Ben Drake, the former Jamestown High School boys mentor, was enshrined during a ceremony at Harding Mazzotti Arena (formerly Cool Insuring Arena) in Glens Falls where the Hall of Fame is located.

Joining Drake in the Class of 2026 are Larry Jones and Al Monaco of Section VI, Brian Cross of Section 7, Kurt Ehrensbeck of Section 4, Maurice Hicks of New York City, Robert Mayo of Section 11 and Bob McVean, former coach at Rochester Institute of Technology.

For Drake, the honor is in recognition of his remarkable 25-year tenure at his high school alma mater.

See DRAKE,

During his tenure as Jamestown boys basketball coach, Ben Drake compiled a 425-131 record and won 17 ECIC Division 1 championships and seven Section VI titles. P-J file photo

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During that time, he compiled a 425-131 record (.764); won 17 Erie County Interscholastic Conference Division 1 championships, seven Section VI titles and three Far West Regional crowns; made 22 trips to the sectional final four at Buffalo State; and earned three trips to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association final four in Glens Falls, reaching the championship game twice.

As a high school player, he was The Post-Journal’s Player of the Year for the 1989-90 campaign and followed that with a standout career at SUNY Brockport. Upon his graduation, he finished in the top 10 in 10 different categories, including consecutive games with a 3-point field goal (23, first); career free-throw percentage (.843, second); and career points (1,266, seventh). In combination with a strong commitment to the classroom, he was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American as a senior, the first Brockport male to be so honored. He was inducted into the Brockport Hall of Fame in 2010.

Drake, who had previously served as athletic director at Keshequa Central School, was named the varsity boys basketball coach at Jamestown in 1998. He stepped down as the Red & Green’s head coach following the 2022-23 season, but still serves as Jamestown Public Schools’ athletic director.