expected.
Fast forward to this season. It all finally came together as the Tigers defeated three consecutive district champions, downed two previous Final Four competitors from last season, defeated archrival McKinley for the second straight season in a row and with one giant comeback against Westerville North, the Tigers punctuated a 27-1 season with the program's first-ever state championship two weeks ago with a thrilling 68-63 overtime triumph over a Warriors team that many were anointing as a dynasty, the same Warriors team that dispatched of Perry in a running clock victory in the previous season's state championship.
For the 47-year-old Hose, now a father of four and the son of revered 40-year Massillon administrator Butch Hose, it all came to fruition in the confines of the University of Dayton arena in a run that picked up major steam along the way to the point where it became wildly infectious. The run commenced for them the moment they departed the Wooster High School gymnasium with the runner-up trophy. The 1998 Massillon graduate made light of the failure that planted the seeds for their championship competing team.
"As hard as last year was, we couldn't just go from zero all the way to 60. We had to take baby steps. We told our guys don't ever look ahead because that was a hard lesson we had to learn from," he said. "I remember Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett saying after his team became the first top seed to lose to a 16th seed (University of Maryland Baltimore County) that adversity can buy you a ticket and take you to a place you can go if you use it right."
Massillon started off victorious in their first three contests before a buzzer-beating defeat to North Canton Hoover became their lone stain. That was a setback that may have turned into a longer losing streak had not the ship been righted well before then. A spectacular offensive output against a strong defensive team in Elyria immediately righted the ship as they scored a staggering 108 points.
But it was a crucial three-game road stretch against district champions Alliance, Central Catholic, and Mansfield Senior that provided where the trajectory of the season was going to traverse for the Tigers. Massillon captured three quality road victories in hostile gyms not to mention victories over last season's Final Four teams in Youngstown Ursuline and Gates Mills Hawken, two more overpowering victories and they were really operating on all motors, pistons, and cylinders.
"That was a great stretch for our team not to mention the win over Elyria and Austintown-Fitch where we battled back to win that one. We had a schedule that prepared us for that. At the same time, the North Canton Hoover loss was a wake-up call for us as our season could have slipped away if we hadn't righted the ship in time," Hose attested. "Central Catholic was tough and Alliance didn't lose a game the rest of the way until they played Mansfield. Our schedule really helped us with that."
Near the end of the regular season, Massillon found themselves involved in choppy contests, yet the Tigers still found a way to prevail. If Massillon didn't win by a large margin, they were able to capture the win if it came down to circumstances that required them pulling out the triumph amid trying conditions.
The final exam came against a Warriors team who many were already anticipating two straight state titles and seemed to have no weaknesses. In the third quarter, Massillon stared very hard at a 45-30 deficit, a situation that spelled defeat for lesser teams. Despite the deficit, Hose believed that the contest was still within range of his battalion of Tigers.
A key to that was to truncate their deficit to single-digits. Massillon used a 10-3 run to trail 48-40 after three quarters. Massillon outscored North 18-10 to force the extra session and then a 10-5 tally to subdue a Warriors team that finally abdicated amid the Tigers torrid pace, despite going 13 deep on their bench. Hose's testimony to his team during the third quarter timeout proved prophetic as Massillon overall outpaced the Warriors 38-18 over the last 15:49 of competition.
"They made their run and then we were going to make our run. We wasn't going to get all the points back at one, we just needed to get it under 10. We were able to generate some stops, get the ball rolling and we had the crowd at our side and it took off," Hose said.
MASSILLON CONQUEROR SPEAKS, LAUDS TIGERS
17 years ago, Danny Young received the emotional news from longtime Shaker Heights floor boss Bob Wonson. As Wonson was making the transition from this earthly life, he selected the Akron native to become his successor. Wonson had steered the Red Raiders to the 1999 Division I state championship game where they finished the season 25-1 and ranked #5 in the country by USA Today, amassing 362 wins in his long tenure at the school.
In the 17 years since Wonson's transition, Young has continued the winning ways of Shaker Heights basketball, seizing seven district titles along the way. None of those seven was bigger than his team's unearthing of the team that would become the eventual Division II state champions the following season. Mixing humorous wit and winning wisdom on the bench, Young has become an affectionate figure in the community not just as a coach but at points as a teacher, a principal at Shaker Heights Middle School, and now a guidance counselor at the high school.
He recalled last season's victory over Massillon in which his team's cat-quick defense created difficulties for the Tigers. Up to that point, Massillon hadn't seen a team defensively as quick as the Red Raiders, something that proved advantageous for Young's charges as they erected at 48-34 third quarter advantage and held off a furious Tigers rally in the closing seconds. Massillon is 10-3 in tournament play the last four years but it is the third loss that Young had his hands on.
"No one outside of us gave us a chance to win that game. We had generated some momentum along the way as the season wound down and we got some good guard play and our size disrupted them. A lot of people were shocked but we knew we were able to do it," Young said.
Young not only was gracious in victory but also commended Massillon for going out with class and dignity as he attested his team had played a lot of teams that went out with such, "none moreso than the Tigers."
"I've seen what those guys could do as I refereed their games from fifth grade all the way up to eighth grade. I have a lot of respect for Coach Hose and Massillon, they gave us a great game last season."
