Paul Walker Award Goes to Denny Tucci
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association is proud to announce that Denny Tucci of Malvern High School is the recipient of the 2023 Paul Walker Award. The Paul Walker Award is presented annually by the OHSBCA to an active coaching member of the association who has made significant contributions to high school basketball. The award is named in honor of the late Paul Walker, the longtime coach of Middletown High School. At the time of his retirement, he had the most wins as a boys’ basketball coach in Ohio High School Basketball history.
Download PDF VersionDenny Tucci, Malvern High School
“The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association would like to congratulate Denny Tucci of Malvern High School on receiving the prestigious Paul Walker Award,” stated Joe Balogh, Executive Director. This award is presented to an active coach who has made significant contributions to Ohio high school basketball. Coach Tucci has won over 500 games in his coaching career and has been actively involved as a district director in our association.”
Denny is a 1979 graduate of Malvern High School where he lettered in basketball, football, and baseball. He graduated from Marietta College in 1983 with his teaching degree. While at Marietta, he played basketball for two years and was a student assistant for two years with the men’s basketball and women’s softball programs.
Denny started his coaching career at Parkersburg Catholic in 1984 where he spent three years as the head girls basketball coach and one year as the head boys basketball coach. In four years, he compiled a record of 66-32 and won two state championships with the girls basketball program. In 1987, he accepted the head boys basketball coaching position at Louisville High School. He held that position for three years.
In 1991, Coach Tucci had the opportunity to return to his alma mater, Malvern High School, and serve as the head boys basketball coach. He held this position for 12 years and had a record of 159-110. He then spent three years at Marlington High School as the head boys basketball coach before returning to Malvern where he has served as the head boys basketball coach for the past 17 years.
During that 17 year run, Coach Tucci has an impressive record of 314-108. During his 29 years at Malvern he has compiled a record 473-218, while winning 4 league titles, 19 sectional championships, including 16 straight, and 6 district championships.
In 39 years as a head coach, Denny has an overall record of 567-348. He has received numerous league and district coaching honors throughout his career. He served as the District 5 Director from 2000-2002 and currently serves as a liaison for District 5. In 2008, he had the opportunity to coach in the OHSBCA North-South All-Star Game.
“For three decades, Coach Tucci has built a winning culture and climate in the Malvern Boys Basketball Program. More importantly, Denny Tucci has dedicated his career to making a positive impact on the lives of his players and students by teaching life lessons such as leadership, commitment, and dedication. Malvern High School and the entire Malvern community are proud and fortunate to call Coach Tucci one of our own,” stated Brown Local Schools superintendent, Mark Scott.
Dave Tucci, Director of Athletics for the Brown Local School District stated, “I am so proud of Denny’s many accomplishments in his coaching career. I have seen first hand how much time he puts in. He has been a perfect fit at his alma mater, Malvern High School. Congratulations to Denny for winning the Paul Walker Award.”
In addition to coaching basketball, Denny also coached baseball and recently retired as the head baseball coach at Malvern High School after 16 years of service. Denny resides in Malvern with his wife of 34 years, Paula. Together, they have four sons, Tyler (32), Travis (29), Trey (27), and Tripp (15). They are also blessed to have four grandchildren.
Academic All-Ohio
Each year a committee of the OHSBCA selects its “Academic All Ohio Teams” for the school year. 2022-23 will mark the thirtieth year that the association has chosen “All Ohio Academic Teams.”
The players are selected for this honor based on their academic excellence and their athletic contributions to their basketball teams.
Bob Arnzen Award Winners
The Bob Arznen Award was named after the legendary boys coach at Delphos St. John’s High School. Coach Arznen spent 43 years as the Head Coach and was the second winningest coach at the time of his retirement and now sixth in the history of Ohio High School Basketball with 676 wins and only 291 losses. Bob was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1995.
The Bob Arnzen Award is given to those basketball coaches who have devoted 20 consecutive years or more service to the same school and for their loyalty and commitment to Ohio High School basketball. The honorees will be presented their plaques during the games on Championship Saturday of their respective tournaments.
