PORTVILLE — The Big 30 is set to induct three new members into its basketball hall of fame during the 2026 Big 30 Senior Classic on March 22.
Wellsville’s Jim Insley, Emporium and Cameron County’s Jim Thompson and Olean’s Martha Altmire are all set to be honored during the All-Star game affairs at Portville High School.
Jim Insley — Wellsville, NY
Jim Insley was a head coach at the high school level in New York for 20 seasons at three different schools, compiling an overall record of 328-116.
Insley began his coaching career with a five-year stint at Canaseraga Central School followed by 14 seasons at his alma mater Wellsville and finished up his coaching career at Pioneer for one season. His teams won three Section 5 championships and advanced as far as the New York State Semifinals.
Insley received a number of honors and awards during his 20-year coaching career. He was a four-time Section 5 Coach of the Year, a two-time Spectator Great 8 Coach of the Year, an Olean Times Herald Big 30 Boys Basketball Coach of the Year, and was selected to coach in the Ronald McDonald New York All Star Game three times as well as being named the Ronald McDonald House Sports Citizen of the Year.
Insley also coached the New York boys team the Big 30 Senior Classic back in 2023.
Jim Thompson — Emporium/Cameron County, PA
In 1949 as a Senior at Kane Area High School, Jim Thompson led the Wolves to the Pennsylvania Class AA State Championship. He scored 10 points in the championship game as they defeated Ashley High by a score of 45-44. After high school Jim went on to play college basketball at Bloomsburg College then served in the US Army.
In 1957 he married his wife Joanne and moved to Emporium where he accepted a teaching position at Cameron County High School. He coached JV basketball his first year at Cameron County and the following year was named the head coach of the varsity team and continued to coach for 25 seasons. His teams had winning seasons in 22 of his 25 campaigns and he finished his coaching career at Cameron County with an overall record of 407-157.
His teams won 12 Northern Tier championships, won six District 9 championships and advanced to the Pennsylvania State Quarterfinals three times.
Martha Altmire — Olean, NY
Martha Altmire had a long and legendary career as a teacher and the girls basketball coach at Olean High School. As a matter of fact, she started the girls basketball program at Olean in 1971.
Her 35-year coaching record at Olean was 484-222. Her teams won 18 Cattaraugus County league championships, seven Section 6 titles and nine IAABO tournament titles. Her 1981-82 team reached the New York Class B State Finals.
Altmire accumulated many individual awards during her illustrious coaching career. She has previously been inducted into five hall of fames, including the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, the Section 6 Hall of Fame, the Cattaraugus County Hall of Fame, the Butler County, PA Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Olean High School Wall of Fame.
She was named Big 30 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by the Olean Times Herald in 2002 and 2006. She was named Super 7 Coach of the Year in 1982 by WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo. St. Bonaventure awarded her the “Girls in Sports Distinguished Achievement Award” in 2005, and in 2006 the Olean School District renamed its high school basketball court the “Coach Altmire Court” in her honor.
The Olean Times Herald newspaper annually awards the Martha Altmire Offensive Player of the Year Award to the top scoring girls basketball player in the Big 30. The IAABO officials organization awards a yearly scholarship in her name. She also served as the Cattaraugus County Interscholastic Athletic Conference League Chairperson and served on the Section 6 Basketball Committee.
