By Juli Metzger—
MUNCIE, Ind.—Four student athletes were recognized last weekend for outstanding sportsmanship and community mindedness at the inaugural City of Champions Tournament at the Muncie Fieldhouse.
Each of the four schools participating in the event nominated student athletes for the prestigious Ron Bonham and Bud Brown awards.
Central High School’s Shoka Griffin II, who already holds the school’s all-time football rushing record, was recognized with the Ron Bonham Community Impact award, which recognizes outstanding work on the team but also outreach in the community.
Bonham, who played from 1958 through 1960, is, arguably, considered Central’s greatest player. Bonham went on to play college basketball for the University of Cincinnati and was later drafted by the Boston Celtics, helping them win the NBA title his first year there. Bonham returned to live in Muncie and died in 2019.
Pictured Left to Right:Tommy Snyder, South Bend Adams High School; Bryce Kinnaman, Greenfield-Central High School; Adam Combs, Burris Laboratory School; Shoka Griffin, Muncie Central High School.
Griffin, a 5’10”, 200-pound forward on the basketball court, is a running back on the school’s football team. He committed to play football for the Ball State University Cardinals starting August 2022. He is the son of Shoka Griffin, who works for the city, and WaTasha Barnes Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of YWCA of Central Indiana. Barnes Griffin also is a member of the Muncie Community School Board.
“He’s the perfect student athlete,” said Chandler Thompson, Central’s basketball coach. “On and off the court, he’s a leader. He’s just a great kid.”
Central’s B.J. Isom, a 5’9” senior guard was named MVP of the city championship game and was recipient of the Bud Brown Award, named for a former Burris basketball player and an Indiana “Mr. Basketball,” who played two seasons at center for Georgetown, but chose not to return to the team as a senior. Graduating from the School of Foreign Service in 1949, Brown returned to Indiana, serving as a state legislator and later as a successful local businessman.
“We chose B.J. for the way he interacts with his teammates,” Thompson said. “He’s a terrific student athlete.”
Two Burris players also were recognized for their outstanding contributions on and off the court.
Adam Combs, a 5’9” guard, also received a Ron Bonham award; and Asher Donahue, a 6’3” center, was recipient of a Bud Brown award.
Donahue ranks academically in the upper third of his class, according to Burris Athletic Director Chad Wlodarek. “He had a knee injury and was cleared to play in December. He’s only a sophomore and always works hard to get better. He’s just a fantastic young man.” He is the son of John Donahue and Jessie Donahue, who is a Burris graduate. Mr. Donahue is the head coach for the Burris Middle School girls’ basketball team.
Combs, a multi-sport athlete at Burris, also is involved in Scouts and other community work, Wlodarek said. “He’s an outstanding athlete and just a great person,” Wlodarek said. Combs is the son of Nicki and Kyle Combs. On Burris teams, he ranks No. 2 in tennis singles and is the No. 1 pitcher in baseball, and he serves on the Owl Student Athlete Council (OSAC).
The City of Champions event endeavors to give city schools an opportunity to play each other in a tournament. The invitational also saw teams from South Bend Adams and Greenfield Central high schools. South Bend Adams senior center Joe Anella took home the Bud Brown award and Tommy Snyder, a senior forward, was his school’s choice for the Ron Bonham award.
Greenfield Central students Dylan Moles and Bryce Kinnaman were their school’s selection for the Bud Brown and Ron Bonham awards respectively.
“This was really a partnership of the Muncie Sports Commission and the athletic directors of Burris and Central, along with Ball State University’s Sports Link and the Innovation Connector,” said Jon Anderson, executive director of the Muncie Sports Commission. “It was a collective effort to put on an invitational for city players and recognize some outstanding young athletes.”
Related article below.
Muncie Central, Burris to Host Inaugural City of Champions Basketball Invitational
