Timothy
Ramsey
Sports
olumnist
NBA free
agency sets
off with
a bang
Wow, I knew this
NBA free agency period
was going to be interest
ing but I had no idea it
would begin so soon.
LeBron James, Chris
Paul, Paul George and
Kevin Durant have all
either signed or agreed to
deals.
The most shocking for
most was the Los Angeles
Lakers signing James to a
four year $153.3 million
deal. At first I was some
what shocked that James
decided to join the Lakers
without the commitment
of any other superstar.
AJfter Paul agreed to
his four year, $160 mil
lion dead to stay with
Houston and George
agreed to his four year,
$137 million deal to stay
with Oklahoma City, it
became clear to me what
James' motives really are.
I really believe that
James understands that he
is the best player in the
world and chasing ghosts
of basketball past serves
no purpose at this point. I
feel James is setting him
self up for life after bas
ketball while also putting
his family in a great situa
tion to maximize their
earning potential as well.
His eldest son is one of
the best young basketball
players in the country, so
why not put him in the
city with the biggest
stage.
There have and will
be players without cham
pionship rings that will
want to come and play
with James based on the
fact he has made it to the
Finals eight years in a
row. One has to believe
that Jahies is banking pn
players having the need to
play in the bright lights of
Los Angeles along with
having the chance to
chase a ring with the
King.
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James is done chasing
rings but rather has his
eye on bigger and better
things. I am not saying
winning is not paramount
for him, but he knows
what his and the Laker
name means to other
players. The fact that
Magic Johnson has land
ed James so early means
he has his centerpiece for
a championship squad as
well as a young prot6g6 to
mold in life off the court.
Johnson also has a heck
of a pitch when he sells
the Lakers to other free
agents now that he has the
best player in the world.
The Lakers are also
pulling out all of the stops
to acquire Kawhi Leonard
from the San Antonio
Spurs. I don't think this
would be a good-move by
Magic and the Lakers.
With or without Kawhi,
the Lakers can't dethrone
the Warriors as presently
constituted. Giving up all
of their young assets
and/or future draft picks
seems to be a waste, espe
cially since Leonard will
be a free agent after next
season.
Leonard has
expressed his strong
desire to play for the
Lakers, so they have the
upper hand when it comes
to trade talks. Even if
another team decides to
jump in the mix, Leonard
is more than likely a one
V
See Ramsey on B2
Former W. Forsyth great now head
coach at Meredith College
'■ j
Submitted photos
(Left) West Forsyth High
graduate and former Tar
Heel LaQuanda
Barksdale Quick will
take over as head coach
of the women's basket
ball team at Meredith
College in Raleigh this
fall.
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
LaQuanda Barksdale Quick
was one of the all time greats that
has ever stepped foot on a basket
ball court for the West Forsyth
Titans. The former UNC-Chapel
Hill Tar Heel recently accepted the
head coaching position for
Meredith College in Raleigh.
Quick is a former first-round
draft pick of the Portland Fire of
the WNBA back in 2001. Quick
played a few years in the WNBA
and overseas, but found her niche
in coaching when she and her hus
band started a family.
“I got married during my
career in the WNBA and I got
pregnant with my son my third
year, so I stepped away from the
game as a player but I still wanted
to be involved in the game some
sort of way,” said Quick. “I started
doing individual skill development
and that kind of snowballed into
being asked to be an assistant
coach and then a head coach.”
Quick began her coaching
career at West Forsyth as an assis
tant coach but soon took over the
head coaching position for the var
sity girls. She has also coached at
Winston-Salem State University
and most recently at the University
of West Florida. Quick says she
was looking for an opportunity to
get back to North Carolina to be
closer to her family, so this was the
perfect opportunity.
“I saw the job posted on differ
See Coach on B2
“The League” at WJt. Anderson brings together some of the best talent the
Triad has to offer.
Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.
The young men playing basketball in the center
means they are doing something constructive,
league officials say.
The League’ turns up heat
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il
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THBCHRONICLE ____
“The League,” sponsored by the Josh Howard Foundation, is in
full swing at the WH. Anderson Community Center. Following a
successful spring league, commissioner Steve Nivens says he knows
the summer league will be better than it was last year.
Bringing in some of the best talent the Triad has to offer, the
summer league displays high quality basketball involving former
high school and college basketball players. Some of the teams come
as far away as Virginia to play in the league.
Here is a look at some of the action that took place last week in
“The League.”
Salem Baptist rising senior is turning heads
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THE CHRONICLE
Basketball is a sport predominately dominated by
African-Americans from the high school to the profes
sional level. However, Daniel Leal is of Mexican descent
and is quite possibly the best unknown player in Forsyth
County.
Leal, a rising senior at Salem Baptist Christian School,
is a silky smooth point guard who has faced off against
some of the best point guards in the city and has held his
own or outright got the better of them.
“It's a good feeling to play against some of the big
named players in the city because I am just a kid that
4 t
See Rising on B2
Photo by Timothy Ramsey
Daniel Leal is a rising
senior at Salem Baptist
and one of the bkst bas
ketball players in the
county.
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