Hall of Fame Inductees Announced Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Fame
February 19, 2009

BETHLEHEM, PA – The Lehigh Valley High School Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 2009 inductees to be honored at the Via All-Star Banquet, presented by East Penn Bank, on March 25, 2009.  The Hall of Fame was established in 1978 and honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to high school basketball in the Lehigh Valley.  For a complete listing of inductees visit www.ViaNet.org.  The 2009 Inductees are:

• Traci Cyr  |  Easton High School player, class of 1986
  Notre Dame Green Pond High School coach  |  Highest winning percentage coaching record in the Lehigh Valley

• Truman Frey  |  Bethlehem High School player, class of 1937
  1st team All-State  |  Founder of Eyeglass Fund Basketball game in 1948

• Ken Lacey  |  Stroudsburg High School player, class of 1996
  1,096 points and 647 rebounds in 2 years  |  2 Mountain Valley Conference Titles

• Joseph “Jody” Silvester  |  Bethlehem Catholic High School, class of 1955
  High School Division 1 and NCAA Official

Traci Cyr

• Easton Area High School (class of 1986)
• Senior Year (1985-86)
• 16-11 record, Team Captain, Averaged 9.5 ppg
• Set school record for most steals in a season with 81
• East Penn League All-Star
• LARC (Via) All-Star
• Express Times All Area Team Honorable Mention
• Morning Call All Area Team Honorable Mention

• University of Scranton (1986-1990)
• 96-22 four-year record
• 31-2, MAC Champs, NCAA Final Four, placed 3rd (1986-87)
• 19-8, MAC Northeast Champs (1987-88)
• 20-7, MAC Northeast Champs (1988-89)
• MAC Champs, NCAA Quarterfinals (1989-90)
• Career Stats:  517 points, 169 rebounds, 204 assists, 223 steals
• 6th All Time in Career Steals (223)
• 5th All Time in Career Steals Ave. (2.3)
• 1st single season game record with 11 steals (2-10-88)
• 1st single season steal record (98)
• 1st single season highest steals average (3.6)
• Team MVP (1990)
• Frank O’Hara Award, best female athlete (1990)
• Wall of Fame Inductee (2002)

• Notre Dame Green Pond High School Head Coach (1990-2001)
• 259-59 (81.44%) highest in the Lehigh Valley Area
• 174-16 Regular Season League Record
• 117-13   Home Record
• School Record 30 wins (1995)
• State Qualifier 7 of 11 years
• Express Times Coach of the Year (1993)
• Express Times #1 Team of the Year in Small Schools (1995)
• Graduated six 1,000 point scorers (2 more graduated the 1st year after Cyr left)
• Graduated one 2,000 point scorer

Truman Frey

• Bethlehem High School player (class of 1937)

• Lettered his junior and senior years.
• 1st team All-State (1937)
• Truman played and jumped center.  His extraordinary jumping ability made him a top player in the era of the enter jump after each basket.
  
  
• Founder of the Eyeglass Fund Basketball Game (1948-1970)
• He was chairman and chief talent recruiter for the American Business Club's Eyeglass Fund game from 1948 until his death in 1970.  Under his guidance the Eyeglass Fund game became recognized throughout the state of Pennsylvania and beyond as one of the top charity/exhibition high school events.  The two Bethlehem high schools at the time, Bethlehem and Bethlehem Catholic served as the host teams.  The game evolved into a showcase between Bethlehem, a perennial powerhouse and some of the legendary teams in Western PA as well as elsewhere.  The first of these great teams to participate was Palmerton with the Milkvy's and then Trenton Catholic, but the mystique reached its highest points in 1961 and 1962 when Farrell and Uniontown were Bethlehem opponents.  Farrell and Uniontown were PIAA champions. Bethlehem beat both and cemented its statewide reputation.  The hospitality shown visiting teams was second to none at the time and the competition provided local fans was first class.  Later attractions included Catasauqua with the great Larry Miller and the legendary DeMatha Catholic (Washington, DC).
• After his death a trophy, the Truman L Frey Memorial, was established for the winner of the Bethlehem high school's (Liberty, Freedom and Bethlehem Catholic) city series.
• Additionally, Truman and his son Barry may well have been the first father-son All-State basketball pair.  Truman was named All-State in 1937 and Barry made the AP All-State team in 1963.
• Truman was also a top track athlete who set District XI records in the broad jump, high jump and 440 relay.  His broad jump record lasted 21 years until state champion broad jumper and basketball hall of famer Al Senavitis broke the mark.  After high school he set his sights on the 1940 Olympics in the triple jump (hop, step and jump then).  World War II intervened and the Olympics were canceled before he could realize that dream.
• He was also an outstanding baseball player who earned a tryout with the St Louis Browns plus a top softball pitcher and single digit golfer.
• In addition to being one of the top players of his era, Truman took his love of the game to another level by providing several generations of Bethlehem basketball players and fans with top flight competition and entertainment.  In so doing he helped expose local players to talent from other regions and to media from other regions contributing greatly to enhance statewide reputation enjoyed by Bethlehem basketball in the 50s and 60s.

