HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
LARRY CHERNAUSKAS
CLEVELAND WEST TECHNICAL
2004 RECIPIENT
Larry was one of the founding members of the Greater
Cleveland Basketball Coaches Association (GCBCA). He was always active in
the association. There have been many coaches in District 2 that have
deserved a nomination to the OHSBCA Hall of Fame, but didn't have the wins,
the state/local involvement or the impact on basketball over a lengthy
period of time. Larry had them all. Beyond the obvious statistics (208 wins
a a head boys coach and 288 as a head girls coach for 508 total wins, 37
years as a head coach and 6 as an assistant), Coach Chernauskas represents
the glory years of Cleveland boys basketball (West Technical High School)
and then was instrumental in developing the notoriety of the girls game
while at St. Joseph's Academy, Gilmour Academy and Magnificat.
Larry was the original Director of the Austin Carr Basketball Camps
including many of the great male/female athletes of his era (including Clark
Kellog, Tom Tupa, and Scott Roth to mention a few). He has been a
professional link to the boys game during the 50s, 60s and 70s while helping
to bring the Northeast Ohio Girls game to a high level of respectability
around the state in the 80s and 90s.
Larry's philosophy of teaching/coaching youngsters basketball and teaching
mathematics for over 40 years at six different public and private schools
has been: "Teach 'em the right way to do it, make 'em do it, make 'em do it
the right way every time."
He has been inducted into the West Tech and Gilmour Academy Hall of Fames.
As a member of the St. Joseph Hall of Fame, Larry was named the "Most
Respect Opponent." He was honored by the GCBCA in 2003 as its Dustin Lustig
Golden Deeds Award Winner for his contributions to the Association and to
the Greater Cleveland Basketball.
Coach Chernauskas's team appeared in 8 Regionals and 2 Final Fours. He was
GCBCA Coach of the Year for boys in 1960 and 1963, likewise for girls in
1993. He was named "Cleveland's Favorite Basketball Coach" in a 1967 Plain
Dealer Poll.
In 1948, Larry graduated from Vandergrift High School in Pennsylvania where
he was a 2-year letterman. He graduated from St. Joseph's College also in
Pennsylvania in 1952, lettering all 4 years. Larry has been married to his
wife Janet for 47 years and they have three grown children (Larry, Laura and
Linda) and seven grandchildren (Rob, Kristina, Carrie, Molly, Michael,
Matthew and Sarah).
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