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Last updated on Friday, December 1, 2017
(NEW CASTLE) - The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 57th men’s induction class Monday. Three men with local connections - Steve Brett, John Heaton and John Wellemeyer - are among the list of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. The class will be honored on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.
Steve Brett, resides in Linton and recorded success as a longtime Indiana high school basketball coach following his playing days at Loogootee, one of the most storied programs in the state. Accumulating 467 career victories in a 37-season head coaching career, his teams won 11 sectionals, two regional and made one state finals appearance. He was the head coach of Bloomfield High School from 1978 - 1993, where his teams won 223 games, eight sectionals and led their 1985-86 team to a 23-2 record and appearance in Indiana's one-class "Sweet 16." He coached Seymour from 1994-2001, then led his alma mater Loogootee to the 2005 1A runner-up finish and ended his career at Shakamak. He served as an Indiana All-Stars assistant coach in 2006. As a player, he was a two-year starter and captain under HOF coach Jack Butcher at Loogootee, a part of teams that were 38-7, including a 20-2 senior season. He was also a three-year regular at Indiana State University in their inaugural years in NCAA Division I competition from 1968-71. He remains involved in the game as varsity assistant at Vincennes Lincoln High School.
John Heaton coached Indiana high school teams to 418 wins in 33 seasons as a head coach, including a trip to the state finals. A 1958 graduate of Bloomfield High School, where he played under HOF coach Guy Glover, he attended Indiana University before a career in education. Leading Eastern Greene to a 1968 Wabash Valley Tournament runner-up finish in his first head coaching stint, he won an undefeated conference championship among two seasons at Southwestern (Shelby). In 11 seasons at Silver Creek, his teams won 154 games, four sectionals and five conference titles, before leading Shelbyville to 211 wins, 11 sectionals, five regional titles and a trip to the 1986 state finals as their coach from 1983-2000. A Past President of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, he was an assistant coach for the 1995 Indiana All-Star team. Employed in education for 42 years, he is retired and lives in Shelbyville.
John Wellemeyer earned success in southern Indiana with outstanding high school and college careers. A 1967 Indiana All-Star after leading Huntingburg High School in scoring and rebounding all four years, he scored a school-record 1,623 career points, set the school and Dubois County records for single-season points (526) and school and county single-game scoring records with 52 points. As a senior, he averaged 25.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game and earned all-sectional honors four times in his career, along with SIAC all-conference honors. Under HOF coach Arad McCutcheon at Evansville College, he was a three-year starter, including on their 1971 NCAA College Division National Championship squad. He graduated among program leaders in career points (1,200) and career scoring average (14.6 points per game), single-season scoring and average (593 points, 20 points per game), field goals (263)and field goal percentage (.481). As a senior, he was named 1971 NCAA all-regional, 1st team Indiana Collegiate Conference all-conference and an Indiana College All-Star. Professionally, he rose through the ranks with Bristol Myers Squibb in a 33-year career. He resides in Evansville.
Inductees To Basketball Hall of Fame:
Steve Brett - Loogootee - 1967
Harold Cox - Kokomo - 1954
Marty Echelbarger - Muncie Central - 1963
Rod Freeman - Anderson - 1969
Bill Greve - Waveland - 1955
John Heaton - Bloomfield - 1958
Jimmie Howell - Lapel - 1972
Larry Parks * - Arlington - 1958
Carl Short - Indianapolis Manual - 1956
Earl Smith, Jr. - Gary Roosevelt - 1952
John Wellemeyer - Huntingburg - 1967
David "Poncho" Wright - Indianapolis John Marshall - 1978
Indiana Pacers Silver Medal
Bob Lovell - Plainfield - 1969
Centennial Award
Gene Thomas * - Fortville - 1918
* indicates deceased
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 57th Annual Men's Awards Banquet will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. 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 are available online now or through mail order in early 2018. Call the Hall at 765-529-1891, visit www.hoopshall.com or email info@hoopshall.com for more information.
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