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December 12, 1
Page B1
Prep Spotlight
Spartan ja
By DAVID BULLA
Chronicle Sports Editor
It is said that changes are
irksome.
Yet, constant personnel turnover
is a fact of life in scholastic
sports. Such change has not been
irksome for Mount Tabor Coach
Rick Anderson, who again has
one of the best jayvee basketball
teams in the county.
The Spartans are coming off
an 18-2 campaign, featuring such
players as Pat Cunningham,
Tyrone Lewis, Andra "Boo
Boo" Baker and Ed Reese. Those
players earned promotions to the
varsity, but the 1985-86 jayvess
are off to a 3-1 start.
The quick start can be attributed
to an influx of new
talent. The best of Coach Rick
Anderson's stable includes
6-foot-3 Julius "Juice" Reese,
6-3 Hassan Stevens, 6-6 Joe John
Bryant and 6-2 Stephon Torrence.
Reese and Torrence are
freshmen, Stevens and Bryant
sophomores.
"We probably had better
guards last year," Anderson said
after the Spartans held on for a
56-54 win at pesky North last Friday.
4'But I think we're better inside
this year. So that makes the
two teams hard to compare.
"We're capable of having just
as good a season. It might not
show in the record because we
play a more difficult schedule."
That proved to be the case in a
road loss at Carver on Tuesday
afternoon.
1'Carver did some good things
and we made a bunch of
5 mistakes/* he said. 'They really
stuck us.
"But at this point this season
we are further along than we were
a year ago. If we keep up the progress,
we'll have a comparable
season in my eyes."
Stevens was the standout in last
Friday's game. The sophomore
scored 24 points, including the
last four of the see-saw contest.
Stevens, a transfer student from
Atlanta, also blocked three shots
I tor tne hign-t lying Spartans. No
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Inside Move
Maurice Edmonds uses the
-receni Winston-Salem Stat<
James Parker).
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Julius Reese, left, grabs a rebot
recent Mount Tabor practice; th
less than' five of 'Anderson's
players can jam and he frequently
holds dunking sessions to
motivate his team.
"I'm trying to get the feel of
our system," said Stevens, who
played jayvee ball at Benjamin E.
Mays Academy in Atlanta last
season. "In Atlanta, I was playing
with some exceptional size. I
was probably the shortest guy on
the team and 1 was a strong forward."
Stevens, who lived his first
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glass to score two points in a
3 basketball game (photo by
SPORT
Winston-Sal
aims to fly
|PM . pp^r ^p
md and Hassan Stevens sticks ?
ey are a formidable frontcourt c
eight years Vn New York City
before moving to Atlanta, is the
son of John Stevens, a former
-semi-professional basketball
player. Last season was the high
~ C a 1 r. t
puiiii ui uic yuuiigcr Elevens
basketball career, as the Mays
jayvees went undefeated.
Both Stevens and Reese project
as No. 3 or swing players by the
time they reach college. Yet, most
of their shots this season will be
from short and medium range.
"We do have plays where we
College Basketl
Youthful
By DAVID BULLA
Chronicle Sports Editor
They were singing during
practice Tuesday afternoon at
Salem State.
Which is strange, you might t
the Rams are in the midst oi
demanding part of their sche
week, WSSU lost to four-time V
Athletic Conference champi
Carolina A&T, defending CIAA
Virginia Union and an improv<
State squad.
Perhaps the long, steep road
with WSSU's December scheduli
song. Or perhaps singing helj
some of the pressures of exam
more likely that the Rams just
good singers, such as Rodney 1
sings the national anthem at ho
Coach C.E. "Bighouse" Gair
actly singing the blues, but he
something better than a 3-4 sti
eluding a decisive win over the
Stars.
"I thought we could be 7-2
Tanllarv_,, Onirics whmp r
play for three weeks after Satur
game at Norfolk State. 44We':
playing fundamentally-sound
and we can't quite handle bij
We're playing with three kids (
Terry Nance, junior college tra
Harvey and newcomer Harry
don't have a whole lot of expei
lot of experience."
Then there are nights like 1
when the Rams played well in ;
at Virginia Union, rated No
NCAA Division II schoo
preseason. But the Panthers hi
walking Jamie Waller, who
I
SWEEK
\em Chronicle
high H
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iff
i jump shot at a the Spartan ja
;ombination for Parker).
shoot from the outside/* Stevens
acknowledged. "So we're not
just shooting five-footers.
"I'm doing a lot of work on
my shot, too. I go out at home
and practice free throws for a
couple of hours."
All of the Spartan jayvees are
working on their dribbling.
Stevens realizes he'll need to be
able to handle the ball to play collegiately.
