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How ‘hout
them Lions’
Paine grabs another SIAC Championsh: )
and a bherth in the national tournamer
By Timothy Cox
Special to the Augusta Focus
AUGUSTA
March Madness has spread to
Augusta, based on the Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Confer
ence championship banner
claimed by the Paine College mens
basketball team.
On the heels of their February
27" victory over Clark Atlanta
University, the Paine squad will
take their victorious troops to
battle and participate in the
NCAA Division II Southeast Re
gional tournament in Memphis.
The team was scheduled to face
Lynn University of Boca Raton,
Fla. On Thursday, March 4. The
SIAC title is the first for coach
Spry’s and Paine since 1994.
For coach Spry, the 73-57 over
Clark Atlanta is a continuation of
aphilosophy he’s maintained over
the past 19 seasons as Paine’s
head mentor.
“I’'ve always tried to relate bas
ketball with the game of life. The
trials and tribulations. The ups
and downs. But if my players
maintain a trustin the Lord, good
things can happen,” said the vic
torious but down -to-earth coach.
And hopefully, good things will
continue to happen for a Paine
team that had a mediocre year
according to basketball standards
(16-12), but caught fire during
their three-day trip to the SIAC
tournament at the Morris Brown
College field house in Atlanta. At
24-4, Lynn University will be a
formidable opponent. In fact, of
all the teams participating in the
southeast regional tournament,
Pain reportedly has the least im
pressive record.
But for coach Spry and his young
Lions, performing in an under
dog role is not unfamiliar. The
Lionsstart three sophomores and
are considered favorites to repeat
as conference champs next year.
However, the coach says this
year’s squad is known for their
overall quickness and tenacity as
defenders.
McDaniel Young, a sophomore
and Hepzibah High School gradu
ate, led the Lions over Clark At
lanta with a 24 point performance
in the SIAC title game. Senior
Monroe Wright was voted tour
ney MVP with a 21 point average.
Drevyell Cunningham, also a se
nior and math major, was named
tot he SIAC all academic confer
ence team.
Witnessing his players receive
individual accolades in the con
ference is long overdue, accord
ing to coach Spry. In recent years,
although they haven’t won cham
pionships, his teams have re
mained competitive in the league.
“This was a chance to show we
deserved mention,” he said.
Having grown up in Kentucky,
a state known for its basketball
prowess and having also produced
the likes of Tubby Smith, head
coach of the NCAA champion
University of Kentucky, Spry, in
terestingly enough, said as a kid
he never imagined doing what he
does now.
Nicole Lang, age 7.
, , - Today, pediatrician at
= f 1 Grady Memorial Hospital.
. For information, contact us at
‘I 800-WCC-4-GIRLS or at hitp/www.academic.org.
EXPECT THE BEST FROM A GIRL.
: THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL GET. -
M Women's College Coalition
Sports
“I played high school and col
lege basketball (Campbellsville
College, Ky.), Butl neverdreamed
I'd be a coach. Maybe an adminis
trator, but not a coach. But Idon’t
have any regrets. It’'s a matter of
following what the Lord has
planned for you,” said the
Princeton, Ky. Native.
Although coach Spry is aware
of realistic inequities he faces a
coach at a historically black insti
tution-typically considered
budgetarily deprived compared
with NCAA Division I schoolslike
Kentucky or the University of
Georgia, the coach manages not
to let those parameters sever as
barriers.
“Some people have more than
others,” he simply states. And on
the subject of being a successful
recruiter in the wake of compet
ing with seemingly insurmount
able and unfair odds compared
with the bigger schools. Spry says.
“You go out and find young people
who re academically and athleti
cally przpared,” he said with a
certain calm.
After nearly 20 years with the
same program and institution,
coach Spry is one of a few coaches
nationally who have stayed the
course-through it all. A lesson
that’s certainly not to be taken
lightly by the many young men he
has mentored and will continue
tutoringinto the new millennium.
As coach Spry says it best: He’s
teaching young men how to oper
ate not only on the hard court, but
also in the game of life.
Hephzibah’s Lady Rehels
rumble into Final Four action
What can you say about the
tremendousjob Lady Rebels head
coach Wendell Lofton has done
“again” thisseason at Hephzibah.
After more than two decades at
the helm of the program, he now
sits poised to accomplish the one
feat that has eluded him all these
years..winning a state title!
