Don Tharp is a “big man”! Tonight
we honor Don for his athletic achievements at Reily
High School, where he was the “big man” on the
basketball court. A 1968 Reily graduate, Don Tharp
played 4 years of basketball, 2 years of volleyball
and ran cross country 1 season for the Blue Birds. It
is basketball that Tharp really excelled! In 4 seasons
at Reily HS, Tharp scored 1068 points, and won the
team’s leading rebounder award his sophomore, junior
and senior seasons. Don averaged 18 rebounds/game as a
junior and is thought to have averaged 20 rebounds a
game his senior year! Statistically, Don’s basketball
numbers stand tall with other area players,
demonstrated by his 27.7 points/game scoring average
his senior year. The #2 leading scorer in Butler
County that season, Don was considered one of the top
scorers in the state of Ohio in 1968! Don ranks #2 in
the Reily record book for most points in a game with
45 points versus Trenton in ‘68. He scored 30 or more
points 11 times in his career for the Blue Birds.
Don’s awards while at Reily High include:
• Top Rebounder (‘66, ‘67 & ‘68)
• Best Defensive Player (‘67)
• Most Valuable Player (‘67 & ‘68)
• All Sports Trophy (‘68)
• All League (SOC) (‘66,‘67 & ‘68)
For all his achievements, we know Don as a hard working
member of the Reily community to this day, where he resides
with his wife Tari, and their college age son Jesse.
Tonight we welcome Don Tharp into the 6th class of the
Talawanda Athletic Hall of Fame.