l)v Sports liifonnalion. UNf-C H
Tennis star Junie Chatman: "Being Black nneans. .1 must always be on my toes."
Unheralded Black Women
win IM championship
Skip Foreman
Staff Writer
Chatman: one of the few
Blacks to get honor
They weren’t very conspicu
ous. Nobody knew very much a-
bout them, and a lot of people
don’t know all that much of them
now. But the Ebony Cagers are for
real, and they are number one.
Made up of girls who were in
terested in playing basketball in
their spare time, they compiled an
undefeated record in seven games.
When the lint had settled in Wool
len, they were the intramural bas
ketball champions.
“A lot of people who were
interested were those who played,”
said Dawn Posey, a second year
player who plans to return next
season. “For the most part, we just
wanted to go out there to play
basketball.”
Play they did. Whether it was
intimidation or just plain basket
ball, the Cagers did just about
everything right on the road to the
top. They’d win their games by a
whopping 30 - point spread, or
they’d barely come through a slug
gish first half to redeem themselves
in the second half. However they
did it, it worked well.
The Cagers £ire composed of
women who spent their time in
some sort of activity in high school.
Not all played basketball. Carolyn
Hawkins, a junior from Henderson,
came to Carolina on a scholarship
to play volleyball. She ended up as
one of the main components in the
“Carolyn’s a very dynamic
basketball player,” Posey said. But,
she adds, there were a lot of other
people on the team who contribut
ed heavily, names like Millicent
Fulford, Melanie Little, Joyce Dav
is, Charlene Webb, and the primary
mover, Jackie Fd wards, senior play-
er-coach.
“Jackie deserves the credit for
getting the C'agers started. She’ll be
leaving this year and it’s up to the
players lo make sure we have tal
ent.”
Almost like any college coach
would, the Kbony Cagers go out
and actively seek out those who
are interested. “We were a sponta
neous group of people,” Posey said.
“We just played each game as we
had it.” She did, however, point
out some of the problems in that
type of attitude. Most teams in the
intramural competition did not
know how the team they were
playing stacked up against their
own talent, thus when game time
came around, they had to play it by
sight. Posey also said that some of
the referees were assigned to their
games, she was told, “because they
needed the job.”
Since everyone is talking a-
bout next year’s basketball teams,
Posey offered an optimistic out
look.
“It looks very promising for
next year. Most of us who played
this year will be back next year.
We’ll be just as strong.”
Why not go for another title?
This one looked like a lot of fun.
Ray Perry
Sports Writer
“Being Black means that I am
the most visible participant on the
court, so I must always be on my
toes.”
Those are the words of Junie
Chatman, who is the first Black to
obtain a tennis scholarship from
Carolina. Chatman and Maryland’s
John Lucas (of basketball fame)
are the only Blacks to win an ACC
mdividual tennis championship.
In a time when Blacks are
dominating the sports scene, the
white man still reigns supreme in
tennis. Only Arthur Ashe and
Althea Gibson have gained wide
acclaim playing tennis.
“It is important to have a
good instructor at the beginning
who can teach you the proper
execution of the fundamentals,”
says Chatman. “1 was fortunate
to have had a real good instruc
tor.”
But most of the good tennis
instructors are found at exclusive,
practically white-only country
clubs.
“A lot of my teachers disre
garded the standards of the country
club,” said Chatman.
“We as Blacks have the talent
to do anything,” contined Chat
man. “Now, many organizations
Readers’ Rap
Compiled by
Orlando Dobbins
Sports Writer
“I like the sports section of
the Ink. The part that impresses
me the most is the manner in which
the writers get into the personalities
of the athletes. Many times Blacks
around a college campus know very
little about an athlete, except for
what they see and hear through
the ‘grapevine.’ The sports writers
for the Ink give you a little more
by dipping into the lifestyles of the
athletes. For instance, take the
article on Karen Stevenson. I didn’t
even know the girl existed, but
now I know she’s quite a remarka
ble person.
“The article I enjoyed most,
though, was the one on Dee Hardi
son. I’d like to encourage the sports
are developing Black players at an
early age, so pretty soon you’ll see
more Blacks playing major college
tennis.”
Chatman is a native of Rich
mond, Va., the same city that
produced Ashe. Chatman, like
A.she, was a member of the pre
dominately white Richmond Ten
nis Patrons. This organization spon
sored the best of Richmond’s
junior tennis talent in tournaments
all over the East Coast.
Among Chatman’s honors
while competing on the junior
circuit are his four consecutive
individual championships in the
Richmond City Championships and
capturing the state high school
crown during his senior year at
Huguenot High.
Chatman spurned offers from
Stanford, UCLA (Ashe’s alma ma
ter), and Florida to take the one
from Carolina.
“Most of my teachers came
from Carolina, so I really didn’t
consider the others,” stated the
junior political science major.
Chatman has a good chance
to be the number one singles
player on the Tar Heel varsity
next year. After graduation, he
says, “I’d like to try the pro cir
cuit a couple of years. After that,
I hope to get into somebody’s
law school.”
—Stanley Brooks
“I enjoy reading the sports
section. The sports section this year
does not just report facts but it
goes into the personalities of the
athletes. Many times I discover a
side of the athlete I never knew
existed.
“My favorite articles this year
have been the ones on Mit Fulford
and Walter Davis. The article on
Mit was good because it sort of hit
home with someone people see
often and can relate to, while the
one on Walt gave you a view of a
professional type person.
“The section would be more
interesting if it included standings
in the CIAA and MEAC, along with
a review of the games.”
Cagers’ scoring attack.
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