By: Rick Broering, Enquirer contributor
Cole VonHandorf of Covington Catholic will graduate as the most decorated Colonel in the school's boys basketball history.(Photo: Jim Osborn for the Enquirer)
Senior Cole VonHandorf will graduate from Covington Catholic this spring as the most decorated basketball player in school history.
Just recently, VonHandorf broke the school scoring record and became the first player in CovCath history to score 2,000 points. During his four-year career, he also became the winningest player in school history with a 112-19 overall record and counting. He was named to the state's all-tournament team as a freshman on the school's first-ever state championship team and was named to the state's all-tournament team again the following year when the Colonels returned to the state semifinals.
"When I return to the gym, being able to look up and see my name next to all those other great players in CovCath history will be really cool," VonHandorf said. "The way we kind of changed the culture and expectations when Coach Ruthsatz got here is special. The program was struggling when I came in as a freshman and coach first got here but now we expect to win districts and regionals every year. It's weird if CovCath doesn't win."
It was in the fourth quarter of the Colonels' win over Ryle on Jan. 21 when VonHandorf started to drive baseline before spinning back towards the middle of the court and rising up for one of his signature mid-range jumpers. The shot swished, vaulting him over 2014 graduate Nick Ruthsatz's 1,980 career points and into first-place in the CovCath record books. The game was stopped as head coach Scott Ruthsatz presented him with the game ball and an announcement was read over the gym's P.A. system as the fans in attendance gave him a standing ovation.
"It was as good as it gets," VonHandorf said of that moment. "We had a sell-out crowd at CovCath and the students and players and my coaches were all screaming at me telling me how many (points) I had. When I broke it, I just thought about all those other great players that went here and now my name is at the top of that scoring list now."
"I just told him how proud of him I was for grinding through these last four years and making it to that point," Ruthsatz said. "People think it's easy for our best guys because they get to play with other really good players and on good teams, but the reality is the top players in our program get the most criticism. We push our best players to their absolute limits and all the other players see that and it sets the expectation for how hard we have to play. He's been at the high-echelon in our program for four years and he's worked hard every step of the way."
VonHandorf passed the 2,000-point mark two days later when he scored 23 points in a 72-53 win over Campbell County.
He's had one of the most mature games in the area since he started playing varsity basketball for Villa Madonna as an eighth-grader. When he arrived at CovCath as a freshman, he was an instant difference-maker on the best team in the state because of his ability to defend at the highest level and his poise on the offensive end. He's a good ballhandler, a solid jump-shooter, and a selfless leader.
"I love the fact that he plays really hard all the time but aside from that it's his adaptation to roles that I think I appreciate the most about him," Ruthsatz said. "He came in as the third or fourth option on our team as a freshman, then as a sophomore, he was the second or third guy, and as a junior, he became the man by himself. He played just as hard in each role and the transition was always seamless for him. He wants to make his teammates better and win at all costs."
While some of his abilities are easy to see on the court, such as his body control and his physical strength for a guard, VonHandorf's coaches said what people don't see is the work he's been willing to put in behind the scenes consistently for four-plus years.
"He lives in the gym," Ruthsatz said. "He's not as vocal as some other guys but he leads by example. Other guys see him in the gym going that hard and it makes them realize the level they need to get to. We're lucky as coaches to have our best player be our hardest worker. It's in everything Cole does, whether it's on the basketball court or in the classroom. He knows his limitations and he fights through those to make himself the best he can be at everything he does. I think it started well before he came here and it has a lot to do with the way he was raised."
Assistant coach Joe Fredrick said he knew VonHandorf had a special work ethic before he ever arrived at CovCath. The two developed a close relationship over the last four years while Fredrick was constantly rebounding for him or putting him through individual workouts.
"What comes to mind when anyone asks me about Cole is a situation I witnessed when he was in seventh grade," Fredrick said. "I have a full court in my backyard and a lot of neighborhood kids are always coming over to play ball and work on their games there. One day there's a torrential downpour going on and lightning's cracking while I'm in my office paying bills, and I happened to look outside and see a kid shooting on my court. I walked out to see if he was OK and it was Cole out there as a seventh-grader soaking wet just wanting to work on his jump shot. I knew right then he was going to be a special player. He's just wired differently. He reminded me of myself at that age. He's old-school. He deserves all the success that comes his way."
CovCath is currently ranked No. 1 in the Courier-Journal's statewide Litkenhous Ratings and top three in pretty much every major poll across the state so VonHandorf has spent most of his time focusing on the task at hand as opposed to reflecting on his career as a Colonel to this point. He's determined to add another great memory to a trophy case full of them.
"The best thing about playing for CovCath is playing the sport you love with all of your best friends," he said. "The memories and lifelong friendships I've made are incredible. It's been a really special four years and I just want to keep it going."
As for which sounds better to him going forward, "CovCath's all-time leading scorer?" Or, "the only player in CovCath history to score 2,000 points?" He said neither.
"I like being called a state champion the best," he said. "To be on the first state championship team and achieve a team goal like that is always better than the individual accomplishments. (Becoming the school's only two-time state champion) is the goal now."