Hoops Hall Of Fame Announcing Class
The Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame will announce and honor its 2013 class of inductees Friday night.
The group will be saluted during the Whitko at Tippecanoe Valley boys basketball game in Akron. The inductees will be recognized between the junior varsity and varsity games.
This year’s group of Hall of Famers will include individuals from the pre-consolidation era of basketball in Kosciusko County. This will be the fourth class of inductees selected for the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremonies will be held next June at Grace College.
The 2013 class of inductees includes former players Bob Creighton (Class of 1958) and Jim Irwin (1960) from Atwood, Al Study (1960) from Beaver Dam, John Clay (1955) and Rex Woodruff (1960) from Claypool, Dick Stouder (1954) and James Stouder (1958) from Etna Green and Bob Long (1960) and Jerry Ryman (1963) from Mentone.
The distinguished group of former players to be inducted also includes Chuck Fleischauer (1958) from Milford, Jon Sroufe (1960) from North Webster, John McFarren (1959) from Pierceton, Emery Brandenburg (1955) from Silver Lake, Tom Firestone (1961) from Syracuse and Lavon Harman (1956) for Warsaw.
A quartet of special contributors are also included in this year’s class of Hall of Famers. That group includes coach Bill Patrick (1956) from Sidney and Norm Hagg (1955) from Leesburg. Patrick is currently the boys basketball coach at Tippecanoe Valley High School. Also in the group is award-winning sportscaster Rita Price, who has been at WRSW for the last 54 years, along with former official Don Lozier, who also played at Leesburg.
The Whitko at Tippecanoe Valley contest starts Friday with the JV game at 6:15 p.m.