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SPORTSrtIJc CSatlom iPost
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Hornets star
brings A-list of
playmates for
charity bowling
N.C. Tech aims for prep football’s top
By Mike Cranston
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WINSTON-SALEM - The
A-list of NBA celebrities
included LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade and Carmdo
Anthony but Chris Paul still
owns this town.
Paul headlined the celebri
ty bowling tournament
Saturday ni^t to raise
money for a local student to
attend Wake Forest, where
Paul played for two years.
James, Wade, Anthony and
Dwight Howard were among
the NBA players bowling i^
the event. AU of them recent
ly returned with Paul fiom
Japan after capturing the
bronze medal at the world
championships.
“I’m just thankful that
these guys came out,” Paul
said- “We’ve been in Japan for
a while and Carmelo still
came out. I really appreciate
they aU came out and showed
their support.”
Other celebrities who
bowled included former Wake
Forest basketball stars Josh
Howard and Muggsy Bogues,
New Orleans Hornets coach
Byron Scott and Bret
Hedican and Andrew Ladd of
the Carolina Hurricanes.
“At first I had a lot of stuff
on my schedule, but I can
celed some stuff,” Anthony
said "Me and Chris really
gained a good relationship
overseas and I’m pretty sure
we’re going to be fiiends the
rest of our lives.”
The li^thearted event was
part of a busy summer for
Paul, who won the NBA
Rookie of the Year award
with the New Orleans
Hornets last season, then
played on the U.S. baskelhall
team.
Paul has managed to keep
dose ties to his hometown,
where he set up the CP3
Formdation to honor his
grandfather Nathanial
Jones, who was murdered
when Paxil was in high
school. The scholarship Paul
established at Wake Forest is
named for his grandfather.
“For a, kid to be so yoxmg
and have a great vision and
the poise to start something
like , this, it’s just unbeliev
able” Bogues said. ‘T’m just
happy to lend a helping
hand.”
While many athletes put
together charity golf tourna
ments, Paxil wanted a bowl
ing event. His family intro
duced him to the sport at a
young age. He received a ball
as a Christmas present in
high school, and he owns his
own shoes.
‘T teU people aU the time I
do basketball. as a hobby
Bowhng is what I really do,”
said Paxil, who sa}^ he bowls
almost every day when he’s in
Winston-Salem.
The rest of the NBA stars
were iffy bowlers, and got
some razzing fium Paul.
‘It’s great to be home,” Paxil
said.
By Herbert L. White
herb.wh/te@thechortofteposf.com
N.C. Tbch football coach
Tim Newman aspires to bxiild
a prep school powerhouse.
On Saturday his Tigers will
play one.
N.C. Tbch, a first-year pro
gram based in Concord, plays
national power Hargrave
Academy at 7 p.m. at Waddell
High. Tickets are $10. The
Tigers, made up of players
fixim Florida to Virginia, has
an opportunity to make a
statement against a program
that routinely produces
Division ,I-A athletes.
“Hargrave and Fork Union,
those are the programs we’re
patterning oxir program
after,” said Newman, a for
mer Olympic High and
Johnson C. Smith standout
from 1982-86.
N.C. 'Ifech is based at
Barber-Scotia College, where
Newman coached in 2003. He
laxmched the football pro
gram at Loxiisbxirg College in
2005 and did the same at
Tbch to give athletes an
opportunity to better prepare
for college academics. The
closest post-graduate football
schools near Charlotte are
Fork Union, Hargrave and
Valley Forge in Virginia.
Loxiisbxirg is the only junior
college offering the sport.
‘T looked aroxmd and saw
no postgraduate programs (in
the area),” Newman said. “All
these players wa:e going to
Kansas, Mississippi and
Cahfomia.”
The Tigers work out and
live at Baiber-Scotia. Some
are taking SAT prep classes
to improve their chances of
qualifying for Division I
scholarships, while others are
on a junior college track with
classes at two-year schools in
Mecklenbxirg, Gaston and
Cabarrus counties. The pro
gram’s goal is two-fold: offer a
chance to play for athletes
who’ve qualified for college
but want a better scholarship
offer and prepare those who
don’t have the grades or SAT
score. Charlotte-area athletes
at Tbch include Larry Brown,
a quarterback from
Independence; Olympic
receiver Wesley Chancellor
and Albert Johnson, an offen
sive lineman fixim Garinger.
“They’re coming to see
where their stock is rising,”
Newman said. “They’re com
ing in to get on film and get
back on the (scholarship)
table to prove they can still
play”
Foxxr-year schools have
noticed, Newman said.
Coaches from Shaw and
Livingstone in the Division 11
CTAA have scouted practices
and Newman said five Tigers
have been offered scholar
ships.
‘We want to get them into
Division I schools, but you
want to get the best offer on
the table, whether it’s
Division I or Division II,” he
said.
Saturday’s game against 3-
1 Hargrave coxild go a long
way toward secxiring more
offers for Tbch. A win would
help put the Tigers on the
football map.
“That’s the biggest game of
the year for xxs,” Newman
said. “We want to be a
Hargrave or a Fork Union.
We think we’ve got as good a
team as there is aroxmd. We
want to play them toxigh, so
it’s a great opportunity for
OUTSTANDING!
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Smith a mentor to
Panthers receivers
while on the mend
Continued from page 1C
er and not really saying T’m not playing so who cares,”’ said
Smith on his weekly “My Celebrity Circle” program.
‘T was jxist really making sxire that I picked up every little
thing that they may have missed becaxise they were in the
huddle or preoccupied with the game and looking at so many
things.”
Those extra eyes wUl be needed Sxmday when the Panthers
(0-2) take on iWnpa Bay Buccaneers (0-2). The Buccaneers
are ranked first in the NFC, and fourth overall, against the
pass (224 yards per game).
Tb hear Smith’s podcast in its entirety Alltel customers may
dial #STEVE89 to access the secret pass code and enter it at
xvww.aLltelcircle.com/89 ..
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