Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association

CA to induct 23 into Hall of Fame

Saturday night at the Madison Marriott West the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches will induct 23 members into their Hall of Fame.

The WBCA Hall of Fame is divided into 5 categories - high school coaches, college coaches, friends of basketball, officials and players.

No name in this class is more recognizable than Dick Bennett. Bennett has truly touched all corners of the state with his coaching career beginning at Eau Claire Memorial high school, moving on to UW-Stevens Point, then UW-Green Bay and lastly UW-Madison. He ended his career as the head coach of Washington State University, a title his son Tony now holds. Bennett's teams were known nationally and internationally for their defensive prowess. This defensive masteresty helped Coach Bennett lead his teams throughout his career to many memorable upsets including getting to the Final Four with the Badgers in 2000.

Bob Gillespie (Ripon), Dale Race (UW-Green Bay, Minnesota-Duluth, Milton College) and Dick Versace will join Bennett as college coaches inducted.

The high school coaches class, in my opinion, is highlighted by longtime Mequon Homestead coach John Chekouras. Chekouras passed away in 2006 from a heart condition, he was only 53. He was the type of coach you'd want your kid to play for, a coach that cared as much about what kind of young men he was helping develop as he was the score on the scoreboard. He preached the message of "Team Together" and in his 17 years as head coach his teams amassed a 229-147 record and made the state tournament in 1994.

Greg Ebert (Necedah), George Haas (Wauwatosa East), Jim Jones (Milwaukee Hamilton), Andy Pilch (Phillips), Chuck Schuette (Fond du Lac), Dan Sigurslid (Markesan), Dale Walz (Wisconsin Lutheran), Bob Yuska (Merrill) and Ed Zydowsky (Portage) will also be receiving this honor on Saturday.

This will be the fourth year that players are inducted into the Hall of Fame. The six players that will earn this honor are Bob Anderegg (Monroe), Gary Anderson (Madison La Follette), Joe Franklin (Madison Central), Wayne Kreklow (Neenah), Frank Schade (Wausau) and Max Walker (Milwaukee Lincoln)

John Hefte and Jay Wilson will be inducted on Saturday as Friends of Basketball and Rod Ostream will be inducted as an official.