"In one drill, we dribble the
ball as close to the floor as possiball
?___
WSSU dro
'' They 're doing
b^.ketba" can. But we a
: Winstonroughest
hink, since
' the most
dule. Last __ jg:
lid-Eastern
on North
l champion 34-point show for th
?d Virginia the nets singing ofte
10-of-17 night froir
that came 14-of-17 outing from
s requires a "We did a pretty gc
>ed reduce everybody else," Gair
week. It's would come up v
have a few moves.
Davis, who Oscar -Big O" Wil
me games. points and Alexan(
ies isn't ex- But Virginia Union d
hoped for fashioning a 50-29 cu<
irt, not in- led waY with 12 1
AAU All- Greg Williams had ]
was WSSU's leader v
going into The Rams are lean i
lub will not Cromartie, at 6-7
day night's WSSU's largest insidi
re just not with an ankle injury.
basketball Maurice Edmond
5ger teams. started with a bang,
soDhomore rebounds asainst A
nsfcr Kevin Union. So Gaines sa
Giles) who State.
ience." Freshman Derek E
prestigious Inner
last Friday, Washington, D.C., Is
a 98-85 loss Barkley's disease. N<
1 among Daniels isn't excess
Is in the Barkley. Instead, Da
ive the sky- ding to Gaines, is sn
put on a That left the 6-7 H
t
Roun
colur
K-'v -s.
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I
yvee basketball team, which is of
4)le,M he said. 4'You go back and
forth until your arms grow tired.
In another drill, you dribble two
balls at one time without looking
down."
Reese, the son of former
Atkins track standout Ed Reese,
plays three sports, including football
and track. He probably is the
fastest 14-year-old basketball
player in the country. Over the
summer, Reese set a national agegroup
record in the 400-meter
dash. He and Torrence were part
*
ps a pair 01
i* the 6-5 Gil
r the best they 81-62 setba<
re playing the
teams on our and 10 reb
srhpHulp ' * Cantrell ha<
Although
?house Gaines ?ames of ti
seven-of-10
... ? . . the line), hi
ie Rams. Waller had setthesolid
n, to the tune of a from ,jne
? the floor and a Gaines is
j . I?e' . . . combinatioi
>od job of containing jn order
les said. "Then Jamie Nance ha
vith some unusual ^ ^
, . . perhaps the
lliams countered with f . ,
team, is otx
ier Hooper added 18. \ .
V , , \ jury sustain
ominated the boards, Bm non<
ihion. Jerry Hargrove men who c
ebounds. Waller and
10 each. Harry Giles ciAA
vith six boards. 1 They're
on irue Dig men. oary Gaines sai<
and 220 pounds, is roughest te
e player. But he's out
Virginia T?
s, a 6-7 freshman, ference. Pa
but he had only four season and
&T and one against quality of >
t him against Virginia "But pi
schedule sh
laniels, a terror in the into divisio:
-High League in Indccdf t
ist season, has Charles sion appeal
o, the 6-7, 235-pound season. Su<
ively overweight like enterprising
niels' problem, accor- coach in co
lall hands. way to win i
[arvey, 6-4 Nance and P
idups,
nns and profiles.
V V
i^H ^1
, ,n ; *',
k it* jwn i ?*?
^Vv< J?L.
f to a 3-1 start (photos by James
of a foursome that enabled the
Twin City Relays to take second
place in the International Youth
Meet of Champions (first place
went to the combined Canadian
entries).
"I'm not in any hurry to make
a decision on which sport I'll
ultimately pursue/' said Reese,
who has a reliable itimn chnt I
will decide on the sport that I'm
best in."
Reese and Stevens are not the
Please see page B11
#
r the road
es as Gaines' big men in the
:k at Virginia State. They comI
points and 12 rebounds. David
VSLPs 6-7 center, had 18 points
ounds. Trojan forward Alfred
i 15 points and 14 rebounds.
. u AAWir K r%A *
i nwv/pvi uau U11C UI 1119 UOl
tie young season (19 points on
shooting and five of six from
s effort was not enough to offoutings
turned in by the Trojan
j still trying to find the right
n. That is, his house isn't quite
%
is been playing out of position,
ing his effectiveness. Giles,
i best all-around athlete on the
rrating with a toe and thumb inled
during the football season,
i of these players are true big
an consistently match up with
iters and power forwards in the
doing the best they can,"
i. "But we are playing the
ams on our schedule. I believe
win the ME AC again. West
ch will be No. 1 or 2 in its Conine
is going to have a winning
there's no question about the
Virginia Union.
aying a tough early-season
ould pay dividends when we get
nal play."
he entire CIAA Southern Divirs
to be mediocre at best this
ch a scenario means that the
; Gaines, the winningest active
liege basketball, may yet find a
the division flag. For, one of his
lease see page B10