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The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes three men for their contribution as high school basketball officials as the 2020 Men’s Center Circle Officials Award winners.                              

Paul Cox, Mike Waisnora and the late John Goss will be recognized for their officiating careers.

Paul Cox is a 1957 graduate of Yorktown High School, where he played basketball.  Attending East New Mexico State on a basketball scholarship, he would later attain a degree in police administration from the University of Louisville.  Cox officiated 20 sectionals, 10 regionals, four semi-states and two IHSAA state finals (1989, 1993).  He also worked two baseball state finals and NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA basketball games.  A member of the Central Athletics Officials Association, he served two years as President.  Cox worked in rules interpretation for four years and was a Mid-American Conference observer for 10 years.  Additionally, he mentored three officials who went on to work NCAA Division I basketball, including J.D. Collins, who worked the NCAA Final Four and is now the NCAA National Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officials.  Cox is retired from a 32-year career in law enforcement with the Muncie Police Department.  He resides in Yorktown.

Mike Waisnora is a 1971 graduate of Munster High School and 1976 graduate of Purdue University.  He played basketball and baseball at Munster, averaging 21.0 points per game and earning 1^st team all-conference his senior season.  He played two seasons of college basketball at Purdue-Calumet.  He is retired after 42 years as licensed official, working 39 sectionals, 27 regionals, 13 semi-states and seven state finals (1992, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013).  A member of the Lake County Officials Assocation, he worked as a local clinician for certification clinics and as an observer for a mentoring program for JV officials.  He was named the 2006 IHSAA Boys Basketball Official of the Year and received the 2013 Indiana Basketball Coaches Assocation Roy Gardner Award.  He is retired from a position at Main Sporting Goods in East Chicago. Following longtime residence in Crown Point, he now resides in Englewood, Florida.

The late John Goss was a 1967 graduate of Gary Lew Wallace High School and earned degrees in business and education from St. Joseph’s College.  He worked 38 sectionals, 27 regionals, 12 semi-states and six boys state finals (1994, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011).  Goss was named the 2007 IHSAA Boys Basketball Official of the Year and 2008 NFHS Official of the Year.  A member of the Lake County Athletic Officials Association and Calumet Officials Association, he was secretary and basketball assigner of the LCAOA and was an observer and clinician since the early 1970s.  Also was a member of National Association of Sports Officials and Athletic Sports Officials, he was inducted into Indiana Football Hall of Fame, having officiated seven IHSAA football state finals.  Retired from Brink’s, Inc., he died in February 2017.

For more information, you may email info@hoopshall.com.