Young's 17th team concluded their season with a 9-15 record with a 67-33 setback to Euclid in a district final. Like his Red Raiders team, the Panthers had a cat-quick defense that created havoc and caused issues for teams this year under Quentin Rogers, who was in his first year as head coach after a successful eight-year tenure at Richmond Heights.
A savant of the sport and a former guard himself, Young knew that Massillon was going to have an advantage against Euclid in the Wooster regional final that was eventually won by the Tigers 76-72. Young felt that Hose beefed up the Tigers schedule in part to his team's setback to the Red Raiders and the move paid dividends for them, something that proved beneficial as Massillon was prepared for the cat-quick pressure Euclid brought.
"Coach Hose knew from that loss in the district final he had to beef up their schedule because they were going to see a team with that style of defense later on in the year. They were focused, they worked hard and they showed they were the best this year."
MASSILLON PARENT PROVIDES MOTIVATION
As Massillon players sat down with stunned and confused expressions during the district trophy presentation, Ryan Knight provided repeatedly six words to Tigers players as Shaker Heights players received their gold medals and district championship trophy.
"You will be back here again."
Knight wanted the players to remember the ghastly feeling that encompassed them and to not experience the feeling again. On a personal note, as he was planting the seeds for their return to the title game the following season, he was hurting as a father.
Ryan's son, Chris had become Massillon's second all-time scorer. He was going to be the one to lead Massillon to basketball's promised land. He was going to be the one to achieve his dream of being a state champion. It all became undone at 5 p.m. as players in black jerseys and red letters celebrated on the Wooster floor. Chris has obtained two early fouls in the first quarter and it had become an uphill battle, one that Massillon just was unable to complete.
"As a parent, it was a devastating loss for my son and the emotion hit me knowing that he would not get that opportunity to be a champion," the elder Knight said. "I wanted the returning players at that point to know they would be back in the title game again."
Having coached youth basketball, Ryan coached the majority of players who were in the youth program as they ascended up the ranks all the way to high school. Most of them were varsity players by their sophomore seasons and some breaking in as juniors.
Knight pointed out that before Hose's arrival, Massillon didn't have a direction to travel as previous head coach Michael Cruz stepped down after two seasons. That left the door open for Hose, who was Tuslaw's girls basketball head coach at the time to return to Massillon. Hose immediately built a culture that not only prided itself on success but also maintaining discipline in the face of adversity.
Knight has seen the benefits of that growth in the last four years, five to be exact.
"No one really knew what the previous coach brought in terms of direction but with Hose, he came in to change the culture and it's a testament to what he has done," he said.
Chris is now a freshman at Mount Union, playing alongside OAC player of the year and Tiger teammate Elijah Farrington, who will be a senior. Before the team left the locker room one last time, Knight had a message for the returning players as he, Jalen Slaughter, and Terrelle Keyes closed the book on their Massillon careers. Knight wasn't able to fulfill his dream as a state champion so he wanted them to be the ones to make it occur.
It was one thing for the elder Knight to provide words of encouragement at the time of a low point. It was a sight to see Chris do the same in a moment of failure.
"Chris has always been supportive of his teammates and his message to them leaving the locker room was to 'go get the hardware (state title)'", Ryan Knight said.
OUTLOOK LOOKING UP FOR MASSILLON BASKETBALL
Like the 2024-25 Tigers, the 2025-26 Tigers are only losing three seniors in Isaiah Lamp, Jadyce Thigpen and Damarion Day. All three of them are a reason why the Tigers have enjoyed the run that they have attained.
For Hose, it was a poignant moment as he shared a long hug with his eldest and first born, Landon. The tears flowed freely as he also was embraced by wife Lindsay, son Hudson, and daughters Cori and Ani. Also for Hose was a hug from his dad Butch and mom, Becky. Hugs and tears overtook the University of Dayton Arena floor as Massillon players embraced each others and coaches hugged their players, children and wives.
During the last four years, Massillon has won 75 games and winners of 10 tournament games. And the Tigers look to return another strong team next winter but for now, Massillon just wants to enjoy the honeymoon of their seraphic accomplishment.
A parade will be slated for this Sunday at 5 p.m. to celebrate the new Division II state champions. For Hose, he put the moment in perspective after being asked did he ever anticipate a run where Massillon would win 75 games in such a span.
"I didn't know we won 75 games till you told me that. Two years ago, we were 15-9 but 1-6 against Federal League teams and that record against them and local teams will not get the job done. You have to beat your local opponents and league teams and when you look at that, this is where we are now," Hose said.
It has been a year since Massillon's season ended with a stunning loss to Shaker Heights. But that became the failure that served as the driving force for Massillon's unbelievable state title run. Last season, Hose in the moment of disappointment didn't think much about Young's complimentary words of his team at the time regarding their class and dignity but now winning a state title, it makes it easier to rehash the low point that led to the high point for the 2025-26 Tigers.
"Danny Young is one of my great friends and we have a lot of respect for each other. We always want to do the right thing at Massillon. Last year, he had his guys ready and we were on the losing end of it. To see the joy that we had at Dayton, it just shows that our hard work paid off," Hose said.
Two times in his life did Josh Hose experience district championship defeats. But in one sterling season, he and the Massillon Tigers became the kings of Ohio Division II basketball as state champions.
A CHAMPION FOREVER. Massillon head coach Josh Hose cuts down the net after Massillon's 68-63 Division II state title win over Westerville North. It is the Tigers first state championship in program history. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)
Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press and a basketball color commentator for ESPN 990. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.
