Vernard Hollins, a former North Side standout who founded Always100 Basketball, was honored Wednesday night as part of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Men's Silver Anniversary Team.
The Silver Anniversary Team honors the 25th anniversary of the Indiana All-Stars, the state's top basketball players from that year's senior class.
Hollins, who graduated from North Side in 1999, was one of 18 men honored during the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's 62nd annual Men's Awards Banquet in Indianapolis.
Hollins averaged 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his senior campaign. His 1,354 was the all-time record when he finished his North Side career; and now ranks third all-time. He won the Tiffany Gooden Award as most outstanding basketball player--boy or girl--in the SAC and Journal Gazette Player of the Year, and 21Alive Player of the Year twice.
Hollins' high school accolades include: three-time All-Summit Athletic Conference (1st Team twice), All-State twice, All-Northeast Indiana twice, a Indiana Junior All-Star, 1999 McDonald's All-American nominee.
As a team, North Side went from 4-18 in Hollins' freshman season to 21-4 and 4A DeKalb Sectional champions his senior year.
Hollins went on to play college basketball at Wright State, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists in 112 career games. He is the school record holder in free throws made and free throw attempts. He earned 2nd Team All-Horizon League and team MVP honors as senior. He finished with 1,700 career points with the Raiders.
Hollins played professional basketball for nine seasona in Mexico, Germany, Macedonia, France, Switzarland, Turkey, Hungary and Austria. His highlights include a Hungary Cup Championship and Switzerland's Player of the Year.
In 2011, Hollins started Always 100, a youth basketball skills organization designed to challenge and achieve athletic excellence for its players. Always100 programs include: individual basketball workouts, a summer basketball academy, Always 100 Pro Camp, AAU basketball travel teams, an annual Charity Challenge and Always 100 Scholarship Foundation.
Hollins was part of North Side's inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2015. He received the Nancy Rehm Border Wars Classic Award in 2016. Mayor Tom Henry declared June 20, 20215 as Vernard Hollins Day in Fort Wayne.