Wheelright Basketball Part Two
That 1961 season was probably the best for Wheelwright. They lost a lot of players from that squad, but coming back for 1962 was Jim Rose, who had also been an All-State Honorable Mention in 1961. In addition to Rose they had a lot of young players. However, despite being a young team, they finished the season with a record of 25-5.
Danny Ray Hall became an All-State Third Team Player for the Trojans in 1964 after being an Honorable Mention player in 1963. He had been on the State Tournament team in 1961 as a freshman and was an excellent guard for the Trojans. In 1963 they failed to survive the District Tournament and finished the season 13-11.
Coming back stronger in 1964 with Hall having his banner year they once again failed to survive the District Tournament, but finished with a fine 23-4. That 1964 team also had two All-State Honorable Mention players alongside Hall, the All-Stater. Forward Bill Cooke and big 6’5 Jim Rollins, who were strong scorers and rebounders. The other starters were Greg Blair and Dennis Logan. Blair was a junior and Rollins, Cook, Hall, and Logan were seniors.
In a speech at the dedication of a stretch of highway in Hi Hat, KY named in his honor, Jim Rose recognized his old teammate Jim Rollins in the crowd. Rose said he had counseled his friend and other Trojans about not being from a small community, and that they could be anything they chose to be. Rollins is a prime example of that. Here is what was said of Jimmy Rollins at the University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College).
From the University of the Cumberlands Hall of Fame:
Jim Rollins arrived on the Cumberland College Campus in the fall of 1964, and immediately began his career as a dual sport athlete. He became a starter on the basketball squad during his second semester and averaged 17.1 points per game. Jim continued to excel on the basketball court, setting a school record for free throws at 87.3 during his sophomore year and being named to the All-KIAC Conference team during both his sophomore and junior years. He was also selected as a runner-up for Player of the Year as a junior. He was an All-American candidate during his senior year until he injured his knee and ended his college basketball career. During his days at Cumberland, Jim also made his mark as a member of the Indian Golf team. He posted an undefeated record of 12-0-1 during his freshman season, with an overall career record of 55-10-1. Jim placed in the top four in the KIAC tournament during each of his four seasons on the Golf team and he participated in two NAIA National tournaments. He scored a career average below 76.0. Following his graduation from Cumberland, Rollins accepted a position at Bethel-Tate High School in Bethel, Ohio, where he coached basketball and golf. He was once recognized as Basketball Coach of the Year, and received 16 Coach of the Year awards as golf coach. He was inducted into the Ohio State Golf Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986. Rollins is a past-President of the Greater Cincinnati Golf Coaches Association and is a Class-A member of the Professional Golfers Association of America. He currently resides in Highland Heights, Kentucky.
Jim Rollins was inducted into Cumberland College’s Hall of Fame in 2001.
Wheelwright would continue producing high-quality basketball players, but the six year stretch of 1959-1964 sent some great athletes out, filled the stands, and created a legacy that is still talked (and written) about to this day. It also helped get some recognition for downstate newspapers and fans who saw the quality of players that traveled to Louisville and Ashland invitational tournaments as well as to the Sweet Sixteen.
During the six years of 1959-1964, Wheelwright had four All-State players and several more Honorable Mentions.