One might question the reason
as to why, after all this time, has
the light-hearted coach not been
able to bring home the gold given
the tremendous talent (Clemson’s
Itoro Uhmo and UNCC'’s Brandy
Hicks just to name a few!)
Hephzibah hashad overthe years
on the girls prep hardwood. Rest
assured that Loftonis knowledge
able as any prep coach in America
when it comes to motivating stu
dent-athletes and designing
schemes in which they can be
come successful. Anyone thatjust
sits down with him for a casual
moment to talk a little hoops, can
get a very keen sense of his pas
sion and zeal for the game and the
vital role coaches play in the lives
of youngsters on the high school
level. While others may shy away
from the longhours and the never
ending tasks that go along with
sometimes having to take on the
role of a surrogate parent, Lofton
continues to stand tall. Rarely
will you hear him complain about
any aspect of teaching the game
(of life and basketball) to local
youngsters. His countless hours
of running clinic and organizing
leagues for young ladies across
the Georgia-Carolina are well
known. Lofton’s drive to be the
very best is as well. The only
answer to the question as to why
the lady Rebels have been unable
to secure a state crown during the
Lofton coaching era may be sim
ply “bad timing”. There always
seemed to be a team just a little
better, a little hungrier perhaps
during Hephzibah’s ride the Fi-
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Photograph by Timothy White
. Which one would you choose? e
The elephants? The whales? The clean air we breathe? Maybe the choice isn’t so clear.
Maybe you'd like a way to keep them all. Now the world’s leading environmental groups
are working together. To find out how you can help, look for us at www.earthshare.org.
¢4
. One environment. One simple way to care for it. n
_ Earth Share
AUGUSIA FOCUS MARGH 4, 1608’
24
v
Timeout
with Tony (!
nal Four. Asthe ladies from south
Richmond County enjoy their
third trip to the “Big Show” in the
past four years, rest assured that
this time around, the fate of this
team will be vastly different. This
weekend, Hephzibah mission in
Macon is clear and well defined,
thanks to Lofton’s ability to build
teams of tremendous character.
The mild mannered educator
goes about his business each sea
son with the patience of a master
mason. Lofton is quite meticu
lous when it comes to blending a
championship caliber team. He’s
always slowly looking for just the
right mixture, the correct chem
istry to build a firm foundation
for the Lady Rebels basketball
program each season. Few prep
basketball insiders can argue with
his tactics and coaching philoso
phyovertheyearsgiven hisrecord
(both in the win/loss column and
in graduation rate.
Loften preaches disciplined
team play and gives as much re
spect to his players ashe demands.
This years squad, lead by Auburn
signee LeCoe Willingham,
Shamika Sheriffee, and April
Clyburn stand alone amid the
AAAA ranking presently. At 29-
0, the Lady Rebels are the favor
ite to return to the state finals
and finish the business they
started a year ago when they lost
their bid for a state crown in the
heartbreaking fashion. Instead of
dwelling on past success, this
team of young ladies has worked
harder than ever to be the very
best they can be under Lofton’s
watchful eye. When the veteran
coach felt them falter, like a dedi
cated physician, he carefully
searched for an immediate cure.
Lofton has prepared this team for
mental and physical warfare on
the hardwood as well. Each young
lady is unselfish in their indi
vidual resolve to accomplish one
and only one goal. That of course
is securing the ultimate prize...the
1998-9 Georgia AAAA Girls Bas
ketball State Championship. The
Lady Rebels now stand a mere
two victories away from reaching
that goal, thanks in large part to
a caring community hero who re
fused to quit. A man who simply
refused to give up on the “dream
of a lifetime!”
Timeout Note: The T.W. Josey
Eagles will meet Tucker Friday
night in the Class AAA Boys State
Semi-Finals Friday at 7:.00 P.M. at
the Macon Coliseum. The AAA
Championship game will be held
Saturday at 6:30 P.M. (also in
Macon). Watch out for the big three
to have a huge impact on this con
test, but if two-sport standout
Marvin Stone can also score in
double figures, play solid defen
sive, as well as limit offensive turn
overs “two” state championships
will find their way to Richmond
County this weekend. Mental
preparation will be the key for the
talented “Green and Gold.”
--Tony Cornish, Jr., is a
freelance Sports Columnist
E m a i 1 y
SportsTalkLive@webmail bellsouth.net
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