Saint Xavier High School Varsity Basketball Team

Through The Years

• Saint Xavier High School's first basketball team took the court in 1911 as the Saint Xavier's College Saints. More than 100 years later, the 2023-24 Tigers take the court in search of an elusive fifth KHSAA State Championship.
• The 1926 Saint Xavier basketball team captured the school's initial KHSAA State Championship. This championship began the legacy of athletic excellence that has accounted for 172 team titles and countless individual championships over the years.
• The state tournament roster of Jimmy Malone, Tommy Fitzgerald, John Forsee, Dutch Hendricks, Jack Smith, Frank Ryan, Butch Ober and Lee Koertner became the first of many Tiger state champions.
• Saint Xavier's four state titles (1926, 1935, 1958, 1962) tie for the third most in KHSAA history behind Lexington's Henry Clay and Lafayette high schools.
• Brother Constant, Bob Schuhmann, Gene Rhodes, and Joe Reibel are the four Tiger coaches to win state championships.
• The 1926, 1935, 1938 squads claimed the title at the National Catholic High School Championships in Chicago.
• The 1928 squad become the first to win more than 30 games, as it completed the season with a record of 34-4.
• In 1937, basketball rule changes eliminated the center jump that followed all made field goals and free throws.
• Larry Duddy hit a midcourt shot as time expired to force overtime in the regional tournament, and the Tigers defeated Central in sudden death on their way to the 1958 KHSAA State Championship.
• The 1962 Tigers rolled off 25 consecutive wins to close the season and win the KHSAA state title over the defending champion Ashland Tomcats and their star, Larry Conley. The Tigers were led by Bill Cassidy and future Olympic Gold Medalist Mike Silliman in the championship game.
• The 1967 Tigers recorded six one-point victories, including a 62-61 victory that ended the 22-game win streak of Allen County High School and its star, Jim McDaniels, the state's top-ranked team and leading scorer.
• Tim Cooper, Gordy Gahm, Joe Meiman, Bill Clark, Hugh Wright and Denis Heavrin were some of the heroes for the 1969 7th Region Champions. The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 at Freedom Hall where the St. X faithful filled the arena to the rafters.
• The 1971 Tigers of Coach Marty Donlon brought out the "4 corners" and battled to the last second in a classic district tournament matchup against the Male Bulldogs. A packed house at Bellarmine's Knights Hall saw the Tigers just fall short of an upset, and the Bulldogs then cruised to their consecutive state title.
• Bruce Olliges '76 scored a school record 44 points in both his junior and senior seasons.
• Coach Alan Donhoff's 1981 squad, led by senior Jerry Roby, defeated both Male and Manual to capture the 25th District title for the first time in 10 seasons.
• John DeCamillis and former Tiger Football Coach Will Wolford helped the 1982 Tigers to a Top-10 state ranking throughout the year. Three District 25 teams finished the regular season ranked in the top eight of the Louisville's Courier-Journal LIT ratings.
• In 1994 Scott Padgett earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Kentucky where he would eventually help lead the Wildcats to the 1998 NCAA National Championship, scoring 17 points against Utah in the title game.
• Coach Joe Bergamini's Tigers defeated the Eastern Eagles to win the 1995 7th Region crown and advanced to Rupp Arena for the Sweet 16. Tiger seniors Nick Bean and David Green earned first-team All-State honors and current Tiger Basketball Coach Kevin Klein was the starting point guard.
• The 2012 squad won 23 games and captured the 25th District title for the first time in 11 seasons under the direction of Coach Kevin Klein, the 7th Region Coach of the Year. The Tigers advanced to the 7th Region title game before falling to the eventual state champions, one game short of a trip to Rupp Arena for the Sweet 16.
• In 2015 Connor McKim led the Tigers to a 23-win season that included the 26th District championship for the third year in a row and a runner-up finish in the 7th Region. Connor also earned 7th Region Player of the Year honors and was the first St. X player to be selected to the Kentucky All-Star team since 1994.
• After a COVID-delayed start to the season, the 2020-21 basketball team finished the season 19-7 and Coach Kevin Klein was named 7th Region Coach of the Year. Senior Ben Varga was named 7th Region Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 ppg and leading the state in three-pointers made per game, with 3.9. Senior Ayden Mudd was named to the Kentucky All-Star team.
• The Tigers finished the 2021-2022 season with a 21-11 record, including winning the Sarasota Riverview Holiday Classic over Christmas break. The Tigers defeated Manual in the first round of the region tournament, before falling to Ballard, 61-58, in the second round. Senior Mekhi Smith was named 2021-22 co-7th Region Player of the Year and a finalist for Mr. Basketball. Smith led the team in scoring and assists, and scored a career-high 39 points in a January victory over Trinity.
• In January of 2024 the Tigers won the LIT title with a victory over Butler, their first LIT title in almost six decades!