Ken Lacey

• Stroudsburg High School (class of 1996)
• 1,096 pts and 647 rebounds in two varsity seasons
• Senior year stats
• 702 pts (22.6 ppg)
• 62.2 FG%
• 380 rebounds (12.3 rpg)
• 82 blocks (2.6 bpg)
• Led team to 2 straight Mountain Valley Conference Championships (1995 & 1996)
• School’s 1st District Basketball Championship (1996) 
• Team went on to the PIAA Eastern Semi-Finals where it lost to Lower Merion, led by Kobe Bryant.
• Unanimous 1st Team All-MVC junior and senior year (top vote getter his senior year which now results in MVP award (league didn’t start naming one until recently)
• 1st Team All-Pocono junior and senior year
• Channel 13 Player of the Week several times junior and senior years
• Easton Rotary Basketball Tournament- All-Tournament team and MVP (1995)
• Channel 13 Athlete of the Season Award (1995-96)
• Pocono Record Player of the Year (1995-96)
• Morning Call All-Area Team (1995-96)
• Morning Call Player of the Year (1995-96)
• Franz Trophy Player of the Year (1995-96)
• LARC (Via) All-Star (1996)
• Born-to-Run All-Star Classic (1996)
• All-State Basketball Second Team (1995-96)
• McDonald’s All-America Nominee (1995-96)

• Rider University (1996-1999)
• Full athletic scholarship
• Three-year starter
• NEC All-Freshman team (1996-97)
• Rider University Athlete of the Month (1996-97)
• MAAC Player of the Week (1998-99)
• MAAC All-Star Team that competed in Japan (1998)

• Irish National Team (1996-2001)
• Selected to the team during senior year in high school
• Competed in the European Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (1996-2001)
• Irish International Player of the Year (2001)

• Professional Career (team names and countries listed below)
• A.O. Dafni, Greece (1999-2000)
• Pallacanestro Biella, Italy (2000-2002)
• Scavolini Pesaro, Italy (2002-2003)
• Olimpia Milano, Italy (2003-2004)
• Reggio Emilia, Italy (2004-2005)
• Virtus Bologna, Italy (2005-2006)
• Palma de Mallorca, Spain (2006-2007)
• Olympia Larisa, Greece (2007-2008)
• Retired in 2008

Joseph “Jody” Silvester

• Bethlehem Catholic High School (class of 1955)
  • John Howard (High School Coach)
• Starter junior and senior years
  
  
• High School Division 1 & NCAA Official
• Started his officiating working for his Dad in the Bethlehem City League.  Interscholastic career included working junior high and junior varsity games and eventually worked varsity games in all of the leagues. Jody worked all three classes of the state final games. Began working Division II & III college games and was promoted to the Division level, where he worked for nearly 30 years.
• He worked the NCAA Tournament for 22 years and that included two national championship games, four Final Four Tournaments, 7 Regional NCAA Finals and numerous NIT games and Championships. He retired from officiating in 2000.  Jody has been one of only a few who have worked Division I games for a long period.

The Lehigh Valley Hall of Fame inductions will be made at the Via All-Star Classic Banquet, an exciting evening that honors the top basketball players in the greater Lehigh Valley.  The Via All-Star Banquet is at Freedom High School on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 6pm (doors open at 5pm).  Via Super Saturday, a riveting game of end-to-end, high-spirited basketball, is on March 28, 2009 at 10:30am at Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem.

The 34th Annual Via All-Star Basketball Classic, presented by East Penn Bank, raises funds for Via of the Lehigh Valley’s programs for adults and children with disabilities so they can connect and live in their communities.  Via of the Lehigh Valley is a non-profit human service agency that provides services for children and adults with disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.  Serving the community since 1954, Via’s staff help individuals and families from birth through retirement focusing in Children’s Services, Community Connections and Employment.

Via works with children up to age three in their homes and daycares to address disabilities and delays.  Via finds jobs in the community for adults and provides coaching and training for successful employment.  And Via helps people, from teens to those at retirement age, connect and live in their community by volunteering, participating in leisure activities, and finding or purchasing affordable, accessible housing.  Via fosters and advocates the concept of inclusion and choice within schools, neighborhoods and communities, personal relationships, and employment.  Via believes that personal satisfaction and dignity are achieved through individual success and independence and is committed to helping people live full and productive lives.  Visit www.ViaNet.org to learn more about Via’s services.

For more information, contact:
Lisa Walkiewicz, Communications Director
L.Walkiewicz@vianet.org | 484-893-5390