Before I run through a list of local items, I would like to pay special homage to a great basketball player who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. He is the great Jamaal Wilkes, who may be the most unsung player ever to play the game. He is one of my top five favorite NBA players of all time.
“Silk” was never the star player of the team, but that didn’t mean he was a star player. He was. While in college, he was a great player at UCLA on two NCAA championships teams. He rode shotgun with the great Bill Walton on those dominant Bruins teams.
As an NBA rookie, Wilkes was a big-time performer for the Golden State Warriors, who won the world championship in 1975. Hall of Famer Rick Barry was the showcase player, but it was Silk’s work against Washington Bullets star Elvin Hayes that made the big difference in the Warriors 4-0 sweep of the Bullets in the finals. He was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in ’75.
Wilkes moved on to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he helped the Lakers show win three more NBA titles in 1980, ’82 and ’85. His most memorable performance came in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals when the Lakers won at Philadelphia. Most people remember the legendary 42-point, 15-rebound masterpiece by rookie Magic Johnson in the clinching game. However, few remember that Wilkes scored 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the same game.
That was the essence of Jamal Wilkes; a quiet superstar. Congratulations, Silk.
R.I.P. Roma Poole
I would like to express my condolences to the family of Roma Poole, who passed away last week. Poole was one of the original founders of the Blues Track Club along with Robert Penny and Rick Heber. The Blues have been a major force in summer track since the late 1960’s. Many other area’s top track and field performers have worn the Blues’ uniform over the years. Poole was a standout track performer at Vashon High School. He was inducted into the Vashon Hall of Fame in 1997.
Women’s basketball tryouts
The Illinois Shooting Stars of the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League will be holding tryouts for the 2013 season. The tryouts will be held on Saturdays, Sept. 22 and Sept. 29 at Clark Middle School (5516 State Street) in East St. Louis. Tryouts will begin at 1:30 p.m. on both days.
There will also be an open gym for women’s players only on Tuesday, beginning this evening at the Tandy Rec Center (4206 Kennerly) in St. Louis. The Shooting Stars have also announced that a new coaching staff is in place. Luther Coyle has been selected as the head coach while Peter Coleman will be the new assistant coaches. Both men have been a big part of girls’ select basketball for many years.
Tatum to tryout camp
Chaminade College Prep freshman basketball player Jayson Tatum has been selected to participate in the USA Basketball 16-and-under basketball tryout camp in Colorado Springs from Oct. 5-8. The 6’5″ Tatum has been rated among the top freshman basketball players in the country after an excellent summer with the W.I.T.T.S. Elite Academy.
Ramey Showcase
Local basketball coach and talent evaluator Terrell Ramey will be presenting his annual Battle 4 the Rankings Player Showcase on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Vashon High (3035 Cass). The event is open to the first 40 players in each high school class from 9th to 12th grades. The coast of the Showcase is $45 per player. For more information, you can go to Terrell’s website at www.rameybasketball.com.
Mr. and Mrs. Pee Wee
Congratulations to former area basketball star Darryl “Pee Wee” Lenard, on his wedding to Angela Bridgeforth last weekend in a wonderful ceremony in Webster Groves. I attended the wedding and it was a wonderful affair. Congrats again to the happy couple.
Former Cardinal Ritter College Prep baseball standout Darien Sandford has just completed a record-breaking season in the Frontier League.
Sandford set a new single-season record with 71 stolen bases. Sandford played this season with the Southern Illinois Miners and Washington WildThings. Sandford has been a base-stealing phenom at every level that he played baseball.
(You can catch Earl Austin Jr. talking high school football every Friday night on the Prep Zone with Maurice Drummond on Fox 2 at 10:20 p.m. You can also follow Earl on his website, www.earlaustinjr.com and on Facebook and Twitter).
