Newberry College Athletics

Joel Derketsch, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was a four-year letter winner for the Newberry College basketball team. During his time at Newberry, Derketsch was a force as a forward on the squad.

In his freshman year, Derketsch was named to the Parris Island Christmas Invitational’s Second Team in 1959 as the Indians took the crown. In his sophomore year, Derketsch moved into a starting role for a team that went 23-8 to advance to the NAIA National Tournament by defeating Lenoir-Rhyne in the District 26 Championship. The team achieved a national ranking of eighth going into the national tournament as Derketsch teamed with fellow NC Hall of Fame Member Carl Short. In his junior year, Derketsch was named to the All-Little Four Team and in his senior year he was named honorable mention to the Carolinas Conference.

After graduating from Newberry, Derketsch was drafted into the Army and played basketball on the All-Army team for six months and won the Inter-Service Basketball Championship. A member of the Kappa Pi Fraternity, he graduated from Newberry in 1963 with a B.S. in Personnel Management. He currently resides in Marietta, Ga., where he works as the Senior Vice President of NCH Corporation.