Reynolds
^vmpattSI
force the action and take
the ball to the basket and
get easier shots. Even if
you miss, you're likely to
get fouled, so you still have
a chance to score by hitting
free throws. Our guys
played hard and they made
good decisions."
Point guard Ian
Henderson, who finished
with a game-high 21
points, delivered a solid
floor game for the Demons.
Xavier Coles scored 14
points and Broadnax
chipped in with 10.
Smith was the top scor
er for North Davidson with
17 points. J.D. Franklin
contributed 16 points in a
losing effort.
. Throughout the game.
neither team was able to
fully impose its will.
Reynolds built a five-point
cushion near the end of the
first half, but North
Davidson's Matthew
Essick hit a 3-pointer from
the right wing to trim the
deficit and the Demons
lead was reduced to 28-26
at intermission.
In the closing minutes
of the third quarter,
Reynolds turned up the
defensive heat with its 2-2
1 press, which forced
turnovers on three consecu
tive North Davidson pos
sessions. During that span,
the Demons closed with a
6-2 flurry to go up 42-38 by
the end of the quarter.
Pbofc) by Craig T. Qrecnkc
Christian Alford of Reynolds (in white) drives the baseline against North Davidson's Jaelen Lanning.
Documentary
from page ST
Both played on UK's fresh
man team and were being
counted on to emerge as
key contributors as sopho
mores in 1967. During pre
season practice that year.
Page suffered a neck injury
during a half-speed drill
and was paralyzed from the
nose down. Less than six
weeks later, Page died on
the night before
Kentucky's home opener
against the University of
Mississippi.
Northington played
defensive back against Ole
Miss for about three min
utes before being forced to
leave the game with a dis
located shoulder. He broke
the color barrier that day.
But none of that mattered
in the wake of losing Page,
his roommate and best
friend who was like a
brother. Northington
reflects on that day in his
book.
"I cannot even tell you
what all transpired that
day," he wrote. "It is like a
fog in my mind. I tried to
eat the pie-game meal but
it was no use.... For history
and the record books, it
was a day filled with
excitement and signifi
cance. For me, it turned out
to be a day filled with
mixed emotions and one
that left me feeling
extremely sad."
There were several fac
tors in Northington's deci
sion to leave UK. There
was the difficulty of coping
with Page's death, coupled
with the recurring shoulder
injury that drastically limit
ed his playing time. The
final factor was having his
meal ticket taken away by
the coaches because he had
missed so much class time
during the 5 Vi weeks that
he visited Page in the hos
pital. Northington trans
ferred to Western Kentucky
and was the star running
back on the 1970 team that
won the Ohio Valley
Conference championship.
Jack Ford, the execu
tive producer of "Forward
Progress," is a student of
college football. During his
research, he's discovered a
number of compelling sto
ries about the pioneers who
blazed new trails for others
to follow.
What Ford learned was
that the integration of the
SEC didn't occur the way
most people think it did.
The common presumption
is that Alabama made the
(University of Kentucky Archives)
Nate Nortkington was the first black athlete to play football in
the Southeastern Conference.
first move in the year after
the Crimson Tide took a
big-league whipping from
an integrated Southern
California squad in a
nationally-televised game
in 1970.
Alabama signed its
first black football player,
Wilbur Jackson, in 1970,
but that was half a
decade after Northington
and Page signed with
Kentucky. It didn't take
long for Ford to understand
???L?AU
Northington
that even among the most
die-hard college football
fans, most were clueless
about which school shat
tered the race barrier in the
SEC.
"I took a personal sur
vey of about 20 people," he
said. "Since all are huge
college fans, especially the
SEC. I figured some would
know. Not one person
picked Kentucky. That's
when I realized that what
Nate Northington and Greg
Page did all those years ago
was a major event in histo
ry and there are only a few
people who know anything
about it. This ushered in a
change, not only in sports,
but in the nation's cultural
landscape as well."
It's Ford's hope that
viewers will learn more
than a history lesson as
they watch "Forward
Progress." The significance
of Northington's and
Page's contributions, he
explained, transcends col
lege football. Considering
the racial climate of the
Deep South in the 1960s,
there's no doubt that
Kentucky took a bold step
in signing two black play
ers at a time in which no
other school in the confer
ence would dare to do so.
