'We've had a pretty good run': Legendary coach steps down as Strasburg girls' hoops coach

Troy McClellan, one of the legendary coaches in the history of the tradition-rich Strasburg High School basketball program, is hanging up his coaching whistle — at least for now.

McClellan, who led the Strasburg girls’ basketball team to a 68-29 record and three straight IVC North titles the past three seasons and coached the Strasburg boys’ basketball team before that, including a trip to the 2001 D4 state Final 4, recently announced he is stepping down as girls’ basketball coach.

“We’ve had a pretty good run,” McClellan said. “When we came into the (girls) program they were averaging five-to-eight wins per year, and we’ve averaged 19-1/2 wins the last three years. Things are definitely a lot different than when we first came in, so we’re pretty proud of that. It’s also the first time in school history (to win three straight IVC girls’ championships) and the 2021-22 team also set a school record for wins with 20.”

The Tusky Valley and Baldwin-Wallace graduate compiled some incredible numbers and won countless awards in his time as the Tigers’ boys’ basketball coach from 1996-2007, and later, as the girls’ basketball mentor from 2021-2024. He was also the girls’ basketball coach at Dover from 2016-2020.

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He sports an overall coaching record of 362-262, including 63-35 as Dover girls’ basketball coach, 231-198 as Strasburg boys’ basketball coach and 68-29 as the Tigers’ girls’ basketball mentor.

“There are not enough words to thank coach McClellan for the impact he has had on the lives of countless student athletes at Strasburg,” said Tigers’ athletic director Gary Spinell in a release from the school district. “We are excited to have him stay as part of our teaching staff and head boys’ golf coach. He is a great leader in education-based athletics which we strive to promote at Strasburg High School. Troy is a teacher first and foremost and inspires student athletes to perform to their highest levels in and out of the classroom."

In his time at Dover and Strasburg, McClellan coached teams to 13 sectional championships, five league championships and a combined 43 tournament wins, one of the top marks in the area behind Dover head coach Bob Von Kaenel and Malvern coach Dennis Tucci. McClellan was inducted into the District 5 Hall of Fame in 2015 and is a member of the Strasburg Hall of Fame, along with his 2000-2001 Final 4 Tiger boys’ basketball team.

He said he learned a lot playing and later coaching for Von Kaenel, who was recently inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I played for Bob Von Kaenel (at Tusky Valley) and was on his staff in the mid-80’s,” said McClellan. "I was on his staff and was part of the state runner-up team that Bobby had. I learned a little basketball from him.”

McClellan said guiding the Tiger boys’ basketball team to the state Final 4 in 2001 was very satisfying but said a personal highlight for him occurred the following season when the Tigers were facing a rebuilding campaign but accomplished some amazing things.

“Probably the most gratifying year was the next year (after qualifying for state),” he said. “We had graduated 90 percent of the offense, and to be honest with you, I couldn’t find 10 wins on that schedule (going into the season) and we ended up being 15 seconds away from going back (to state). We got beat by Bristol in the regional finals that year with an entirely different team, because we had graduated four starters.”

He also has a personal regular-season highlight.

“In 2001, we went down to Hiland with the boys’ team and they had that brand new gym — the (Perry) Reese Center — and we gave them their first loss there, and that’s when we knew we had something really special that year, and it ended up being just that.”

McClellan told a funny story about living so close to Strasburg High School.

“I’ve lived right across the street from the school for 29 years now and one of the rumors when I came here was that the school bought me that house,” McClellan said, laughing. “I said, I don’t know, every month I pay my mortgage.”

Turning to his successful run as the Tigers’ girls’ basketball coach, McClellan knows he is leaving the program in a good place. The Tigers return many standouts from this year’s 19-win team, including two-time All-Ohio star Riley Thomas.

“They definitely have a lot of ability and a lot of potential there,” said McClellan. “We talk about that being an opportunity (for the new staff that comes in). Hopefully that works out moving forward — especially with seven divisions. We’ll see how that shakes out. I think they have a really good chance of having success.”

McClellan will remain as a social studies teacher at Strasburg. He will also continue as the Tigers’ boys’ golf coach, another position where he has enjoyed success after leading Strasburg to a third-place finish in the D3 state tournament in 2017.

The Hall of Fame Strasburg coach isn’t ruling out a possible return to basketball coaching someday.

“You never know,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m done (coaching) yet. You never want to say never, and we’ll see how things shake out. As for right now, we’re looking forward to having a nice, pleasant summer with my wife, so that’s what we’re planning on doing.”

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Strasburg basketball coach Troy McClellan steps down from girls team