News

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors announces
the 2022 Men’s Induction Class to be honored on Wednesday, March 23, 2022.

Indiana Basketball HOF announces 60^th Men’s Induction Class

(NEW CASTLE) – Encompassing basketball successes that began in our state but include accomplishments with national and international scope, the board of directors of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame announces their 60^th induction class, to be honored in ceremonies in 2022.

The late Jerry Bass was the state’s leading scorer in 1958 and an Indiana All-Star before playing at Indiana University.  Setting the Morristown High School career scoring record at 1,652 points, he averaged a state-best 30.1 points per game as a senior and earned selection to the Indiana All-Star squad.  A high scorer throughout his career, he averaged 23.9 points as a junior for the Yellow Jackets’ 23-2 team and 19.0 points per game as a sophomore.  Playing at IU under Branch McCracken, he totaled 632 points in 68 career games, including averaging 11.9 per game as a senior in 1961-62.  He died in 2009.

Wayne Boultinghouse scored over 1,100 points at Rockport High School, averaging over 18 points per game as a senior for their 18-5 team.  Playing five sports at the University of Evansville, he was a senior captain of the Aces’ 26-3 1964 NCAA College Division National Championship team and participating in the 1964 Olympic Trials.  Returning to his alma mater from 1969-1974, he was assistant coach for the Aces’ 1971 national championship squad.  From 1974-1981, he served as athletic director and head men’s basketball coach at the University of Southern Indiana, assisting in the formation of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.  From 1986-1996, he had a .741 winning percentage as head coach and AD at Kentucky Wesleyan, earning national Coach of the Year honors in 1992.  He completed his coaching career as head coach of the South Spencer High School girls basketball program from 1996-2002.  He resides in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Napoleon Brandford was starting center for the 1970 East Chicago Roosevelt state championship team.  A senior member of the 28-0 championship team, it was the third consecutive undefeated regular season for the Rough Riders, compiling a 71-2 record over three seasons.  Attending the University of Nevada, he earned freshman All-American honors. He averaged 15.2 points and 10.8 rebounds as a sophomore before a torn Achilles tendon injury.  He completed his degree at Purdue Calumet before forging a career in finance.  As a co-founder of Siebert, Brandford, Shank, Inc, he was chairman of the largest minority-owned investment firm on Wall Street. He was a lead investor in the Gary Steelheads of the CBA and served from 1998-2014 on the NCAA Corporate Advisory Board.  He resides in Berkeley, California.

Al Brown began his noted coaching career with Indiana roots.  A 1959 graduate of Connersville High School, he was a three-year letterwinner at Purdue University and was later on Purdue’s staff when they reached the 1969 NCAA national championship game.  The highlight of his high school coaching career at Centerville, Lafayette Central Catholic and DeKalb was leading LCC to a 1973 sectional championship, ending Lafayette Jeff’s state record of 29 straight sectional titles.  At Ball State, he was head coach of the Cardinals’ 1986 MAC champions and NCAA Tournament team.  A men’s assistant at Ball State, Western Michigan, Minnesota and Tennessee, in 1995 he was hired as an assistant by Pat Summitt with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols, where he was on the bench for three women’s NCAA national championship teams.  Also assisting the women’s programs at Wisconsin, South Carolina, Michigan State and Duke, he has been a part of teams reaching 8 NCAA Final Fours, 24 NCAA Tournaments and winning 80% of their games.  He is the only coach in college basketball history to coach in both the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s national championship games.  He resides in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The late Garth Cone attained small school success as the noted coach of Alexandria High School.  Leading the Tigers’ program from 1977 until his untimely death in 2010, Cone’s teams won 419 games (61%), along with 16 Central Indiana Conference titles, five sectionals, three regionals, a semi-state and the 1998 IHSAA 2A championship.  Three of his team’s sectional titles (1989, 1994 and 1995) came in the one-class state tournament played at Anderson, each of them with small-school Alexandria knocking out the host Indians.  An assistant coach of the 1995 Indiana All-Stars, he served as President of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.  He was a 1965 graduate of Pierceton High School and a 1969 graduate of Taylor University, where he played under Hall of Fame coach Don Odle.

