Bob Lovell never considered himself as someone whose credentials were worthy of induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Others thought differently.
Lovell, a Franklin resident and host of the “Indiana Sports Talk” radio show since its inception in August 1994, will be recognized as recipient of the Indiana Pacers Silver Medal award at the Hall of Fame’s annual banquet in Indianapolis on March 21.
The Silver Medal is presented yearly to someone for outstanding contributions to Indiana high school basketball.
Former Ben Davis boys basketball coach Steve Witty, executive director of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, called Lovell on Nov. 16 to inform him of the honor.
“It was a complete shock, but I’m thrilled to be going in,” said Lovell, whose résumé includes stints coaching men’s basketball at Franklin College (1977-81) and IUPUI (1982-94). “You never think about these things.”
Lovell is no stranger to such recognition. Among his past honors are being named Indiana Sportscaster of the Year in 1999 and being inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 2011.
Lovell also has earned media awards from the IBCA (2000), Indiana Football Coaches Association (2001) and IHSAA (2003).
A graduate of Plainfield High School, Lovell is an instructor at IUPUI. His radio show, aired Friday and Saturday nights, is carried by 40 stations throughout Indiana.
“It’s hard to describe how cool it all is,” said Lovell, who has now spent more years broadcasting longer than he did coaching college basketball. “Number one, I got the chance (to broadcast), and, secondly, I’m a teacher. You learn how to be authentic and how to get your message across.”
Witty, a 1965 Center Grove graduate who guided Ben Davis to two state championships and a record four consecutive state finals (1992-95), said he thinks Lovell’s off-the-court contributions merit the Silver Medal Award.
“They say if you enjoy your job that you’ll never work a day in your life. Bob is one of those guys who is passionate about basketball and such an outgoing person,” Witty said. “He really has been good for high school basketball.
“Anything you ask Bob Lovell to do related to high school basketball, he’ll attempt to do it.”