"This story is about
heroism," said Ford. "The
University of Kentucky
was fully aware of the
enormous risk it took in
signing Northington and
Page. When you stop to
consider what they were
asked to do, you come to
understand that these mert
were true heroes. Even
though they suffered per
sonal attacks, they handled
all of it with enormous
character and grace."
Go to http://www.cbss
portsnetwork .com/chan
nelfinder to find what
channel the CBS Sports
Network is on in your area.
Just input your ZIP code
and cable provider.
Smith
from page Bl
In a statement on
Twitter released through
his business manager,
Jordan said Smith was
"more than a coach ? he
was a mentor, my teacher,
my second father."
The former NBA super
star and Charlotte Hornets
owner said "In teaching
me the game of basketball,
he taught me about life."
Jordan played three
seasons for Smith from
1981-84. When he was a
freshman he helped lead
the Tar Heels to a national
championship in 1982, hit
ting a 16-foot jump shot in
the final seconds to beat
Georgetown.
Jordan often said that
shot was the turning point
in his basketball career. He
went on to win six titles
and is considered by many
the greatest basketball
player ever.
Through the years,
Jordan's respect for Smith
grew, and he would often
lean on his beloved college
coach for advice and guid
ance.
"Coach was always
there for me whenever I
needed him and I loved
him for it," Jordan said in
the statement.
In 2007, Jordan
returned to Chapel Hill for
a game honoring the Tar
Heels championship team
in 1982. He was pho
tographed with his arm
around Smith and kissing
the gray-haired coach on
his head.
Atlantic Coast
Conference Commissioner
John Swofford spent 21
years with Smith as an
administrator at UNC.
"Sometimes, the word
legend is used with too lit
tle thought," Swofford said.
"In this instance, it almost
seems inadequate. He was
basketball royalty."
Smith led the Tar Heels
to 13 ACC tournament
titles, five appearances jp
the NCAA championship
game and national titles in
1982 and 1993. He retired
in 1997 with a then
Division I men's record 879
victories.
AP Sports Writers
Steve Reed, Gary B.
Graves and Aaron Beard
contributed to this report.
Photo by Cnig T. Graeniec
Mike Coker, Reynolds JV coach
Pfcow by CraicXOrcailct
Parkland's McKinley McNeill (center) is No. 2 in the national rankings in the
500-meter dash.
McNeill _____
from page Bl
initely with an Achilles
injury. At last year's state
meet. Morrison was fourth
in the 500 and ran with
McNeill on the 4x400
relay. The Mustangs won
that relay, but due to a
questionable ruling by race
officials, they were dis
qualified after crossing the
finish line.
Parkland jumper Ila
Mumford, who has been
sidelined for two weeks
with an ankle injury,
returns to compete on
I
Saturday. Mumford scored
valuable points in last
year's state indoor champi
onships with a runner-up
finish in the triple jump and
fourth place in the long
jump.
Submitted pbolo
Eighth-grader, Daia Dawkins throws up a three pointer against North Hills
Tuesday night.
QEAs Lady Seraphims end perfect season
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
Quality Education
Academy's Lady
Seraphims (middle school
girls basketball team)
wrapped up a perfect sea
son on last Thursday
evening, Feb. 5. The Lady
Seraphim's season began
on November 7, 2014 with
a win in Winston-Salem.
QEA took on opponents as
far away as Raleigh and
Durham as well as a num
ber of teams throughout the
Triad. Quality Education
Academy is extremely
proud of the 2014-2015
*. r
Lady Seraphims' 10-0
record. "Hie Mighty
Seraphim (middle school
boys basketball team) has
represented QEA well,
also, as they approach their
last game of the season this
Tuesday evening, Feb. 10
with an 8-3 record.
Excitement fills the air on
QEA's campus as the
Fighting Pharaohs (varsity
basketball team) prepare
for one of the last big home
games of the season on
Tliesday evening, as well
as one of the biggest games
of the season against long
time rival Oak Hill on the
road (VA) (Thursday
Feb. 12). Quality Education
Academy annual Bestowal
of Blessings ceremony will
be held on Feb. 26 to cele
brate its students' accom
plishments thus far as well
as the hopes, dreams and
aspirations. The celebra
tion will culminate with
Senior Night (Feb .27),
when The Fighting
Pharaohs will play their
final game of the season
and all seniors will be
acknowledged and recog
nized as they near the end
of their high school
careers.