Small College Basketball Releases 2025 Hall of Fame Class

 

Kansas City, MO – Small College Basketball and the Hall of Fame Committee are extremely proud to announce the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. This year’s class is made up of some of the greatest coaches, players, and contributor at the Small College Basketball level. Once again this year, the members of the HOF Class of 2025 have left their imprint on the game of basketball at the Small College Basketball level. John McCarthy had this to say about this year’s class:

 

"Congratulations to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025,” exclaimed McCarthy. “What an impressive and accomplished Hall of Fame Class!  October 31 is going to be a special day, as we formally induct these worthy players, coaches and a contributor into our national Hall of Fame. They have certainly earned it!  We are so grateful to our Hall of Fame Committee for their time, effort, research and knowledge in selecting this class."

 

Players

Seger Bonifant (West Liberty)

Brandon Cole (John Brown)

Mario Elie (American International)

Joey Flannery (Babson)

Steve Honderd (Calvin)

Bob Kauffman (Guilford)

Eric Kline (Northern State)

Lambert Shell (Bridgeport)

Bill Warden (North Central IL)

 

Coach

Herb Magee (Philadelphia Textile, Philadelphia University, Jefferson University)

Dan McCarrell (North Park / Mankato State)

 

Contributor/Player

Ed Bilik (NCAA Rules Committee)

 

This year’s National Hall of Fame Class marks the ninth class inducted into the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame. The National Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday October 31st inside the Branscomb Auditorium on the campus of Florida Southern College  in Lakeland, FL.

 

The Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Committee consists of the following individuals: Don Landry, Roy Pickerill, Jim Nelson, Doug Palm, Rich Zvosec, Gary Stewart, Mike Lightfoot, John Rinka, Jim Poteet, Greg Moore, Bob Hoffman, Joe Niland, Bob Wilson, Greg Grant, Charlie Brock, Rusty Osborne, Rick Byrd, and Pat Cunningham.

 

For more information regarding the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.

 

Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Bio’s

 

Seger Bonifant, West Liberty

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Seger Bonifant led West Liberty to the Mountain East Conference Championship all four years, the Regional Championship game all four years, and to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight three times.  During Bonifant’s four-year career, West Liberty went a combined 124-14, averaging 31 wins per season.  He finished his career with 2,289 points, while shooting 57.4% from the field, 52.5% from the three-point line and 85.4% from the free throw line for his career. His 52.5% from the three-point line for his career set the all-time NCAA Division II record.

 

Bonifant was the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, the back-to-back Atlantic Region Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons and the Basketball Times NCAA Division II National Player of the Year in both 2015 and 2016. 

 

Year          G     FG-FGA    FG%   3FG-3A   3G%   FT-FTA   Pct  Reb  Avg  Ast  BS  St   Pts   Avg

2012-13   35  111-196   .566    66-121    .545   18-19   .947  108  3.1   37  15  10   306   8.7

2013-14   35  128-226   .566    78-135    .563   29-30   .933  107  3.1   64  16  16   360  10.3

2014-15   32  254-447   .568    117-224  .522  105-124  .847  127  3.9   65  17  17   730  22.8

2015-16   35  313-536   .584     115-232 .496  152-182  .835  184  5.3  106  27  22   893  25.5

Totals      137  806-1405  .574    374-712  .525  303-355  .854  526  3.8  272  75  65  2289  16.7

 

Brandon Cole, John Brown

 

Brandon Cole led John Brown to the 2005 NAIA National Championship, while garnering Most Valuable Player honors.  For his career, Cole scored 2,378 points, while setting the all-time college record by hitting an astounding 527 career three-point field goals AND set the all-time college record by hitting a three-point shot in 120 consecutive games. 

 

Cole was named First Team NAIA All American in both 2005 and 2006, and was named the NAIA National Player of the Year in 2006.  He was also named to the NAIA Tournament’s 75th Anniversary Team, and is a member of the John Brown Wall of Fame.

