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All-Time Best: Beloit's rich tradition led by Hanzlik, Carr, Weavers

06/26/2020, 5:15pm CDT
By Mark Miller

(Editor's Note: WisSports.net basketball writer Mark Miller is using the extra time available due to COVID-19 to research the high school basketball history of some of Wisconsin's larger cities. His All-Time Best series will run on WisSports.net during the next few months).

For many fans of the WIAA State Tournament, the Greatest Game Ever Played very well could have been the 1969 championship game between Beloit Memorial and Neenah.

Beloit coach Bernie Barkin against Neenah coach Ron Einerson.

Two legends with stellar basketball teams going at it on the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse court.

As most know, Beloit won the game 71-69 in double overtime, thanks in large part to LaMont Weaver's 45-foot heave from just inside the half-court line in the closing seconds of regulation. 

Weaver's shot, perhaps the most famous in state history, tied the contest and forced overtime. 

LaMont Weaver's standing among state high-school basketball legends was cemented with that shot, but truth be told, he would have been remembered with or without the shot because of his immense talents. 

LaMont Weaver is one of many who excelled in basketball from Beloit. 

Here is a complete breakdown of the best to ever come out of Beloit: 

Criteria For All-Time Beloit Teams
1) In order to be chosen to the first, second, third or fourth all-time team, a player must have earned first, second, third or fourth team all-state honors from either the Associated Press or United Press International. Exceptions will be made, but will be rare.

2) In addition to the accomplishments a player achieved in high school, their college honors in the sport also weigh heavily when selecting the teams.  

All-Time Beloit Team

NAME HEIGHT GRADUATION YEAR HIGH SCHOOL All-State Team
FIRST TEAM
Bill Hanzlik 6'7" 1976 Memorial 1st (AP)
Tony Carr 6'2" 1978 Memorial 1st (UPI)
Lamont Weaver 6'1" 1970 Memorial 1st (AP)
Kyle Weaver 6'4" 2004 Memorial 1st (AP)
Bob Grady 6'8" 1978 Memorial 1st (AP)

Bill Hanzlik, 6-7, G, 1976, Memorial
First Team All-State 1976 AP

After earning all-state honors at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon as a junior, Hanzlik and his family moved to Beloit and the talented 6-foot-7 guard enrolled at Memorial. He took the Purple Knights of coach Bernie Barkin to an undefeated Big Eight Conference title and a 22-2 record as a senior in 1975-76 by averaging 19.5 points per game. A stellar defender and extremely versatile player, Hanzlik had 20 points in the Purple Knights' 43-41 win over Green Bay Preble in the WIAA Class A State Tournament quarterfinals. He then had 22 points in the state semifinals against Eau Claire Memorial, but he missed the front end of the bonus foul shot with no time left on the clock in regulation in a heart-breaking 50-49 overtime loss. Hanzlik went on to play for coach Digger Phelps at Notre Dame and then played 10 seasons in the NBA, scoring 5,414 points during his playing days with Seattle and Denver. After he retired, Hanzlik spent seven seasons in the NBA as an assistant coach.  

Tony Carr, 6-2, G, 1978, Memorial
First Team All-State 1978 UPI

He tormented previously unbeaten and Big Eight Conference-champion Janesville Craig in the regional finals with 29 points. He then handed Fort Atkinson just its second loss of the season by tossing in 42 points in the sectional final. And then, he made two foul shots with just two seconds left en route to scoring 20 points in a 55-53 victory over Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln in the semifinals of the WIAA Class A State Tournament. Indeed, Tony Carr was on a mission for the Memorial basketball team during the 1978 playoffs. He came up just short of winning a Gold Ball for the school, though, as the Purple Knights lost to Neenah 58-49 in the title game. The was the last time Beloit played for a state championship in boys' basketball. Carr, an athletic and attacking 6-foot-2 guard and first-team all-league performer, helped Beloit to a 19-6 record under coach Bernie Barkin in 1977-78 by averaging 22.3 ppg. He went on to earn first-team NAIA All-American honors as a senior at UW-Eau Claire, where he still holds the record for most points in a career with 2,257. The three-time first-team all-Wisconsin State University Conference pick was drafted in the sixth round by the Milwaukee Bucks and was a member of the U.S. Olympic trail team. He now is a diversity speaker and lives in Stillwater, Minn.  

