Who's
Open?
Photo by Kevin Walker
Twenty-month-old
Austin Phillips played
with the big boys last
week at the Winston
Lake Family YMCA. Lit
tle Austin could not
quite make the slam
dunks like the older
bailers but he man
aged to grab hold of a
rebound every now
and then.
'It's on again'
Bailers ready for Late Nite hoops
BY ANTHONY HILL
nil CHRONIC! I
The Late Nite basketball sea
son at 1 4th Street Recreation Cen
ter has begun another season.
Many of the teams
looked to nave
increased their talent
level from a year ago,
when the team known
as Strictly Da Realist
ripped the hearts out of
every team trying to
win it last season.
"You see. teams are
trying to be ready for us
this year," Strictly Da
Realist player Jamie
Foster said. "A lot ot
teams look like they've boosted
up their rosters this year. Hey.
don't (get) it twisted, though. Vy'e
added a few new weapons too.
Man, we got some more big men.
Little
Now, Antonio (Minor) can play
the two and three spots. We
weren't just gonna come back into
the season with nothing new.
Come on now."
Recreation director Rob Little
added: "The teams
are really strong this
year. They're eight
teams, and any one of
them can win it all. In
the past there's
always been one team
that pretty much
dominated. And that
team usually played
well in the regular
season, then got beat
in .the. playoffs
Someone always
rises to the occasion. This should
definitely be an interesting season
- simply to see how many teams
will rise to the occasion this year."
The league play began on
Monday and will conclude the
first week of games tonight. The
games are played from Monday
to Thursday at 1 4th Street Recre
ation Center. Games are played at
7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.nyjhe eight
teams in the league are Strictly Da
Realist ( I -0). One and Done ( I -0),
City View ( 1 -0). PSC (1-0). Two
Five. City Heat. Hot Boyz and the
Young Guns.
The first two nights of action
were full of excitement, especial
ly the game between City View
and the Young Guns on Monday
night. The City View team was
paced by the talented Antonio
Byrd. D-Money Gathings, Ced
Hickman, Kenny "Voodoo" Alli
son and Tim Edwards. The team
also has Josh Howard on the ros
ter.
"Josh more than likely won't
Sec Bailers on B1 1
Bobcats,
all-stars,
track girls
FROM THE
HUDDLE
Anthony
Hill
The NBA draft comes on at 7
o'clock tonight, and I'm anxious
to see who the Bobcats select in
the first round. The rumor is that
they're going to draft the high
school kid out of the ATL,
Dwight Howard. If Orlando does
n't pick Emeka Okafor. then thai
leaves the door open for Charlotte
to snag him. But the Magic are
almost guaranteed to select
Okafor. They'd be crazy not to.
Either way, Charlotte's happy.
"We are pleased to have one
of the top two picks in the draft."
said Charlotte Bobcat head coach
Bemie Bickerstaff. "It will cer
tainly give us something to build
Bickerstaff
around in
starting
with the
core that
we would
like to
eventual
ly put
together. I
t h i .11 k
there are
some vac
i llations
between
number one in terms <>t whether it
will be Howard or Okafor, but the
one thing that I'm real clear about
now is that we will be pleased
starting our basketball team with
either one of those young men. I
think they represent what we
would like to become in terms of
character, competitiveness and
the talent.
So. we're back to Howard. I
think he's a pretty good bailer.
He's no LeBron James, but he'll
have to do. I didn't take the time
to research this, but I think he'll
become the first high school kid
to be drafted in the first round by
an expansion team. It's hard to
believe the Bobcats want to build
their team around such a young
and unproved guy. Sure, he's bul
lied his way through high school
competition, but he's getting
ready to play with the big boys.
More important, he's getting
ready to represent our basketball
team.
I can already tell you that he" II
get slightly less attention than
LeBron. but significantly more
than the rest of the rookies simply
because he's the high school kid
on the new basketball team. And.
from guys drafted in Tuesday
night's expansion draft, it doesn't
lodk like he's going to have too
much help. The Bobcats picked
guys like Primoz Brezec (Indi
ana). Predrag Drobnjak (L.A.
Clippers). Brandon Hunter
(Boston). Jason Kapono (Cleve
See Hill on B4
Former boxer wants to motivate kids
t
BY ANTHONY HILL
I III c HRONICI I
Fred Whitlaker fought his
final boxing match over six
years ago. when he was beaten
by Louis Savaris in New York.
Boxing was something very
hard for Whittaker to give up.
After all. he's been boxing ever
since he was 5 years old.
"That's right," Whittaker
said. "I started when 1 was 5. I
learned from my dad. He was a
professional boxer from
Jamaica. He used to travel back
and forth, from Jamaica to the
United States, just to box. I used
to travel with him a lot."
