The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its 14th class of inductees May 18, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus. For the 10th time, Wittenberg University is represented in an induction class with the selection of Tiger legends Steve Moore, class of 1974, and Larry Baker, class of 1971.
The selection of Moore and Baker bring the Wittenberg representation in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame to 12 individuals, in addition to the men’s teams of 1961 and 1977. The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame was formed in 2006 to recognize the achievements of both male and female basketball players, coaches, officials and teams in high school, college and professional basketball. The complete list of Tiger inductees includes:
- Steve Moore ’74, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019
- Larry Baker ’71, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019
- Bill Brown ‘73, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018
- Bob Hamilton ’63, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2017
- Bert Price ‘61, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2015
- Brian Agler ’80, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2014
- Pam Evans Smith ‘82, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011
- Don Henderson ’54, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010
- Frank Shannon ’40, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010
- Eldon Miller ’62, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009
- Al Thrasher ’64, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2008
- Ray Mears, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2008
- 1961 Wittenberg men’s basketball team, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2006
- 1977 Wittenberg men’s basketball team, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2006
Moore, who recently announced that he will retire following the 2019-20 season, has a career coaching record of 846-245 in 38 seasons at Muhlenberg and Wooster. He ranks 12th all-time among NCAA men's coaches in wins and second within NCAA Division III. He has led Wooster to 27 NCAA Tournament berths, and his teams have won 18 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season championships.
Moore has been named NCAC Coach of the Year nine times and Great Lakes District Coach of the Year five times. In addition, the National Association of Basketball Coaches presented him a prestigious "Guardian of the Game" award for education in 2008.
As a player at Wittenberg, Moore earned three varsity letters and served as a team captain in 1974 while holding down the starting point guard position. The Tigers compiled a record of 58-18 with Moore in the playing rotation, winning two Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament titles and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 1974. Moore went on to serve as an assistant coach in the men’s basketball program from 1976-81, helping the Tigers to four OAC regular season titles, two OAC Tournament crowds, and the NCAA Division III Championship in 1977.
Baker was named Little All-America in basketball in 1971 by United Press International after setting scoring records during his senior season at Wittenberg. As the highest scoring collegiate player in Ohio in 1970-71, he averaged 26.2 points, a Wittenberg record that still stands. He still ranks fifth in Wittenberg history with 1,627 points career points. Baker’s 48-point performance against West Liberty State in 1969-70 also remains a single-game scoring record at Wittenberg. Baker was named most improved as a sophomore and as a senior he was selected as the team’s co-MVP.
In his four years in the Red & White, Wittenberg posted a record of 69-32, including a 20-win campaign in 1969-70 and highlighted by an OAC Tournament title in 1968-69. After graduation, Baker was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
Moore and Baker are joined in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 by 18 other inductees, including a pair of high school teams that won two championships in the 1950s – Middletown and Lockland Wayne.
