'I was amazed and shocked': Bucyrus legend immortalized in gym with the Phil Joseph Court
BUCYRUS — Phil Joseph grew up in Zanesville and graduated from Bishop Rosecrans High School before going on to play basketball at Rio Grande University. He earned his bachelor's degree in education there and then a master's at Union College in Kentucky before embarking on a teaching — and coaching — career.
A year at Marysville High School was followed by two at Galion High School, then Joseph got his first head coaching position at Utica High School, leading the boys basketball program for two seasons. From there he took over the Newark Catholic Green Wave for a six-year stint, guiding them to regionals in 1975-76, won three league titles and was voted Licking County League Coach of the Year in 1977-78.
It was that brief stay in Galion, though, that made the biggest impact on his life. He met his wife Pat, the couple has been married for more than 50 years. And Joseph would eventually make a return to Crawford County in 1980.
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That's when his 40-plus year career at Bucyrus began and, in an indication of the impression he left on the program and the community, he will be immortalized on the very court he spent countless hours. From Jan. 20, 2024, on, the court will be known as the Phil Joseph Court in the Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium.
"When Randy Blankenship, the president of school board, told me, I was just amazed and shocked," Joseph said. "It's just one of those terrific things that happens but I never dreamed would happen.
"I didn't know Mr. Kish, but I heard wonderful things about him. He was a great educator, a great teacher and just a good person."
Joseph helped turn the tide at Bucyrus
Just before he took over in 1980, Bucyrus had its best season in a decade going 11-11 and had won tournament games in consecutive seasons for the first time since the early 1950s. But in the 25 years preceding Joseph, the program had just four winning seasons, finished at .500 twice and won four tournament games.
In five years at the helm of the Bucyrus basketball program, Joseph compiled a 36-71 record winning playoff games twice. He led the team to a 12-9 mark in 1983-84, which is one of just four winning seasons the program has had since his arrival — Todd Martin did it twice (18-4 in 2002-03 and 11-10 in 2004-05), Tony Rose once (12-11 in 2013-14).
Joseph would remain with the program in some capacity — varsity assistant, JV coach, freshman coach — under 12 different coaches up until his retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season.
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"I didn't envision 40 years, but I knew it would be my last stop," Joseph said. "My kids were happy here, my wife was happy, and I liked the town. Coaches move around and they enjoy that, and some just stay at one spot and enjoy that.
"That's where I was."
One of the high points in his coaching career was that 2002-03 season when Bucyrus won its first league title in 35 years. But there's two others that stand out even more in his memory.
"My first year in 1980 I got to meet the people and we had good administrators," Joseph said. "And maybe my last year because I knew it was gonna be my last year."
Over his career, Joseph received an award from the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association for winning 100-plus games, the Bob Arnzen Award for coaching at one school for 20-plus years, the Mac Morrison Award for Lifetime Service by the Northwest District Athletic Board in 2017 and was inducted into the Bucyrus Hall of Fame in 2019.
"We had some winning seasons and won some tournament games," Joseph said. "I remember we beat Lexington on a Jay Keller bank shot, they were a heavy favorite at that time. But unfortunately we had to play Willard the next game. We beat Ontario on a last second shot, too.
"We came close to winning a sectional but we never quite got there."
Even in retirement Joseph attends just about every single game in the Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium. And now, he will be able to watch the team he loves so much play on the Phil Joseph Court.
"I'm just thrilled to have been here," he said. "I remember my dad always told me, 'Hang around with good people.'
"And look at me now, I'm hanging around with good people."
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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus honors Phil Joseph by naming basketball court after him
