Three With Ties To North Coast To Be Inducted to Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame

Pam Evans Smith, Scott Tedder and the Ohio Wesleyan University 1988 Men’s National Championship Team will represent the North Coast Athletic Conference in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame's (OBHOF) class of 2011. The class will be inducted on Saturday, May 21st at the Columbus Convention Center.

Smith will become the fifth Wittenberg alum or team to be elected to the OBHOF since its inception six years ago. Smith joins Don Henderson, class of 1954, and Frank Shannon, class of 1940, who gained entry in 2010, Eldon Miller, class of 1962, who was elected in 2009, and 2008 inductees Al Thrasher, class of 1964, and Ray Mears, who coached the Tigers from 1956-62. In addition, the 1961 Wittenberg men's basketball team, which captured the university's first national championship in any sport, and the 1977 national championship men's basketball team were both inducted in 2006 as part of the inaugural class.

During her 21-year coaching career, Smith became one of the most recognized coaches in NCAA Division III history as she compiled an overall record of 401-170, including twelve 20-win seasons, 11 NCAC regular season championships and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament. She was also named NCAC Coach of the Year on seven different occasions.

Smith’s accolades reached further then just coaching as she also enjoyed a record- breaking career as a player at Wittenberg. She earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award in three-straight seasons and was also a second-team Academic All-American selection in 1982. She was the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer (855) until 1989 and still holds the school record for season scoring average (17.0 ppg).

Also a tenured faculty member in Wittenberg's department of health, fitness and sport, Smith passed away in June 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Tedder, a member of the 1988 National Championship Team, is recognized as one of the most decorated athletes to ever compete at Ohio Wesleyan. He ended his career as the all-time leading scorer at both OWU and the NCAC, totaling 2,501 points in four years, good for 13th all-time in NCAA Div. III.

The 1988 season was particularly special to Tedder as he was named the Division III Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. He also saved two of his most memorable performances for his senior season, as he scored a career-high 50 points in the Battling Bishops 122-115 victory over Div. I Ohio University, and then exploded for 27 points in OWU’s 92-70 rout of Scranton in the National Championship Game.

Tedder, who was the first athlete in school history to earn first-team, All-American honors twice, led the NCAC in scoring three times and was twice named as the conference Player of the Year.

His talents were not just limited to basketball, as he was also an All-American baseball player and played professionally for seven years after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox.

The 1988 Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team, led by head coach Gene Mahaffey, was the first team in OWU history to win a national championship. The Battling Bishops finished the season with an overall mark of 27-5 and cruised to the national title, beating Nebraska Wesleyan, 87-71, in the semifinals, and Scranton, 92-70, in the championship game. The 22-point defeat of Scranton was a record margin of victory for the first 13 years of the championship.

The Bishops dropped their NCAC opener against Allegheny, but would reel off 11-straight victories to share the regular season title with the Gators. After defeating Kenyon and Allegheny in the NCAC Tournament, the Bishops were selected to host the Great Lakes Regional as the No. 1 seed in the region.

Among numerous accomplishments made throughout the season, one game emerged as a marquee victory for OWU after it defeated Div. I member Ohio University, 122-115, behind Tedder’s career-high 50 point performance.

Tedder along with classmate Lee Rowlinson were both key factors in OWU’s historical 1988 season. Tedder led the Bishops in scoring (31.6 ppg), while Rowlings averaged a double-double (24 ppg, 10.7 rpg). Tedder was honored as the Div. III Player of the Year, while Rowlinson was recognized as a second team All-American.

The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum was created to preserve Ohio basketball history from the ranks of high school through the professional level. It is an effort to celebrate the past, present and future of basketball in the state and recognize the contributions of the athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, media and fans of the sport.

Tickets for the induction dinner and ceremony are available for purchase at http://www.ohiohoopzone.com or by calling (614) 792-7748. Corporate and private tables and sponsorship opportunities are also available.