The Choice for African-American Sews
The Chronicle
SportsWeek.
December 26, 2002
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Players, coaches look forward to thrill of competition
FORTHECHRONIC 1 Ji ,ClCwVnn and Carver Pnncinal ? X?
It was 9 a.m. on Saturday and
junior varsity teams from Win
ston-Salem/ Forsyth County high O
schools were at Carver High
School - host of the annual David
Lash Tournament - to discuss the
mechanics that have made the
tournament a success since the
event began in 1992. Robert
Wynn, tournament director, spoke
to the student-athletes, saying the
tournament has a great past and
that they only hope to improve
and add tb the tradition this year.
This will be the tenth anniversary
and it appears that the communi
ty can't get enough of the JV tour- ,
nament. Play begins on Jan. 2 and |
lasts for three days. The tourna
ment is sponsored by The Chron
Dan Piggot gave the players and
coaches insight on how they
should conduct themselves in
order to " reflect well on (your)
coaching staff, school, and par
ents". Wynn said. In the name of
David Lash, who was known as a
man who preached respect and
responsibility until he passed
away in 1997,'Wynn mentioned
that the tournament has upheld his
name and values thus far.
" There has been no previous
case of blatant disrespect" shown
by a player or coaching staff to
this date." Wynn said. Good
sportsmanship is stressed, espe
cially to the younger athletes on
this level who are new to high
school athletics. Many kids plan
ballplayers and it is critical thai
poor behavior is ended immedi
ately so that wholesome competi
tion can take place, officials said.
Along with the rules, regula
tions and brief history of the
I .ash/Chronicle Tournament, they
added some names of past players
that came through the Lash Tour
nament and went on to do great
things for their schools and some
the collegiate level. Wynn spoke
of William Bulltr. the first ever
Lash Most Valuable Player, along
with his brother John who went
on to play at Appalachian State
after four years of varsity. Other
brothers were brought up. the m
Holcomb-Faye brothers of
n
See Lash on B3
lis year's David
File Photos
Lash Tournament will start on Jan.2 at Carver High School.
wooas
braces for
layoff to
rehab knee
BY DOUG FERGUSON
THE ASSOCIATED Pit ESS : ? ?
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. V Tiger
Woods is giving up golf for swimming
. and a stationary bike, part of rehabilita
tion from knee surgery that will force
him to take the longest break of his pro
career.
Woods had surgery recently in Park
City, Utah, to remove fluid around liga
ments in his left knee and to remove a
benign cyst. He has spent a week on his
back and said, "It's driving me crazy."
"I can only sit still for so long and
can't wait to get back on my feet, hope
fully by the end of the week," Woods
said last week in his monthly newsletter
on www.tigerwoods.com.
Woods had a benign tumor removed
from the same knee in 1994. but he said
that wasn't related to the pain he felt
throughout this year.
He first mentioned his ailing knee at
the Tour Championship, then treated it
with ice and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Woods tweaked it again by hitting a
sharp hook from an uphill lie in the rough
at his Target World Challenge and decid
ed it was time to get it fixed.'
"The bottom line is, I just got tired of
playing in pain every day, all day, and
decided to take care of it," he said.
"The doctors have assured me every
thing went well, but you don't really
know until you actually begin rehabilita
tion."
Woods said he would start with swim
ming, riding a bike and light strengthen
ing.
At least he took care of business first
- doing holiday shopping in the three
days before the operation.
Even though Woods is one of the
most recognizable athletes in the world,
shopping is "really not that hard if you
show up just when the stores open." he
Sec Woods on B2
File Photo
riger Woods with his caddie, Steve Williams.
ritts now out or
Weaks' shadow
BY SAM DAVIS
TOR THE CHRONICLE
RALEIGH - It took awhile,
but Jamar Pitts has finally
stepped out of the shadows. Pitts'
performance through the 2002
football season helped boost
Carver to the state 3-A football
championship game. His steady
performance at Carter-Finley
Stadium on Saturday helped the
Yellowjackets overwhelm Wil
son Fike in a 34-0 Carver victory.
The victory finally put a
smile on Pitts' face.
"This is what I came here
for." Pitts said. "I wanted to lead
this team to the state champi
onship, and now we've accom
plished that and it feels great."
Pitts was named the Yellow
jackets' Most Outstanding Play
er. That honor helped him earn
the same honor as one of his
predecessors and finally put him
on par with Courtney Weaks.
Coaches and fans had often com
pared Pitts with Weaks.
"Maybe I won't have to hear
it again," Pitts said.
Pitts certainly has heard
enough of it since transferring to
Carver before his junior season.
The two shared many of the
same attributes, especially those
of stature. At 5-9, 170 pounds,
Weaks was the catalyst for the
1998 Carver team that captured
the state 3-A championship with
a dramatic 33-28 come-from
behind victory over Kings
Mountain. That permanently
etched his name in the hearts of
Carver fans.
Pitts heard the stories about
Weaks' heroic play so much that
he grew tired of them. After a 6
5 finish during the 2001 season,
Pitts began this season with a
renewed desire. Nothing less
than a state championship would
quiet Wilkes and other coaches
who constantly talked to Pitts
about his leadership skills.
"I'm a different type of play
See Pitts on B2
Johnson's success could
KRT photo by Harty Walker C
Robert Johnson, left, the first African-American owner of an NBA basketball team, ^
attends the Memphis Grizzlies-Washington Wizards game on Dec. 18. i1
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Robert Johnson, the Black
intertainment Television founder
apped to own the NBA's new
"harlotte expansion franchise, is
vell-known as a friend of Michael
ordan.
So eyebrows shot up recently
vhen Johnson began a New York
tews conference by announcing
lis first hire.
The "hire." though, turned out
lot to be Air Jordan, but Heir
ohnson - the cable magnate's 13
ear-old son. Brett.
"Brett knows more about bas
etball than I'll ever know." John
on said, joking that he and his son
iad reached an agreement on a
alary of "room and board."
All kidding aside, many
ibservers expect Johnson, the first
ilack man to own controlling
merest in a major pro sports fran
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tion in Charlotte.
"I think what he brings to this,
which should be the case with any
pro sports franchise owner, is gen
uine interest and real, sincere
energy to get this done," said
David Carter, who runs a sports
marketing firm in Redondo Beach,
Calif. "He just really has the pas
sion to get this done."
Johnson started BET from
scratch in 1980, ignoring wide
spread doubt about the viability of
a cable channel aimed at hlack
Americans. In 1991, he took the
network public, making it the first
black-owned company to list on
the New York Stock Exchange.
Seven years later, disappointed
by the stock's performance. John
son went $500 million into debt to
take the company private again.
The risk paid off two years
later, when he sold the network to
media conglomerate Viacom in a
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made Johnson the nation's first
black billionaire.
"The most interesting thing
about working with him is he's
always moving on to the next
thing," said BET president Debra
Lee. who has worked with John
son for 18 years. "You've got to
run to keep up with him."
This year. Forbes magazine
estimated Johnson's net worth at
$1.3 billion for its annual list of
the richest Americans.
"Robert Johnson is the com
plete package, irrespective of his
race," Denver-based sports mar
keting consultant Dean Bonham
said. "He has the financial where
withal; he has the business acu
men. the reputation; and he hap
pens to be African-American. To
my knowledge, we've never seen
that combination in any potential
Sec Johnson on B2
? File Photo
Jamar P/ttj
make him powerful owner
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