MBCA Hall of Fame Inductees
The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association is proud to release their 2019 Hall of Fame class to be inducted at a ceremony on Saturday, April 13, 2018 at 12:00 PM. The induction ceremony will take place at the Double Tree Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. Tickets for the event may be purchased from the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association for $25 at the door. The Hall of Fame will open at 11:00 AM and lunch will be served at 12:00 with the ceremony to follow.
Those interested in attending and purchasing meal tickets, please contact MBCA Directory Denny Hunt, dennyhunt@mobca.org
Inductees include (alphabetically):
Kevin Cheek . Click here to view Cheek HOF speech
Kevin Cheek hit the ground running in 1999 going 24-6 and winning the District Championship in his first year. Since then, he has amassed an amazing record of 504-112 in just 20 years at Skyline High School. He has won four State Championships in 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2017; placed runner-up in 2009, 2014, and 2015. His teams have also won 3rd place three times for a total of ten Final Four appearances. Cheek been named MBCA Coach of the Year six times, and the National Federation of High School Coaches Coach of the Year in 2017. His teams have posted eighteen 20+ win seasons and 16 District Championships. He has coached 14 collegiate athletes and 21 MBCA All-State players. A 1995 graduate of Buffalo High School and graduated from Southwest Baptist University in 1999. He is married to Kelli (Bybee) and they have three children, Kourt, Kenzi, and Khazz.
Dennis Cornish . Click here to view Cornish HOF speech
In 17 years of coaching at Lockwood, Dennis Cornish has a record of 351-115 with 11 Midwest Conference Boy’s Championships. His boy’s teams have claimed eight district titles and four Show-Me Showdown appearances. Cornish guided Lockwood to a Class 1 State Championship in 1994 with a pair of runner-up finishes in 1995 and 1996, while grabbing third-place in 1993 to complete an incredible four-year run. He was named Midwest Conference Coach of the Year, 1994 MBCA Coach of the Year, and has won 22 regular season tournament championships. On the girl’s side, his teams won a district title and three regular season tournament championships.
Randy Draper . Click here to view Draper HOF speech
While at the University of Missouri, Randy Draper developed a love of basketball working as a student assistant with the men’s basketball program under Coach Norm Stewart. Draper began his head coaching career in Madison, MO. He coached the girls’ and boys’ junior high and the boys’ varsity basketball teams. Draper also coached boys’ baseball in the fall and spring. After one year at Madison, he returned to the University of Missouri serving as a graduate assistant for two years under Coach Stewart. Draper then spent seven years in Camdenton before continuing his career in Grain Valley, MO where he has spent 19 seasons and he continues today. In his 27 years as a head basketball coach, Coach Draper spent the first 19 years coaching boys and the last eight years coaching girls. Draper’s teams have built an overall record of 434-268, winning five District championships and advancing to one quarterfinal. Draper has received over 10 area and regional Coach of the Year awards, including, KMZU Coach of the Year for boys and girls’ basketball; Independence Examiner Coach of the Year for boys’ and girls’ basketball; and District Coach of the Year for boys’ and girls’ basketball guiding his teams to eight conference championships. Draper has been selected to coach in the MO-KAN All Star Game for both the boys and the girls’ sides, coaching once for the boys and twice for the girls. Several of Coach Draper’s basketball and tennis players have continued their athletic careers at the college level. Coach Draper, the son of longtime basketball coach Jim Draper, is married to Michelle, and they have one son, Michael, who is now in his first year as a head boys’ basketball coach.
Shelly Ethridge . Click here to view Ethridge HOF speech
In her 26 years as a head coach Shelly Ethridge has built a career of success at the high school, junior college, and Division II level. Ethridge began her career at Southwest Illinois College, winning 71% of her games, while developing 15 all-conference and all-region players in five seasons. In six seasons at Missouri-St. Louis, Ethridge guided her team to one NCAA tournament appearance, helping prepare 12 all-conference players, 2 academic All-Americans, and 2 honorable mention All-Americans. Between 2003 and 2009 Ethridge guided Whitfield High School to 108 victories, building a 75% winning percentage. Since 2009 Ethridge has successfully guided the St. Louis Community College Archer program to 204 wins and 90 losses. Her teams have won six Region 16 championships and advanced to four National Tournament appearances. Under her guidance the Archers have featured 29 all-region players and 18 all-conference performers. This season Ethridge was honored when the Archers helped her collect her 500th career victory. Building an overall mark of 504-251 Ethridge has developed a successful brand of basketball at each stop along her coaching path.
Steve Frank . Click here to view Frank HOF speech
Steve Frank has amassed an incredible career so far headlined by his overall record of 533-117. He most recently has recorded four straight State Championships at Strafford High School along with a 115-state record-game winning streak. He has also had a 4th place finish, 14 district champions, and a Final Four record of 8-2. He has coached 14 collegiate players, one McDonald’s All-American HM, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, three time Max Preps All-American, a Wendy’s Missouri Heisman Player of the Year, 61 All-District Players and 12 All-State. He is a 1985 graduate of Clopton High School, played two years at East Central Community College and two years for Al Waller at College of the Ozarks, where he was inducted into the College of the Ozarks Hall of Fame in 2005. He is married to his wife, Mona, and they have two daughters, Hayley and Kayley.
Steve Goodwin . Click here to view Goodwin HOF speech
Steven Goodwin, graduated from Polo High School in 1989. While there, he was an all-conference basketball player and an all-state linebacker for the Panthers football team. He went onto Central Missouri State University and received his degree in 1995. His first stop as a head coach was at Linn High School where he led the Wildcats to the 1997 Final Four. For the past 21 seasons, he has been the head coach at Sacred Heart in Sedalia, Missouri. While at Sacred Heart, his teams have won 9 conference tournament championships, 12 conference championships, 13 district championships, went to 2 Final Fours, and his 2014 team finished 31-0, winning the Class 2 state title. He has received conference/area coach of the year honors 12 times. In 2006, he also won the state championship in baseball, making him one of the few coaches to win state championships in 2 sports. His career basketball record of 482-160 over a 23 year period, gives his teams an average of 21 wins a season.