LaMont Weaver, 6-1, G, 1970, Memorial
First Team All-State 1970 AP

Every fan of high school basketball in Wisconsin knows this name. And for good reason. He simply made what most consider the most unlikely shot in the history of prep hoops in the state. And it eventually helped Memorial to an undefeated season and the WIAA Class A state championship. Down by two points with just two seconds left in the 1969 title game against Neenah, Beloit had to go the length of the court to somehow get a shot off in an effort to tie the game. The inbounds pass went to Weaver, who caught the ball near midcourt, and flung the ball toward his basket. The 45-foot, one-handed, southpaw shot banked off the glass backboard as the horn sounded, sending the game into overtime. Beloit eventually won the game in two overtimes as Bernie Barkin's club finished off perhaps the most memorable game in state history with an 80-79 triumph, capping a 26-0 season. Click this link for more details of Weaver's incredible shot. Weaver scored 25 points in the title-game against Neenah and earned first-team all-Big Eight Conference honors. A year later as a senior, the smooth 6-foot-1 guard again earned all-league honors along with first-team all-state recognition by both the AP and UPI. Weaver went on to play college basketball at the University of Wisconsin, scoring 446 points for the Badgers and averaging 7.3 ppg as a senior in 1973-74.

Kyle Weaver, 6-6, G, 2004, Memorial
Second Team All-State 2004 AP

One of the most under-rated players to come out of Wisconsin in the past two decades, Weaver was a somewhat lightly recruited player coming out of Memorial in 2004. Even after the versatile and productive wing put forth a stellar senior season for coach Shane Bautch and the Purple Khights in 2003-04 by averaging 18.1 ppg for a team that went 20-5, Weaver had limited collegiate options at the NCAA Division I level. Finally, nearly two months after his senior season ended, Weaver signed on to play at Washington State for coach Dick Bennett. The son of former Beloit great LaMont Weaver, Kyle Weaver earned first-team all-Pac 10 honors as a junior and second-team laurels as a senior. He then played three seasons in the NBA with Oklahoma City and Utah. Weaver continues to play basketball to this day overseas. 

Bob Grady, 6-8, F, 1978, Memorial
Second Team All-State 1978 UPI

A very good jumper who could dominate in the paint, Grady was one of the few players prior to the start of the new century to earn all-Big Eight Conference honors three times. Grady scored 1,099 career points for the Purple Knights from 1975-78 and had 482 as a senior when the Bernie Barkin-coached squad finished 19-6 and lost to Neenah, 58-49, in the WIAA Class A state-title game. Grady had 16 points and 10 rebounds in Beloit's narrow 55-53 triumph over Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln in the semifinals and then finished with 12 points and three rebounds in the loss to Neenah. Grady went on to play college basketball in the Big Ten at Northwestern and scored 560 points and hauled down 404 rebounds in four seasons with the Wildcats.

All-Time Beloit Team

NAME HEIGHT GRADUATION YEAR HIGH SCHOOL All-State Team
SECOND TEAM
Bruce Brown 6'7" 1969 Memorial 1st (UPI)
Gary Hubka 6'4" 1973 Memorial 1st (AP)
Jerry Kenney 5'11" 1963 Memorial 1st (UPI)
James Lindsey 5'11" 1968 Memorial 1st (AP)
Ty Evans 6'4" 1990 Memorial 2nd (AP)

