Cleaves

Steve Cleaves’ 106-year-old record is safe and remains at rest in peace.

Cleaves – who went by Ike – scored 545 points for the Oil City High School basketball team in 1920 – 106 years ago. Those 545 points are the most by an Oiler before or since – in other words a school record.

That record had a chance to be erased this season by Nevin Stinson, who after the first Warren game on Jan.13 had 334 points, and was carrying a 25.69 ppg average, with 12 regular season games to play. (Not to mention playoffs.)

Had Stinson continued at that pace, he would have had 608 points alone by the end of the regular season, shattering Cleaves’ record.

But things began to happen. Stinson missed two games. I’m not sure what happened there, but suffice it to say when he returned to the lineup for the Corry game on Jan. 27, he was slapped with two fouls in the first two minutes of the game, forcing him to the bench for most of the rest of the first half. What’s more, when he did get back into the game to start the second half, those pretty threes just weren’t falling. He scored seven points that game.

And two games later, they were still not falling.

There’s another thing, too. Stinson played on the junior high team when he was in ninth grade – not on the jayvees/varsity. As a sophomore, he saw limited varsity action, scoring 17 points. Doesn’t look like a 1,000 points career guy in the making does it?

But, he totaled 407 points as a junior, and coupled with how he became a scoring machine through the first 13 games of this past season, Stinson shot himself in contention for that more celebrated achievement. Not your usual route to 1,000, but there he was.

However, due to the aforementioned things that went down in mid-January, that didn't happen, either. Had he reached 1,000 by way of fisher’s fence, Stinson would have only been the second Oiler to hit the Holy Grail of High School Hoops. (Ben Schill is the only one; he finished his career in 1996 with 1,130 points.)

Stinson still became only the third Oil City player to score 900 points or more, finishing with 961. Chris Jasiota ended with 975 points in 2003, and Logan Way has dropped to No. 4 all-time with 949 in 2014. (Cleaves, by the way, is fourth with 866).

Getting back to Cleaves. He played in an era where teams had a designated foul shooter, and Cleaves was the man for the Oilers in 1920. Because of the DFS rule, which was dropped in about 1923, there are those who would give Cleaves the record grudgingly. (Never mind that Cleaves didn’t have the luxury of the three-point line.)

In that case, Oil City’s “modern” single-season scoring record is 498 points by Mike Emick in 1971, and Stinson broke that, finishing with 537. He’s the only Oiler ever to put together back-to-back 400-point single seasons. Plus, he still averaged more than 23 ppg, which is the best in OCHS history.

Another thing about Cleaves: He followed his more famous brother Jack, a football All-American, to Princeton where he captained the basketball team, which was 21-2 and Eastern Collegiate (formerly Ivy League) champion his senior year. So he was no slouch. He retired from practicing law in New York City in 1988, and died in 1991, probably never believing he set a record in high school and one that still stands – 106 years later.

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I was gobsmacked when I first discovered a guy (Steve Cleaves) who scored 545 points for the Oil City High School basketball team in 1920.  I didn't think anybody scored that many points in a basketball back then, let alone one from Oil City, which is not known for scoring.

The Oilers have had only one (male) 1,000 points scorer, Ben Schill in 1996. And only two others had even reached 900 -- Logan Way in 2014  and Chris Jasiota in 2003. Compare that to the 33 who have hit 1,000 in District 10 in this year ALONE before the playoffs began. That's according to Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times News, who keeps track of that stuff. 

Cleaves -- always sounds to me like he should be the butler -- played in the early 1920s where teams had a designation free throw shooter. Cleaves was that guy for Oil City. (The rule changed in like 1923 or 1924). I always said you play with the rules you're given and Cleaves didn't have a three-point line. ) 

Then I got the game-by-game season's records out for Stinson, Emick and Cleaves. Put them side by side, and I have to admit some of those numbers for Cleaves  are weird looking: 1 field goal, 18 for 32 from the line, 20 points. So I can see why anyone would be hesitant to give him the "school record." Still, he did score more points in one season than any other Oiler ever.

Oh, and that is another thing. Guys back then couldn't shoot free throws to save their souls. Why, I don't know. But they were terrible. A little over 50%. Neither Cleaves nor the guy who followed him in 1921, Ellis Hall, were very good. Stinson shoots 84%. You can do the math on how many points their shooting either giveth or taketh away, but Stinson would have well over 600 points this season if he could shoot all of the Oilers' free throws.

Anyway, the charts on each player follow. I thought you might find them engrossing.

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Oh, and one more little thing: Cleaves' single-season record is not 545 points. It's 541. An error was made in putting in the numbers for one of his games, so I corrected it.