The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed over 400 guests to the Hilton Polaris in Columbus on June 10th as the organization celebrated the 2023 Class. Eighteen players, coaches and contributors were enshrined and two outstanding graduating seniors received $1,000 scholarships at the Ceremony.
Due to rising costs to produce the event, the OBHOF decided to move from a sit-down formal dinner to a theater-style ceremony and reception. The event started earlier in the day (4 pm) and annual attendees were thrilled with the changes to the format. The 2024 Ceremony will be held on April 20 with a similar format.
Founded in 2005, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the remarkable achievements of both male and female athletes across high school, college, and professional basketball—along with phenomenal coaches and contributors who’ve impacted the game along the way. Together with a dedicated collection of coaches and basketball enthusiasts, Doc Daugherty and the late Don Henderson led the charge to establish the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame with a mission of preserving legacies, celebrating greatness, and honoring excellence.
As of 2023, the organization has recognized 284 individual inductees representing 30 Ohio colleges and universities and 112 Ohio high schools. The list of charter members of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame reads like a Who’s Who of some of the sport’s most recognizable figures – Wayne Embry, Jerry Lucas, Katie Smith, Jimmy Jackson, Oscar Robertson, Clark Kellogg, Bill Hosket Jr., Fred Taylor, Paul Walker, Jay Burson, John Havlicek, Bob Knight, and Nate Thurmond.
