Aronhalt, Miller join District 12 Hall of Fame
Two highly-successful coaches who spent a combined 49 seasons on the bench have been selected to the District 12 Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
Scott Aronhalt, who spent 31 years as the head boys’ coach at Zanesville High School, and Pat Miller, who was the girls’ coach at Maysville High School for 18 years, will be honored at the Pepsi/District 12 All-Star Basketball Classic on Friday, March 31 at Buckeye Trail High School in Old Washington.
They will be recognized between games of the girls/boys doubleheader which tips off that night at 6 p.m.
Two female athletes and two male athletes from schools in District 12 will also join the Hall of Fame that night. Those individuals will be announced next week.
Here’s a look at the coaching honorees:
Scott Aronhalt (Zanesville)
After serving as an assistant coach at Ashland High School and Tiffin University, Aronhalt began a 31-year stint as head coach at Zanesville, retiring following the 2020-21 season.
He was head coach for 720 games, amassing a sparkling 466-254 record with the crowning achievement coming in 1995 when the Blue Devils captured the OHSAA Division I State Championship. ZHS defeated Westerville North (48-47) in the semifinals and topped Cleveland Heights (69-68 in overtime) in the championship game to cap a spotless 26-0 season.
Aronhalt-coached squads also reached the OHSAA Final Four in 1997 and 2010. The ’97 team was the state runner-up after losing to Cleveland Heights, 60-52 in overtime, in the title game to finish 25-2 while the 2010 squad lost to Port Clinton (51-50) in the D-II semis to finish 17-7.
Under Aronhalt, ZHS won two AP state poll championships and reached USA Today’s Top 25 nationally in 1997 after a win against highly-touted Oak Hill.
The Blue Devils won 10 district titles (1994, ’95, ’96, ’97, 2001, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, 10) and three regional crowns (1995, 1997, 2010); and were regional runner-up four times (1996, 2005, 2006, 2008). Zanesville competed in various leagues during Aronhalt’s years, winning the Buckeye Central Conference twice (1994 and 1995); the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference four times (1996, 1997, 2001 and 2002); the Southeast Ohio Athletic League once (2008); and the East Central Ohio League four times (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018).
He was named Coach of the Year several times in the Eastern District and District 12. He also served as the athletic director at ZHS for several years.
Aronhalt is a 1978 graduate of River View High School where he was a second team all-Ohio and first team all-Eastern District selection who averaged 22.8 points per game as a senior.
Pat Miller (Maysville)
In 18 years as head coach of the Maysville Lady Panthers, Miller enjoyed tremendous success with a sparkling 343-89 record.
During his tenure, Maysville won seven Muskingum Valley League titles; 13 OHSAA Division II Sectional crowns; four OHSAA Division II District championships (2006-07, 2007-08, 2013-14 and 2014-15) and had two OHSAA Division II Regional runner-up finishes (2013-14 and 2014-15).
The 2013-14 squad had the school’s first undefeated season in girls’ basketball and lost to No. 1 ranked and eventual state champion West Holmes (45-26) in the regional final to finish 26-1 and it was West Holmes that also sidelined the Panthers in the 2014-15 regional final (42-34) to finish at 25-2.
Miller-coached teams had seven 20-victory seasons; won 62 consecutive regular season games at one point and never finished below .500 in any season.
He was named Ohio Division II Co-Coach of the Year by The Associated Press following the 2015-16 season. Miller was also named Coach of the Year in the Muskingum Valley League seven times and was recognized as Coach of the Year in the Eastern District and District 12 on multiple occasions.
Miller, who now serves as the athletic director at Maysville, retired from coaching following the 2020-21 season.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Aronhalt, Miller join District 12 Hall of Fame
