Beloved former Taft High School basketball coach dies

By: Mike Dyer CINCINNATI — Wilberforce University men’s basketball coach Mark Mitchell, who led the Taft High School boys basketball team to its first state championship, has died. Mitchell was 56 years old. Mitchell, the father of Indiana Fever guard and former Ohio State star Kelsey Mitchell, was the Wilberforce University men’s basketball coach the past four seasons. Wilberforce is an NAIA program in Wilberforce, Ohio (Greene County). Withrow boys basketball coach Berdo Allen, a 1996 Taft graduate, said Mitchell made a significant impact on countless lives. Mitchell was assistant coach while Allen played at Taft. “He was tough and loving at the same time,” Allen said. “It just took my breath away (hearing the news). He always said if ever needed anything to call him. His honesty got us prepared for the real world.” Prior to Wilberforce, Mitchell returned to coach high school basketball in the Cincinnati area after he had been an Ohio State women’s basketball assistant coach for four seasons. Mitchell helped his daughter Kelsey become Ohio State’s first four-time All-American in women’s basketball among several other accolades. Kelsey Mitchell was selected by the Indiana Fever as the No. 2 overall selection in the 2018 WNBA Draft....