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DECEMBER 30, 2020
Banks County News
Phone: 706-410-1022
Section B
Kandy Parks
The heart of the Leopards basketball program
By ANGIE BOWEN
On any given basket
ball night in Banks Coun
ty, hundreds of people
steadily stream into the
Leopard gym to watch
the girls take on a rival
team, watch the boys de
liver the famous dunk or
catch up with old friends
from the past.
While the players are
warming up, one icon
ic figure can usually be
found.
Whether he is sweeping
the court, talking to fans
in the stands, gathering
water bottles or patting
players on the back, he is
Banks County’s biggest
and most dedicated mem
ber of the team, and his
name is Kandy Parks.
Unfortunately, this
season, COVID has put
a damper on Kandy’s
physical presence, but the
community hasn’t forgot
ten how much he means
to it.
Kandy has been a sta
ple to the Banks Coun
ty sports community
for many years and has
touched many people’s
lives.
The story of how Kan
dy became Banks Coun
ty’s biggest basketball
fan begins with one of
Kandy’s former coaches.
According to John
Bertrang, retired teacher
and coach, Kandy be
came part of the program
during his eighth-grade
year. ‘
“He died out for the
middle school basketball
team,” Bertrang said. “We
had a huge crowd trying
out. I told the players that
if their names were not
on the team list and they
still wanted to be part of
the team, they could be
managers. Kandy’s name
was not on the list, but he
was the first to ask to be a
manager.”
Betrang adds, “Kan
dy worked really hard
at his duties as a man
ager, getting the ball up
at practice, keeping up
with towels and getting
the players water at time
outs. He took his position
seriously and was a great
manager.”
Kandy is often quot
ed as telling people that
Coach Bertrang cut him
from the team but that he
wanted to put be part of
the program so much that
he stayed.
“Kandy would often
joke around that it’s was
my fault that he was a
manager because I cut
him in 8th grade,” Ber
trang said.
According to Dave
Rylee, parent of Kandy’s
middle school teammate,
he also encouraged Kan
dy to become the manag
er.
“He was so good at
what he did, and people
just loved him,” Rylee
said. “He became a fix
ture to the program.”
By the time Kandy got
to high school, he had
done his job so well, he
continued in that role.
For Kandy, it didn’t
matter who the coach
was at the high school be
cause he was determined
to continue to play the
role of manager for the
boys team.
As the years progressed,
Kandy continued to work
with different coaches
as manager of the team.
Under the leadership of
Coach Mike Ruth, Kan
dy never missed a game.
In fact, this year has been
the first year that Kandy
has ever missed a game.
Coach Mike Ruth stat
ed, “When I think of
Leopards basketball, the
first thing that comes to
mind is Kandy Parks. All
the players and coaches
loved Kandy. I will al
ways cherish the time we
spent together, and I am
his number one fan.”
After Ruth’s tenure
ended, Kandy’s persistent
positive energy carried on
under the coaching staff
of Mike Cleveland.
“I don’t think I ever
coached a game where
Kandy wasn’t present,”
Cleveland said. “He was
as excited as anyone after
a win, especially champi
onships and beating East
Hall. You can’t talk about
Banks County basketball
without mentioning Kan
dy Parks. He is special to
my family and me.”
Present basketball
coach, Ryan Griffin,
commented that people
just don’t realize how
much Kandy does for the
sports programs.
“He works hard to make
coming to a game an ex
perience for everyone, for
the players, coaches and
community,” Griffin said.
“We miss not having him.
It is definitely not the
same.”
Kandy also plays a
huge role in more than
just the basketball family.
He is an employee of
the Banks County School
System.
Superintendent Dr. Ann
Hopkins stated that Kan
dy is “The heart of the
Banks County School
System. He represents the
best in all of us. We miss
his enthusiasm, kindness
and loyalty. We cannot
wait for him to return to
us.”
Students, both past
and present, often have
conversations with Kan
dy, especially if anyone
wants to know when
Banks County beat a rival
team.
Kandy can recount
facts from games long
ago that even players can
not remember.
Not only can Kandy
bring a smile to a player’s
face, but he also has the
incredible ability to make
everyone feel as if they
are his best friend, even if
you are from the visiting
team.
Kandy Parks is shown as an eighth grader.
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KANDY PARKS
Lady Leopards beat Chestatee and Cherokee Bluff
By ANGIE BOWEN
The Lady Leopards dominated the court with big
wins against Chestatee and Cherokee Bluff’s oppo
nents on December 21 and 22.
The girls took a buzzer-beating loss to East Hall go
ing into the game against Cherokee Bluff but quickly
rebounded as they beat Chestatee with a score of 61-
46.
“We didn’t dwell on our loss against East Hall,”
said Coach Shedd. “It was a well-coached team, but
we were able to get into a double-digit lead and allow
a lot of our girls some playing time. We had three
girls in double digits, Jenna Reeves, Kamryn Grier
and Kalyn Beasley.”
Beasley put up 11 points for the Leopards and most
of those came from her stellar performance at the
free-throw line.
“We had a lot of energy on the court tonight and
I knew it was my time to step up and do something
new,” said Junior Kalyn Beasley. “In practice, we
have been trying to speed things up, and I think to
night it showed.”
Beasley has proven to be one of the players that do a
little bit of everything, and she mentions that staying
calm during the game and staying focused on doing
those things helps her team not lose sight of the game.
Reeves also had another great game with 16 points.
“I am just trying to play with confidence,” she said.
“My coaches have worked hard on making sure that I
don’t overthink things.”
Reeves’s confidence has definitely been an outlet
for her as she has been instrumental in leading the
team with points from offensive rebounds.
CHEROKEE BLUFF
The Lady Leopards continued their winning streak
as they faced Cherokee Bluff Bears on December 22.
Grier and freshman Addison Hoard led the Leop
ards with 13 points, followed by Reeves with 10.
“Hoard is beginning to show what we knew she was
capable of doing on the court,” Shedd said. “She is a
freshman, but she is stepping up to be a dominating
force on our team.”
The Leopards are now 9-5 for the season and will
host the Banks County Christmas tournament this
week at Banks County High School.
Photo by Savagehoops.com
Addison Hoard put up 13 points against Cherokee Bluff game over the holiday break. See more photos on Page
2B.