Kosciusko B-Ball Hall of Fame Inductees Recognized
Posted
Staff Report-
The inductees for the 2012 Kosciusko County Hall of Fame were recognized prior to Saturday’s Wawasee/Whitko boys basketball game in South Whitley.
A brief biography for each inductee is listed below.
Atwood Greyhounds Tom Bradway (1961) Bradway led Tom Sittler’s Greyhounds in scoring his senior year with 351 points which was fourth best among Kosciusko county scorers that year. His career point total of 684 led all Greyhound scorers during the decade of the 1960s. He had a 32-point game his senior year against the Tippecanoe Police Dogs. Bradway went on to play collegiate ball at Manchester College
Beaver Dam Beavers Marlin Valentine (1960) Valentine was a four-year starter for the Beavers and made the 1960 All-County team. Valentine scored 225 point his senior year and his 796 career point’s ranks ranks 3rd for all Beaver scorers for the decade.
Claypool Knights Don Morris (1959) Morris led the Knights in scoring in three of his four varsity seasons. He scored 330 points his senior year to lead the Knights and his 888 career points were second highest for the Knights during the decade of the 1950’s. Morris helped lead Doug Fites 1958 Claypool team to a 14-8 season which was the most wins for a Claypool team during the 1950’s.
Etna Green Cubs Richard Long (1955) This 1955 first team all-sectional selection was the first 1,000-point career scorer in Etna Green history. Long’s 511 point senior season stands as Etna Green’s single season record. He ended his high school career with 1059 points and played on Etna Green’s 1952 County Championship team, which beat the Warsaw Tigers and the legendary Whitey Bell in the championship game 59-49.
Etna Green Cubs Ronnie Hoffer (1958) Hoffer played for coach Jim Robbins powerful 1957 and 1958 Etna Green Cubs teams, which are regarded as two of the best teams in Kosciusko County history. Etna Green went an incredible 49-3 in two seasons, winning back to back county championships and the 1958 Sectional. Hoffer led the Cubs in scoring his senior year with 464 points and finished with 1195 for his career. He was a first team all-county selection in both 1957 and 1958. He played collegiate basketball at Manchester College and went on to coach high school basketball for many years. Etna Green Cubs Larry Heisler (1960) Heisler was a first team all-county selection in 1959 and 1960. He ended his high school career with 1309 points which is the all-time career record for the Etna Green Cubs. He led the Cubs in scoring in both his junior and senior years, scoring 476 points his senior year. Heisler was also part of the powerhouse 1957 and 1958 Etna Green Cubs which went 49-3 with back to back county championships and the 1958 sectional title.
Leesburg Blue Blazers Loren Pound (1951) He led the Blue Blazers in scoring his senior year with 342 points. Pound was on the 1951 All-Sectional team and while playing for coach’s Burt Niles and Ted Ford he scored over 750 points in his Leesburg career. Pound is considered one of the finest players in Leesburg history.
Mentone Bulldogs Bob Boggs (1954) Boggs was a first team all-county and all-sectional selection his senior year. Boggs helped lead coach Abe Hoogenboom’s Mentone team to an outstanding record of 25-2 which included both a county championship and sectional title. Boggs led the Bulldogs in scoring in both his junior and senior years and his 1954 total of 530 led all of Kosciusko County. Boggs was Mentone’s first 1,000-point scorer ending his high school career with 1,015 points.
Mentone Bulldogs Bill Nellans (1963) In Nellans four years of varsity basketball under coach Paul Bateman,. Mentone had and incredible record of 83 wins and 15 losses, winning three Kosciusko County championships and the 1962 sectional championship beating Warsaw in the final game. Nellans led the Bulldogs in scoring for three season’s with his 584 points in 1962 being his best. Nellans holds the Mentone career scoring record with 1578 points. Milford Trojans Larry Losee (1956) Losee led Milford in scoring three years and was a 1955 all-sectional selection. He was Milford’s first 1,000-point scorer which included 463 points his senior year. His 1207 career points is the all-time record for Milford.
North Webster Trojans Bob Bause (1961) Bause was a 1961 all-county first team selection who ended both his junior and senior years with 399 point totals both leading the Trojans in scoring. Bause played on Donnie Butts’ 1960 North Webster squad that ended with a 21-4 record and a runner-up finish in the sectional, losing to Columbia City. He ended his North Webster career with 1,158 points.
Pierceton Cubs Tim Derf (1956) Derf helped lead Burt Niles Pierceton Cubs to the 1956 Kosciusko County Championship. He made the first team all-county and all-sectional team that year. He scored 283 points his senior year in helping the Cubs to an impressive 20-4 record. He was known as a outstanding all around athlete who also excelled in track and baseball.
Sidney Wildcats Larry Metzger (1955) Metzger was a three-time first team all-county selection that led the Wildcats in scoring in three of his four varsity seasons. He was a mainstay on the 1953 Sidney team that ended with a 18-7 record and runners-up in both the county championship and sectional. Metzger was Sidney’s first 1,000-point scorer and ended his career with 1,219 points the best in Sidney history.
Silver Lake Ramblers Dave Kinsey (1957) Kinsey was a 1955 and 1957 all-county selection who helped lead Art Windmiller’s 1955 Silver Lake team to the county championship. In 1956, he scored 56 points in a game against Claypool setting a Kosciusko County single-game scoring record that still stands today. He led the Ramblers in scoring that year with 434 points. Kinsey had 1,082 points in his career and play college basketball at Manchester College. Syracuse Yellowjackets Larry Nicolai (1957) Nicolai led the Yellowjackets in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons. He made the 1955 all-county team and scored 286 points in his senior season. His 649 career point’s ranks fourth for Syracuse during the decade of the 1950s
Warsaw Tigers Dave Burke (1951) A 1951 all-sectional selection, Burke was the second-leading scorer for the Warsaw Tigers behind Whitey Bell for the sectional champions. Burke scored 248 points that year and tallied 408 for his career.
Official Merl Heckaman A longtime Kosciusko county official that was a mainstay in IHSAA sectional and regional tournament games throughout the state in the 1960s and 70s. Heckaman officiated other IHSAA sports including football and soccer. He was known as a disciplined official with a oblique sense of humor.
