Paul Walker Award Goes to Jim Rucki
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association is proud to announce that Jim Rucki of Findlay High School is the recipient of the 2026 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.
Jim Rucki retired with an impressive career record of 545 wins and 258 losses over 35 seasons as a varsity head coach in Ohio, leading programs at both Rocky River and Findlay High Schools.
At Rocky River, he posted a 160–71 record, winning 2 league titles, 8 sectional championships, and 2 district titles, while earning Northeast Ohio District Coach of the Year honors three times and the AP Division II State Coach of the Year award in 1998.
Over 25 seasons at Findlay, Rucki compiled a 385–187 record with 8 league titles, 15 sectional championships, and 2 district crowns, earning multiple NW Ohio District and District 8 Coach of the Year honors, along with the OHSBCA Coach of the Year award in 2024.
Rucki has been actively involved with the OHSBCA, serving as District 8 President and District 8 Director, and Vice President of the Greater Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association. He helped with local all-star games, Top 100 showcase, and the state clinic.
A respected leader and teacher of the game, Rucki’s lasting impact has been recognized through induction into the Northeast Ohio Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Hancock County Sports Hall of Fame. Jim will also be inducted into the OHSBCA Hall of Fame this April.
What they are saying about Jim Rucki
“Jim is widely regarded as one of the most respected coaches in all of Northwest Ohio. Throughout his career, his teams were consistently well-coached, disciplined, and prepared, reflecting his commitment to excellence and attention to detail. A true measure of a great coach is this: when your team is talented, you win big — and when it’s not, you still find ways to win more than expected. Jim exemplified this year after year, maximizing the potential of every group he led. Beyond the court, he has always been a true gentleman and a highly respected colleague who carries himself with unwavering class and integrity.” - Dave Boyce, District 7 Director
“Jim Rucki’s lifelong passion for basketball and his steadfast dedication to the development of student-athletes have made a lasting impact on everyone fortunate enough to cross his path. Throughout his extensive coaching career, Jim has been instrumental in guiding young athletes, teaching not only the fundamentals of the game but also the values of discipline, accountability, and teamwork. His influence reaches far beyond the sidelines, as his leadership and commitment have helped strengthen the broader basketball community through years of mentorship, instruction, and service to the sport.” - Adam Hall, OHSBCA Public Relations Director.
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OHSAA Basketball RPI Rankings
For the 2025-26 boys and girls basketball seasons, the Ohio High School Athletic Association will again employee an RPI Ranking for its postseason seeding. This formula – 40% WP (win percentage) x 40% OWP (opponents win percentage) x 20% OOWP (opponents’ opponents win percentage) – was developed by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association and adopted by the OHSAA.The intent is a more equitable postseason seeding process.
The Girls Tournament Drawing ford Divisions III-VII will be held on Sunday, February 8th at 2:00 pm , the Girls Drawing for Division I-II will be held on Sunday, February 15th at 2:00 pm and the Boys Drawing for Divisions III-VII will be held on Sunday, February 15th at 2:00 pm and the Boys Drawing for Divisions I-II will be held on Sunday, February 22nd at 2:00 pm.. The OHSAA Basketball RPI Rankings is the Official ranking for tournament seeds. The link is on the OHSAA Website (For Girls - https://www.ohsaa.org/MaxPreps-RPI/Gender/Girls/Sport/Basketball and For Boys - https://www.ohsaa.org/MaxPreps-RPI/Gender/Boys/Sport/Basketball).
The deadlines for reporting girls scores are Friday, February 6th at 11:59 p.m. (Divisions III-VII) and Friday, February 13th at 11:59 p.m. (Divisions I-II). Deadlines for entering boys scores are Friday, February 13th at 11:59 p.m. (Divisions III-VII) and Friday, February 20th at 11:59 p.m. (Divisions I-II). Final RPI data for all divisions will be available on the day following the reporting deadline.
