SportsWeek
Also Community, Religion and Classifieds February 12, 2015
Photo by'Craig T. Greenlee
Arion Broadnax (3) draws foul, then hits game-winning free throws for Reynolds.
Reynolds squeaks by
North Davidson
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
PGR THE CHRONICLE
North Davidson had Reynolds on
the ropes. The Demons blew a five
point lead on their home court late in
the fourth quarter, which allowed the
Knights to put together a frantic
comeback to tie the game.
But with 1.2 seconds left to play,
Arion Broadnax converted two free
throws to give Reynolds a 63-61 win
in Central Piedmont Conference jun
ior varsity basketball on Tuesday,
Feb. 3. -
"We've lost games like this in the
past because we took bad shots and
made bad passes," said Coach Mike
Coker of Reynolds. 'Tonight, we
handled things very well near the end
of the game. It didn't help that we
missed some free throws, but fortu
nately, we made enough foul shots to
pull this one out."
With 1:32 remaining, Reynolds
(11-7,4-5 CPC) appeared to have the
control of the contest. Lemuel
Gaither hit a pair of free throws to put
the Demons up 60-55, but the lead
didn't last for long. North Davidson's
Juy Smith scored in the post, then
stole the ball and scored again on a
lay-up to force a 61-61 tie. Reynolds
called time out with 10.2 seconds to
go
On what proved to be the game's
decisive sequence, Broadnax scanned
the Knights defense as he advanced
the ball up-court. At the top of the
key, he spotted an opening and
attacked the basket from the left side.
Broadnax missed the shot on the
drive, but he drew contact and the
foul. Both of his free throw attempts
dropped cleanly through the nets.
North Davidson threw a long pass
to its end of the court, but the Demons
deflected the pass as the final buzzer
sounded. Coker was relieved to come
out with a victory, but also very
encouraged by how his team respond
ed when the game's momentum
seemed to be going in the Knights
favor.
"From what I saw tonight, it lets
me know that we're on the same
page," said Coker. "When we've been
in tight games earlier this season,
we'd always settle for jump shots.
Now they're seeing that it's better to
See Reynolds on B2
Black History
CBS Sports documentary shows how
SEC integrated football
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
When Nate
Northington signed to play
at the University of
Kentucky nearly 50 years
ago, he became the game
changer for college football
in the Deep South. Since
that time, the Southeastern
Conference, of which
Kentucky is a member, has
evolved as arguably the
best in the college game
today.
Over the years, black
athletes have contributed
heavily to the conference's
success. That hasn't always
been the case. To com
memorate Northington
being the first black person
to play football in the SEC,
the documentary "Forward
Progress: The Integration
of SEC Football" will air
during Black History
Month on Monday, Feb. 16
at 8 p.m. on the CBS Sports
network.
There's a bit of irony
about the airing
of "Forward Progress." The
SEC was the last major
conference in the country
to recruit and sign black
football players. Today,
that same conference might
be the most integrated in
college football.
"I'm thrilled about the
documentary and the story
that it tells," said
Northington, author
of "Still Running," an auto
biography that tells about
his time at Kentucky. "As
an 18-year old, I didn't
know how the signing
might relate to what would
happen in the future. There
was a lot of media attention
when I signed, so that let
me know about the magni
tude of it all."
Northington, a running
back, was supposed to have
a partner in making history.
He signed in December
1965. A month
later, Kentucky brought
another black athlete into
the fold, defensive end
Greg Page. Both were
honor students and All
State players.
Neither would finish
their careers at Kentucky.
See Documentary on B2
Parkland sprinter
impresses in
winter season
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
A year ago. Parkland sprinter McKinley McNeill*
opted to run indoor track with her club team, Platinum
Sports. This year, she joined her high school team for the
winter season and the results have been impressive.
McNeill, a junior, has turned in eye-catching perform
ances in the 500-meter dash. Right after the start of the
New Year, she clocked 1 minute, 14.27 seconds in a local
competition, then ran 1 minute, 14.04 seconds at the
Virginia Tech High School Invitational two weeks ago.
At this juncture, McNeill has the second-fastest time
in the U.S. and she's No. 1 in the
state. McNeill seeks to lower her
time again on Saturday, Feb. 14 at
the Class 4-A State Indoor Track
Championships at the JDL Fast
Track in Winston-Salem.
Aside from the 500, McNeill
will run on the Mustangs' 4x200
and 4x400 relay teams.
"I've been working full-time
with Jarrell Elliott (assistant coach)
in my training and that's made a
huge difference," said McNeill. "I
McNeill
no longer have to wonder if I'm ready to run my very best
in every race. I can go out at a fast pace and know that
there's enough kick left for me to finish strong. What I've
been able to do up to now is great, but I realize that others
are capable of running faster. That means I have to work
even harder than I did before I ran those fast times."
McNeill's emergence as a budding indoor performer is
a carryover from the 2014 outdoor season. She placed
third in the 400 at the state meet and ran a leg on
Parkland's title-winning 4x400 relay. Antwan Hughes,
Parkland's head coach, isn't surprised that McNeill has
posted fast times so soon.
"We knew that once she made the year-round commit
ment to her high school program that she'd run very fast
times," Hughes said. "McKinley has adjusted well to
Coach Elliott's training methods. Now, she has a chance to
run even faster at the state championships and the New
Balance nationals in March. Had she chosen to run cross
country in the fall, she'd be even farther along than she is
now."
Elliott believes that McNeill,.who has a 4.4 weighted
grade-point average, is just beginning to tap into her full
potential. The way in which she has responded to early
season conditioning, he explained, bodes well for what's
possible for the remainder of this indoor season as well as
the upcoming outdoor season.
"Keep in mind that McKinley is still getting used to
running the 500," said Elliott. "Not only is this her first
full year of training, but it's the first time that she's been
able to build a strong (endurance) base. As a result, she's
reaping the rewards of all the hard work that she's put in.
I feel like she can lower her (500) time to around 1 minute,
13.5 seconds this season. That's a realistic goal for her."
Mustangs' state meet outlook
Because of injuries to key personnel, Parkland's girls
could be hard pressed to repeat as the Class 4-A state
indoor team champs in 2015.
Sprinter Erin Morrison (500,4x400 relay) is out indef
See McNeill on B2 ?
Photo by Craig T Greenlee
McKinley McNeill stretches in-between training
runs.
Dean Smith remembered as 'basketball royalty' at UNC
BY JOEDY MCCREARY
AP SPORTS WRITER "? 1
CHAPEL HILL, Dean Smith did everything to bring
the best out of his North Carolina players.
Sometimes that meant a handwritten note of encour
agement. Other times, that meant facing what former star
guard Phil Ford called " the wrath of Dean."
Smith, who led the Tar Heels to two national titles and
11 Final Fours, died Saturday night at 83.
Both Ford and Michael Jordan likened the
Hall of Fame coach to a "second father."
"Not many people are willing to share
everything about themselves with another
person that will make the other person bet
ter, and he was willing to do that," Ford
said Sunday. "Not only with me, but with
everyone that played for him, and basical
Smith
ly everyone he came in contact with."
Along this college town's main Franklin Street drag,
there was a sign outside Sutton's Drug Store bearing one
of Smith's quotes on leadership: "A leader's job is to
develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their
followers' sense of commitment."
And near one entrance to the Tar Heels' 29-year-old
arena Sunday, mourners laid dozens of flowers, handwrit
ten notes and a miniature basketball with a message of
gratitude to the late coach.
See Smith on B2
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