St. Louis American sports editor Earl Austin Jr. has written a book on the history of basketball in the Public High League. The book is entitled “The PHL in the STL,” The Public High League: A St. Louis Basketball Legacy. The 188-page book chronicles the PHL with stories of its great players, teams, coaches, memorable moments and girls standouts. In the month of December, the American will run a weekly excerpt of Earl’s book. This week’s excerpt is from the section on great teams, featuring the 1988 Vashon Wolverines. The PHL in the STL can be purchased online at www.earlaustinjr.com.
Vashon 1988
If you look up the word “powerhouse” in the dictionary, there’s a good chance you will see a picture of ’88 Wolverines next to the word.
Of the 10 Vashon teams that won state championships under Floyd Irons, this may have been the most talented and most formidable. Others may argue, but the ’88 Wolverines had the size, speed, talent, shooting and Irons’ direction to put it all together. They finished with a 30-1 record in winning the Class 4A state title.
The Wolverines had more size than most major college teams, but they were a skilled, versatile unit where the big players made almost as many 3-pointers as the guards. The starting five featured 6’3” All-State guard Sean Tunstall, who could do everything. He averaged 15 points a game, which led a very balanced unit. At the point was 5’10” senior Glover Cody, who would eventually play Division I basketball at Texas-Arlington.
Up front, the Wolverines started 6’7” forwards Malcolm Nash and Corey Warner along with 6’5” strongman Kenneth Simpson. Nash and Warner were versatile forwards who were just as comfortable launching 3-pointers as they were playing in the low post. There wasn’t much finesse about Simpson, a 230-pound slab of muscle who loved to mix it up inside.
What made the Wolverines so formidable were the players who came off the bench. Most of Vashon’s reserves were Division I players who were capable of starting for every other high school team in the area. To back up the front line, Irons could call on 7’0” Melvin Robinson and 6’10” Montrell Nash. In the backcourt, there was 5’9” point guard Anthony Jones and shooting guards Mark Gant and Eric Dancy. The second unit was so talented that they were basically the starting five for the ’89 team that advanced to the Class 4A state-championship game.
Vashon took on all comers during the 1988 season as they ascended to a top five national ranking in the USA Today High School poll. After dominating the rest of the area competition, they beat some of the nation’s best teams as well. The Wolverines defeated Lower Richland (S.C.) in the 7-Up Shootout. Lower Richland featured future NBA players Stanley Roberts and Jo Jo English. The Wolverines also defeated Chicago Simeon, the No. 1 team in the state of Illinois and its All-American center Deon Thomas.
The official coronation for Vashon finally took place in Columbia when it defeated Jefferson City and Lee’s Summit to win the state championship. The semifinal game against Jefferson City was a barnburner, but the Wolverines pulled out a 56-53 thriller when Anthony Jones hit a pull-up 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
In the championship game, Vashon took on undefeated Lee’s Summit and came away with a 63-49 victory. Vashon actually trailed in the second half, but an 11-0 run put the game away for the Wolverines. Tunstall led the way with 18 points as the Wolverines displayed their trademark balanced scoring. Cody scored 13 points, Warner had 12 points while Nash added 11.
The PHL in the STL will be available in late December. You can order your copy online at www.earlaustinjr.com or email Earl at eaustin@stlamerican.com.