Here the classification factor for the seven-division alignment. The point values are as follows:
• Division I - 2 points
• Division II - 1.85 points
• Division III - 1.70 points
• Division IV - 1.55 points
• Division V - 1.40 points
• Division VI - 1.25 points
• Division VII - 1.10 points
• Out of State - 1.55 points (less than 2% of all OHSAA Games)
Note that lower division schools have the potential for higher RPIs based on the point system. Classification points are factored in at the WP level and trickle down into OWP and OOWP.
Non-varsity and non-state association-sanctioned schools (i.e. prep schools, Canadian schools, etc.) are not included in the RPI calculation.
The RPI is updated daily on the OHSAA website. Examples of the RPI WP calculation with classification numbers are as follows:
Small School
If you’re a Division VII school - all of your games have 1.1 pt possibility. But if you play up, you might earn more. So, say you play 5 games and you’re a D-VII school. Your five games include 1.1+1.1+1.1+1.1+1.1 = 5.5 total possible points no matter the opponent. Now, say you won 4 of those 5 games, and some were above your class. You receive… 1.25 for beating a DVI, 1.40 for beating DV
1.55 for beating DIV, 1.85 for beating a DII, 0 for losing to whoever. Now you’ve earned 1.25+1.40+1.55+1.85+0 = 6.05 out of 5.5 total points (6.05/5 = a WP of 1.21 or 121%).
Medium School
If you’re a Division IV school - all of your games have 1.55 pt possibility. If you play up you might earn more. But if you play down you might earn less. So, say you play 5 games and you’re a D-IV school. Your five games include 1.55+1.55+1.55+1.55+1.55 = 7.75 total possible points no matter the opponent. Now, say you won 4 of those 5 games, and some were above and some were below your class. You receive… 1.25 for beating a DVI, 1.40 for beating DV, 1.55 for beating DIV, 1.85 for beating a DII, 0 for losing to whoever. Now you’ve earned 1.25+1.40+1.55+1.85+0 = 6.05 out of 7.75 total points (6.05/7.75 = a WP of .781 or 78.1%).
Big School
If you’re a Division I school - all of your games have a 2 pt possibility. But if you play down you might earn less. So, say you play 5 games and you’re a D-I school. Your five games include 2+2+2+2+2 = 10 total possible points no matter the opponent. Now, say you won 4
of those 5 games, and some were below your class. You receive… 2 for beating a DI, 2 for beating a DI, 1.70 for beating a DIII, 1.85 for beating a DII, 0 for losing to whoever. Now you’ve earned 2+2+1.70+1.85+0 = 7.55 out of 10 total points (7.55/10 = a WP of .755 or 75.5%).
To get the OWP and OOWP, please use the following
• Opponents’ winning percentage (OWP): Average the winning percentages of a team’s opponents. (Note: This is not calculated via the combined record of the opponents, instead by averaging each winning percentage of the opponents.) All games involving the team whose RPI is being calculated are ignored in this process.
• Opponents’ opponents winning percentage OOWP): The same process as described above, except calculated for the opponents of a team’s opponents. .
Ohio 28.5 Classic
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association (OHSBCA) is proud to announce the launch of the first-ever 28.5 Ohio Classic, a groundbreaking girls high school basketball showcase set for Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Big Walnut High School.
This all-day event features six premier matchups between some of Ohio’s top girls basketball programs, with a historic commitment to female leadership, as all 12 teams are led by female head coaches, and all games will be officiated exclusively by female referees.
2026 Game Schedule – Big Walnut High School:
10:45 AM – Worth. Kilbourne vs. Dublin Jerome
12:30 PM – Fort Loramie vs. Indian Hill
2:15 PM – Holy Name vs. Medina
4:00 PM – Hoban vs. Versailles
5:45 PM – St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Princeton
7:30 PM – Copley vs. Big Walnut
“The 28.5 Ohio Classic is more than just a day of great basketball, it’s a platform for progress, inclusion, and leadership,” said Adam Hall, Public Relations Director for the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association.
