HOF honors local stars

As part of a weekend with many eyes on Ripley County, it was only fitting that even the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame had some local flavor to it as the organization held its 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in Indianapolis this past Wednesday.

1954 Milan great Gene White was welcomed as part of the 2024 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame induction class while Jac-Cen-Del graduate Brad Borgman and East Central graduate Brett Snodgrass were both recognized as 1999 graduates who were selected to the Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team.

It was quite the week for White who would also be recognized three days later as part of the Milan 1954 70th Anniversary Celebration alongside teammates and classmates alike. A graduate that same season, White’s accolades not only included the state semifinal appearance in 1953 and state championship in 1954, but also All-Sectional, All-Regional and All-Semi-State nods both his junior and senior seasons. He was named All-State following the Indians’ 32-30 miracle win over Muncie Central for the state title.

“We never talked about numbers or who would score the most points,” White said as part of his induction speech. “Our goal (at Milan) was to always win. And that’s what we did.”

A former educator and coach, serving both Milan and Batesville schools, White played basketball and baseball at Franklin College beginning in the fall of 1954 and then entered the United States Army in 1958. He would return to Ripley County following his call to service and eventually took over Milan’s boys basketball program, winning the 1985 single-class sectional which included wins over Jac-Cen-Del and East Central before a regional semifinal loss to Richmond.

White two years later returned to Franklin College, serving as the head coach of the women’s basketball team and athletic director. In two stints as head coach of the Lady Grizzlies, he racked up 158 wins which is second all-time in program history and was named Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times.
“I appreciate the fact that the organization felt I deserved this,” White added of his induction. “I really appreciated being around great ballplayers.”

Borgman and Snodgrass were Silver Anniversary Team members after stellar high school basketball careers came to a close 25 years ago.

A 1999 Jac-Cen-Del graduate and Indiana All-Star, Borgman is still the school’s all-time leading scorer at 1711 points and record-holder in career field goals (611), career 3-pointers (151), career steals (138) and career blocked shots (133). In addition to numerous local accolades, Borgman was also a First Team All-State pick his senior season and received numerous All-Star nods before embarking on a successful collegiate playing career.

Borgman started his journey at Eastern Kentucky University before moving to the University of Indianapolis and Indiana University-Southeast. A 2003 NAIA Region MVP, the former Eagle is among record holders at UIndy and IU-Southeast while having racked up over 1000 career collegiate points. He will officially be inducted into the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame next month as part of the 2024 class.

East Central got three years worth of Snodgrass after he spent his freshman season at South Ripley High School. Playing for his dad and former Raider head coach Randy Snodgrass, he would become one of the all-time greats for the Trojans.

Snodgrass joined Borgman as a 1999 All-State selection and ranks second on East Central’s all-time scoring list with 1402 points while also among tops in several other statistical categories. He was an All-EIAC selection, EIAC MVP and Dearborn County Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999 before a college basketball career at Huntington University.

At Huntington, Snodgrass notched over 1800 career points and still stands in the Top 10 on the career scoring list. He was an All-Conference and All-American selection in the NAIA ranks and led Huntington to a Final Four appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. Brett was a Huntington Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 2021.

The local trio made up three-fourths of Southeastern Indiana on Wednesday. Also being recognized alongside White as part of the 2024 induction class was Rising Sun’s John Adams who graduated in 1961.

Adams eventually went on to play at the University of Kentucky and received the Most Valuable Senior Award while playing for the men’s basketball program.