11th Annual Ceremony to be held May 21 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center
CONTACTS: Sheila Fox, Executive Director (614) 547-2160; sfox@ohiobasketballhalloffame.com
Doc Daugherty (216) 409-9466
COLUMBUS – Ten former college basketball stars, five coaches, a women's basketball pioneer, an official and three Miami University championship teams make up the class that the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame will induct in 2016.
Two of the University of Cincinnati's finest players – All-Americans Tom Thacker and Danny Fortson – are among the 10 players selected. Thacker played on national championship teams in 1961 and 1962 and the second-place team in 1963. Fortson, UC's second all-time leading scorer, led the Bearcats to Conference USA titles in 1996 and 1997.
The University of Toledo's first All-American, Chuck Chuckovits, will be honored alongside Bowling Green product Al Bianchi, Ohio Wesleyan's Jud Millhon, Ashland All-American Kevin Wilson, Ohio State sharpshooter Marcie Alberts, Purdue standout Joy Holmes Harris, Central State's all-time women's leading scorer Marieme Lo and Robert “Bingo” Smith, an original member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Steve Bankson, whose Baldwin-Wallace teams won five Ohio Athletic Association crowns and 420 games, is one of the coaches being honored.
The others are Charlie Huggins, who guided both Strasburg and Indian Valley South to state championships; Larry Hunter, who coached Wittenberg, Ohio University and Western Carolina after playing at OU; Jerry Sigler, whose Sylvania Northview girls' teams won 675 games; and Bob Walsh, who won two state titles and had a 643-301 record while coaching at five Lorain County schools.
Carol Smith of Dublin, who coached high school basketball for 16 years and took Walnut Ridge High School to its only state tournament appearance in 1977, is being recognized for her work in organizing women's prep basketball in Ohio.
Tim Gebhardt, a Muskingum College graduate from Bucyrus, is the official in the 2016 class.
Also being recognized are Miami University's Mid-American Conference championship teams of 1956-57, 1957-58, and 1958-59, all of whom played in the NCAA Tournament. The 1957-58 team, coached by Dick Shrider and featuring OBHOF Charter Inductee Wayne Embry, John Powell and Jim Thomas, remains the only men's team ever to go through its MAC schedule undefeated.
The 2016 ceremony will be held on May 21 at the Columbus Convention Center.
About the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame
Founded in 2006, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of both male and female basketball players in high school, college and professional basketball; successful coaches on all levels; and those who have impacted the game along the way. The induction ceremony is a celebration of basketball, its rich history, and those who have contributed to the game in Ohio.
