North Central Missouri College athletics is set to induct four new members to the NCMC Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 14th. Inductees will be honored in a ceremony between the women’s and men’s basketball games against Southeast Community College. Tipoff for the women’s game is at 2:00pm. A reception is set to be held so celebrate the inductees at Riverside Country Club following the games. Light food in addition to non-alcoholic drinks will be provided for attendees. A cash bar will also be available. If you plan to attend the reception, please RSVP to NCMC Athletic Director Nate Gamet by 5:00pm on Thursday, January 12th. He can be reached by email (ngamet@mail.ncmissouri.edu).
Class of 2023 Inductees:
Chris Green: NCMC Baseball Player 2008-2009
Green pitched his sophomore year for the Pirates after transferring from Missouri Southern State University. In the spring of 2009, Green appeared in 19 games for the Pirates while leading the team in wins (4), innings pitched (79.0) and strikeouts (84). He then transferred to Northwest Missouri State University where he was a key piece of their pitching staff. As a Bearcat, he compiled a record of 11-8 with 74 strikeouts in two seasons. He held a 5.01 ERA over 129.1 innings pitched. Matt Johnson, Green’s summer ball coach while at the St. Joseph Mustangs of the MINK League, commented that he was one of the hardest working players he ever coached.
Collegiate and summer success led to a free agent signing with the Baltimore Orioles organization for Green. He pitched the end of the 2012 season in the Gulf Coast League with a record of 1-0 in 3 appearances. He posted a stellar 10 strikeouts over 5 innings pitched that season for the GCL Orioles. The following year, Green had a pair of appearances for the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent American Association before retiring due to injury.
Head Coach Donnie Hillerman detailed what made Green such a good competitor and teammate while at NCMC. “I have always been impressed by Chris’s athletic ability; he was a very physical player and he had considerable skill. With that said, the thing that most impressed me was his tenacity as a competitor and his mental toughness to overcome difficult situations. He never gave in to adversity or pain. Chris had an injury as a freshman in high school and the issues followed him throughout his career. He had elbow surgery in high school and again while at NWMSU. While pitching at NCMC, his arm health was always a factor. There were days that he was on and he pitched in dominating fashion while there were other days he would grind through and compete with less than his best stuff. He always gave us innings and a chance to win against our toughest opponents.”
Samone Redditt: NCMC Women’s Basketball Player 2012-2014
Redditt was a two-year starter for the Lady Pirates. During her freshman year she averaged 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. She was named 2nd Team NJCAA DII All-American in the 2013-14 season for her efforts that put the Lady Pirates into the national tournament for the third time in program history. That season, she averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. She was also a 1st Team All-Region XVI selection. Additionally, her NCMC jersey hung in the ring of honor at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, TN during the 2014-2015 school year to honor her efforts. In her career at NCMC, she pulled down 388 rebounds, which is 10th best all-time for the Lady Pirates.
Head Coach Jenni Croy had these comments of Redditt. “Samone was a two-year starter for us. She could play anywhere on the court, from point guard to post, which made her extremely hard to guard. She really worked hard to develop her game on both ends of the floor and was a vital component when we earned a spot in the NJCAA National Tournament.”
Richard Woods: NCMC Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach 2004-2014
Woods earned his bachelor’s degree in 1964 from Northwest Missouri State University and his master’s degree from the University of Central Missouri. He was a lifelong coach, educator and family man who helped shape many lives. In the high school ranks, he guided athletes in the sports of football, baseball and basketball plus the life lessons that come from playing athletics. Those stops included Sherwood HS, Lebanon HS, Brookfield HS and Trenton HS.
Woods was an assistant men’s basketball coach at NCMC for ten seasons under Steve Richman beginning in 2004. His positive influence on the program and the campus as a whole made everyone proud to be a Pirate. Richman had these kind words to say of his colleague and friend. “Coach Woods was not just an assistant coach; he was a mentor and father figure to me. He loved basketball but he cared about our players even more. Upon his passing, I did not just lose a colleague, I lost a true friend. I think of him often.”
Louis Wilson: TJC Men’s Basketball Player 1984-1986
Louis was a two-year starter of two TJC teams that won 20-plus games (21-10 and 20-12), serving as a co-captain as a sophomore. He continued his playing career at William Jewell where he was named to the WJC Hall of Fame as a member of the 1987-88 basketball team that made it to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Tournament. After graduation, he began a coaching career that included four years as an assistant high school basketball coach and 27 years in the collegiate ranks. While at TJC, he and former high school teammate Anthony Herrington began a lifelong friendship with fellow player Geno Morgan of Chicago. He too went on to coach at the high school level, winning three state championships before passing away suddenly in 2015. Louis and Anthony formed the Geno Morgan Foundation in his honor, which raises money to fund college scholarships for students to continue their education as well as to sponsor basketball camps.
NCMC Head Coach Jeremy Esry had these remarks about his relationship with Coach Wilson. “Louis Wilson is the definition of the type of role model that we look for when sharing success stories of former Pirates from the men’s basketball program with our current guys. Coach Wilson has always done things the right way and paved his own path. He is living proof that NCMC, or TJC as he would call it, can take you anywhere! He imprinted his stamp on Trenton and this campus, which will last a lifetime and helped open doors for our guys past, present and future to become better students and human beings. Coach Wilson continues to provide opportunities to young men to this day. When I go out and talk about North Central Missouri College basketball and the history of our program, Louis Wilson is always one of the first names out of my mouth. On behalf of our program at North Central, we would like to congratulate Coach Wilson on his induction into our Hall of Fame.”