Bruce Brown, 6-7, F, 1969, Memorial
First Team All-State 1969 UPI

More than 50 years later, the record still stands. Brown made 11 of 12 attempts from the field in a WIAA State Tournament quarterfinal contest in 1969, leading Memorial to a victory over Eau Claire Memorial. That performance established the Class A/Division 1 record for best field goal percentage (.917) in a game that remains to this day. Brown finished that contest with 26 points and 11 rebounds. In the semifinals against Kimberly, Brown tossed in 30 points and snared 17 rebounds. And then in the memorable 71-69 double overtime victory over Neenah in the title game, Brown had 26 points and 18 rebounds. His 82 points were the most of any player at the state tournament in 1969. He also played in three state-tournament games as a junior when coach Bernie Barkin's Purple Knights dropped a 63-51 decision to Manitowoc in the title game. Brown's teams went a combined 48-4 during his junior and senior seasons. He went on to play one year of JV basketball at Georgia Tech. 

Jerry (Junior) Kenney, 5-11, G, 1963, Memorial
First Team All-State 1963 UPI

Kenney played on Memorial squads that shared Big Eight Conference titles with Madison East (1962) and Racine Park (1963) and qualified for the WIAA State Tournament both seasons under coach Bernie Barkin. A two-time first-team all-league performer, the cat-quick Kenney scored 745 points over three seasons, including 484 in 26 games as a senior in 1962-63. Kenney scored 61 points in three state-tournament contests during his senior season and earned a spot on the all-WIAA squad. He later signed a professional baseball contract and played six years in the major leagues, five with the New York Yankees and one with the Cleveland Indians.

Gary Hubka, 6-4, F, 1973, Memorial
First Team All-State 1973 AP

An outstanding jumper who could block shots and rebound while also scoring at a high level, Hubka earned Player of the Year honors in the Big Eight Conference as a senior in 1972-73. Playing for veteran coach Bernie Barkin, Hubka scored 493 points and led Memorial to a 23-3 record, the Big Eight Conference title and the school's eighth WIAA state crown. In three state-tournament games at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse, Hubka scored 63 points and grabbed 35 rebounds while playing alongside teammate Jim Caldwell, who later became the head coach of the Detroit Lions. In the 60-59 triumph over Fond du Lac in the Class A championship contest, Hubka scored the winning basket with 27 seconds left and then iced the game with two foul shots with :07 remaining. He finished the contest with 23 points and 14 rebounds. The two-time first-team all-league performer signed a professional baseball contract with the Texas Rangers, but was injured shortly after. He eventually wound up playing college basketball at NCAA Division II Northern Michigan where he scored 1,119 career points, including 502 as a senior in 1977-78, and played alongside current Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

James Lindsey, 5-10, G, 1968, Memorial
First Team All-State 1968 AP

Lindsey won an awful lot of basketball games during his playing days at Memorial and later UW-Eau Claire. As a senior playing alongside such talented teammates as Bruce Brown, LaMont Weaver and Bob Polglaze, Lindsey helped the Purple Knights to a 22-4 record and second-place finish in the WIAA State Tournament. In front of 7,300 fans at the Dane County Coliseum in the sectional final, Lindsey scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack as Beloit smothered Madison East. He had 16 points in a hard-fought 60-54 state-quarterfinal victory over Brookfield East, and added 10 in a 73-60 state-semifinal win over Kimberly. In the state-title game, Lindsey had six points as the Purple Knights suffered a 63-51 loss to Manitowoc. Lindsey averaged 15.4 ppg and was named Player of the Year in the Big Eight Conference as Memorial finished second in the league standings under coach Bernie Barkin. Lindsey went on to earn all-league honors four times, score 1,112 points and hand out a then-school record 470 assists playing four seasons for coach Ken Anderson at Eau Claire.

