HOF Career Coaches

Name: Mike McCracken

Year Inducted: 2011

Category: Career Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
Amboy High School

Biography:  Mike has coached basketball for nearly 50 years, all at Amboy.  He was the boys' head coach for 16 years and has been the girls varsity coach since 2008.  His teams have won a combined 600+ wins.  Mike has also logged 20 years as a junior high, JV, and varsity assistant coach.  His varsity teams have won 20+ tournament championships, 8 IHSA Regionals and 1 IHSA Sectional.

Name: Marlin Hight

Year Inducted: 2011

Category: Career Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
(Ullin) Century Jr/Sr High School
 Christopher High School

Biography:  At the time of his 2011 induction, Marlin had just complete his 42nd year of coaching basketball, mostly at (Ullin) Century Jr/Sr High School.  This included 12 seasons as the boys' high school head coach.  He guided the Centurians to their only state tournament appearance in 1974 as the team advanced to the IHSA Sweet Sixteen.  Along with his time as a head coach, (2 years at Christopher and 12 at Century), Marlin served 2 stints as the junior high coach at Century.  The 1982 squad won a state title to highlight the 7 teams Marlin led to the IESA state finals.

Name: John Mason

Year Inducted: 2011

Category: Career Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
Hinckley-Big Rock High School
Paw Paw High School
Ohio High School
(Aurora) Central Catholic High School

Biography:  At the time of his induction, John had spent 46 years in basketball.  He had coached more than 1,400 games on various levels, most recently as boys' freshman coach at Hinckley-Big Rock High School.  John coached girls' varsity teams at Paw Paw High School, Ohio High School, (Aurora) Central Catholic High School, Malta High School, and Sandwich High School.  He coached junior high squads at Dwight High School and Hinckley-Big Rock.  He was the Suburban Catholic Coach of the Year in 2000 and IBCA Class A North All-Star Coach in 2004.

Name: Jack Hermanski

Year Inducted: 2011

Category: Career Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
University of St. Francis (IL)
Romeoville High School

Biography:  Jack was the boys' head coach at Romeoville High School for 6 seasons and then became Pat Sullivan's associate coach at the University of St. Francis (IL).  He held the position as Pat's top aide for 24 years.  Pat and Jack were so synonymous with the Fighting Saints basketball program that it was only appropriate that they retired the same year.  At Romeoville, Jack coached the Spartans to their first program winning season in his first year as coach in 1980-81.  Jack has received the presigious Man in the Arena Award from his alma mater, (Chicago) Mt. Carmel High School.  He was inducted into the University of St. Francis Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.