Boys basketball preview 2023: Here come the sons ... Asiah and Aven Kielian enjoy the challenge of playing for their father Matt

Lorain basketball is a family affair for the Kielians. Two years ago, longtime assistant Matt Kielian took over the program from John Rositano. At the same time, his oldest son Asiah began his varsity journey and has established himself as one of Lorain's go-to players. Now that Asiah's a senior, his brother Aven, a junior, is ready to join the rotation. "It's a great feeling," Asiah said. "Not everyone can say they played with their brother and played for their father as coach. It's really amazing. We all know what each other is about. Our chemistry is like no other. I know what Aven is going to bring to the table and he knows what I'm going to bring. We're all trusting what our father, our coach, has to bring to the team." Of course, playing on the same team with family can sometimes be challenging, especially since the three spend so much time together between school, practice and family life. However, Asiah said that when they're on the court, Matt is their coach, not their father. And at the end of the day, both sons know their father — and coach — wants the best for them whatever his role is. "At times it's tough," Matt said. "They're a splitting image of me. Aven is one of my personalities and Asiah is my other personality. I look out on the court and I see me in them. I was never trying to live through them, I want them to have their own lives. I want them to do the best they can do. I can't say enough about how they are as overall human beings. They're kind, they're passionate, they're fun-loving and giving. They would give their shirt off their back. Raising two young men that have those characteristics was extremely important to me." Asiah is not only one of the Titans' best players, he's also one of the top guards in the Lake Erie League. He emerged as a sophomore, averaging 14.4 points per game and leading the Titans with 53 assists. While his scoring numbers slid to 11 points per game last year, that largely was because of the arrival of Open Door transfer Jai'den Guerra-Howard, who took a lot of the scoring pressure off his fellow Titans by averaging 11.4 points. Asiah still dished out 90 assists and averaged 4.1 rebounds in being named first-team All-LEL and second-team All-Lorain County. "I want to continue to be more of a leader on the court," Asiah said. "I want to lead the way and show the younger guys what it takes to play at this next level. Just keep working on your game and have fun with your game. Not taking things for granted because you never know when it will be the last time you'll get to play this game. So for me I've been working on communicating, becoming a better teammate and picking my teammates up." Aven has spent the last two seasons on junior varsity but looks to be a key fixture in the lineup this year. Both Asiah and Matt said the junior's defense is his calling card as he routinely guards the opposing team's best player. Going up against his older brother, Guerra-Howard and Ike Rowser, all seniors, in practice has helped expose Aven to a variety of playmaking styles. "It's really about the weight room with me," Aven said. "Trying to get stronger, trying to get faster. Previous years on JV I'd get knocked around a lot. I need to bulk up a bit and get stronger a bit." After losing a talented senior class in 2021, Lorain made strides in Matt Kielian's second year, going 13-12 overall and 7-7 in the LEL. While the Titans lost two seniors, they return seven in addition to some strong juniors looking to make an early impact and keep pushing Lorain forward. And both Kielian sons should play a significant role in Lorain's success this year. "Not too many people have been in this situation where they get to coach their sons," Matt said. "I'm honored and blessed that I get to share this experience with them. It's challenging because we spend so much time together, however, I wouldn't have it any other way. They're great kids, great sons, great young men who really care about their community, their family, their friends and their teammates. I couldn't ask for two better young men as sons." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.