A basketball story: Late Ethan DeLaney lived a beautiful basketball life
MANSFIELD – Quite literally, from the joyful day he was born to the somber day he died, basketball had always been a cornerstone to Ethan DeLaney’s life.
At six months old, Ethan attended high school basketball games featuring his uncle, Mark DeLaney Jr., and the Clear Fork Colts. He went to every game that year including the Colts’ magical run to the 2002 Division III state championship. Sure, there is no way he could ever truly remember those moments being so new to the world, but he wouldn’t have anyway. It was normal for Ethan to be wide-eyed and curious about the world around him at tipoff, but by halftime, he was always asleep in his mother’s arms.
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From the day he was born, basketball was his lullaby.
“It was so loud and he was just sitting there snoozing,” Ethan’s mother Melissa Cary said with a smile. “He was their little mascot.”
Every game, Ethan was decked out in Clear Fork gear. He had a little bandana around his head, his chubby baby cheeks would be painted and usually sported his uncle’s number, 32. And after every game, Mark would go pick up his brand-new nephew and just wait for the girls to flock his way.
“He was just a little good luck charm,” Ethan’s grandmother, Beth DeLaney, said. “He was also a chick magnet.”
From then on, basketball was a huge part of his life and it remained a major influence until July 22, 2023. Ethan was riding his motorcycle on Park Avenue West in Mansfield when it struck a vehicle. The wreck ultimately claimed his life leaving his family in disbelief.
And though his life on Earth might be over, his memory lives on and when those who love him most talk about him, they cannot help but to bring up the game of basketball. Ethan graduated from Clear Fork High School in 2020. He was a second team All-Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and honorable mention All-Northwest District player for the Colts and was invited to continue the family legacy of playing in the News Journal All-Star Classic nearly 20 years after his uncle suited up in the game.
“Basketball has been coming that we all enjoyed as a family,” Cary said. “Ethan always had a love for the game because my dad, mom and brother.”
The invite to the game came by no accident. Ethan spent countless hours working on his craft and always had a basketball buddy helping him rebound or teaching him the game.
“Even when Ethan was 4 years old, my husband would spend hours and hours out on the driveway working with him shooting jump shots and learning the game,” Beth DeLaney said. “Ethan was our first grandson and even after all the boys were born, every Christmas, every year, they would get basketballs as gifts.”
As much as Ethan was a gift to basketball, basketball was a gift to Ethan. As a young kid, he struggled with his communication skills, but when he got on the court and started playing with his teammates, he was a different kid. He would shout out screens, encourage his teammates, call out plays. The game gave him so much confidence and allowed him to break out of his shell and allowed him to connect with friends in ways he never could before.
“The game developed him. Basketball was always so therapeutic to Ethan,” Cary said. “It gave him something to be really good at and be proud of. His energy and light he had on and off the court was so bright. He found something he loved beyond his family and was passionate about it. He gained so many friendships through the game.”
“His friend net was so much wider than we ever imagined,” Beth DeLaney said. “I just never realized the impact he made on people because of basketball and the friendships he made. The game of basketball developed him and it was because we made it part of our family.”
One of the biggest friendships it grew was the one between uncle and nephew.
“It meant everything to share game with him,” Mark DeLaney said. “When you love this game as much as our family does, the ability to give that love to the next generation is what it is all about. He was the next one up. Since he was six months old, all he knew was basketball.”
When Mark attended college out in South Dakota, Ethan would regularly attend his games and even struck a friendship with legendary Northern State University coach Don Meyer who commonly referred to Ethan as his ‘Little Buddy’. Ethan stepped foot on some of the most legendary college basketball courts in the nation from Indiana University to Purdue University.
When Mark returned home to begin his life, one stop was at Wynford High School where he was the varsity boys basketball coach in 2014-15. Cary wanted her son to go to the same school her brother was teaching so every day Mark would drive Ethan to Wynford High School 30 minutes each way. And that was where a bond was built between uncle, nephew and basketball.
“That was such a pivotal moment in my life because I became a father figure for him,” Mark DeLaney said. “Every decision I made was all centered around him and making sure he was in the best environment possible.”
It led to a standout high school career for Ethan as he helped the Colts win the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship during his junior year. But it was his senior year that really left an impact on and off the court.
During senior night, fans in The Valley made signs for the players. A young boys, maybe three-years-old, held a sign that called Ethan his hero. Ethan found it to be incredible that as a high school varsity player, he could make an impact like that.
“Basketball was part of who he was,” Cary said. “It was an identity and it started when he was little. I really do believe he changed lives without even knowing it by being a good teammate and friend with his sportsmanship and encouragement.”
The impact Ethan made through the game is something that will live on forever. On March 29, before the 45th News Journal All-Star Classic, the 2020 group that had its game canceled four years ago will get their chance to take the rightful spot on the court for the alumni game. More than 20 players will suit up. Those same players were the benefactors of the DeLaney family’s generosity as they purchased game uniforms for each of the players back when their game got canceled.
On March 29, they will get their chance to honor their fallen basketball friend. A special jersey has been made for Ethan’s family with his name and number on the back. It will be presented at half court before a moment of silence is held to honor his memory.
“It is full circle,” Mark DeLaney said. “My mom and dad stepped up when that game was canceled to make sure those guys got jerseys and Ethan was on the front page with my dad and for him to not get to play, but still get recognized for his life at the moment, it will be a memory that a lot of his friends and family will take on forever. He would have absolutely loved to play in this game. He was waiting for the day an alumni game was scheduled and it was something we talked a lot about.”
Basketball. A cornerstone to a life well lived and an avenue to carry on a memory of someone who lived the game every second of his life.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Late Ethan DeLaney to be honored during 45th News Journal All-Star Classic
