Team
1974-75 JMSS Boys Basketball Team
SPORT | Basketball
LEVEL | OFSAA “AA”
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2005
Front Row: Matt Ross, Frank Oostveen, Bob Oostveen, George Denkers, Craig Jones, Back Row: Larry Lahey (coach), John Meko (scorer), Gleyn Hughes, Ed Rybansky, Mike Kuni, Calvin Antaya, Frank Rusal, Mark Meko (statistician), Don Hosfeld (statistician), Absent: Graham Kemble (timer)
1974-75 JMSS Boys Basketball Induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, 2005 Front Row: Matt Ross, Bob Oostveen, Frank Rusal, George Denkers, Mark Meko (statistician) Back Row: Glyn Hughes, Calvin Antaya, Craig Jones, John Meko (scorer), Graham Kemble (timekeeper), Larry Lahey (coach)
1974-75 JMSS Boys Basketball Induction into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, 2005 Front Row: Matt Ross, Bob Oostveen, Frank Rusal, George Denkers, Mark Meko (statistician) Back Row: Glyn Hughes, Calvin Antaya, Craig Jones, John Meko (scorer), Graham Kemble (timekeeper), Larry Lahey (coach)
These 1974-75 Panthers were the first Chatham high school team to win a provincial (OFSAA) championship in any sport. At OFSAA “AA” in Timmins they went undefeated in five games and beat Woodstock College Ave. Secondary School 65-45 in the title game. The team had earlier defeated Windsor W. D. Lowe S. S. 86-72 to become the first Chatham school to defeat a Windsor school for the senior boys SWOSSAA basketball championship.
In 1973 the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association expanded to three divisions (AAA, AA, A) from the existing two. In 1974-75 McGregor, a “AA” school competed well against “AAA” teams. Windsor Lowe, a “AAA” school who lost to McGregor by 14 points, lost by only 1 point to the eventual champions in the OFSAA “AAA” tournament. McGregor also defeated Tillsonburg Glendale who was third at OFSAA “AAA”.
In all, the Panthers, coached by Larry Lahey, went through their regular season and playoffs undefeated, winning their last 17 games to finish the year with a 33-8 record. After high school, six of the ten players went on to play on college or university basketball teams.