This is the fourth in a series of seven articles profiling the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2012.BUTLER — The sport of basketball isn't for everybody.For John Thiebaud, it turned out to be the perfect fit.The Seneca Valley product was a fixture on the hardwood for the Raiders in the early 1970s and graduated in 1972 after posting over 1,300 career points as a guard/forward.That achievement has earned him induction into the SV Sports Hall of Fame. He will be recognized with six others at a ceremony Sept. 8 at the high school.Growing up in Harmony, Thiebaud's best sport was baseball. But basketball would soon become his focus.“There was a group of friends from Zelienople and Harmony who all played basketball and that's what got me into it,” said Thiebaud. “I owe a lot to Herb Statzer. He coached both baseball and basketball and was very influential to a lot of kids in the area. He certainly influenced me.”Almost being left out of organized basketball inspired Thiebaud to push himself.“I was almost cut from the seventh grade team and that spurred me on,” he said. “Over that next summer, I worked hard to get better and I ended up starting for the eighth grade team.”By Thiebaud's sophomore season, Seneca Valley was competing in the WPIAL's Section 3, which included, among other teams, Sharon, Farrell, Beaver Falls and New Castle.“Those teams were just so good,” he said. “We were thrown into the fire and we struggled.”The start of his senior season yielded a stronger lineup for the Raiders and a new section to go with it.“We were leading the section at one point, but several injuries hurt us. We still ended that year with a winning record.”Thiebaud's three seasons of varsity play brought some unique experiences.“We played against some great athletes — (Hopewell's) Tony Dorsett and (Farrell's) Randy Crowder. It was definitely a good experience.“I wish they had the 3-point line back then,” he added. “I would have scored more points because I loved shooting from out there.”Slippery Rock State College offered Thiebaud a full scholarship and he started at guard his last three seasons, first for head coach Cliff Wettig and then for his successor, Doug Zimmerman.Thiebaud emerged from college with degrees in special education and elementary education and taught at Evans City Elementary for over 20 years.Along the way, he coached the sport he loved, first with Seneca Valley's junior varsity girls team and then with the ninth grade boys team.“I still wanted that connection to the game,” Thiebaud said. “The girls were very coachable, very responsive to what you were trying to teach them.”Thiebaud also played in local adult basketball leagues until the age of 46.Since retiring from teaching in 2000, he has focused his attention on his own business, Nautical Design, Inc., which manufactures boating equipment and ships its products all over the United States.Thiebaud is grateful for his upcoming induction.“It's nice to be honored after the amount of time that has passed,” he said.John Thiebaud and his wife, Sandy, have four daughters — Rachel, Sarah, Justine and Ashley.Note: Members of the SV Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2012 will be recognized at halftime of the home football game against Pine-Richland next Friday. They will be formally inducted during a banquet and ceremony at the high school, starting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $20 per person, $10 for children ages 3-12. For more details or to reserve a ticket, call Wayne Roccia at 724-816-0698 or Sue Ennis at 724-679-4019.