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Jan. 22, 2007

100 Years of Ohio Basketball home page

ATHENS, Ohio - As part of the centennial celebration of Bobcat basketball, Ohio is set to honor the careers of former standout players Dave Jamerson and Walter Luckett along with former coach Jim Snyder for "Legends Night" at this Wednesday's game against Eastern Michigan.

One of four major promotional dates to celebrate 100 years of Ohio basketball, "Legends Night" will feature a halftime ceremony that will highlight each of the honoree's careers, and banners will be raised to the ceiling of the Convocation Center in their honor.

Jamerson, a native of Stow, Ohio, donned the Green & White from 1985-90 and set 14 Bobcat scoring records that still stand today. The guard is Ohio's all-time leading scorer with 2,336 career points, a total that still ranks third all-time in the Mid-American Conference. Jamerson's 874 points as a senior in 1989-90 is a MAC record, as is his 60 points and 14 three-pointers in a game. Jamerson's magical senior season saw him lead the NCAA in three-pointers and finish third in the nation in scoring. He was named the 1989-90 MAC Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC following second-team all-conference honors as a junior and honorable mention recognition as a sophomore. Jamerson was also a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree.

Jamerson was the 15th-overall selection in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat and was traded on draft day to the Houston Rockets. He played two years with the Rockets and, hampered by a knee injury, Jamerson closed out his NBA career with the Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets in the 1993-94 season. A 1990 graduate of Ohio University, Jamerson was elected to the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. He currently resides in Indianapolis, Ind.

Luckett came to Ohio University from Bridgeport, Conn., as the all-time leading high school scorer in the state's history, a mark that still stands. Luckett graced the cover of the Nov. 27, 1972 edition of Sports Illustrated in his first week in a Bobcat uniform and went on to earn All-MAC Honorable Mention honors as a freshman. Luckett nabbed the league scoring title as a sophomore when he earned MAC Player of the Year honors. As a junior, Luckett became just the second player in Bobcat history to earn All-America honors. He repeated as a first-team All-MAC performer and league scoring champion, which earned third-team All-American by the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame. Luckett also garnered special mention by The Sporting News, AP and UPI as he wrapped up his three-year Ohio career with 1,625 career points. That total was tops on the school's list at the time, and still ranks seventh today.

Luckett entered the NBA Draft following his junior season and was selected 27th overall by the Detroit Pistons. Due to a knee injury that ended his career, Luckett never played in a regular season NBA game. Luckett completed his bachelor's degree from the University of Bridgeport and earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of New Haven. He was inducted into the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. Luckett currently resides in Hamden, Conn.

Snyder made a name for himself as a member of the "Big Six" that led Ohio to a 67-18 record in their three years playing together, including an appearance in the 1941 NIT Championship game. A native of Canton, Ohio, Snyder took the coaching reins of his alma mater for the 1949-50 season and began what is the most successful stretch in the history of Ohio basketball.

In 25 years on the Ohio sidelines, Snyder compiled a 355-245 record and led the Bobcats to seven MAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. His Bobcats defeated Notre Dame in the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 1960, and his 1963-64 squad advanced to the Elite Eight with victories against Louisville and Kentucky. Snyder led the Bobcats to five wins against nationally-ranked teams during his tenure and he is the only Ohio basketball member in the MAC Hall of Fame. He earned the inaugural MAC Coach of the Year honor in 1970 and nabbed the award again in 1972. Snyder's 355 wins are 151 more than any other coach in Ohio history, and the total ranks second in the history of the league.

Snyder, a 1941 graduate, was a member of the third induction class of the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1967, when he was honored as a player. Snyder passed away on from cancer on April 27, 1994 in Palatine, Ill., at the age of 74. He will be represented at the halftime ceremony by his son Todd, a former Bobcat football standout and 1977 Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.

Jamerson, Luckett and Snyder will join Frank Baumholtz as the only student-athletes or coaches in the history of Ohio athletics to be honored in similar fashion. A standout basketball and baseball player from 1938-41, Baumholtz's basketball jersey, No. 54, was retired on Feb. 4, 1995. Jamerson's No. 33 and Luckett's No. 34 will be honored, and Snyder's banner will include his career coaching record.

As established by the Ohio administration, the selection criteria for such honors is as follows:

1. Nationally-recognized athletic, coaching or administrative ability.
2. Athletic achievement, as a student of Ohio University or as an alumnus, that has brought considerable fame to the university as well as himself/herself.
3. Attended Ohio University at least two years, or a member of the athletic staff for at least five years.
4. Received a bachelor's degree from Ohio University, or completed and received a bachelor's degree with another institution.

The special ceremony will take place at halftime of Ohio's league contest against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night, Jan. 24. Tip-off in the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m.

Ohio Men's Basketball

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