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The New England Basketball Hall of Fame honored its 2003
inductees on Sept. 19 in the Ryan Center at the University
of Rhode Island. The College congratulates the following
Holy Cross inductees:
George
Blaney ’61, Division I Men’s Coach
Blaney was the head men’s basketball coach at Holy
Cross from 1972-94. Coaching in a record 633 games—longer
than any coach in school history—he posted a record
of 357-276 in his 22 seasons with the Crusaders. As a player,
Blaney scored 1,012 points and currently ranks 38th on
the College’s all-time scoring list. A two-time All-New
England selection, he served as team captain in 1961. Blaney
played professionally with the New York Knicks and the
Philadelphia 76ers.
 Bill
Gibbons, Division I Women’s Coach
Holy Cross women’s basketball coach since 1985, Gibbons
has led the Crusaders to nine Patriot League championships
in the last 13 years; with an overall record of 380-157,
he helped the women’s basketball team to more victories
than any other coach. Gibbons was named Patriot League
Coach of the Year six times. Every student athlete who
has played four seasons under his guidance has earned her
degree. Gibbons’ program has produced four national
Academic All-Americans as well as several Academic All-District
selections; three players have earned Patriot League Female
Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. Gibbons’ teams
have consistently ranked among the best at Holy Cross in
overall team GPA.
 Amy
O’Brien ’99, Division I Women’s Player
O’Brien is the second-leading scorer in Holy Cross
women’s basketball history, with 2,075 career points.
Earning the Patriot League Player of the Year title twice,
she was a three-time First Team All-Patriot League team
member. O’Brien was also an Associated Press Honorable
Mention All-American and a two-time GTE-CoSIDA Second Team
Academic All-American. As a fourth-year student, she was
the New England Collegiate Athletic Conference Female Athlete.
Earning All-Patriot League First Team honors on three occasions,
O’Brien was the Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable
Player in 1998. In addition, she was the Patriot League
Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1998 and the Patriot League
Women’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year in
1998 and 1999.
Togo Palazzi ’54, Division I Men’s
Player
Palazzi was co-captain of the 1954 men’s basketball
team. A two-time All-American, he scored 1,633 career points
at Holy Cross in three seasons, averaging 20.4 points per
game. Palazzi also ranks second all-time at Holy Cross
in rebounding with 1,086 total boards in his 80 games.
One of just three players in their Holy Cross career to
score over 1,500 points and pull down over 1,000 rebounds,
he averaged 24.8 points per game in 1954—the fourth
highest single-season total in the College’s history.
Palazzi’s remarkable 31 rebounds against North Carolina
during the 1952-53 season is the second highest single-game
total in school history; he averaged 16.2 rebounds per
game that season, which is the second highest single-season
per game average in school history. A first-round pick
for the Boston Celtics in 1954, Palazzi enjoyed a six year
professional basketball career with the Celtics (1954-57)
and the Syracuse Nationals (1957-1960).
 Lester “Buster” Sheary, Division I Men’s
Coach
Sheary was the head men’s basketball coach at Holy
Cross from 1948-55. During his seven years as coach, he
compiled a .811 winning percentage, coaching Crusader greats
Tom Heinsohn ’56, Bob Cousy ’50, Togo Palazzi ’54
and Ron Perry ’54. Sheary won at least 19 games in
all seven seasons in which he was head coach, taking his
team into postseason play in five of the seven seasons.
During an incredible three-year stretch, from 1949-50 to
1951-52, he led the Crusaders to 71 wins in 84 total games.
The team went to the NCAA tournament and made one appearance
in the NIT. Fifty-three of Sheary’s players have
gone on to coach in the prep, collegiate, or professional
ranks.
The following members of the Holy Cross community were
honored for excellence in basketball prior to coming to
Holy Cross:
Ann Zelesky, Head High School
Girls’ Coach – St.
Peter-Marian High School (Mass.)
As the former head girls’ basketball coach at St.
Peter-Marian High School, Zelesky’s teams posted
a record of 272-54, winning eight Central Massachusetts
titles, seven district championships and one state crown.
Named Massachusetts Coach of the Year on two occasions,
she is currently associate athletic director at Holy Cross.
Bob Curran ’48, High School
Player – St. John’s
High School (Mass.)
One of the top basketball players in St. John’s history,
Curran earned All-New England honors while serving as team
captain. He was well-known for his remarkable defensive
play and poise. After high school, Curran played one season
at Holy Cross before enlisting in the Navy; he returned
to campus in 1946, following three years of military service.
Captain of the Crusaders’ 1947-48 NCAA Championship
team, Curran was one of just four Crusaders to play in
all 30 games during the season.
Jim
McCaffrey ’86, High
School Player – Rutland
High School (Vt.)
McCaffrey, who scored 1,111 points at Rutland High School,
holds the Vermont state scoring record, having earned 55
points in a single game. He also holds the state tournament
record for registering 48 points during a single game in
his senior year. An All-State selection, McCaffrey averaged
30.0 points per game during his final year of high school.
Ron Teixeira ’69, High School Player – Catholic
Memorial High School (Mass.)
A Roxbury, Mass., native, Teixeira was a high school All-American
under former Holy Cross athletic director Ron Perry Sr.
at Catholic Memorial High School. At 6 feet 9 inches tall,
he was known as an outstanding defensive player who blocked
numerous shots. At the time, he was the tallest player
in Holy Cross history.
All Photos, courtesy of Holy Cross Athletic Media Relations
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