Gary Duncan made his mark on southern Indiana basketball.  A 1963 graduate of Oakland City High School and 1967 graduate of Oakland City College, he spent 21 seasons as head coach at Salem and Southridge high schools.  Highlighting his 19 years and 279 wins at Southridge were 1985 and 1986 state finals appearances – the 1985 team was the only team in one-class state finals history to reach the final four with no seniors.  His two-year stint at Salem to begin his career included a 20-6 season with 1971 sectional and regional championships in his first season as a head coach.  In all, his teams won 303 games (.627), eight sectionals, three regionals and two semi-states.  He resides in Huntingburg.

The late Tony Etchison was a four-year varsity starter at Noblesville High School, where he scored 1,357 career points and led Noblesville to three consecutive sectional titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991.  Named all-county four years, all-sectional and all-regional three years, all-conference, all-Indianapolis Metro and 1990 and 1991 Hamilton County Player of the Year, he averaged 22.8 points, five rebounds and four assists per game as a senior.  On scholarship at Mercer University, he was a two-year starter earning all-academic honors four years and led the TransAmerican Conference in three-point shooting.  He died of a farming accident in 2019 at the age of 47.

Jerry Flake earned all-state accolades in high school and All-American honors in college.  Scoring over 1,100 points at Washington High School, he averaged 21.5 points per game as a senior in 1964-65.  At Southwestern Louisiana, he totaled 2,058 career points earning 1967 NAIA All-American honors and 1968 and 1969 Small College All-American recognitions, while hitting 50.5% FG and 85.4% FT for his career.  Showcasing his shooting prowess, he won both of the Great Indiana Shootout contests held at the New Castle Fieldhouse in 1986 and 1987, beating out numerous Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame inductees.  Involved in teaching and coaching in Louisiana, Illinois, and North Daviess and Hagerstown high schools, he has been inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame and Southwestern Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame.  He resides in Florida.

Ray McCallum has one of the most decorated careers as an Indiana high school and college player and Indiana college coach.  A member of Muncie Central’s 1978 state championship team and starter for their 1979 state title squad, he hit 17 of 20 field goals in the 1979 state finals to earn MVP honors of the tournament.  His career at Ball State University resulted in school and Mid-American Conference career scoring records at 2,109 points.  The 1983 MAC Player of the Year after averaging 20.7 points per game, he won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, recognizing the best college player in the nation under 6’0” and his #10 jersey has been retired at Ball State.  As the head coach at Ball State from 1993-2000, he led the Cardinals to 126 wins (.624), a MAC regular season title, two MAC Tournament championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.  Including tenures at the University of Houston and the University of Detroit, he has 300 wins, three NCAA Tournament appearances and three NIT appearances in 19 seasons.  He is currently an assistant coach at Tulane University.

Gary Merrell achieved success throughout Indiana during his career.  A 1964 graduate of Northwestern High School, he averaged 20.2 points as a senior for the Tigers’ 16-6 squad.  Surpassing 1,000 career points at the University of Findlay, he was also recognized off the court for scholarship, leadership and citizenship and was a 1996 inductee in their athletics hall of fame.  An Indiana high school coach for 36 seasons at Carroll, Madison, Seymour, DeKalb, Heritage, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and Fort Wayne Smith Academy, his teams registered 482 wins, 10 sectional championships, four regional titles and a 2004 1A runner-up finish (Blackhawk Christian).  He remains employed in education and resides in Fort Wayne.  