 

Year          G-GS     FG-FGA    FG%   3FG-3A    3FG%  FT-FTA   PCT  REB  AVG  AST  AVG   TO BS  STL   PTS    AVG

2002-03  34-34  191-420    .455    129-277  .466     57 73     .781  173  5.1    78     2.3      57  5    56    568    16.7

2003-04  34-34  156-385    .405    128-305   .420     68 92    .739  125   3.7    60    1.8    47  3    34    508    14.9

2004-05  35-35    207-530   .391    136-369   .369    113-14 .774  163   4.7    87    2.5    64  3    29    663    18.9

2005-06  31-31    190-553   .344    134-389  .344    137-170 .806  117   3.8   58   1.9   71  4    28    651    21.0

Totals     134-134 744-1888 .394  527-1340 .393    375-481 .780  578  4.3  283  2.1  239 15  147 2390  17.8

 

Mario Elie, American International

 

Mario Elie led American International to a four-year record of 91-32, while scoring 2,124 points, pulling down 1,001 rebounds, dishing out 332 assists, and recording 190 steals, finishing in the top 8 in school history in points, rebounds, assists and steals. 

 

Elie was named as the 1992 Northeast 10 Conference Rookie of the Year, and then was named as the Northeast 10 Player of the Year in 1992, 1993 and 1994.  He was named as an NABC All American in each of his final three years, and his jersey has been retired and his has been named to the American International Hall of Fame.

 

Year                     G            FG-FGA               Pct         FT-FTA Pct         Reb               Avg        Pts         Avg

1981-82              27          157-268              .586       72-97    .742       207        8.3               386        15.4

1982-83              31          188-357              .527       116-157 .739     239        7.7               492        15.9

1983-84              31          225-398              .565       135-170 .794     263        8.5               585        18.9

1984-85              33          252-459              .549       157-202 .778     299        9.0              661       20.1

Totals                  122        822-1482            .555       480-626 .767     1008     8.3               2124     17.4

 

Joey Flannery, Babson

 

Joey Flannery started all 119 games of his career, and led Babson to an overall four-year record of 103-18, while leading the Beavers to the 2017 NCAA Division III National Championship, where he averaged 27.8 points per game over the six games of the NCAA Tournament, and was named as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

 

For his career, Flannery finished with 2,620 points, setting the school scoring record and finishing with the 9th most points in NCAA Division III history.  Flannery also finished among the top 7 in school history in field goals made, free throws made, three-pointers made, rebounding, blocks and assists.

 

Flannery shared or won outright the NEWMAC Player of the Year award four times, and was a three-time First-Team D3hoops.com All-American, and a First-Team D3Hoops All-Decade honoree.  Flannery was named as the Northeast Region Rookie of the Year as a freshman, and then was named as the Northeast Region Player of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  He was also named as an NCAA Division III All American all three years, and was named as the NABC NCAA Division III National Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017.

 

Year G FG-FGA FG% 3FG-A 3FG% FT-FTA FT% Reb Avg Ast BS St Pts Avg

2013-14 27 181-332 .545 32-90 .356 119-159 .748 167 6.2 33 13 33 513 19.0

2014-15 32 220-453 .486 48-130 .369 201-254 .791 198 6.1 64 12 40 689 21.5

2015-16 28 210-475 .442 47-148 .318 201-240 .838 186 6.6 78 14 38 668 23.9

2016-17 32 252-546 .462 78-201 .388 168-199 .844 228 7.1 121 24 40 750 23.4

Totals 119 863-1806 .478 205-569 .360 689-852 .809 779 6.5 296 63 151 2620 22.0

 

Steve Honderd, Calvin

 

Steve Honderd scored a school record 2,469 points while also setting the school record for career field goal percentage.  In his final regular season game, Honderd went for a school record 61 points in an overtime win over Kalamazoo to clinch the outright MIAA regular season title for the Knights.

 

For his career, he started 119 of 120 games, averaged 20.7 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 62.8% from the field, a school record. 

 

Honderd led Calvin to three MIAA regular season titles and the first two MIAA Tournament titles, along with two NCAA Division II Final Fours, and the 1992 NCAA Division III National Championship, of which he was named the Most Outstanding Player.

 

Honderd was a four-time First Team MIAA selection, was a two-time MIAA Player of the Year, and was named NABC All American in both 1992 and 1993.