Ty Evans, 6-4, G, 1990, Memorial
Second Team All-State 1990 AP

Evans played a huge role in helping Memorial to the Big Eight Conference title with a perfect 14-0 record in 1989-90. It was the Purple Knights first Big Eight Conference title since 1977 and helped coach Gene Van Galder's team to a No. 2-ranking among Class A schools for much of the season. Evans slashed his way to 448 points in 21 games as a senior, averaging 23.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as Memorial went 18-3. He scored 29 points in his final high school game, a heart-breaking 97-93 regional loss to arch-rival Janesville Craig. A three-year varsity performer for who 1,060 career points, Evans played two seasons at NCAA Division I Richmond before transferring to UW-Whitewater. At Whitewater, Evans earned NCAA Division III All-American honors in both 1993 and 1994, and was chosen as the Player of the Year in the Wisconsin State University Conference in 1994. 

Additional All-Staters from Beloit

NAME HEIGHT GRADUATION YEAR HIGH SCHOOL All-State Team
Tamaris Relerford 5'8" 2000 Memorial 3rd (AP)
Carl Boyd 6'3" 1995 Memorial 3rd (AP)
Michael Hodges 6'5" 1990 Memorial 4th (AP)
Duane Vance 6'2" 1983 Memorial 2nd (AP)
Pete Zaher 6'1" 1977 Catholic 4th (AP)
Gay Lee 6'5" 1962 Memorial 3rd (UPI)
Bernie Lampe 6'10" 1961 Catholic 2nd (UPI -- Catholic)

Notes (2000s): Quick backcourt performer Tamaris Relerford (5-8) averaged 13.0 points for a 9-12 Memorial squad as a junior, and then upped his game big-time as a senior in 1999-2000. Playing for coach Bob Cerniglia, Relerford helped the Purple Knights to an 18-4 record and a share of the Big Eight Conference title with Madison West. He averaged 15.9 ppg and earned Player of the Year honors in the conference. Relerford went on to play four seasons at UW-Stevens Point, and was a key performer on the Pointers' NCAA Division III national-title teams in 2004 and 2005. 

Notes (1990s): Muscular Carl Boyd (6-3) was a force on drives to the basket and averaged 16.7 points and 7.5 rebounds for Memorial and coach Bob Cernigila in 1994-95. The first-team all-Big Eight Conference performer went on to play college basketball at California and averaged 6.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg for the Bears in 1998-99 ... Athletic forward Michael Hodges (6-5) teamed with Ty Evans at Memorial to help coach Gene Van Galders teams to a record of 37-9 from 1988-90. A quick jumper who could dominate on the glass, Hodges averaged 22.0 points and 9.2 rebounds in 1989-90 while earning first-team all-Big Eight Conference honors and helping Memorial to a 19-3 record and the league championship. He went on to play four years of NCAA Division I basketball at Richmond, scoring 907 career points and averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior in 1993-94.

Notes (1980s): Gene Van Galder's first season as head coach at Memorial was a success in large part to the stellar performances of Duane Vance (6-2), a first-team all-Big Eight Conference performer who helped the Purple Knights to a 14-8 record. Vance scored 519 points and averaged 23.6 ppg for Memorial, which advanced to the WIAA Class A sectional finals before falling to Watertown 78-62, despite 29 points from Vance. Vance had a season-high 44 points in a league win over Madison Memorial and went on to earn all-league honors at UW-Whitewater three times. Vance scored 1,529 career points at Whitewater and currently ranks fourth on the school's all-time scoring list. 

Notes (1970s): Playing for coach Robert Kies from 1974-77, Pete Zaher (6-1) competed on three straight SHARK Conference title teams at Beloit Catholic. He earned honorable mention all-league honors as a sophomore and first-team recognition as a junior and senior. Zaher was a key player on the Crusaders 1976-77 squad that went 22-3 and won the WISAA Class B state championship. Zaher went on to play college basketball at UW-La Crosse and earned honorable mention all-league honors as a senior in 1980-81.