Doug Mitchell established North Central (Indianapolis) High School as a state power.  In 25 seasons leading the Panthers, his teams won 428 games (71%) and a pair of IHSAA 4A championships while coaching nine Indiana All-Stars and four All-Americans.  Leading the North Central program from 1992-2018, Mitchell’s teams claimed four MIC conference titles, four Marion County Tournament championships, won 11 sectionals, four regionals, and three semi-states, claiming 1999 and 2010 4A championships and 2007 4A state runner-up.  He coached four Indiana Mr. Basketball winners (Jason Gardner, AJ Ratliff, Eric Gordon and Kris Wilkes) each who were recognized as McDonald’s All-Americans. Mitchell was an assistant coach in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American game, an assistant for USA Basketball multiple times and head coach of the 2008 Gold Medal USA Basketball Junior National Team.  Prior to his coaching success, he was a standout as a player at Hamilton Heights High School, where he totaled 1,167 career points, was the 1975 Hamilton County Player of the Year and led the Huskies to a 1975 sectional championship, the first for the school in 35 years.  A scholarship player at Butler University, he received the Hilton U. Brown Mental Attitude as a senior in 1979.  He resides in Fishers.

Craig Neal has been involved in the game at every level starting with his time at Washington High School.  A 1983 Indiana All-Star after averaging 27.6 points per game and leading his 25-2 team to the semi-state finals, he totaled 1,440 points in his Hatchets career.  At Georgia Tech, he set school records of 127 games played and 570 career assists as part of three NCAA Tournament teams and set the Yellow Jackets’ single-season assist record of 303 his senior year.  Drafted in the 3^rd round of the 1988 NBA Draft, he played with Portland, Miami and Denver and also spent time in the WBL and CBA, including the Fort Wayne Fury.   A scout and assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors from 1994-2003, he was an assistant at the University of Iowa and University of New Mexico, was head coach of New Mexico from 2013-2017 and currently is associate head coach at the University of Nevada. 

Matt Painter has earned national acclaim during his tenure as head men’s basketball coach at Purdue University.  In his 17^th season as head coach in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers have five Sweet 16 appearances, 12 NCAA Tournament berths, three Big Ten regular-season championships and a Big Ten Tournament title.  Entering the 2021-22 season, he is the 3^rd winningest coach in Purdue history with a 355-184 (.659) mark and a career 380-189 (.668) record, including one season leading Southern Illinois.  At the time of this announcement (Nov. 30, 2021), his team is ranked #2 in the nation, tying the highest ranking in Purdue basketball history.  The 2019 NABC National Coach of the Year, he has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year more than any other active coach, receiving the recognition four times.  Painter is a 1994 graduate of Purdue, he was a senior captain and remains among the program leaders in career assists.  His prep career at Delta High School included school records in career scoring (1,497) and assists.  As a senior, he set Delta’s record for single-season scoring, averaging 27.7 points along with 9.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game, leading the Eagles to a 21-4 record, a sectional championship and his selection as a 1989 Indiana All-Star. 

The late William R. “Bill” Smith became synonymous with Broad Ripple High School basketball during his 24 seasons as head coach of the Rockets, including their 1980 state championship victory.  The two-time Marion County Coach of the Year and 1980 Indiana All-Star coach, his teams won 250 games, three sectionals, two regionals and one semi-state.  He coached five Indiana All-Stars, including future NBA players Mike Woodson and George Hill and he was the first Black coach to lead an integrated school to an Indiana high school basketball state championship.  Following his tenure at Broad Ripple, he served as a consultant to John Calipari at the University of Memphis and University of Kentucky and assisted Mike Woodson with the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks until his death in 2014.

The late James Strickland was a standout in the early years of the 20^th century.  At Owensville High School in Gibson County, he was key to their first sectional championship team, reaching the 1925 regional finals before a loss to eventual state runner-up Vincennes Lincoln.  As a senior, he again led the Kickapoos to a sectional championship and again was beaten in the regional by the eventual state runner-up squad, Evansville Central, by a 23-22 margin.  Over his junior and senior seasons, Owensville had a 48-9 record, the two winningest seasons in school history. At Indiana University, he enrolled with classmate Branch McCracken and that duo led the Hoosiers in scoring as sophomores in the 1927-28 season, going 15-2 and tying for the Big Ten championship – the 2^nd in school history.  He again was a leading scorer his junior year, garnering his 2^nd consecutive All-Big Ten recognition, named to the 1929 Indiana all-college team and 1929 3^rd team All-American honors.  He was the captain and leading scorer of the New York Athletic Club of the AAU league for five seasons and played briefly with the Indianapolis Kautskys, alongside John Wooden.  Strickland died in 1997.