 

As a senior in 1993, Honderd was named as the NABC NCAA Division III National Players of the Year, and was eventually named as the NCAA Division III Player of the Decade by DIII News.

 

Year G FG-FGA FG% 3FG-3A Pct FT-FTA FT% Reb Avg Ast Avg Pts Avg

1989-90 31 216-354 .610 0-0 .000 154-192 .802 215 6.9 48 1.5 586 18.0

1990-91 28 198-302 .656 1-3 .333 184-215 .856 200 7.1 36 1.3 581 20.8

1991-92 32 236-362 .652 10-17 .588 179-212 .844 244 7.6 59 1.8 661 20.7

1992-93 28 226-377 .599 32-74 .432 157-200 .785 217 7.8 53 1.9 641 22.9

Totals 119 876-1395 .628 43-94 .457 674-819 .823 876 7.4 196 1.6 2469 20.7

 

Bob Kauffman, Guilford

 

Bob Kauffman scored 2,570 points on 64-percent field-goal shooting and collected 1,801 rebounds in his career. He had a career scoring average of 22.7 points per game, and a career rebounding average of 15.9 rebounds per game, while leading the Quakers to an 86-27 overall record, and led Guilford to the NAIA Tournament in three straight seasons.

 

Kauffman’s 32 rebounds in a single game, 698 rebounds in a single season, 943 field goals in his career, and 71.2 field goal percentage in a season, are among the seven school records that he still owns, more than 55 years after his career at Guilford was completed.

 

At the conclusion of his senior season, Kauffman was named to five different All American squads, and was the #3 overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics.  His jersey has been retired at Guilford, where he is also a member of the Guilford Hall of Fame.

 

Eric Kline, Northern State

 

Eric Kline left his hometown of Aberdeen, S.D. to play basketball at Augustana College, but after his freshman year he transferred back home to play his final three years at Northern State University. Kline and the Wolves reeled off records of 34-2, 25-9 and 29-5, an overall record of 88-16 at Northern State, finishing as runner-up in the NAIA National Tournament in both 1993 and 1994 and finishing in the National Semi-Finals in 1995.

 

He averaged 26.3 points per game during his career at NSU, while hitting 456 3-point field goals, and led all of NAIA Division II in three-pointers made in back-to-back seasons. Kline holds the NSU record with 2,660 points in his three years, and also set South Dakota collegiate record with 3,062 points over his four years.

 

Kline was chosen as the NSIC Player of the Year all three seasons at NSU, and was also the Midwest Region MVP, a NAIA Academic All-American, and an NAIA Division II First Team All-American.  After his senior season in 1995, Kline was named as the NAIA II National Player of the Year and was named as the South Dakota College Male Athlete of the Year.

 

He has been inducted into the Northern State Hall of Fame and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame.

 

Year G FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Reb Avg A BS St Pts Avg

1992-93 36 341-665 .513 148-346 .428 128-164 .780 133 3.7 68 49 17 958 26.6

1993-94 34 333-670 .497 156-350 .446 112-130 .862 125 3.7 56 1 36 934 27.5

1994-95 30 255-541 .471 148-379 .391 79-109 .725 114 3.8 83 0 48 737 24.6

Totals 100 929-1876 .495 452-1075 .420 319-403 .792 372 3.7 207 50 101 2629 26.3

 

Lambert Shell, Bridgeport

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Lambert Shell led Bridgeport to three consecutive NCAA Division II Elite Eights, and back-to-back National Championship games, while finishing his career with 3,001 points, 1,345 rebounds and 330 assists.  Shell averaged 22.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 54.7% over 132-games during his illustrious career.  Shell finished his career by setting the NCAA Division II record by scoring in double figures in 120 games.

