Robert Osher performed seven surgeries Monday before leaving the office for his other job. Osher, the medical director of the Cincinnati Eye Institute, coaches the state champion CEI Lasers, a 12-year-old girls basketball team that will represent Ohio at the AAU national championship in New Haven, Conn., next week.

        The national tournament begins July 6 with 76 teams divided into pools of four. The fifth-seeded Lasers' pool includes the New Jersey AAU champion and teams from Virginia and Georgia.

        “It's difficult, but fun,” forward Lesslee Cox said. “You get a chance to play the best.”

        Osher said many of the participating teams practice and compete year round; Ohio teams can't begin practicing until March 1.

        “(So) you never know what to expect,” Osher said. “But I like the anonymity. I like the surprise.”

        Osher's teams have won five straight state championships. He has coached girls just the last two years.

        In preparation for nationals, the team practiced three hours Saturday and Sunday, Osher said. The Lasers usually practice two hours a night. The 11 team members run and lift weights on their own, Osher said.

        “This is not what you associate with a 12-year-old basketball team,” Osher said. “But these kids inhale basketball.”

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