Ohio high school basketball coach steps down after 38 seasons

An Ohio high school basketball coach will take a breather from the role after 38 seasons. As The Columbus Dispatch’s Frank DiRenna reported, Ed Calo will step down as Westerville South coach for the second time in four years.

Calo initially stepped down on April 22 but came back to coach three months later. By his second retirement, he compiled a 572-298 record with 19 league championships, seven district titles, and a state crown in two tournament appearances. He led Westerville South to an Ohio high school basketball Division I state championship over Lima Senior in 2016. The year before, the team had a runner-up finish to Wayne in the title game.

These accolades bolstered Calo’s induction to the Westerville South Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Ohio Capital Conference Hall of Fame in 2018. Westerville South also honored him by naming their new Ohio high school basketball gym after him in 2020.

Calo played Ohio high school basketball at Westerville South for two seasons before transferring to Slippery Rock. He started his coaching career in 1980, a year after graduating from high school, as an assistant at Franklin Heights. Six years later, he joined Westerville South after a coaching stint at Grove City. Calo was Westerville’s assistant for one year before getting promoted to head coach.

While Calo will continue to support the Ohio high school basketball program he guided for over three decades, he isn’t closing the door to a coaching return. For now, he will take some time off, probably for good, after watching his son win his first Division 1 state championship with Olentangy Orange in March.