Written by Jonathan Knight

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As the Cavaliers wrap up another losing season and their ongoing (dare we say “endless”) rebuilding process continues, perhaps the best elixir is to reflect upon other times they successfully pulled themselves up by their high-tops - and remember the guys who helped them do it.

Sound the trumpets, Cavs fans - the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame is riding to the rescue.

Never heard of it? Like the Cavs, it’s still building, but picking up momentum even faster.

Founded in 2006, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame doesn’t yet have a physical location, but is establishing its presence through an extensive website and numerous events around the state. And of course, by adding to its already hallowed (virtual) halls, which now include just under 200 inductees - selected from nominations by dues-paying members (membership is $30 per year) and voted on by its Board of Trustees, which includes former Ohio State star and 1968 Olympic gold medalist Bill Hosket and co-founders Harold “Doc” Daugherty, the longtime coach at Euclid High School, and Don Henderson, longtime coach at Springfield North High School.

The Hall of Fame’s Super Bowl (if you’ll permit a mixed metaphor) is its annual induction ceremony. Held each May, it brings together some of the greatest names in Ohio basketball to be recognized and celebrate the rich history of the game in the Buckeye State. Last year’s class, for instance, included former Cavs point guard Mark Price.

Which brings us back to how the Hall of Fame will be providing some much-needed pep for battle-fatigued Cavalier fans.

At the Cavs’ April 12 home game with the New York Knicks, the Hall will honor all of its members with Cavalier connections, including two of the most esteemed men in the team’s 43-year history.

Brad Daugherty - whose selection as the Cavs’ first-round draft pick on a fateful June day in 1986 symbolized the dramatic turn the then-woebegone franchise was about to take - has been chosen for the 2013 induction class.

And fittingly, the man who laid the foundation for the renaissance that Daugherty anchored will be recognized as well. Wayne Embry - Cavs GM from 1986-1999 and a member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame’s charter induction class - will be receiving the Ohio Heritage Award at this year’s induction ceremony, which is presented to previous inductees who have had a significant impact on the state after his or her basketball career has ended.

Both Daugherty and Embry will be on hand at the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame’s eighth annual induction ceremony in Columbus in May, with Embry giving the keynote address. The 2013 induction class consists of 12 members, including former Cavalier and Miami of Ohio star Wally Szczerbiak.

With Szczerbiak, Daugherty, and Embry, the Hall of Fame now includes 15 inductees who have been associated with the Cavaliers franchise, and all will be honored during a halftime ceremony at the Q on April 12. Rounding out the list:

Austin Carr 

Jim Cleamons

Barry Clemens

Gordon Gund

Phil Hubbard

Jimmy Jackson

Ron Harper

Mark Price

Dick Snyder

Joe Tait

Nate Thurmond

Lenny Wilkens

Carr and Clemens will be on hand that night, along with former University of Cincinnati star and 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Kenyon Martin, who currently plays with the Knicks.

The Hall of Fame will also be hosting a pre-game reception in the Cavaliers’ front office starting at 6 p.m., leading up to tipoff at 7:30.

But naturally, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame is about much more than just the Cavs. It includes players, coaches, officials, and teams from all levels of basketball across the state - male and female. Highlighting this year’s inductees, for example, are former Ohio State coach Randy Ayers and East Tech High School standout Barbara Turner.

Bobby Knight, Jerry Lucas, Clark Kellogg, John Havlicek, and Oscar Robertson all joined Embry in the inaugural induction class, followed in years to come by other familiar names such as Trinity High School star Semeka Randall, NBA standouts Jim and John Paxson, longtime Ohio State coach Fred Taylor, and a myriad of title-winning high school and college teams. With nominations for the 2014 class already set to be voted on, the Hall is now accepting nominations for the 2015 class through May 1.

You can learn more about the Hall of Fame and its inductees at www.ohiobasketballhalloffame.com. Tickets to the Hall of Fame Night reception and the Cavs-Knicks game are available through the Hall of Fame’s website.

Also still available are tickets to the 2013 induction ceremony - to be held Saturday, May 18 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Follow @jknightwriter

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