The Mineral Point Basketball Hall of Fame recently welcomed its second class. Originally the group was to be recognized last weekend, but due to the pandemic, the group will be recognized at a game early next basketball season.
This year’s Hall of Fame members will join last year’s group of Jim Bennett, Karla Gribble, Pat Murphy, Dick Poad, and Janet Schubert.
Here is a look at this year’s class:
Mike Douglas Class of 1978
Mike was a two-time first-team all-conference performer in the Southern 8 Conference. As a senior, he was named conference MVP. Mike also played in the first-ever Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star game. He scored 896 points in his career at Mineral Point averaging 19 points per game as a senior. Mike played collegiately at UW-Platteville.
Chuck Bennett Class of 1979
Chuck was the head girls basketball coach at Mineral Point High School for 26 years amassing an overall record of 365-172. His teams won seven conference titles (1989, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004) and four regional titles (1989, 1995, 1997, 2003). He was also named SWAL Coach of the Year on five different occasions. Chuck and his wife life ran the Girls Junior Hoopers for eight years.
Jamie Sporle Class of 2003
Jamie was a four-year starter at Mineral Point where he scored 1228 points, grabbed 533 rebounds, and dished out 320 assists in his career. Jamie was a two-time MVP of the SWAL II and was first-team all-conference three times. Jamie was a WBCA (Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star) and was named first-team Wisconsin State Journal All-Area and Telegraph Herald first-team All-Area.
Jessi (Sporle) Steingraber Class of 2005
Jessi was a four-year starter at Mineral Point. She scored 1065 points in her career, along with 557 rebounds and 307 assists. She was a three-time first-team all-conference performer and was conference MVP in 2004-05. Jessi played collegiately at UW-Stevens Point where she was a four-year letter winner, served as team captain, earned honorable mention all-conference and earned the Pointer Award for embodying what it means to be a Pointer.
The Boys Basketball team of 1974 becomes the first team to enter the Mineral Point Basketball Hall of Fame. The team won 25 straight games before losing in the State Finals to McFarland. It was the third Mineral Point team to reach the state tournament, but the first to bring home hardware winning the Silver Ball. The team also won the Southern 8 Conference title. Picture ID: Front (left to right) Manager Jerry Galle, Ron Carey, Jeff Koehler, Jeff Reynolds, Jim Bennett, John Schmit, Steve Basting, and Manager Chuck Dahl. Back Row (left to right): Coach Gerry Douglas, Rich Mitchell, Darrell Smith, Tom Poad, Paul Schwartz, Jeff Walsh, and John Ahlgrimm.