Newspaper Page Text
Page 7
Epps - An All-around Winner
By Thomas A. Torrence
Clark College basketball
coach Leonidas Epps leans back
in his swivel chair, nibbles on
some ice cream and suddenly,
unexpectedly releases a big
grin. Epps seems extremely
pleased as he scans his new
surroundings: the expansive
Vivian Henderson Health and
Physical Education Building.
Sitting in his spacious office
in the Henderson building,
Epps couldn’t help but brag
about the new gym to a visitor.
“The most wonderful thing
is that the guys (players) can
come and open the gym,” Epps
explained. “We were here
Sunday just sittin’ around. They
don’t believe they can lose in
this gym.
Epps has good reason to be
proud of the new gym. For the
past 27 years, Epps and his
teams have been a nomadic
bunch, practicing at more than a
dozen sites and playing home
games at five, including a
ballroom.
“We used to play at the Old
Magnolia Ballroom,” he once
said, “but we had to discontinue
because it became a health
hazard.
“If we had what you’d call
a home court, I’m almost certain
we could’ve converted 35 to 40
of our (272) losses into vic
tories.”
Epps called the con
struction of the gym the
“crowning .touch” of his 27
years as athletic director and, at
various times during his career,
basketball, football, golf, and
tennis coach at Clark.
And that’s saying a lot.
During his tenure at Clark,
Epps-led teams have captured
two SIAC championships in
basketball and two in golf.
His 405 basketball victories
are more than any Division III
coach and is third among black
coaches and sixth among active
small college coaches.
But if it were not for the
mother of a player, Epps would
have left Clark after his second
year and plied his trade
elsewhere. “I thought I would
move on after my second year,”
Epps recalled, “but I made a
promise to a mother of a player
(Roman Turman, a small college
all American) that I wouldn’t
leave until he graduated.
“After that I began to like
the atmosphere and the
surroundings at Clark. I have
had a lot of fun and things
turned out in may favor. I like
what I am doing.”
It’s obvious that Epps likes
what he’s doing, because he’s
certainly not in it for the money.
“You wouldn’t believe my
salary until Dr. (Vivian) Hen
derson came,” Epps said,
smiling. “My wife was (and still
is) a school teacher and she was
making more than I was.”
Epps said he was making a
lot less than $10,000 a year and
received a “slight increase”
after Henderson’s arrival.
And there are other
disadvantages to coaching a
small college like Clark, ac
cording to Epps. There isn’t an
abundance of assistant coaches,
a work overload, and the lack of
prestige of other faculty
members.
“You’re not received in the
manner of others (faculty
members),” Epps says matter-
of-factly. “A lot of time you are
still way down on the totem
pole.
“For example—and I might
be stepping on some toes—that
Inside (Inside Line, the weekly
newsletter published by the
Clark public relation office).
x “I’ve been on the front
sports page of the Journal,
Inquirer and the Constitution.
But not one word about me has
mentioned in the Inside. Not
one word on the gym.
“The problem probably lies
with both of us. We don’t meet
halfway. You would really like to
see something by the people you
work with everyday. Let’s just
say it’s an oversight as far as
Inside is concerned.”
Apparently, Epps hasn’t
gone totally unrecognized and
unappreciated by his peers.
Among the numerous
trophies, certificates and
plaques in his office are a couple
of plaques given to him by the
Clark College Alumni
Association. In fact, his favorite
prizes are plaques from the
Chicago Tournament Com
mittee and the Alumni
Association.
Epps said the plaque from
the Chicago Tournament
Committee was awarded to him
“in appreciation for what I have
done for young men through the
years.”
Two of the things he has
done for his young men is treat
them with dignity and change
with the times.
