ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced today the selection of three new members to the organization's Hall of Fame.

Elected to the USBWA Hall in voting by a select committee of current officers and Hall of Fame members are Frank Bilovsky, retired sports writer for the Rochester Democrat; Mike Lopresti, sports columnist for USA Today; and Lenox Rawlings, retired sports columnist for the Winston-Salem Journal.

The three will be inducted into the USBWA Hall of Fame during the association’s annual awards breakfast at this year's NCAA Final Four in Atlanta on Monday, April 8.

Bilovsky began his career with the now-defunct Philadelphia Bulletin and was assigned to cover the Big Five – Temple, Villanova, Penn, St. Joseph's and La Salle – in Philadelphia.

"Frank played a huge role in transforming the Big Five into a Philadelphia institution and the Palestra into a national landmark," said Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News and a member of the USBWA Hall of Fame.

Bilovsky joined the Rochester Democrat in 1983 and covered Syracuse for eight seasons before finishing his career as a business reporter. He retired in 2006.

Lopresti's column in USA Today has become a national sportswriting landmark. He is considered to be one of USA Today's pioneers, having joined the newspaper in its first year in 1982. He got his journalism start as a high school student writing for the Palladium-Item in his hometown of Richmond, Ind., where he still lives.

This year’s national championship in Atlanta will be Lopresti's 34th NCAA Final Four.

Rawlings, who served as president of the USBWA last year, retired in December after 34 years writing sports columns for the Winston-Salem Journal. He previously worked for the Raleigh News & Observer, the Greensboro Daily News and the Atlanta Constitution.

"Lenox's style of writing can best be described as elegant," said the Salisbury Post's Mike London. "He is an old-style, Southern gentleman."

The addition of Bilovsky, Lopresti and Rawlings brings the total number of members in the USBWA Hall of Fame to 65. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1988 to honor past and current members for their achievements in sportswriting and coverage of college basketball and to others for their contributions to the USBWA.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

Related link:
• USBWA Hall of Fame