TROY, N.Y. — St. Johnsville’s father-daughter tandem of Phil Schoff Sr. and Caryn (Schoff) Kovatch will be included Sunday in the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction.
Both starred in high school in St. Johnsville and went on to play Syracuse. Caryn, now residing in Louisville, Ky., remains the state’s top career scholastic scorer for girls or boys with 3,548 points. Phil, who returned to St. Johnsville to coach and teach after college, played baseball as well as basketball at Syracuse and had a 30-point game against Cornell University as a sophomore.
While in high school, Kovatch played on three state championship teams with her older sister, Wendi (Schoff) Waters, and shared the Ms. New York State Basketball title with New York City’s Chamique Holdsclaw as a senior in 1995.
During he college career, the younger Schoff played four seasons and captained the Orangewomen as a senior in 1998-99. She recorded 583 points and 429 rebounds over the course of 106 games.
Her father scored 490 points during his three seasons on the hardcourt at Syracuse. Phil Schoff started 19 games as a sophomore and played 65 for the Oragemen when they, like his daughter’s teams, called Manley Field House home. He would later play for Schaeffer Brewers and the Utica Wreckers in the Eastern Professional Basketball League where he averaged 40 points per game and earned a tryout with the Atlanta Hawks.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Sunday at the Terrace Restaurant. Speakers at the event include Syracuse University men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim, a college teammate of the elder Schoff, and New York Post sportswriter Peter Vecsey.
Other members of the induction class include Jim Zullo, who started his high school coaching career in Little Falls before moving on to Shenedehowa — where he won a state championship — Broadalbin-Perth and Indian Lake-Long Lake and amassed 500 victories along the way; former University of North Carolina and NBA standout Sam Perkins; and NBA player and coach Pat Riley.
The Schoffs are one of six parent-child combinations in the induction class. The complete list of inductees includes players Karl Bankowski, Talor Battle, Nate Bland, Ticky Burden, Tim Cain, Mike Catino, Lionel Chalmers, Scott Cherry, Chris Ciaccio, Willie Deane, Bob DeLuca, Jason DeLuca, John DiBiase, Sid Edwards, Chris Fagan, Kate Fagan, Craig Forth, Jimmer Fredette, Rashaun Freeman, Joe Geiger, Sonny Gooden, Joe Greco, Dick Grubar, Gary Holle, Greg Holle, Todd Holloway, Milton Horne, Skeeter Horne, Billy Kalbaugh, Bill Kirvin, Carrie Kirvin, Tim Kolodziej, Greg Koubek, Barry Kramer, Leo McDermott, Kevin McGraw, Jason McKreith, Brendan Mitchell, David Modest, Mark Mondoux, Jon Mueller, Calvin Nicholson, Brendan O’Sullivan, Sam Perkins, Rosey Phillips, Frank Pinchback, Warren Prehmus, Gary Przybylo, Joe Quigley, Luther Rackley, Armand Reo, Pat Riley, Caryn Schoff, Phil Schoff, Larry Sheffield, Leon Simon, Eric Stover, Jim Tedisco, James Thomas, Jim Town, John Traver, Tony Traver, Jack Washington, Bill Williams, and Antoni Wyche; and coaches Don Landrio, Mike Lilac, Joe Loudis, Sig Makofski, George Mardigan and Jim Zullo.
Compiled From Evening Times Staff Reports
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