Notes (1960s): Gay Lee (6-5), a rangy left-handed forward, helped Memorial to a 19-7 record and a share of the Big Eight Conference title with Madison East as a senior in 1961-62. Lee scored 404 points and averaged 15.5 ppg for coach Bernie Barkin en route to earning Player of the Year honors in the conference ... One of the more unusual tidbits in researching the all-time Beloit teams is the emergence of 6-foot-11 center Bernie Lampe during the 1960-61 season. Lampe moved with his family from Syracuse, New York, to Beloit prior to the start of his senior season and enrolled at Catholic. In 22 games, the skilled post player scored 653 points for a 29.7 ppg average. He poured in 50 points in a 73-63 victory over St. John's Military Academy and 30 in a WCIAA playoff-win over Kenosha St. Joseph. In the WCIAA regional final, eventual-champion Racine St. Catherine's held Lampe to 14 points as the Angels coasted to a 77-52 victory to end Catholic's season at 16-6. Lampe went on to become a dominant force in rec leagues for many years to come in the Freeport, Illinois, area.

Stars Prior To All-State Teams (Pre-1957)

NAME HEIGHT GRADUATION YEAR HIGH SCHOOL
Wes Mason 5'11" 1954 Memorial
Bob Wegner 6'4" 1947 Memorial
Vince Stankewitz 5'11" 1947 Memorial
Ed Polglaze Sr. 5'8" 1937 Memorial
Johnny Watts 5'11" 1934 Memorial

Notes (1950s): Wes Mason (5-11) of Memorial made one of the longest shots in WIAA State Tournament history in 1953 when his 58-foot heave just before halftime swished through the net. Beloit ended up losing that quarterfinal contest to eventual-champion Menasha. Mason was back in the state tournament again as a senior, scoring 19 in a loss to Stevens Point and 21 in a loss to Waukesha. He helped coach Roy Melvin's squad to a 16-9 record and was a first-team all-Big Eight Conference performer during his senior campaign in 1953-54. Mason went on to play college basketball at Bradley University and was a member of the school's 1957 NIT title team. Mason later became the head varsity basketball coach at Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln. He moved on to average 21 victories per season from 1967 to 1982 at Bloom Township High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and died of cancer in 1991. 

Notes (1940s): Lanky Bob Wegner (6-4) led the Big Eight Conference in scoring (289 points) and the WIAA State Tournament in scoring (43 points) in 1947. His stellar play propelled coach Carl Nelson's squad to an 18-4 record and the state championship. In a 56-37 triumph over Hurley in the state-title contest, Wegner finished with 19 points. He scored 332 points in 22 games for the Purple Knights to average 15.1 ppg. He later played on the freshman team at the University of Wisconsin ... Vince Stankewitz (5-11) was a teammate of Wegner's on Beloit's 1947 team. He scored 13 points in the triumph over Hurley, and helped Memorial to a share of the league title along with Madison Central, Madison East and Madison West.

Notes (1930s): Ed Polglaze Sr. (5-8) was a regular on Beloit's 1937 WIAA Class A state-title team, a squad that went 16-3, beat Rhinelander 28-17 in the championship game, and had no starter taller than 5-feet, 10-inches. The all-Big Eight Conference performer scored nine points in the victory over Rhinelander, and later became a fire department captain in Beloit. His son, Bob, played on Beloit's 1968 state-runner-up team ... Johnny Watts (5-11) was the first African-American player to dominate the WIAA State Tournament. He helped Beloit to state championships in 1932, 1933 and 1934, starting all three seasons. As a junior, Watts broke his wrist in the state quarterfinals against Horicon. He sat out the semifinal game and then was put into the title-game against Wausau by coach Herman Jacobson in the fourth period. He ended up scoring the game-winning basket in a 15-14 victory. Watts then had 14 points as a senior in the Knights' 32-18 victory over Wisconsin Rapids in the state-championship game. Watts wanted to enroll at the University of Wisconsin and coach Walter Meanwell definitely wanted the Beloit standout. However, the color line posed by the Big Ten Conference at the time made it impossible. Instead, Watts attended La Crosse State Teacher's College and played professionally for many years with the Harlem Globetrotters and Harlem Aces. Watts is a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He died at the age of 88 in 2001. 

