Sunday, June 27, 2004
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New England Hoop Hall
Adds Four NEW Greyhounds . . .

Four former Assumption College men's basketball standouts have been elected and will be formally inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled for September 24, 2004, on the University of Rhode Island campus.

The addition of Fred Barakat '61, Ed Hippert '62, Jake Jones '71 and Mike Boylan '73 swells the Assumption College contingent to nine--- previously including Andy Laska H'90, Joe O'Brien '57, Tim Shea '72, Charlie Bibaud '55 and John Grochowalski '75. Also to be inducted is Bill Gibbons Sr., who played for the Greyhounds in 1954-56, before transferring to Clark University.

FRED BARAKAT '61

FREDERICK E. BARAKAT '61

According to his coach, Andy Laska, FRED BARAKAT was the premier defensive player of his time leading his teams to three post-season tournaments including the 1958 N.A.I.A. National Tournament in Kansas City, MO. He was also a standout baseball player and later went on to a successful basketball coaching career at Fairfield University.

As a freshman, he averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds as the Hounds won their first regional (N.A.I.A.) in 1958. He averaged 11.6, 12.6 and 15.3 points over the next three years as the team qualified for its first two N.C.A.A. post season tournaments. He finished with 910 points---then the fourth-leading scorer in Hounds' history (now 39th) and captained the team as a senior.

He earned all-America honors via The Catholic Digest, The Tablet and the Associated Press. He returned as assistant coach under Joe O'Brien '57 in 1967-68 and also served as soccer and tennis coach.

He is the all-time winningiest coach in Fairfield history (160-128) and led the Stags to three N.I.T. appearances (1973, 84, 78) including the programs' first post-season berth as a Division I program in 1973. An 80-76 win over Marshall is the program's only N.I.T. victory. He also led the team to three E.C.A.C. regionals in 1977, 78 and 80. His 22-5 mark in 1977-78 was a then-school record.

A two-time all-America, he was a territorial draft selection of the New York Knicks (NBA) and also had a baseball try-out with the San Francisco Giants. He played five years in the Eastern Basketball Pro League.

He joined the staff of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1981 as Assistant Commissioner and in 2000 received the additional title of Director of Men's Basketball Operations.

He was inducted into the Assumption Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Fairfield Hall of Fame in 1990. A native of Union City, NJ, he was graduated from Emerson High and was also inducted into Emerson High (1998) and Hudson County (1999) Hall of Fames.

Barakat and his wife, Florence, reside in Greensboro, NC, and are the parents of four adult children: Nancy, Christie, Amy, and Rick.

ED HIPPERT '62

EDWARD E. HIPPERT JR. '62

One of the outstanding defensive and clutch offensive players for Hall of Fame Coach Andy Laska, ED HIPPERT has been a recognized name in Central New England for over 40 years---first as an all-scholastic at St. John's High, then as an all-America performer at the College, and finally in a coaching career that has spanned 35 years in four sports (basketball, baseball, football, tennis). His St. John's High tennis team recently won the Massachusetts Division I title.

He led his teams to a combined 53-21 overall record (.716) and an N.C.A.A. regional tournament berth---the first of 21 bids the team would receive over the next 31 years.

He was named all-New England as a senior en route to his being named an all-America by The Pilot. He was also Most Valuable Player of the Springfield Invitational and also captained the team.

Statistically, he scored 646 points, averaging 10 points (on teams that averaged under 50 ppg), while shooting .501 from the floor (232-for-463). He also, unofficially, holds the record for most years played in the Worcester Park's Summer League, having participated for 17 seasons with various teams.

After graduation he spent 20 years as a teacher-coach at Leicester High School. His basketball teams earned seven playoff berths in eight years, won five Southern Worcester County League titles, two Clark Tournament titles, a District E championship and at one time won 43 consecutive conference games. His Leicester football teams included two undefeated seasons and two S.W.C.L. championships. He also coached tennis for six seasons.

