Joseph to be inducted HOF

COLUMBUS — John Joseph, of Upper Sandusky, will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to basketball. He will be honored Saturday at the annual induction ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus.

Joseph was in junior high school when he developed a basketball return system so he could take more shots in a shorter period. He redesigned his system while a student at Ohio State University and offered it to basketball coaches as a tool for improved shooting. The coaches were skeptical at first, but they are skeptical no more. In 2017, there were 15,000 of Joseph’s basketball Guns being used by high schools, colleges and NBA teams.

Joseph’s first machine, which he called “Shoot-A-Way,” was stationed under the basket and merely returned the ball on a track to the shooter. Ten thousand of those were produced at the Shoot-A-Way factory in rural Upper Sandusky.

In 1998, he invented “The Gun,” an automated device that retrieves the ball from a net and shoots it back to the player at a previously set speed and time. This function allows a player to take up to 1,800 shots in an hour or as many as 200 shots in 10 minutes.

The newest version of The Gun, released on Sept. 1, 2009, has a touchpad to direct the pass, a time-delay button and the ability to direct a set number of passes to a specific spot before moving to the next spot. The user also can print out a receipt of makes, attempts and percentage.

“Our goal is to have a great representation of Ohio basketball, and that includes high school, all divisions of college basketball, and the professional level,” Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Executive Director Sheila Fox said. “We induct and honor those that were either born in Ohio or contributed to the game here. We are working with universities, individuals and historians to capture and preserve the legacies of Ohio’s greatest players, coaches and contributors.”

The evening will feature a conversation with Chris Holtmann, Ohio State University men’s basketball coach. He will sit down with 2006 charter inductee Bill Hosket to reflect on his first season at Ohio State. Additionally, the OBHOF will present two graduating high school seniors with $1,000 academic scholarships. Ellie Johnson from South Webster High School will be awarded the Don Henderson Scholarship, and Owen O’Toole from Gilmour Academy will be awarded the Doc Daugherty Scholarship.

For more information or to order tickets to the Induction Ceremony, visit www.ohiobasketballhalloffame.com.