2023 Bob Arnzen Award Winners
(Receives Bob Arnzen Plaque)
| Jana Bostelman, Centerville | Matt Maginn, Fayette | Dean Rahas, Revere |
| Ryan Cernasky, Marlington | Brandon Miller, Van Wert | Greg Ross, Cincinnati Country Day |
| Michael Dalton, Centerville | Todd Mitchell, Fayette | Carl Schnittke, Ontario |
| Greg Elking, New Bremen | Adam Priefer, Centerville | Tony Staib, Gahanna Lincoln |
| John Feasel, Olentangy | Mandy Priefer, Centerville | Matt Von Kaenel, Dover |
| Brad Gray, Tri-Village | Jack Purtell, Reynoldsburg | Justin Woods, Marlington |
| Brent Liskai, Gibsonburg |
Century Award Winners
Doug Graham, President of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association, proudly announces the coaches who have reached a milestone in career victories during the past season. The 100 and 200 winners received their award at their local district meetings in the Fall of 2022. The 300 and high winners will be recognized during halftime of one of their respective state finals basketball games in March of 2023 at the University of Dayton Arena.
| 700-Wins (Receives a Glass Award) |
300-Wins (Receives a Clock) |
100-Wins (Receives a Certificate) |
| Dan Liedtke, Fort Frye | Kent Anderson, Xenia | Brian Ansberry, Padua Franciscan |
| Bob Von Kaenel, Dover | Brad Gray, Tri-Village | Josh Arthur, Anthony Wayne |
| Todd Grosjean, Bryan | Dan DeCrane, Gilmour Academy | |
| 500-Wins (Receives a Ring) |
David Kudela, Firelands | Paul Dunn, Mohawk |
| Dusty Spradlin, Wheelersburg | Ben Gerken, Liberty-Benton | |
| Bob Bell, Mentor | Scott Hamilton, Lexington | |
| Tim Converse, West Jefferson | 200-Wins (Receives a Plaque) |
Tom Harrington, Medina Buckeye |
| Ray Corbett, Grandview Heights | Dan Hilty, Philo | |
| Gary Kellough, Zane Trace | Doug Etzler, Convoy Crestview | Jeff Holzhauer, Keystone |
| Jack Purtell, Reynoldsburg | Mike Haney, Steubenville | Kevin Long, London |
| Jim Rucki, Findlay | Frank Kill, Lima Central Catholic | Jessica Looman, Steub Cath Cent |
| Bruce Smith, Swanton | Matt Little, Berne Union | Ryan Miller Kenton |
| Greg Morgan, Keystone | Joe Nowak, Millbury Lake | |
| 400-Wins (Receives a Wrist Watch) |
Tom Siegfried, Louisville | Jon Otterbacher, Tiffin Calvert |
| Tom Simms, Waterford | Chad Partridge, Avon | |
| Chris Besecker, Bradford | Bruce Vanover, Miami East | Katie Roose, Milton-Union |
| Rob Beucler, Eastern Brown | Nick Schmeltz, Eastwood | |
| Joe Dunlevy, Indian Creek | JD Secrest, Marietta | |
| Doug Fisher, Sheridan | Matt Von Kaenel, Dover | |
| Don Kissack, Granville | Tim Wensick, Toledo Christian | |
| John Lindsay, Ottawa Hills | JR Wilson, Black River | |
| DJ Wyrick, Fairfield | ||
| Darren Yosick, Garaway | ||
| Jamie Young, Carey |
Coaches Scholarship
The OHSBCA Awards Fifteen $1,000 Scholarships each summer to the sons and daughters of active members of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association. One of the parents of the applicant must have been an active coach in the OHSBCA for the last five consecutive years.
Each recipient will receive a plaque courtesy of the Ohio Army National Guard and a check for $1,000 at the North-South Game on Friday, April 28, 2023.
State Membership Total
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association is proud to announce that 3,691 Basketball Coaches, across the state of Ohio, have joined the OHSBCA for the 2022-23 basketball season. This is a increase of 73 members from last year’s total of 3,618. We fell short of the 4,000+ mark once again, but the Association continues to increase the many benefits offered to its membership. Congratulations to all of the Basketball Coaches who have joined the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.
Once again, Congratulations to the “Great 8” - District 8 for having the largest membership total among all of the districts with 458 members. District 8 continues to hold the crown of most membership for 25+ years. District 13 was runner-ups again with 367 members. District 16 had the biggest jumped in membership from last year by adding 44 coaches, District 4 added 37, and District 11 added 32 coaches each. Five other districts, District 2, District 7, District 9, District 14, and Distict 15 increased their totals over last year. Great Job!!
We thank you for joining our Coaches Association and encourage everyone to become an active participant in our organization. Hopefully, we will meet all your needs as a coach, and if there is anything that our Association can do for you, please contact your District Director. He is there to serve you.
Let’s continue to keep our membership strong. The OHSBCA is the third largest State Coaches Association in the USA!!! We want to regain the number 1 status and look forward to a better membership drive for the 2023-24 basketball season. WE WANT TO BREAK OUR RECORD AND HIT THE 4,200 MEMBERSHIP MARK!!!!!
