NEW CASTLE – The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame has elected new officers and added new members to their Board of Directors effective July 1, 2019.
Noblesville High School graduate Tony Etchison, a member of the Hall’s 2016 Silver Anniversary Team, is one of four new members that have been appointed to four-year terms as new members of the Board of Directors, effective July 1.
Etchison is a graduate of Noblesville High School and Mercer University. Totaling 1,357 points in high school, he led Noblesville to two sectional titles and two-time Hamilton County Player of the Year honors, before leading the TransAmerican Conference in three-point shooting at Mercer. An agent for Farm Bureau Insurance, he resides in Arcadia.
The other three new members are:
Jimmie Howell, a 2018 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Lapel High School and Charleston Southern University. In his 38th season as an Indiana high school basketball coach, the current Lapel head coach is the 14th winningest high school boys varsity coach in Indiana history with 610 career victories, including 2005 1A and 2016 2A IHSAA championships. Currently the athletic director of Lapel Middle School, he resides in Lapel.
Jennifer Jacoby, a 2017 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Rossville High School and Purdue University. Indiana’s 1991 Miss Basketball graduated as the 2nd all-time leading scorer in Indiana girls basketball history with 2,344 career points after averaging 33.7 points and 11.3 assists as senior and 29.3 points per game for her career. She was a starter for Purdue teams that won two Big Ten championships, including their 1994 NCAA Final Four team. Employed in college and high school coaching and administrator roles, she resides in Rossville.
Laura Titus, a 2011 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Rochester High School and Purdue University. At Rochester, she helped teams to undefeated regular seasons and a pair of regional championships in the first two years of IHSAA girls basketball and was named a 1977 Indiana All-Star. A two-time team MVP at Purdue, she graduated as the program’s career scoring leader. Employed in education, she teaches at Avon Intermediate School and lives in Plainfield.
Jerry Peirson, a 2010 HOF inductee, has been elected as President. A graduate of Royerton High School and Miami (OH) University, he served as head coach at Cowan High School before a coaching career at Miami (OH), including as head men’s basketball coach from 1984-1990. Retired from a position with Ball State University’s Cardinal Varsity Club, he resides in Yorktown.
Mark Baltz, a 2013 recipient of the Hall of Fame’s Center Circle Officials Award, has been elected as Executive Vice President. Baltz was a veteran NFL official for 25 seasons, along with a lengthy basketball officiating career. He worked 38 IHSAA sectionals, 25 regionals, eight semi-states and three state finals during his involvement in Indiana high school basketball. He resides in Zionsville.
Ray Pavy, a 1990 HOF inductee, remains the organization’s Treasurer. A graduate of New Castle Chrysler High School and Indiana University, he was head coach at Sulphur Springs and Shenandoah high schools before a lengthy career as a school administrator in New Castle. He resides in New Castle.
Donna Sullivan, a 2002 HOF inductee, has been appointed to a two-year term as Secretary. A graduate of Orleans High School and Indiana University, she coached Seymour High School girls teams to 344 wins, including 10 sectional championships, five regional titles and a 1987 state finals appearance. Retired from Seymour High School, she resides in Seymour.
Additionally, Steve Platt, Dave Schellhase and Rick Goins have joined the organization’s Executive Committee.
Platt, a 1996 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Union Township High School (Huntington County) and the then-Huntington College. An All-American in his college days, he twice led the nation in scoring average and he remains the highest scoring college player in Indiana history (3,700 career points). In 14 seasons as the head coach at Huntington University, his teams won 329 games and finished as 2006 NAIA National Runners-Up. Retired from coaching, his family farms east of Huntington, where he resides.
Schellhase, a 1992 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Evansville North High School and Purdue University. Setting the city career scoring record (1,325 points) in Evansville, he graduated from Purdue with the program’s single-game (57) and career (2,074) scoring records, was the nation’s leading scorer and a consensus All-American in 1966 before becoming the first NBA draft pick in Chicago Bulls franchise history. He was the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana State University from 1982 – 1985 and is the winningest head coach in the history of Moorhead State (MN) University, with 298 wins in 18 seasons. Employed at Logansport High School from 2004-2015, he is retired and resides in Logansport.
Goins, a 2015 HOF inductee, is a graduate of Rushville Consolidated High School and Miami (OH) University. Setting Rushville records for most points in a game (45) and in a season (662), he helped lead the Lions to the 1976 IHSAA state runner-up finish. A team captain and two-time MVP at Miami, he graduated as the school’s 6th all-time leading scorer (1,230 points) as a member of two Mid-American Conference title teams. Retired from a career with the Internal Revenue Service, he resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A full listing of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Officers and Board members for the 2019-20 year:
Officers
Jerry Peirson, President
Mark Baltz, Executive Vice President
Ray Pavy, Treasurer
Donna Sullivan, Secretary
Steve Witty, Immediate Past President
Bill Walker, Vice President North
John Heaton, Vice President Central
Rick Goins, Vice President South
Dave Schellhase, At-Large
Steve Platt, At-Large
Vance Meier, Henry County Representative
Chris May, Executive Director
Board of Directors
Larry Angle
Wayne Barker
Steve Brett
Bobby Cox
Steve Davidson
Roger DeYoung
Tony Etchison
Jim Fisher
David Gadis
Jimmie Howell
Jennifer Jacoby
Amy Metheny
Alan Nass
Jim Powers, Jr.
Laura Titus
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame was established in 1962 and opened their museum in New Castle in 1990. Their mission is to honor, preserve and promote the heritage of Indiana high school basketball. To find out more, visit www.hoopshall.com or call (765) 529-1891.