DOVER - Not Much in the way of size. But speed, spirit, stamina and the marksmanship of 10 Davy Crocketts. These are the prime ingredients of the 1956 Coaches' All-Tuscarawas County Team comprised of 10 players from 7 county schools. The 10 All-Stars, who will be presented with individual trophies after tonight's Tournament Championship game at Dover's Memorial Hall were chosen by vote of all county coaches who 1st submitted nominations and then voted for 10 boys from the "Master List" of 26 players. Ten points were given for a 1st place vote, nine for 2nd and so on.
The top vote-getter and one of 3 unanimous choices was Senior Jim Kuecher, the Strasburg Tigers flash. The slim forward, one of the big reasons why the Tigers are boasting a clean slate, was the No. 1 selection of 3 coaches, 2nd choice for 3 mentors and 3rd choice of 2 others. The other unanimous picks were the Stone Creek Golden Panthers' Junior Ron Deibel and the Midvale Blue Devils' Senior Larry Swinderman, a couple of small boys who can shoot with the best of them. Deibel red-haired jump shot artist who made the honorary team as a Sophomore last year, received one 1st place vote, 2 seconds and 3 thirds, while Swinderman, the jumping jack who excels on a spin shot from the side, was awarded one 1st choice vote, one 2nd, one 3rd and 2 fourths.
The Golden Panther Ace (Deibel) now has scored 1,385 points in 3 seasons and looms as a good bet to break the 4-year individual record of 1,792 points held by another Stone Creek luminary, Bill Jones. Swinderman, the Blue Devils' best rebounder despite his 5-9 height, pumped home 430 points as he and teammate Junior Dick Leggett, another All-County selection, supplied the Diablos with an outstanding one-two punch.
Kuecher, of the Tigers of Strasburg's "meat and potatoes" performer, accounted for 343 points in 17 regular season games. A hard driver, Slim Jim is always on the move and is especially dangerous on a one-handed jump shot. Possessed with quick reflexes, the Bengal bomber is a rugged customer defensively. More than once he earned 2 points by stealing the ball or intercepting an opponents' pass. Kuecher's teammate, the rugged Junior Jerry Froman, also made the team, while the Gnadenhutten Indians, with the 3rd best record in the county, also placed 2 performers...Senior forward Lloyd Porter and Senior guard Glenn Hines.
Froman and Hines are somewhat alike in that both are their team's pressure players. The 5-11 Froman who weighs 190 pounds, is a standout rebounder, a fine defensive player, a good set shot and a hard worker. he average 15.7 points per game and can always be relied upon when the going is toughest. Hines, a diminutive ball hawk and shooter who is an All-County repeater, was shifted from forward to guard during the regular season. The switch didn't hurt the Indians a bit. An inspiring leader, Hines is a 4-year Varsity player for the Tribe.
When Hines was transferred to guard, the lean Porter moved from center to forward. The 6-1 porter is Gnaden's top rebounder. Possessor of a nifty jumpl shot, he is definitely a team man and has been tabbed as a good small college prospect. Lloyd has played 3 years with the Gnaden Varsity. Leggett, a Junior guard who has all the requisites of an all-star, is best known for his driving layups and running jump shots. Good defensively, he is a pip of a rebounder. His cat-like movements caused more than one headache to the Midvale enemies.
The squad is rounded out by Senior Pitchin' Paul Lindsay of the Mineral City Tigers, Junior Ed Bates of the Port Washington Purple Riders and Senior Ted Riggle of the Tuscarawas Broncos. Lindsay, who warmed the cockles of Tiger followers' hearts aplenty this season, is the other repeater from last year's team. The county's top scorer, blond-haired Paul bombed the hoops for 539 points...that's an average of over 26 points per contest...but, the Splendid Splinter from the Tigers of Mineral City wasn't content with just shooting the ball. Shifty and tricky, Lindsay grabbed a lot of rebounds and passed off for a number of buckets. His forte was the jump shot; although, he was equally effective with a set from the sides.
Bates, bespectacled Purple Riders forward, will be back for another year. The jump shot specialist, who goes an inch over the 6-0 mark, was a hard man to be stopped when he was "hot." Fast, he tallied many a basket on the front end of the Rider fast-break. Riggle, a fine all-around performer, was 5th among county bucket-makers. Tusky's record wasn't the best, but only 2 coaches failed to vote for the Bronco Star who was a Grade-A hustler.
These are the Super Stars of Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball this season. The Daily Reporter is proud to recognize them and also all other boys who helped their teams on the hardwood. Special recognition goes to 4 boys who were only a few votes away from the Top 10. They include Senior Jim Uher of the Baltic Eagles, Senior Don Levengood of the Dundee Bulldogs, Senior Ted Brown of the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates and Sophomore Rod Reinhart of the Stone Creek Golden Panthers.
Trophies, donated by The Daily Reporter, will be presented to the 10 All-Stars at the conclusion of the County Tournament tonight. The individual trophies have the players' name and "All County 1956" engraved on them. This newspaper also provides the trophy for the Tournament Champion.
THE ALL-STAR TEAM
Junior - Ed Bates - 6-1- Port Washington Purple Riders - 373
Junior - Ron Deibel - 5-10 - Stone Creek Golden Panthers - 460
Junior - Jerry Froman - 5-11 - Strasburg Tigers - 251
Senior - Glenn Hines - 5-8 - Gnadenhutten Indians - 323
Senior - Jim Kuecher - 6-0 - Strasburg Tigers - 343
Senior - Paul Lindsay - 6-1 - Mineral City Tigers - 539
Junior - Dick Leggett - 5-10 - Midvale Blue Devils - 347
Senior - Lloyd Porter - 6-1 - Gnadenhutten Indians - 287
Senior - Ted Riggle - 6-0 - Tuscarawas Broncos - 374
Senior - Larry Swinderman - 5-9 - Midvale Blue Devils - 450
HONORABLE MENTION
Ted Brown - Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates
Ken Haueter - Bolivar Cardinals
Tom Jones - Port Washington Purple Riders
Don Levengood - Dundee Bulldogs
Ben Price - Mineral City Tigers
Rod Reinhart - Stone Creek Golden Panthers
Willie Rieger - Strasburg Tigers
Jim Uher - Baltic Eagles
Saturday, February 25, 1956
Charlie Powell, Sports Editor
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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