Will be honored in January
(VERSAILLES, Ind.) – The Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame unveiled their 2025 inductees on Tuesday morning.
The nine new inductees will be honored during the Ripley County Boys Basketball Tournament at South Ripley on January 11. There will be an official induction ceremony in April.
Tara (Borgman) Kelly
The new inductees are former Jac-Cen-Del standout Tara (Borgman) Kelly who led the Eagles to several successful seasons before graduating in 1997. She went on to play at Franklin College where she still holds the career three-point percentage for the college.
Kris Cranfill
South Ripley 1996 graduate Kris Cranfill will also be inducted. Cranfill led the high-scoring Raiders during his tenure and still holds the single-game point record as well as the school’s all-time steals leader.
Melissa (Dickman) Burton
Jac-Cen-Del 1984 graduate Melissa (Dickman) Burton was a four-year letter winner and led the 1982 Eagles to an appearance in the semi-state. She continues to be among the school’s top leaders in single-season and career steals.
Mark Gilland
Mark Gilland played three seasons for Jac-Cen-Del and scored at least 200 points each year. He had 920 points during his career which ranks 17th in program history. Before graduating in 1978, he was pursued by several colleges but decided to stay on the family farm where he and his family remain today.
Brent Gutzwiller
Batesville’s Brent Gutzwiller led the Bulldogs to a 53-18 record during his varsity tenure before graduating in 1995. He finished his career as one of the all-time scorers in school history.
Ryan Hixson
Ryan Hixson graduated from MIlan in 2000 and still remains the school’s all-time scoring and rebounding leader. In 1999, he led the Indians to a 19-3 record and was named a USA Today top 25 player in Indiana.
Becky (Narwold) Nobbe
Batesville graduate Becky (Narwold) Nobbe led the Bulldogs to three consecutive sectional championships before graduating in 1995. She scored more than 100 points each season including 397 her senior year. Nobbe remains seventh on the all-time Batesville scoring leaders list.
Kyle Simpson
Milan 1996 graduate Kyle Simpson was a four-year varsity starter and made a mark as a scorer and rebounder. He remains second on the school’s all-time scoring list and third for most rebounds. After high school, he was a star player at IU Southeast before beginning a long career as a coach at Bloomington South and Southport.
Roselyn McKittrick
The founder of the Milan 1954 Museum is also being inducted into the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame this year. Roselyn McKittrick moved to Milan after marrying her husband in 1955. Her passion for displaying the stories from ‘Milan Miracle’ would lead to the development of the museum which has been visited by basketball fans from all over the world.
“She was always one to shy away from recognition but through her induction into the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame, we now give her the full recognition she deserves for the part she has played in our neck of the woods,” the organization said.
