OKEMOS - Amongst Okemos High School's legendary coaches, successful teams and individual athletes, the Okemos Athletic Hall of Fame added 11 new faces and three new teams to its list on Thursdsay, September 22.

Some were going back to Okemos and reconnecting with familiar faces they haven't seen in years.

Others never left.

Either the first or the latter, all inductees recognized the value of being a part of varsity athletics at Okemos High School.

"It's just very special, especially you know, to have your high school, your city, just honor you. It's just a very special feeling,” said inductee Travis Bader, a former Okemos basketball player.

Bade is the current NCAA record holder for most three-point field goals made (504 total) in his career at Oakland University.

Bader is currently playing professional basketball for Lithuania, in Europe, and still spends his summer training at his high school gym.

Whether just a stop in their long accomplished journey, or the time where their glory rose to its highest, Okemos was, is and will always be home.

"Really the honor that being given to me should really be spread to everyone that's helped me come to this position and given me the opportunity to be standing here in front of you today,” said Nichole Schiro, former Okemos and Loyola University soccer player.

Alongside Bader, the class of 2016 includes Allison (Ianni) Cironi (volleyball), Paul Cryderman (boys basketball), Lauren Dudley (water polo), Dree Look (softball and girls basketball), Amelia Marsh (girls swimming), Dan Putnam (football), Nichole Schiro (girls soccer), Aarom Smith (boys soccer), coaches Larry Cockroft (baseball) and John Picone (boys soccer), the 1981 state champions girls basketball team and the back-to-back, 1981 and 1982, state champions boys basketball team.

Cironi is the daughter of Okemos' current varsity volleyball head coach Jamie Ianni, and is en route to follow in her mother's footsteps.

“It really sums up the years of handwork. When I was in high school I spent my weekends practicing with club volleyball teams. Most kids don't understand that. They wonder why you're giving up your weekends and why you're giving up all that time. And this, although you don't play for the accolades, this is one of those moments when you go, 'this was all worth it,’” said Cironi, former Okemos, Pacific and Michigan State University volleyball player.

Cironi said that the reason she wanted to work so hard was because Okemos invest and take care of its athletes.

The theme of support seemed to resonate through every speech.

Lauren Dudley, former Okemos and University of Michigan water polo player, said that what made her a successful athlete was how her parents guided her through practices, matches and life in general.

“I'm still in a little bit of a shock right now, that I'm ever here, so I think it will really hit home in the future when I have it to look back on and just know I'm a member of the Hall of Fame,” Dudley said.

Members of the 1981 and 1982 boys basketball teams thanked the entire community for being at games and supporting their season.

While most of those athletes’ careers are done, some are still chasing their dreams.

“As a kid you dream of being a professional athlete and you really don't think about hall of fames and stuff like that, so to be able to come back and share this with such a great group of athletes, coaches and teams that have done amazing things, it's just very special,” Bader said.

For Bader, who continues to work om achieving his dream of playing for the NBA, and others who continue to play their sport, they know the Okemos community will be supporting them and watching where they go.