Page 16 - 2016-17 Boys Basketball State Finals Program

Arthur L. Trester and Ray Craft

Mental Attitude Awards

The IHSAA Executive Committee presents the Arthur L. Trester & Ray Craft Mental Attitude
Awards to the outstanding senior participant in each classification of the boys basketball state
finals. The recipients of these awards, who were nominated by their principals and coaches, must
excel in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in basketball. The Indiana
Pacers and Indiana Fever, the presenting sponsors of the state tournament, donate a $1,000
scholarship to each school in the name of the recipient.
The 4A, 3A and 2A awards are named in honor of the late Arthur L. Trester who served as
first commissioner of the Association from 1929 to 1944 and helped Indiana high school sports
Arthur L. Trester and the IHSAA emerge from the Great Depression in a position of preeminence unmatched by
IHSAA perhaps any other state in the nation.
Commissioner Beginning in 2016, the Class A award has been re-named in honor of Ray Craft, the long-
1929-1944 time associate commissioner who served from 1983 to 2008. Craft was involved at nearly every
level of Indiana secondary education and interscholastic athletics during his career including
administering the basketball state tournament. He was also a starting senior guard on Milan High
School’s 1954 state championship basketball team.
From 1917 to 1943 the award was known as “The Gimbel Medal for Mental Attitude” in honor
of Mr. Jake Gimbel of Vincennes, who awarded the medal each of those years until his pass-
ing prior to the 1943 tournament. In 1944, the award became known as the “IHSAA Medal for
Mental Attitude”. In 1945, the IHSAA Board officially named the award “The Arthur L. Trester
Medal for Mental Attitude”.
Ray Craft Recipients were given a medal each year from 1945 through 1964, hence “The Arthur L.
IHSAA Trester Medal for Mental Attitude.” Since 1965, the award has been made in the form of a plaque
Executive Staff with a copy of the original medal incorporated on the face of the plaque.
1983-2008

2016 Class 4A 2016 Class 3A 2016 Class 2A 2016 Class A
Charles Phinisee Ethan Thomas Brian Warren Eli Combs
McCutcheon Ev. Bosse Indpls. Howe Bloomfield
Year Name School Year Name School
1916-17 Claude Curtis Martinsville 1937-38 Robert Mygrants Hammond
1917-18 Ralph Esarey Bloomington 1938-39 Jim Myers Evansville Bosse
1918-19 Walter Cross Thorntown 1939-40 Duane Conkey Mitchell
1919-20 Harold Laughlin Bedford 1940-41 Donald Server Madison
1920-21 Ralph Marlowe Sandusky 1941-42 Kenneth Brown, Jr. Muncie Burris
1921-22 Reece Jones Vincennes 1942-43 Dave Laflin Lebanon
1922-23 Maurice Robinson Anderson 1943-44 Walter McFatridge Kokomo
1923-24 Philip Kessler Richmond 1944-45 Max Allen Indianapolis Broad Ripple
1924-25 Russell Walter Kokomo 1945-46 Robert Cripe Flora
1925-26 Richard Williams Evansville Central 1946-47 Ronald Bland Terre Haute Garfield
1926-27 Franklin Prentice Kendallville 1947-48 Lee Hamilton Evansville Central
1927-28 Robert McCarnes Logansport 1948-49 James Schooley Auburn
1928-29 Emmett Lowery Indpls. Arsenal Technical 1949-50 Pat Klein Marion
1929-30 Kenneth Young LaPorte 1950-51 Robert Jewell Indianapolis Attucks
1930-31 Norman Cottom Terre Haute Wiley 1951-52 Joe Sexson Indpls. Arsenal Technical
1931-32 Jess McAnally Greencastle 1952-53 Harley Andrews Terre Haute Gerstmeyer
1932-33 James Seward Indianapolis Shortridge 1953-54 Bobby Plump Milan
1933-34 Arthur Gosman Jasper 1954-55 James Henry New Albany
1934-35 James Lyboult Richmond 1955-56 Dennis Tepe Elkhart
1935-36 Steve Sitko Ft. Wayne Central 1956-57 Robert Perigo Lafayette Jefferson
1936-37 Robert Menke Huntingburg 1957-58 Richard Haslam Crawfordsville
1958-59 James Rayl Kokomo
16 IHSAA State Basketball Tournament presented by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever