Leach answers call of Ohio Hall

By John Kovach

The former Vienna High standout will be inducted on May 17 in Columbus.

NORTH LIMA — Rex Leach once scored 72 points in one game, 1,266 points in one season and 2,581 points during his high school basketball career at Vienna High (now Mathews High).

But Leach, who played at Vienna from 1951-55 before embarking on a success college career at Bowling Green, never knew those statistics ranked high in the state until a long time after graduation.

“It’s a funny thing. I didn’t find out about them until 20, 25 years after I graduated,” said Leach, now a retired teacher and coach who operates his own business and lives in North Lima. “We never kept track of records.”

Leach, whose 1,266 points scored during his senior season in 1954-55 still ranks No. 1 in the state, finally is getting his just reward: He will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Museum at the organization’s third annual banquet May 17 at the Columbus Convention Center.

Much of Leach’s success at Vienna was due to his pure talent and size (6-31‚Ñ2, 175 pounds), but he credits much of his success to being surrounded by outstanding players, especially during his senior season when he poured in 72 points in one game at Southington.

That year, under coach Randy Wilson, the team scored 2,617 points (still a state record), finishing with a 28-1 record and advancing to the Class B state tournament.

“I played inside and shot a lot around the basket and did a lot of rebounding. We pressed full time and ran with the ball and had a lot of fast breaks. Plus we had some excellent players,” recalled Leach, referring to other starters Don “Doc” McShane, Frank Catchpole, Mike Mizicko and Don Scott. “McShane and Catchpole averaged in double-figure scoring.

“We averaged about 90-some points a game in that 54-55 season.”

Leach sometimes wonders what his scoring statistics would be if the 3-point goal had been in effect.

“Now, all of the records include the 3-point [goal]. If the 3-point goal were factored into the scoring, my ranking would be a lot higher,” said Leach.

Leach had an inauspicious start at Vienna, starting just one game and scoring only 37 points for the season, he said.

But he improved under coaches Treadway Charles as a sophomore and Bob Herman his junior year. And Vienna went undefeated in the regular seasons of Leach’s junior and senior years, losing in the state semifinal in 1955 to Lockland Wayne in Cincinnati.

Leach said that Vienna’s biggest rival was Liberty, led by Jim Cramer, but Vienna dominated the rivalry.

“Liberty lost [only] four games in Cramer’s senior year and they were all to Vienna,” recalled Leach.

Leach went on to Bowling Green and helped the freshman team to a perfect 17-0 season, before becoming a varsity standout. As a junior, he helped the Falcons win the Mid-American Conference title and qualify for the NCAA tournament where they lost to Marquette.

“I led [Bowling Green] in scoring my sophomore and junior seasons, and currently I rank No. 9 in career rebounding at the school,” said Leach, who retired as a teacher after 38 years in 1998 and is a licensed massotherapist and operates Sports Med Clinic in Vienna, succeeding his father in that venture.

He taught 10 years at North Lima High, which later became South Range, and about 25 years at his alma mater, Mathews.

He also coached the Mathews basketball team for five seasons from 1974-79, including his two sons, Tod and Sean.

Leach is married to his college sweetheart, Carol, and the couple also has a daughter, Darbie (Leach) Cohoes.

kovach@vindy.com