Photo Provided Long-time St. Clairsville coach Kim Clifford was presented the Naismith Meritorious Service Award Friday.

Kim Clifford has certainly received his fair share of impressive accolades because of his 32-year long head-coaching career.

Honors such as the OVAC and District 12 Halls of Fame have already come down the pike for the former St. Clairsville and Cadiz head coach.

He will have to find more room on his walls for his latest plaque.

During Friday night’s OHSAA Division II state semifinals at the University of Dayton Arena, Clifford was presented the Naismith Meritorious Service Award, which the state of Ohio presents annually to a recipient for his or her contribution to the sport of basketball and interscholastic athletics.

“It’s really kind of unbelievable,” Clifford said. “When you consider it’s a national award and only two coaches from each state are awarded this each year, it’s truly humbling. Plus, it’s got that Naismith name on it, so it must be something.”

Clifford was the lone boys coach to receive the award this year. The other recipient was long-time Pickerington High School girls basketball coach Dave Butcher, who is a Toronto High School graduate. He was recognized during the girls’ state tournament last weekend.

Upon learning of his recognition, Clifford took some time to reflect, research the award and simply soak it up.

“It’s really special, especially when you consider that people who are outside of your general (geographic) area recognize you,” Clifford said.

Clifford built most of his hall of fame resume at St. Clairsville where he led the Red Devils to their only state semifinal appearance in boys hoops, won two district titles, two OVAC titles and amassed 371 victories.

But, those nine seasons he spent at Cadiz were also quite important to forming the coach that guided the St. C. program for 27 seasons.

“I had been an assistant at Bellaire and was thinking, ‘geeze o weeze, I’m taking a risk,’ to apply for that job,” Clifford said. “It’s a new town, new people, new players, etc. But, at the same time, I thought it was time for me to get out there on my own (as a head coach).”

Clifford guided the Cardinals to an OVAC title and 90 wins in five highly successful seasons.

After that fifth season, Clifford found himself pretty happy with his situation, but he received a phone call from then St. Clairsville Athletics Director Frank Melchiorre inquiring if he may have some interest in talking about the Red Devils’ post.

“It didn’t seem like basketball was a real priority back then (at St. Clairsville),” Clifford recalled. “I got there and our uniforms were 11 years old, someone had gotten into the equipment and we had one basketball left,” Clifford recalled. “I remember telling them in the interview that I needed 24-7 access to the gym. People don’t realize it now that you couldn’t get into the gyms back then. I told them in the interview, ‘I want to weat the floor out to build a program.'”

Clearly that motivation and desire not only sold the Red Devils’ administration, but it wasn’t just lip service either. Clifford’s a true hoop junkie who took very few — if any — full days off during the season.

“I looked at the St. Clairsville job as the glass was half full because I knew there were some really good athletes who were excelling in football, baseball, track and I just thought the potential was there, but I had to get in there and sell them on basketball.”

The sales pitch began almost immediately and the message was received loudly and clearly by his players.

It was during his first season, Clifford laid the groundwork. It wasn’t because he went undefeated or something. Quite simply, he showed that basketball was important to him and if it wasn’t to the players, they didn’t have to play.

“We had some nice basketball players coming back when I first got there, but I had a kid come up to me and say, ‘Coach, I won’t be able to be at practice on Wednesday because I have tickets to a concert,” Clifford said. “I looked at him and said ‘this is how this is going to work … you’re either going to be at practice or you’re going to have time to enjoy more than one concert.”

According to Clifford, that player went to the concert. But, he didn’t have an issue again.

“I am pretty sure that he was our leading scorer coming back, but it was a matter of showing the other guys that if this is going to be a priority, one guy’s wants and needs couldn’t be more important than the team. I think I gained kids’ respect at that point because I told them, ‘if this ship is going to go down, I want it to go down the way I want it to go down.”

Clifford obviously reflected on coaching his sons — Ryan, Justin and Kurt. When the latter was a senior, Clifford actually discussed with his always supportive wife — Penny — about stepping away.

“I thought when Kurt’s done, I’ll be done, and 13 years later it did happen,” Clifford said. “I just got so much enjoyment out of it. I decided to stay on. We won some games and (the board of education) kept re-hiring me.”

Clifford, the winningest head coach in St. Clairsville history, brought success and stability to the Red Devils. In April of 2018, Clifford called it a career — as a varsity coach — on his own terms.

“When people say, ‘you know when it’s time,'” Clifford pointed out. “It was time for me. The stars lined up for me. We got beat in the first round of the tournament and I was in the locker room and I told my wife, ‘I think I coached my last game.’ She looked at me and said, ‘you’re not sick are you?’ I wasn’t sick, but the time was right. Ryan was ready (to take over) and everything was in place. I can go to the games and eat popcorn.”

Still an unquestioned hoop junkie, Clifford hasn’t had trouble filling the void because he’s really never left the game. He attends basically all of the St. Clairsville varsity games, many of the Harrison Central games where Justin coaches and he has grandchildren who are actively involved in youth hoops.

Basketball was always a priority for Clifford even when he was a youngster growing up in Bellaire. He made it a priority at St. Clairsville and among his family. But, his family priority was never trumped by basketball.

Clifford has long been one of the giants of Ohio Valley basketball and judging by the award he received on Friday, he’s not just a giant in Ohio prep basketball, but in scholastic sports in general.

WRESTLING MATCHES

As wrestling season wraps up this weekend with the OHSAA State Tournament unfolding in Columbus, The Times Leader and Wheeling Intelligencer/News-Register continue to see nominations for the top 10 wrestling matches of the last 50 years.

Anyone with a nomination, should please contact me at the email address below with your nomination. Please send some details of the match

SETH’S SCOOPS

MARTINS FERRY has signed a home football game with Leetonia and a road trip to Lancaster Fisher Catholic to replace games against Linsly and Beaver, respectively.

QUALIFYING FOR the state tournament is obviously a huge honor for the athletes, but it’s also an honor for the officials. In Ohio, Matt Hissom worked the girls state tournament, while Donnie Giffin and Jose Davis are slated to work Sunday’s Division IV state final.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com or at twitter.com/TLSportsSeth