Mercer County Basketball Hall of Fame to Induct 11 New Members on April 25

The Mercer County Basketball Hall of Fame will welcome its newest class of inductees during a ceremony on Saturday, April 25 at Mercer Oaks, according to the organization’s announcement.

The event will begin with a cocktail hour at 12 p.m., followed by dinner at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $55 per person and can be purchased through the organization’s website at www.mercercountybasketballhof.com.

Seven players will join the Hall of Fame this year, representing some of the area’s most accomplished basketball talents. Arielle Collins enters after becoming Steinert’s all-time leading scorer with 1,732 career points across four years, according to the announcement. She later played a prep year at Hun before continuing her career at Fordham.

Rashawn Glenn concluded his Hun career with 1,911 points and went on to average 15.8 points per game during his four-year stint at Lehigh, according to the Hall of Fame.

Jen Hutchinson Piotrowski earned recognition as one of Notre Dame’s greatest 3-point shooters before becoming The College of New Jersey’s all-time leading scorer from beyond the arc, the organization stated.

Pete Larkin exemplified point guard excellence at Steinert, earning Mercer County Player of the Year honors in his senior season before leading the University of Bridgeport to two NCAA tournament appearances, according to the announcement.

Frantz Massenat guided Trenton Catholic to its first Tournament of Champions title and later ranked seventh in scoring at Drexel with 1,646 points and fourth in assists with 548, the Hall of Fame reported.

Steve Worthy, described as one of Trenton High’s smoothest players, reached 1,000 career points after starting at Hun and gaining prominence at Trenton High before continuing at Rutgers, according to the organization.

Diane Olech dominated her era at Notre Dame as a powerful scorer and rebounder during the early growth period of girls basketball, the Hall of Fame stated.

The coaching category will welcome Alan Taback, who led Princeton Day School to seven consecutive prep state championships from 1973 to 1980, according to the announcement. The organization credited Taback with possessing great basketball knowledge and providing invaluable mentoring at PDS.

Dave Csillan will enter as a special contributor, recognized as one of the nation’s most respected athletic trainers who has received numerous national awards, the Hall of Fame reported. Csillan spent years at Ewing High and currently works at Lawrenceville Prep while remaining available to area schools.

Two officials will join the Hall of Fame: Jeff Hewitson and Phil Smith, both members of IAABO Board 193 who regularly officiated top games throughout the county and state, according to the organization.

The ceremony will also recognize scholarship recipients, with the Hall of Fame presenting the Jim Davis Scholarship to a high school boys basketball player and the George O’Gorman Scholarship to a girls high school player.

Those interested in purchasing tickets should make payments payable to Mercer County Basketball Hall of Fame and mail them to Linda Weise at 13 Clearwater Drive, Allentown, NJ 08501, according to the announcement. Information about program advertisements is available on the organization’s website, with questions directed to [email protected].

Individuals wishing to contribute to the scholarship funds should send checks to Weise at the same address, the Hall of Fame stated.