Bob Krizancic Will Be Inducted Into Crow's Nest Hall of Fame

boys’ basketball coach Bob Krizancic enjoys the individual titles and accolades he’s received over the years in recognition of his great coaching prowess, and Thursday will mark another honor with his induction into the Crow’s Nest Hall of Fame.

But what truly matters most to him are the school’s community and the great relationships he’s built over the years, and Krizancic is grateful this honor will give him another opportunity to celebrate that bond with them.

“It’s a tribute to the program more than anything, and we’ve built the basketball program as one of the best in the state,” Krizancic, 56, said. “I think more than anything, we’re recognized by the award as a program more than myself.”

The Lake County Captains, with help from the Cardinal Parents Club, will bestow Krizancic with the Crow’s Nest Hall of Fame honor prior to their minor-league contest at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Captains, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, began the Hall of Fame this year to honor longtime Northeast Ohio coaches of significant achievement.

Krizancic joins former Eastlake North baseball coach John “Spark” Sankal and current John Carroll men’s basketball coach Mike Moran in the new Hall of Fame.

Looking over his record, Krizancic certainly qualifies for the honor.

Krizancic, who is a career-based intervention coordinator at Mentor, has an overall coaching record of 482-207 and won a Division II state boys’ basketball title at Girard, Ohio, in 1993. Since arriving at Mentor that same year, he’s led the Cardinals to the Division I final four in 2010 and nine regional appearances, including eight in the last 11 years.

The Cardinals have won the Lake Erie League crown eight times under Krizancic. The Cardinals will leave the LEL and join the Northeast Ohio Conference for the 2011-2012 season.

Last season, the Cardinals collected another LEL crown and finished 21-5, losing to Garfield Heights in the regional final. Cole Krizancic, the coach’s son, finished his high school career this past season and will attend Ashland. Conner Krizancic, who will be a sophomore next season, is next in line for the family.

It’s often been said Krizancic’s up-tempo teams reflect his personality with aggressive suffocating trap defenses and barrages of three-point shots from the perimeter. Despite having teams that often don’t feature much height, the Girard native’s dedication to basketball’s fundamentals has taken his teams far.

“We just have to play harder and smarter than other teams. We’re in tremendous physical shape, and we were able to lead the state in scoring in a number of years. With the size we have, we’ve had to outwork people and play harder, and I think that’s translated on the court,” Krizancic said.

To round off his career, Krizancic, who has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in secondary administration from Youngstown State, would like another state title on his resume. Nonetheless, he’s even more proud of all the student-athletes he’s had the pleasure to know.

“Probably 98 to 99 percent of the kids in our program have been college graduates and have done extremely well. That’s the product we want to put out, the full package … We just produce really, really good young men,” Krizancic said.

Tickets are $7 for the festivities.