Midwest Live Scholastic Event
Once again, the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association will be hosting a Midwest Live Scholastic Event for both the Girls and Boys. These events will be held during the NCAA Division I Recruiting Period in June. The Girls event will be held on June 19 & 20 and the Boys event will be played on June 26-28. 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.
Schedule for OHSAA’S State Basketball Tournament
Having previously announced that it will revert to its “traditional” state tournament format for boys and girls basketball, the Ohio High School Athletic Association on December 18 confirmed dates and sites for both events this March.
All games will be in the Dayton area, with University of Dayton Arena hosting all finals - seven boys and seven girls - for the sixth consecutive year. Semifinals will be split between UD Arena, Vandalia Butler High School and Wright State University.
The girls tournament will be from March 12 - 14 and the boys will span four days from March 19 - 22. The format change and UD’s lonstanding commitment to hosting the First Four of the NCAA men’s tournament, necessitates the return to a four-day event for boys, meaning several state finals will take place on March 22, a Sunday.
In one notable change, the Division I state final will be at 3:15 p.m. March 22. It typically was an evening game in past years, starting at 8:30 p.m. or later.
The OHSAA gave semifinals and finals their own separate weekends a season ago, the first under tournament expansion to seven division, and the gap between games as well as most girls semifinals and a few boys semifinals being held in high school gymnasiums drew widespread criticism from coaches and fans.
Here is the entire state tournament schedule, split by gender and division.
Girls
Division I
Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at UD Arena, 6 p.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 14 at UD Arena 8:30 p.m.
Division II
Semifinals: Friday, March 13 at either Vandalia Butler 5 p.m. or Wright State 6 p.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 14 at UD Arena 5:15 p.m.
Division III
Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at Wright State 11 a.m.
Finals: Friday, March 13 at UD Arena 3:45 p.m.
Division IV
Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at UD Arena Noon
Finals: Friday, March 13 at UD Arena 12:30 p.m.
Division V
Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at either Wright State 5 p.m or Vandalia Butler 6 p.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 14 at UD Arena 12:30 p.m.
Division VI
Semifinals: Thursday, March 12 at Wright State 5 p.m.
Finals: Friday, March 13 at UD Arena 7 p.m.
Division VII
Semifinals: Friday, March 13 at Wright State 11 a.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 14 at UD Arena 10:45 a.m.
Boys
Division I
Semifinals: Saturday, March 21 at Wright State, 5:30 p.m.
Finals: Sunday, March 22 at UD Arena 3:15 p.m.
Division II
Semifinals: Saturday, March 21 at Wright State 11 a.m.
Finals: Sunday, March 22 at UD Arena Noon.
Division III
Semifinals: Thursday, March 19 at UD Arena 6 p.m.
Finals: Friday, March 20 at UD Arena 7:30 p.m.
Division IV
Semifinals: Thursday, March 19 at Wright State Noon
Finals: Friday, March 20 at UD Arena 4:15 p.m.
Division V
Semifinals: Friday, March 20 at UD Arena 10:45 a.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 21 at UD Arena 1 p.m.
Division VI
Semifinals: Friday, March 20 at Wright State 6 p.m.
Finals: Saturday, March 21 at UD Arena 7:30 p.m.
Division VII
Semifinals: Friday, March 20 at Wright State Noon
Finals: Saturday, March 21 at UD Arena 4:15 p.m.
Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association (OHSBCA) recently nominated Jim Rucki and Dennis Schrock for the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award. The Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions to the world of high school basketball, particularly in the areas of coaching, mentoring, and leadership. This prestigious award honors the legacy of Coach Morgan Wootten, a legendary high school basketball coach, and his dedication to developing athletes both on and off the court.
The Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award winners will be announced in January. Award winners will be recognized at the McDonald’s All-American Game in late March.
Future Elections
In 2026, the following positions are to be elected:
1. Even Number Districts Directors (3-year term)
2. Girls District Directors of Districts 2 & 4, 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 the will be a candidate for by July 1st. Election Procedures can be found on Page 17 of the January 2026 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.