Gene White, John Adams Named to Indiana Basketball HOF Class of 2024

White starred for Milan on the '54 state championship team, while Adams was a four-year starter at Rising Sun.

Gene White (left) and John Adams. Photos by Milan 54 Museum and BigBlueHistory.net. 

(New Castle, Ind.) – The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame has come calling for two former stars from southeastern Indiana.

Today, the Hall of Fame Board of Directors announced the 2024 Men’s Induction Class to be honored on March 20, 2024.

Among the 17 inductees are 1954 Milan graduate Gene White and 1961 Rising Sun graduate John Adams.

White is best known for helping Milan to the 1954 state championship. He earned All-Sectional, All-Regional, All-Semi State his junior and senior seasons, and All-State his senior year.

After graduation, White went on to play basketball and baseball at Franklin. He then served in the U.S. Army before becoming the athletic director and basketball coach at Milan, where he won the 1985 sectional title.

White also coached women’s basketball at his alma mater from 1987-1994 and again from 1999-2000. He was a three-time Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and holds the second most wins in Franklin women’s basketball history with 158.

John Adams was a four-year starter at Rising Sun, where he scored 1,568 career points. He was named to the North-South All-Star team his senior season before enrolling at the University of Kentucky where he became the team’s leading rebounder and earned Kentucky Most Valuable Senior his final season.

Adams played on several AAU teams after his college days and was an AAU National Champion in 1973. He is currently a part-time hearing officer for numerous boards for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 62nd Men’s Awards Banquet will include a reception at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle and a banquet at the Primo Banquet Hall in Indianapolis.

Reservations will soon be available online or through mail order in early 2024. Call the Hall at 765-529-1891, visit www.hoopshall.com or email info@hoopshall.com for more information.