He spent time as Vice-Principal and basketball coach at David Prouty High (Spencer, MA) (1982-85). His three years in Spencer included an undefeated season, two more S.W.C.L. titles, two Clark Tournament titles, and a District E title. He also coached two years at Auburn High (one Clark Tournament), one year at Oxford High School, two years at St. Mary's (Worcester) and now entering his fifth year at Tantasqua Regional. He is also tennis coach at St. John's High.

He coached Worcester State College basketball from 1974-79 leading the Lancers to their first N.C.A.A. tournament in 1976-77. He was inducted into the Assumption College Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003.

Today he is a guidance counselor and basketball coach at Tantasqua Regional High in Sturbridge. Now living in Spencer, he is married to the former Charlene Grandmont and has two daughters Sarah (21) and Rachel Anne (17) and a son Andrew (19).

JAKE JONES '71

JACOB L. JONES '71

As the College's premier defensive performer, its first African-American student-athlete, its first two-time first-team all-America and its only NBA player, JAKE JONES left a legacy that will long endure in Assumption College annals.

His fondest memory is of the 1970-71 team that finished 25-2, won the regional title and earned the distinction of being the national champions in the final U.P.I. poll. That team earned wins over Evansville (106-91) as the starters scored 99 points, beat crosstown rival Holy Cross (95-72), beat Bowdoin (108 36), the largest margin of victory in Hounds' history and beat Fairfield (coached by Fred Barakat '61 (93-67) just before they accepted an N.I.T. bid. And who could forget Providence's Ernie DiGregorio with his head buried in a towel at old Alumni Gym after a frustrating night vs. Jones.

He was the 1971 E.C.A.C. Player-of-the-Year and Most Valuable Player of the regional tournament. He played for the United States in the World University Games in 1970---one of only six players in New England history! He would finish his career in the National Basketball Association playing a year with the Philadelphia 76ers and Cincinnati Royals.

He was a swingman, being used primarily as a forward with responsibility for defending the opposition's playmaker. And he was a terror on defense . . . as one former teammate said, "Jake played defense and everyone else played offense." Jones however scored 1,421 points---ending his career as the No. 2 scorer behind teammate Serge DeBari's 1,493 points.

He was inducted into the Assumption College Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.

He currently resides in Long Branch, New Jersey with wife Geraldine and sons Godwin, Paul and Jacob. He is the Recreation Director for the City of Long Branch.

MIKE BOYLAN '73

MICHAEL F.X. BOYLAN '73

He went without the ball better than any player in Hounds' history, he always excelled in the big games, his team was ranked No. 1 in New England for four straight years, he played in the East-West All-Star Game, and was drafted by two professional leagues---MIKE BOYLAN proved to be the winningiest player in the College's annals.

He was the first player in Hounds' history to average 20 points in a season, the first to score 2,000 points in a career and the first to score over 40 points in a game (45 in his final game). He averaged 13.4 points as a freshman scoring an amazing 29 points in just his second game and followed with scoring averages of 19.5, 22.1 and 22.8 leading his team to four N.C.A.A. tournaments, three regional championships and a national third-place finish (1973). He was named a first team all-American by both the A.P. and U.P.I. and was the first-ever Division II player to play in the East-West All-Star Game (Dayton, OH).

He is very proud that during his career the Greyhounds posted an overall record of 88-16 for an .846 percentage---the highest four-year percentage in the College's history. His teams posted records of 17-5, 25-2, 21-6 and 25-3.

He was the E.C.A.C. Rookie-of-the-Year (1970), the E.C.A.C. Sophomore of-the-Year (1971) and the E.C.A.C. Player-of-the-Year (1973). He earned first team all-America honors in both his junior and senior years.

He was elected to the Assumption College Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 and was selected to the N.C.A.A. Silver Anniversary Team in 1998---in salute of players who went on to distinguished professional careers.

He is currently Vice-President for Golf Promotion for the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. in Chicago. He resides in Lisle, IL with his wife Joanne and daughters Susan and Denise.