John Sherman Williams sprung an all-star high school career at Indianapolis Washington into an All-American college career at Indiana State.  Averaging over 21 points and nine rebounds per game as a high school sophomore, his averages climbed to 27.3 points and 10.6 rebounds by his senior year, leading to recognition as a 1982 Indiana All-Star.  Along the way, he led the Continentals to a sectional championship in 1980 before a loss to eventual state champ Broad Ripple and reached the 1982 regional finals before a one-point loss to state finalist Cathedral.  His senior season, he was the Indianapolis city scoring champion.  A stellar career at Indiana State University culminated with 2,370 career points, leading the Sycamores in scoring each of his four seasons and earning Missouri Valley Conference all-conference recognition four times and All-American honors three times.  His senior season, he tied Larry Bird’s ISU record of 81 consecutive games in double-figure scoring, was 5^th in the country in scoring at 25.4 points per game and graduated 2^nd in Indiana State career scoring.  He completed his college career 3^rd in career scoring in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference, trailing only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird and in 2007 was named one of the 50 greatest players in MVC history.  Employed at Heritage Christian School, he resides in Fishers.

The late Clarence Walker was the first Black player to participate in a national collegiate basketball tournament game.  A 1946 graduate of East Chicago Washington High School under Hall of Fame coach John Baratto, he was a key member of their 24-3 regional championship team that season.  Recruited by John Wooden to Indiana State Teachers College, he was a member of their 1947 team that was invited to the NAIB national tournament.  On the basis that a Black player would not be eligible to compete in that tournament, Indiana State declined their invitation.  A year later, the rules had been altered and with Walker permitted to play, the Indiana State squad finished as national runners-up in the 1948 NAIB tournament.  As a senior, Walker was a starting guard as the Sycamores won the 1950 NAIB National Championship, following a 1949 national semi-finals appearance.  Receiving numerous awards, including the Purple Heart for his service in the Korean War, he was a teacher, counselor and administrator in Gary Schools for 35 years, rising to Assistant Superintendent.  He died in 1989 at the age of 60.

Mark Baltz is the recipient of the 2022 Silver Medal Award for contributions to Indiana basketball other than as an Indiana high school player or Indiana high school coach.  Officiating Indiana high school basketball for 43 years and a sports official for 50 years, he worked Indiana high school basketball games from 1971– 2013.  Baltz was the 2005 recipient of the IHSAA & NFOA Basketball Official of the Year recognition, the 2011 recipient of the IBCA Roy Gardner Award and 2013 recipient of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Center Circle Officials Award.  He worked 38 sectionals, 26 regionals, six semi-states and three boys basketball state finals.  His officiating career also included 15 seasons in men’s college basketball and 13 seasons of women’s college basketball.  He is a lifetime member and Past President of the Indiana Officials Association and a lifetime member and current President of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Also noted for his football officiating career, he is a retired National Football League head linesman of 25 years and recipient of the 2021 NFLRA “Referee of the Year” award.  A 1966 graduate of Lancaster (OH) High School and 1970 graduate of Ohio University, he and his wife Nicki reside in Zionsville.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 60^th Men’s Awards Banquet are planned for  Wednesday, March 23, 2022.  The day’s events will include a reception at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame museum in New Castle that afternoon with a banquet that evening at the Primo Banquet Hall in Indianapolis.

Reservations will soon be available online or through mail order in early 2022.  Call the Hall at 765-529-1891, visit www.hoopshall.com or email info@hoopshall.com for more information.

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