SCBCA inducts four into Hall of Fame class
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The SC Basketball Coaches Association inducted four coaches from the Palmetto State on Friday, March 16 in conjunction with the 68th Annual North-South All Star Game Weekend in Columbia.
THE INDUCTEES
Dorothy Fortune
Schools coached: Clio, Denmark-Olar, Mount Pleasant, Allendale-Fairfax, and Lee Central.
Bio: A native of Mullins, where she played for fellow Hall of Fame coach Fred Senter, Fortune has coached 42 years in South Carolina, 39 as a head coach. During her career at Lee Central, Fortune won 5 state championships and finished as state runner up on three other occasions. A 17-time Region Coach of the Year, Fortune has captured 17 region titles and 32 playoff appearances.
She has been selected as the SC Coaches Association Coach of the Year twice and served as head coach for the North/South All-Star game in 1999.
Demetress Adams (South Carolina), La'Tangela Atkinson (North Carolina), and Patrice Holmes (Middle Tennessee) all played for fortune in high school.
Pam Player
Schools coached: Riverside, Greenville
Bio: An Asheville native and graduate of Western Carolina, Player served as a basketball coach for over 30 years in the Palmetto State. She finished her career with a final record of 527-137.
Player's teams at Riverside advanced to the Upper State finals 7 times and finished as a state runner-up in 1993. She coached for 7 more years at Greenville High, helping her team reach the Upper State finals 4 times. In total, Player was the coach for 11 region champion teams and was a 7-time Region Coach of the Year. A former SCBcA region representative, vice president, and president, Player retired from coaching in 2009.
James B. Smith
Schools coached: Bennettsville, Mayo, Airport, Hillcrest Scott's Branch
Bio: A 30-year coaching veteran, Smith is still an assistant with Keenan in Columbia. He won a state championship in 1993 with Hillcrest and went back-to-back with state titles at Scotts' Branch in 1999 and 2000. Bennettsville advanced to the state semi-finals twice in the 1980s, and Smith was an assistant coach on three other state title-winning teams.
His career record finished at 423-125, and Smith has coached former NBA players Ray Allen and Torrell Martin. Smith was selected as the head coach for the North-South All-Star game in 1998 and was inducted into the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ben Trapp
Schools coached: CA Johnson, Keenan
Bio: With a career record of 376-120, Trapp won a state championship with Keenan in 1991 and finished as the state runner-up in 1999. He was a 7-time Region Coach of the Year and the SCBCA has recognized him as 3A Coach of the Year as well. The Benedict College graduate won 3 region titles at CA Johnson and also was an assistant at Eau Claire during his career.
Trapp has coached over 40 players who played collegiately and was involved with many other facets of the game while serving as a high school coach. He's been an AAU head coach, a tournament director for the Columbia Tip-Off Tournament, a camp director for Alex English's summer basketball camp, and an assistant camp director for the NBA Players Association.