Here is the breakdown of the number of coaches, by district, who joined the OHSBCA this year.
| District | Total | District | 700-Wins |
| 1 | 117 | 9 | 226 |
| 2 | 292 | 10 | 189 |
| 3 | 258 | 11 | 194 |
| 4 | 257 | 12 | 155 |
| 5 | 205 | 13 | 367 |
| 6 | 222 | 14 | 207 |
| 7 | 201 | 15 | 172 |
| 8 | 458 | 16 | 176 |
| TOTAL | 3,691 | ||
Boys & Girls Senior Player of the Year
Each year the OHSBCA selects a Player of the Year in each division of Boys Basketball. The 2022-23 season enters the 40th year the OHSBCA has been selecting the Player of the Year. The procedures for the selection of the Player of the Year is as follows:
1. Must be a Senior
2. Must be nominated by a state member
3. Must play in the North-South Game
4. Directors will vote on the Players
5. Nominees come from each State OHSBCA District
Boys and Girls Players in each division will be presented a plaque at the North-South All-Star Game at Olentangy Liberty High School on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Future Elections
In 2023, the following positions are to be elected:
1. Treasurer (4-year term)
2. Even Number Districts Directors (3-year term)
3. Girls District Directors of Districts 2 & 3, District 5 & 12, Districts 6 & 7, and Districts 15 & 16 (3-year term)
Qualifications for these POSITIONS is that the candidate must be a member of the OHSBCA. Candidates for all these positions must send a letter of intent to the President of the OHSBCA stating the position in which they will be a candidate for by July 1st. Election Procedures can be found on Page 17 of the January 2023 Constitutional Issue.
OHSBCA Forms
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association has posted its form on the website (oh.nhsbca.org). The website will allow the applicant to upload required documents and require photos.
The available forms are Academic All-Ohio, Academic Teams, Boys Assistant Coach of the Year, Boys Coach of the Year, Boys Player of the Year, Coaches Scholarship, Girls Assistant Coach of the Year, Girls Coach of the Year, Girls Player of the Year, the Top 20 Shooting Awards (2FG, 3FT, FT) - Individual and Team, Scholarship Society, Boys Showcase, Century Award, Bob Arnzen Award, and Hall of Fame Nomination.
To access the forms, go to the OHSBCA website (oh.nhsbca.org) and click on the FORMS link in the upper right-hand corner.
Scholarship Society
The OHSBCA has established the Scholarship Society to recognize Student Athletes for scholastic excellence. The Gold and Silver Certificates will be award to Seniors and Juniors who meet the criteria for the award. We want to give recognition to all Junior and Seniors who display high marks in academics, citizenship, and sportsmanship. All Juniors must have a 3.2 Grade Point Average for Five Semesters and Seniors must have a 3.2 Grade Point Average for Seven Semesters.
These athletes will able to list this honor on College Entrance papers, year books, job applications, etc. This is a significant award as it comes from the Basketball Coaches of the State of Ohio. The recipients receive a Silver Certificate if they are a Junior and Gold Certificate if they are a Senior. Their names will be listed in the Spring Edition of the Hooplines.
North South All-Star Game
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association has changed the format of the North-South All-Star Game. There will be only one girls game and one boys game. The number of players on each team has be increased from 10 to 12 players. The games will be played on Friday, April 28, 2023 at Olentangy Liberty High School. Girls game will tip-off at 6:30 pm followed by the boys game at 8:15 pm. All the OHSBCA awards presentation will take place during the games.
Midwest Live Scholastic Event
Once again, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association will be hosting a Midwest Live Scholastic Event. This year we are adding a Girls team event. These events will be held during the NCAA Division I Recruiting Period in June. The Girls event will be held on June 16 & 17 and the Boys event will be played on June 23-25. The top Girls and Boys players and teams will assemble at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio to participate in this summer tournament. More information will be coming.
Boys & Girls Coach of the Year
Each year the OHSBCA selects a Coach of the Year in each division of Boys and Girls Basketball. The 2022-23 season enters the 40th year the OHSBCA has been selecting the Coach of the Year. The procedures for the selection of the Coach of the Year is as follows:
1. Must be a member of the OHSBCA
2. Must be nominated by a District Director
3. Committee will review all candidates and make a recommendation to the District Directors.
4. District Directors will vote to approve the recommendation for Coach of the Year.
The winning coach in each division will be presented a plaque at the North-South All-Star Game at Olentangy Liberty High School on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Top 20 Statistics Awards - Individuals & Teams