One of the first things Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Todd Turnwald did when he was hired at Ottoville High School was to initiate the purchase of a Noah Basketball Shooting System.
Turnwald was raised in Ottoville, a small Northwest Ohio town of less than 1,000 people. The high school has a typical graduating class of around 50. Turnwald was a three-year varsity basketball letterman, a two-year captain and still lived in the tiny village in Putnam County.
Turnwald first experienced Noah and its shooting aid a few years prior. He had heard that Coach Mark Smith of Delphos Jefferson High School had won a Noah Instant from the Win a Noah Contest in 2008.
“Mark invited some of our kids over to check out the Noah and to work on their shooting,” Turnwald said. “I remember that day well. We went over on a Sunday. When I first saw it, I knew this would be the perfect thing for us.
“I instantly loved it. One of the things we struggled with at my previous school was arc. Our players shot too high or too flat. But once Noah got them consistent at the 45 degree mark, I saw how much of a difference it made. I said ‘we need to have one.’”
Ottoville shot 58 percent from the free line in 2012. Then with a full year of Noah under their belt, the Big Green improved to 76 percent in 2013. That percentage led all Ohio prep divisions in free throw shooting. Ottoville also upped its three-point shooting from 24 percent to 33 percent that season.
After nearly three years with Noah, Turnwald is paying it forward. Student-athletes from nearby and rival schools are coming to Ottoville’s gym to use the Noah Instant. Even opponents on the Ottoville schedule are encouraged to come shoot on Noah.
“That’s how it is in Northwest Ohio,” Turnwald said. “Basketball here is really good. But we have even a better fraternity of players, coaches and schools.”
Turnwald’s efforts were noticed, and he became a reference for coaches to call and discuss the system.
“I have coaches calling me from all over,” Turnwald said. “A guy from New Jersey called the other day. Coaches inquire about the whole deal – how we use Noah in practice, how we use it during the season and offseason. I’m big on helping any kids who want to put in time to improve their shooting. If they want to get better, I’m going to give them my time.”
Now Turnwald is part of Noah's Coaches Referral Program. The new program offers coaches a fee if they help secure a sale by inviting other coaches to their gym to see and use the system.”
Turnwald recently accomplished a successful referral when Marietta High School had a Noah Instant installed on their gym wall in early November. How Turnwald and Marietta linked up is quite a story.
Marietta JV Coach Andy Altenburger hails from Ottoville and is a graduate of the high school. His son Matt practiced in the school’s gym when they returned home to Northwest Ohio. Marietta and Ottoville are almost five hours apart.
Then last Christmas Eve, Coach Turnwald introduced Matt to the Noah. From then on, it was game on. Matt practiced a lot on the Noah during the Christmas Break, and greatly improved his shooting. Coach Altenburger knew Marietta High School would benefit from having a Noah Instant.
That led to a few phone calls between Marietta Varsity Boys Coach Mark Duckworth and Coach Turnwald.