By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Three regional champion basketball teams, a successful coach and a long-time supporter will be inducted into the Newport Independent Schools Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the Newport High School auditorium, followed by a reception in the adjacent auxiliary gymnasium. The inductees will also be introduced during halftime of Friday’s varsity basketball game against Holy Cross.
This year’s Distinguished Coaches Award inductee is Cindy Schlosser, head coach of the Newport girls basketball team that won the 1975 9th Region championship. Schlosser, who also coached volleyball and softball at Newport, still holds the school record for most wins by a girls basketball coach with 136.
Roland Vories will be inducted with the Distinguished Service Award. As mayor of Newport and later as Campbell County Commissioner, Vories helped many Newport students receive college scholarships and grants. He also started the Dick Vories Scholarship Fund in memory of his son.
Vories was a manager for the Coca-Cola Company and provided scoreboards for the Newport football field and gymnasium at no cost. He was also co-founder of the Campbell County pee-wee football league in the 1950s
The three Teams of Distinction to be added to the Newport Hall of Fame are:
1975 Newport girls basketball team – Coach Cindy Schlosser’s team won the first 9th Region tournament that was played after girls basketball was reinstated as a state sanctioned sport. The Wildcats made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament and finished with a 21-3 record. Junior forward Donna Murphy was named the state tournament’s most valuable player after getting 67 points and 50 rebounds in two games.
1962 Newport boys basketball team – One of the smallest teams in Newport’s history used speed, ball-handling and defense to win conference and regional championships. After losing in the district finals, coach Stan Arnzen’s team won three games by close margins in the 9th Region tournament to capture the title. Senior guard Charlie Pate scored 28 points in the regional final and set a regional record with 13 field goals that lasted for 24 years. The team lost in the first round of the state tournament and finished with a 24-6 record.
2010 Newport boys basketball team – After winning the program’s first 9th Region All “A” Classic in January, the Wildcats captured the 9th Region post-season title in March with a stunning 60-34 upset of defending state champion Holmes in the regional final. Demarko Foster scored 26 points to lead Newport to its first regional title in 48 years. Coach Aric Russell’s team lost in the first round of the state tournament and finished with a 29-6 record.