Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2013
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame will greet a distinguished group of 11 well-known players and/or coaches, two outstanding teams and a game official when it inducts its 2013 class in May. Inductees include:
- Randy Ayers
- Brad Daugherty
- Fran Guilbault
- Howard Jolliff
- Kenyon Martin
- Jim Morgan,
- Ron Niekamp
- Wally Szczerbiak
- Steve Trout (Official)
- Barbara Turner
- Bill Uhl
- Tamika Williams Raymond
- Dayton Belmont High School’s 1964 Class A (big school) state champion boys team
- University of Findlay’s unbeaten 2009 NCAA Division II national champions.
Selections are made by a panel of Ohio college All-Americans, NBA Hall of Fame players, Ohio high school and college coaches, and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
The eighth annual induction ceremony will be held May 18, 2013, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Ayers and Niekamp, both former Miami University players, were selected for their achievements as college coaches. Ayers was head coach at Ohio State University for eight years. He was NCAA Division I coach of the year in 1991 and Big Ten coach of the year in 1991 and 1992.
Niekamp was head coach at the University of Findlay for 26 years, guiding the Oilers to 26 consecutive winning seasons and the 2009 Division II championship.
Daugherty, a star player at the University of North Carolina, was the No. 1 overall NBA draft choice in 1986. He played eight seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was the team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder when he retired after the 1993-94 season because of recurring back problems.
Szczerbiak earned his Ohio recognition with a brilliant career at Miami University. He scored 1,847 points – second most in MU history – and in 1999 led Miami to its first appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16. He became the third All-American in program history. Szczerbiak played 10 seasons in the NBA with Minnesota, Boston, Seattle and Cleveland.
Morgan, a 1953 graduate of Dayton Stivers High School, was a standout guard who scored 1,105 points for University of Louisville teams from 1954-57 and played on UL’s 1956 National Invitation Tournament championship team.
Uhl, one of the game’s first 7-footers, led some strong University of Dayton teams in both scoring and rebounding for three seasons (1954-56) and was a consensus All-America choice in 1956 when Dayton was ranked third in the country..
Jolliff, a product of Canton South High School, played only two varsity seasons at Ohio University before being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and becoming the first Bobcat to play in the NBA. He scored 29 points when OU defeated Notre Dame in 1960 for its first NCAA Tournament victory.
Martin, a 12-year pro, is being honored for his college career at the University of Cincinnati. He was the national player of the year in 1999-2000 when he averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game before breaking his leg in the Conference USA Tournament. He was selected first overall in the 2000 NBA draft.
At Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, Williams was named national prep player of the year by Street & Smith’s magazine, Naismith, USA Today and Parade magazine. She played on national championship teams at the University of Connecticut in 2000 and 2002.
Turner was a high school All-American at Cleveland East Tech. She averaged 23.5 points and 4.6 blocks per game as East Tech won the 2002 Division II state championship. She was voted MVP of the tournament. Turner played college basketball at Connecticut and spent three years in the WNBA.
Guilbault coached the St. Henry High School boys basketball team for 38 years. The Redskins had winning records in each of the last 35 years. They won state championships in 1979, 1990 and 1991. Guilbault’s won-lost record was 624-218, a .741 winning percentage.
Some longtime prep observers consider the 1964 Belmont team, which finished 26-1, the finest ever in Ohio. Coached by John Ross, the Bison beat No. 2-ranked Canton McKinley, 80-56, in the semifinals and crushed Cleveland East, 89-60, in the championship game. Stars of the team were Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Bill Hosket and Don May.
Findlay’s 2009 NCAA Division II champs compiled the best record in the history of the division by going 36-0. The Oilers were 27-0 in the regular season and 9-0 in tournament games. They defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 56-53, in overtime in the championship game.
For more information, contact Co-Founders Doc Daugherty (216) 261-1460; Don Henderson (937) 215-6128, or Induction Ceremony Coordinator Sheila Fox (614) 547-2160 or sfox@eventinsite.com.