 

Shell was named as a three-time NABC All American, the Most Outstanding Player of the 1991 NCAA Division II Elite Eight, and the 1992 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year.  Shell has been inducted into the Bridgeport Hall of Fame, the Fairfield County Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Year G FG-FGA Pct 3FG-A Pct FT-FTA Pct Reb Avg Ast Avg Pts Avg

1988-89 32 255-420 .607 0-1 .000 184-243 .757 347 10.8 42 1.3 694 21.7

1989-90 33 273-459 .595 0-0 .000 197-288 .684 352 10.7 77 2.3 743 22.5

1990-91 33 298-586 .509 7-29 .241 181-243 .745 318 9.6 93 2.8 784 23.8

1991-92 34 276-549 .502 15-40 .375 213-260 .819 328 9.4 120 3.5 780 22.3

Totals 132 1102-2014 .547 22-69 .732 775-1034 .723 1345 10.2 332 2.5 3001 22.7

 

Bill Warden, North Central (Ill.)

 

Bill Warden scored 2,249 in just 74 career games for North Central, averaging over 30 points per game for three consecutive seasons. 

 

Warden was a unanimous first team all College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin player for all four years of his career, the first player ever to do so.  Warden was the schools first-ever All American, earning the honor as a Helms Foundation All American after his junior year, when he averaged 30.7 points and 20.8 rebounds per game.

 

Warden’s jersey has been retired, and he’s been inducted into the inaugural class of the North Central College Athletic Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Basketball Museum of Illinois Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

 

1951-52 - 21 games, 214 FG,   98 FT,         526 points, 25.0 per game

1952-53 - 21 games, 254 FG, 181-240 FT, 689 points, 32.8 per game

1953-54 - 19 games, 217 FG, 149-241 FT, 583 points, 30.7 per game

1954-55 - 13 games, 162 FG, 127-192 FT, 451 points, 34.7 per game

Career - 74 games, 847 FG, 555-740 FT, 2249 points, 28.5 per game

 

Herb Magee, Philadelphia Textile, Philadelphia University, Jefferson University

 

Herb Magee is the winningest coach in NCAA Division II history, and the winningest coach in all of small college basketball history, finishing his career with an astounding 1,144 wins, while winning 71.8% of his career games.  He led the Rams to 31 NCAA Tournaments and the 1970 College Division National Championship.  During the 1969-70 season, Textile overcame a 1-2 start to run off 28 consecutive victories on its way to the crown. The Rams won their final 26 contests by a double-figure margin. In the NCAA Tournament, the Rams won their five games by an average of 23.8 points, winning the school’s first national title with a 76-65 win over Tennessee State.

 

During his career, he had 38, 20-win seasons, and 12, 25-win seasons.  Coach Magee’s teams from 1991-1995 won 80 consecutive home games, which stood as the longest home win streak in NCAA Division II men’s basketball history for 30 years.

 

Coach Magee is highly decorated, and has been inducted into the Philadelphia University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Area Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, the Middle Atlantic Conferences Hall of Fame, the National College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Dan McCarrell, North Park / Mankato State

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Dan McCarrell is the only coach in the history of NCAA Division III basketball to lead his team to three consecutive National Championships, leading North Park to the 1978, 1979 and 1980 National Championships.  He’s also the only NCAA Division III Coach to have three of his players selected in the same NBA Draft, as three players from his North Park Vikings team were selected in the 1980 NBA Draft.

 

At North Park, he led the Vikings to four conference titles and five consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.  After winning three consecutive National Championships, he was named as the NABC National Coach of the Year for three straight years, and was eventually named as the NCAA Division III Coach of the Decade.

 

At Mankato State, he led the Mavericks to 11 conference titles in his last 12 seasons, and won 284 games in 17 years.

 

At the time of his retirement, he was the winningest coach in school history at both North Park and Minnesota State, combining to go 579-348, winning 62.8% of his games – and he has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at both schools.  He has also been inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Ed Bilik, NCAA Rules Committee

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Ed Bilik was a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee from 1997-2010 and served as Secretary Rules Editor, responsible for editing the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Book.  During his tenure as Rules Interpreter, he compiled over 500,000 survey responses, gave over 5,000 rules interpretations, and issued over 250 rules memorandums.  In 1989, Bilik was appointed as the Director of Athletics at Springfield College, and was a member of the Executive Committee of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off Classic. 

 

Bilik was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, the New York State Section 4 Hall of Fame in 1996, and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.  In 2002, Bilik was the inaugural recipient of the NABC’s Guardians of the Game Award for Advocacy.  In 2011, the NABC recognized him with the NABC Metropolitan Award.

 

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