Beloit's All-Time Top Scorers

NAME HEIGHT GRADUATION YEAR HIGH SCHOOL POINTS
Andre Neal 6'5" 2014 Memorial 1,134
Bob Grady 6'8" 1978 Memorial 1,099
Lamont Weaver 6'1" 1970 Memorial 1,090
Gary Hubka 6'4" 1973 Memorial 1,061
Ty Evans 6'4" 1990 Memorial 1,060
Bruce Brown 6'7" 1969 Memorial 907
Tim Duffy 6'3" 1996 Catholic/Memorial 893
Jeff Kunz 6'2" 1970 Catholic 888
Kyle Weaver 6'4" 2004 Memorial 880
Jimmy Lindsey 5'11" 1968 Memorial 851

Notes (2000s): Andre Neal (6-5) was a model of consistency during his three years of varsity basketball at Memorial. He earned second-team all-Big Eight Conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior for coach Jay Bryant, and helped the Purple Knights to a 15-10 record as a senior in 2013-14 by averaging 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. 

Notes (1990s): Tim Duffy (6-3) scored 459 points in 18 games at Catholic as a junior, leading the Crusaders to a 10-12 record under coach Paul Dailey. He averaged 25.5 ppg and earned first-team all-Rock Valley Conference honors. As a senior, Duffy transferred to Memorial and helped coach Bob Cerniglia's Purple Knights to the Big Eight Conference title and a 17-6 record by averaging 12.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Duffy went on to play basketball and football at UW-Platteville.

Notes (1970s): Jeff Kunz (6-2) led Catholic to back-to-back SHARK Conference championships in 1969 and 1970 under coach John Clark. A terrific long-range shooter with deep range, Kunz scored 888 points in two years of varsity basketball. He earned first-team all-SHARK honors and honorable mention all-state recognition as a senior when he averaged 22.2 ppg as the Crusaders finished 17-5. As a junior, Kunz averaged 15.3 ppg and helped Catholic to a 21-5 record and the consolation title of the WISAA State Tournament. Kunz went on to twice earn All-American honors at St. Nobert College. He scored 1,851 points during his career with the Green Knights and had 58 points in a single game as a junior. A member of St. Norbert's Hall of Fame, Kunz went on to be a head college coach in the 1990s at Carroll University in Waukesha.

Additional Notes (2000s): Guard Marquel Hoskins (5-10) helped Memorial to a 17-8 record and a spot in the 2006 WIAA State Tournament, completing a rare four-point play late in a 45-42 sectional-final victory over Janesville Craig. The first-team all-Big Eight Conference performer later was a NCAA Division II All-American at San Francisco State ... Late-blooming forward Menelik Barbary (6-8) earned first-team all-Big Eight Conference recognition as a senior in 2001-02. He averaged around 12 ppg for coach Shane Bautch at Memorial, which went 13-9. Barbary spent two years at Bakersfield Junior College and then transferred to NCAA Division I San Jose State, where he averaged 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a senior in 2006-07. Barbary later went on to play professionally overseas.

Additional Notes (1990s): Like Barbary, Curtis Wilson (6-8) was a bit of a late bloomer. The Memorial graduate earned second-team all-Big Eight Conference honors for coach Bob Cerniglia and the Purple Knights in 1995 and later played NCAA Division I basketball at New Orleans. In two seasons at New Orleans, Wilson scored 599 points and grabbed 337 rebounds.

Additional Notes (1980s): Guard Mike McNabb (6-1) was named Player of the Year in the Rock Valley Conference as a senior in 1984-85 while helping Catholic to an 11-9 record under coach Bob Cerniglia. McNabb went on to play college basketball at UW-Milwaukee and led the Panthers in assists as a sophomore in 1986-87.

Additional Notes (1970s): Kerry Kennedy (6-3) played two seasons of varsity basketball for coach John Schell at Catholic and helped the Crusaders to a 13-9 record as a junior and an 11-11 mark as a senior. He went on to play college basketball at St. Norbert College in De Pere, scoring 356 points over three seasons for the Green Knights.

For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark by clicking here.

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