John Bleau

By CHRIS LARICK

 

In a season filled with a sense of impending doom, St. John guard John Bleau was a ray of light.

Those old enough to remember how the Youngstown Diocese decided to pull its funding support from the school in November, 1991.

That was just a little more than two years after the Heralds basketball team had celebrated its greatest season ever, going 18-3 and sharing the Northeastern Conference championship with Ashtabula after the 1988-89 season under coach John Bowler.

That team was paced by Hall of Famers Steve Hanek, Dave Golen, Augie Pugliese and a young Jim Chiacchiero (all Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Famers). 

The Heralds were more than competitive the following year, going 17-6. 

Bleau (pronounced “Blue”) will be inducted into the ACBF Hall of Fame himself on Apr. 2.

He saw limited action as a sophomore and was a third wheel to Chiacchiero and Golen as a junior. With all of St. John’s other stars graduated in 1991, he became the team’s main offensive threat at 5-foot-10, under 160 pounds.

The Heralds won just one game that year, an early-season victory over Ashtabula. But Bleau led the county in scoring with 24.3 points per game. He set a school scoring record with 43 points against Jefferson on January 28, 1992 (a mark that stood for 27 years, until 2019)., was in double figures in all but two games and scored 20 points or more in 16 of 22 games.

“John’s doing a real nice job,” St. John Coach John Bowler told the Star Beacon’s Mike Scully during that senior year. “He has taken control of our offense. He passes the ball well, grabs a few rebounds and helps on defense.”

Like many boys his age, Bleau, the son of Dawn Bleau of Rock Creek, started playing basketball in his driveway with friends at an early age.

He began organized team basketball at St. John under Coach Jerry Kaydo.

“He taught us and the guys great fundamentals like teamwork, love for the game, and  personal accountability,” Bleau said of Kaydo.

Bleau recalls playing with Golen, Chiacchiero, Golen, Matt Peet and John and Don Costello. His senior year Chris Silva and Scott Koproski played the role of big men.

“I was a guard throughout school,” Bleau said of his role. “My teammates did not stay the same throughout, but all of us made up a good team.”

“His penetrating moves are among the area’s best and he is a deadly shooter from 12 feet and in,” Bowler said. “He’s a proficient ball handler but he’s forced to go against double teams especially designed to stop him.”

Most teams found success using a box-and-one defense against Bleau to make it difficult for him to get open.

For his part, Bleau liked Bowler’s “communication and competitiveness. We would always have open gyms in the summers that coaches and former players would come back for and it got real competitive.”

His senior year he was named first-team, All-Ashtabula County, All-Northeastern Conference and All-District (Division IV) in basketball, as well as third-team Associated Press All-Ohio. He was also selected as the Gazette’s MVP,

Bleau also played football and baseball for the Heralds. In baseball he batted .345 and stole 29 bases in 30 attempts and was a first-team all-county and all-league choice.

After graduating from St. John, Bleau began college at the University of Toledo but didn’t play basketball there.

He wound up not taking a degree.

"I ended up not being ready for college at the time,” he said.

For about 19 of the last 25 years he has worked at UPS in Toledo.

He met his wife, Stephanie, through mutual friends during college in Toledo. Stephanie is now the store manager at Soma in Perrysburg, a suburb of Toledo.

“She’s doing what she loves,” Bleau says.

The Bleaus have been married for 20 years and have two daughters, Lexi, 21, and Ava, 18.

"Lexi is now an esthetician, working in skin care and full body waxing,” John said. "My youngest daughter, Ava, is graduating high school this year top of her class and attending college to study sonography.”

Bleau doesn’t participate in any sports now.

"I do love listening to live music outdoors, especially The Grateful Dead,” he said. "I also vacation every year on Lake Erie with my family, so enjoying the outdoors in the water or anything in the sun is my ideal activity.

"I was Uber competitive and sports was a huge part of my life during high school,” he said. “I went from football to basketball to baseball to playing legion ball in the summer. Sports have taught me many valuable lessons that have served me well throughout my life.”