“You gotta change. I
change with the guys I get. You
Continued on Page 8
Couch Leonidas Epps
Sports News
By Rita Twinkle Campbell
Clark Cagers Dumping
Baskets
Yes, The Clark College
basketball team is definitely
fired up. The Cagers edged
Morehouse and Morris Brown
for victories. Cagers Ricky
Williams and Lloyd. Jones are
top scorers. Cagers record -now
being 11-5 and 2-0 in AU
competition. Not to mention the
fact that Coach Epps won his
400th game. Do it to death
Morehouse stops a few
The Morehouse Maroon
Tigers are stopping a few teams
with that mighty Morehouse
punch. Their SIAC record being
6-3. High scorers for Morehouse
are Keith Winfrey and Jessee
Allen. Although I must say, they
still have that Fighting Tiger
blood. Whip em’ up Tigers....
Morris Brown Dribbling
Dribbling but that’s all.
The Morris Brown Wolverines
have started the season off
slowly but surely. The
Wolverines now are 6-10 overall
and only 2-6 in the conference.
Maybe a strong Morris Brown
cheer will do it. Keep the Faith
Baby
Hawks Hustling and
Hustling
The Atlanta Hawks remain
a hard team to figure out. Win a
few lose a few.
Flames Look Like the Real
Thing
The Atlanta Flames seem
Continued on Page 8
CC
'Tweet” Leading AU Scorer
By Rita Twinkle Campbell
Ricky “Tweet” Williams is
a six-foot forward. Ricky a junior
majoring in Physical Therapy, is
the leading scorer in the AU
center.
Better known around
campus as just “Tweet,” a
nickname given to him after his
father. Ricky feels that the team
has been motivated by the new
gym, simply because they have
someplace to call home.
Ricky is a stunningly good
basketball player. In a game, he
is a study of perpetual motion.
His relatively slim figure can
almost always be found near the
ball, hustling and dunking
baskets. Ricky is definitely
tough when it comes to the fast
break.
Although Ricky has the
highest point average he is still
geared towards team work.
“It’s a great feeling being the
top scorer, even if a lot of people
don’t know it,” said Ricky.
“Ricky has a winning
attitude, he’s an inspiration to
the team,” says teammate
Lloyd Jones.
When asked how he feels
about winning Ricky says,
“Winning makes me feel real
good, especially when it’s
against a really tuff team.”
“For me it’s just one of
those things to jump into the
tempo of the game as fast as I
can,” explained Ricky.
“‘I come into the game and
try to run the offense the best I
can - move the ball and get the
shots.”
“To us it’s always a
showdown in our gym,” said
Ricky “It’s a bigger win for us
because we have more pressure
on us than our opponents.”
On the surface Ricky is a
shy-outgoing person. Once he
gets to know you he can really
be himself.
During his early childhood
Ricky was motivated to be a
basketball player. Julius Erving /
the renowned Dr. J., has been 7
helpful in gearing Ricky
towards his endeavor to be
good.
“I would like to play
professional ball someday,”
says Ricky. “It doesn’t matter
where I play, but I would prefer
to play in Atlanta.
Right now Ricky is con
centrating on making the
Cagers the number-one
basketball team in the SIAC.
Ricky “Tweet” Williams is
definitely Pro-material.
Falcons Reorganize Office
By Ronald Anderson
The Atlanta Falcons Finally have their front office in tact. The'
Falcons recently naved Eddie Lebaron, a lawyer, as the new General
Manager, and former Los Angeles Rams assistant Leeman Bennett as
Head Coach. Hopefully, they can get theteam in tact.
Olympic boxing star Sugar Ray Leonard scored an unuanimous
six-round decision over Luis “The Bull” Vega in his professional
boxing debut. Leonard had predicted a fourth-round knockout, but
was satisfied with win in his first pro fight, which netted him 40,000.
Lightweight Champion Roberto Duran, considered pound-for-
pound the best fighter in the world, retained his title by knocking out
challenger Villormar Fernandez is the 13tli round of a scheduled 13
rounder.
Tlie Clark College basketball team is on the way to becoming the
undisputed champs of the Atlanta University Center. Clark has
already defeated Morehouse twice and Morris Brown once, and.
another victory over Morris Brown would clinch the mythical crown.
But the Panthers have their sites on higher goals. Namely, the SIAC
tournament in Huntsville Alabama, Feb. 24-26, and a shot at the
SIAC championship.