By RYAN WALKER
The 2002 Bluffton boys’ basketball team that went to the state championship game will be honored at halftime of the Garrett game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.
In the 2001-02 season, the Tigers finished with a 24-4 record — after being .500 the year prior — and went on to win the section, regional, and semi-state titles.
Most members of that team will be in attendance, including former head coach Wayne Barker, who is looking forward to the event and seeing his team.
“It was extremely gratifying. This was a great team in the history of Bluffton High School athletics, and they’re very deserving of the recognition,” Barker said about the honor. “I was very excited to see a whole team go in. As a coach, a former coach, that’s a great feeling, and I’m looking forward to being back and seeing all those guys.”
The team will be honored with a plaque with the team photo, a brief description of the season, and the names of the members of the team.
Barker shared that the team had talent from top to bottom, but a special group of seniors played a key role. Some would know them as the “Bomb Squad,” consisting of David Ballinger, Kole Meyer, Brad Yates, Wes Yoder, and Kaine Kinsey. The Bomb Squad played a role in the team chemistry of that team.
Of course, the group could play great basketball, but to Barker, the group accomplished more than just achievements on the court, but many other things.
The coach would ask his seniors every year to write down the legacy that they wanted to live out by as brothers, husbands, fathers, and community members. As time went along, they completed every one of their goals.
“What I’m proud of is what that the group of seniors in the 2002 class is that they lived out what they hoped to be in the things that mattered to them most in life. I’m so proud of them, and I love them all greatly.”
Finally, Barker wanted to share another member that he calls “a special part of our team” that will not be in attendance. Bluffton Tiger super fan Edna Wenger never missed a home game. Wenger died in November 2020, but Barker couldn’t forget to think of her during this week.
“Edna was the super fan. She wore head-to-toe red and black and wore a hat to every game,” he said of Wenger, the 2000 Tiger Spirit Award winner. “She would speak to our team. She would do things for them, like make cookies. She would hold them accountable. She would scold them if they had bad behavior if they had bad behavior in a game. I would be remiss not to include her in my thoughts when I think back to that time. She was a special part of our team.”
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