John McKinzie . Click here to view McKinzie HOF speech
John McKinzie started his 30 year coaching career at Madison, Mo. with stops at
Clark County High School, Savannah, California, Licking, Calhoun, and Crest Ridge.
During the 30-year tenure, he has accumulated over 413 wins which included nine conference championships, four district championships, three sectional and quarterfinal appearances, and a third-place trophy in 1989 in Class 2. McKinzie was honored with seven conference coach of the year awards and the 1989 Class 2 State Coach of the Year honor.
Darin Meinders . Click here to view Meinders HOF speech
Darin Meinders has been on both sides of coaching high school basketball as he has coached both boys and girls. He has a combined record of 512-197 and has won the state championship with both the Walnut Groves boys and girls. Meinder has also guided Walnut Grove to a state runner-up with both the boys and girls as well.
Jill Nagel . Click here to view Nagel HOF speech
Jill has amassed a 314-86 record in her 14 years at Rock Bridge High School and has won the Class 5 Championship five times in her career. Her teams were the only team in Class 5 to win the state championships four time in a row and was only the fourth girl’s team to accomplish that feat. Her teams have an incredible 11-1 record in the State Final Four and a 26-4 mark in District play. Nagel has had 25 players move on the play collegiately with 11 of those players going to Division schools. She has earned the MCBA Coach of the Year honor five times and has been named District Coach of the Year by the sportswriters six times.
Brad Oyler. Click here to view Oyler HOF speech
Brad served for 26 years as the head girls’ basketball coach for Polo, Savannah, Liberty and Blue Springs South. Over those 26 seasons, he amassed a career record of 474 – 222. He has the most wins in Liberty’s girls’ basketball program history with 213. He was also the first coach to take both Savannah and Liberty to the State Final Four. His Savannah team placed second in State in 1998 and his Liberty team captured the State Championship in 2007. He has accomplished 3 Conference Championships (2 undefeated) and 7 District Championships. He has had 9 players reach All-State status and 21 players who have played collegiately. Brad was named the Richard Fairchild Missouri Basketball Coach of the Year in both 1998 and 2007. Also, in 2007, he was named the Coach of the Year for both the Greater KC Basketball Coaches Association and the KC Star. Oyler is part of the 2019 class of the Greater KC Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Married to Lori and Oyler has 5 children: Matt, Mackenzie, Mark, Peter and Andrew. He is also the proud grandfather of Ari.
Rod Smith . Click here to view Smith HOF speech
A Naperville, Illinois native and graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Rod Smith has been a dedicated ambassador for covering sports since the mid-1980’s and his advocacy for sports has been noticed throughout the state. Covering high schools to NCAA Division I college sports to professional sports, Rod Smith puts a personal touch on his coverage. His human interest stories have garnered popularity and appreciation throughout the mid-west. He has hosted multiple charity events and has a strong reputation for giving back to the community. His support in the Jefferson City area has been extensive and viewers value, not only his coverage, but how much he cares about doing it the right way and sending a positive message. He is married to Lana and has three daughters, Brittany, Brooke, and Paige that have been very active in high school and college sports.
Don West Click here to view West HOF speech
Don West has been a stable and steady voice in the state of Missouri bringing high school and college sporting events to the air waves. Don has been in broadcasting for 34 years and has tallied up an amazing 1,980 basketball games, including MSHSAA State Championships, Arkansas State Championships, Blue and Gold Tournament Championships, Bass Pro Tournament of Champions games, and MSHSAA District and Sectional Championships. He has also been highly involved in college games calling for Missouri State University’s Men’s and Women’s games, NCAA Tournament games, WNIT, NIT, Drury University Men’s and Women’s, Evangel, Central Bible College, NCCAA Division II, NAIA National Tournament games, Southwest Baptist, MBCA All-Star games, and the National Christian Home School Tournament. If basketball is happening in southwest Missouri, you can bet that Don West is involved. His broadcasts are known for his professionalism and in depth knowledge of the teams he is calling. West is also known as the go-to guy on numbers and historical facts about teams, coaches and players. He has also broadcast baseball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball, and wrestling and currently has a total of 3,820 games broadcast on multiple entities.
Scott Womack . Click here to view Womack HOF speech
In 1987, he started his coaching career at West Plains High School. In his second year at West Plans he was hired as an assistant basketball coach. After 3 years as an assistant he took over as the head basketball coach where he has remained for the past 28 years. During that time he has accumulated a record of 510-261 including 10 Conference titles, 8 district titles, 2 quarterfinal appearances and a Class 4 State Championship in 1998. He has been voted Coach of the Year 15 times including Class 4 Coach of the Year in 1998 by Missouri Sportswriters and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and in 2015 received the Missouri Girls Coach of the Year by the National High School Basketball Coaches Association. He has coached 16 All-State players, 2 All-Americans and 1 McDonalds All-American Nominee. He has been an active member of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association including terms as the Southwest Region Girls Representative for the past 7 years and Executive Board Treasurer for the past 5 years. He has been a part of many other sports during his coaching career at West Plains including football, cross country, baseball, golf and track. As the head track coach in 2003, his team won the Class 4 Boys State Championship earning him Class 4 Boys Coach of the Year from the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. A native of West Plains, Scott is the son of Jerry and Janet Womack. He is married to Anita Womack and has 2 sons Sam and Jacob.
For additional information on individual inductees, please contact Brad Conway, brad.conway@jcschools.us