During that time. Whittaker
developed a love for the sport
most people didn't attempt. He
said that he liked the control that
it gave him. In most sports, it
takes a team effort to be a cham
pion. Whittaker said that in box
ing it's strictly up to him. But his
journey wasn't as joyous as he
thought it would be. After Whit
taker finally became a profes
sional boxer in 1982, he still
didn't feel like he was going to
get the opportunity he deserved.
His manager was Don King, and
King didn't share the same
vision as Whittaker. Whittaker
wanted to be a champion.
"He wanted me to use
myself to make champions,"
Whittaker said. "I helped 13
guys win championships."
Some of the guys he helped
win championships were James
"Buster" Douglas. Mike Tyson,
Tim Witherspoon. Michael
Dokes. Tony Tubbs and a few
others.
"Tasked 'DK when my time
was gonna come," Whittaker
said. "He told me he would put
me there when my time was
right. I thought about that for a
moment. Then I asked him if he
Pholo by Anthony Hill
Former boxer Fred "Yes" Whittaker talks strategy with Philadelphia native Jermaine Cook earlier this week at 14th Street
Recreation Center.
thought he had my career in his
hand, and, he said yes. I then
decided to quit the sport."
But he didn't really quit.
He's never quit the sport. Whit
taker has simply changed his
role within the sport. Now he's
training young fighters to be all
they can be. And he always let's
his boxers know that it's possi
ble for them to be world cham
pions someday. He always tries
to feed positivity into the heads
of his boxers.
"My old trainer (Shadell
Morgan) told me that negativity
comes into play when you're
empty-minded," Whittaker said.
"You should continuously have
thoughts about what you want to
do and where you want to go."
He currently trains young,
amateur fighters at 14th Street
Recreation Center. He hopes to
be able to bring in more minori
ty kids and help them learn a
sport that has taught him a lot.
"1 don't know what I would
be if it wasn't for boxing,"
Whittaker said. "I used to be in
the streets. I was in a gang. I w as
up to no good before I started to
seriously box. And it's helped
me see the world. The more I
won. the more I traveled. So. I
tried to continue to win. I wish
that my professional career
would' ve turned out like it was
supposed to. But God makes all
things happen for a reason. And
I want to help out the communi
ty kids - the Hispanics. the
blacks and whites. I want to help
them make a difference."
Some of Whittaker's fighters
are well on their way to good
things. He doesn't want their
money if or when they make it
big. Whittaker just wants them
to understand that he's helping
to give them a better chance at a
good life.
"I know what these streets
are like." Whittaker concluded.
"1 can relate to almost any kid
out there. I just want them to
know that someone cares about
their future. And I am willing to
help them get to where they
need to be in life, through box
ing. Ask any of my boxers: the
gym is like a home away from
home."
Contact Fred "Yes" Whit
raker at 771-1955 or at the %\m
at 727-2891.
Phoio by Anthony Hill
Carver coach Gerald Carter discusses a few wrinkles with Domini
ca Lambson. The Yellowjackets will play tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.
They will play their second game at 3 p.m. at the Annex.
Yellowjacket girls are
poised for State Games
BY ANTHONY HILL
Till CHRONICLE
There shouldn't be too
many questions heading into
next season aX to whether the
Carver girls are going to be
good or not - especially after
last season. The Yellowjackets'
were thought to be going
through a rebuilding year a
season ago and ended up fin
ishing the season with a 27-2
record.
"That kind of surprised
me." Carver head coach Gerald
Carter said. "1 knew we were
going to be young last year, but
I was more concerned about
where we were going to get
leadership from and how far
that leadership would take us. I
knew that we had some talent.
It all began with the summer
that we had last year."
The Yellowjackets are
expecting another great sum
mer. as well as a gold medal in
the State Games this weekend.
Last summer the girls really
bonded and got themselves
ready for the upcoming season.
They really used the summer
days with each other to their
advantage.
"The same thing is true for
this summer." Carver athletic
director Alfred Poe said. "The
girls have been coming in
every morning, at 10:30. for
three weeks. They've really
been getting themselves pre
pared for the State Games and
next season. The juniors and
seniors really look like they're
stepping up and taking
charge."
Carver should definitely be
one of the favorites to win.
especially with the games
being played in their home
town. And the Yellowjackets
are still one of the more talent
ed squads around. The team
will have their first test tomor
row morning at 10:30 against
Southwest Guilford in the first
round of tHe State Games.
"They're a very good
team." Carter said of South
west Guilford, "There are
gonna he a lot of good teams in
this tournament. There's a
competitive group of teams
each year. We're just trying to
get back in the swing of things.
We're really just now getting
hack in the gym. This was our
first full week of practice, so
we're a little rusty, but the girls
are really coming along. 1 think
we'll be fine."
Poe added: "I think these
girls can accomplish a lot this
year. It's iriictly up to thems
and 1 think they understand
that. 1 think they'll do well."
Carver almost didn't even
get a chance to prove it had the
best squad in the state, though.
The Yellowjackets were denied
clearance into the games until
about three weeks ago. They
Sec Carver on B3