Rich Denamen, a Hubbard High School basketball standout who went on to remarkable success under the late, great area collegiate coach Dom Rosselli at Youngstown State University, is being inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame this spring, joining the late Bonnie Beachy of Struthers High School and Kent State University as the two hoop standouts in this year’s class.
Born October 1, 1950, Denamen is a 1968 Hubbard High School graduate who played under head coach Jack Theil, helping the Eagles to an 18-6 overall record and a District championship as a co-captain his senior year, a 13-win turnaround from his junior season. He served as president of his senior class, earned second-team all-Steel Valley Conference honors, and was presented the Sharon Hoyle Tournament’s Best Sportsmanship award.
At YSU, Denamen helped the Penguins to an 82-25 overall mark and two NCAA Division II playoff appearances during his four letter-winning seasons under Rosselli, including a 22-5 sophomore campaign and a senior season that saw the team reach the Mideast Regional for a second time in three years.
After earning his undergraduate degree in education from YSU in 1972 and his master’s in 1977, Denamen was hired by Austintown Local Schools as a health and physical education instructor and assistant basketball coach, taking over as head coach of the Falcons in 1978 and leading the program until 1985. He guided the team to a 22-3 record and a District championship in 1979-80, earning Mahoning Valley Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors that season, and compiled a 104-54 record as head coach.
He later served as a graduate assistant on head coach Jim Cleamons’ staff at YSU and as a trusted assistant to head coach Bob Patton of the Youngstown Pride, helping the team to two World Basketball League crowns. Beyond his teaching and coaching career, Denamen spent 24 years in educational administration, including 10 years as superintendent of Austintown Schools and six more as Mahoning County ESC superintendent.
Among his many honors, Denamen was inducted into the Austintown Fitch Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 and was selected for induction into the Hubbard High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. He is married to the former Marcia Stahura, and they are the proud parents of two sons, Scott and Brian, and four grandchildren. They reside in Austintown.
