There are situations where you have to start from the beginning. On 1/3, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their home non-conference game against Findlay (OH) by a score of 52-35. A few years later, when he was a freshman, Keith tried out for the Clay County team. Taking a basketball off the noggin can be an enlightening experience. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Email me at mfields@khsaa.org. Wooten coached until 2002. $(document).ready(function () { Previously, Coach Bordas has been an assistant coach at Lafayette High School, and Henry Clay High School, as well as the head coach at LTMS, Southern Middle and Bourbon County High School. Bottom line: Jack Curran was one of the most successful high school coaches in the country in two sports basketball and baseball during his 50-plus year career at Archbishop Molloy High. Teacher Leadership) . His two years there (1997-98 and 1998-99) ended with an 8-46 record and an embezzlement charge, stemming from $25,000 being deposited into his bank account. Bottom line: Charles Smith was a college baseball star good enough that he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of Paul Quinn College before he returned home to begin his career as an educator and coach. Rutledge won over 20 Catholic school state championships, including 16 consecutive from 1970 to 1985 and had a 95-game winning streak from 1970 to 1975. It takes patience. In 1987, Keith took a Tigers team starring future University of Kentucky standout Richie Farmer then a junior to the programs second Sweet Sixteen championship game, two years after Clay County fell to Hopkinsville, by one point in the 1985 finals. Pictured: Dan Earl (right) playing at Penn State. Metuchen High School yearbook, courtesy of Metuchen High School, Cliffside Park High School yearbook, courtesy of Cliffside Park. So last June I retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader after covering approximately 4,000 high school sports events in my career. Since the late 1950's when the first N.J. HS boys basketball player was credited with scoring 2,000 career points, there have only been 104 players who have reached the coveted plateau . L 12-49 (4-7, 3-4) Clay HS Girls Basketball 2020-21. Schools: Midway Henrietta (Texas) High School. Caldwell. Glimpses of what it can be, this Richmond girls basketball team is missing something, Richmonds season ends in first round of sectionals, seniors leave program in good hands, Mastriano keeps it simple, leads Northeastern past Hagerstown in first round of sectionals, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. He pleaded no contest to the second-degree felony and was given 10 years probation, as well as having to pay restitution. Bobby Keith, the legendary boys basketball coach who won more than 700 games at Clay County High School and guided the Tigers to their only state title, died Wednesday in Manchester. Almond's greatest team was probably his 2003 squad, which finished ranked No. His 767 career victories are fifth on the states all-time list. Colleges Attended: University of Georgia (BS Education), Lagrange College (2 years as a player), Valdosta State University (M.Ed. They have three children; Miller (9), Leighton (12), and Mattox (16). He followed Pitino to Kentucky as an assistant coach. Some comes from Bolser, who had to learn right alongside his players all year. Me, all I do is occasionally win a basketball game. He played basketball at Henry Clay HS (graduated in 1999). I felt both operations would be successful. Is it time to end Kentucky-Indiana All-Star series? Were sort of saying that if we have our heads together, nobodyll beat us, Keith said. Bottom line: Robert Capello was born into a small farming community in Texas and, despite being just 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds, became a star quarterback and defensive back at Edcouch-Elsa High, then at Texas A&M-Kingsville. These coaches have included William Blitzer (1-19), Burl Haney (31-34), Amos Seely (46-30), William Ball (16-7), Howard Wiget (35-12), Robert Estep (29-18), Don Monk . Schools: Montclair-Kimberley and St. Patrick, School: St. Joseph of Toms River (now Donovan Catholic), Schools: St. Benedict's and Roselle Catholic, Schools: Dwight Englewood and Montclair-Immaculate, School: Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf. He teaches three math classes a day, oversees a study hall and home room. Bottom line: Walter "Buck" Van Huss was a legendary high school basketball coach who spent his entire career in Tennessee first at Hampton High, then at Dobyns-Bennett High. All rights reserved. That was followed a few months later by winning the Class A state championship in baseball. On 1/31, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Swanton (OH) by a score of 57-42. Coach Bordas will serve as the Head Freshman Coach and Assistant Coach on the Varsity. Lee Nailon will be the 18th Head Boys Basketball Coach for the 2022-2023 school year. Coach Tyler Smith was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Itd be hard to find anybody who works harder than Bobby Keith. Kentucky basketball returns to the top 25. Rutgers Preparatory yearbook, courtesy of Rutgers Preparatory School, East Rutherford yearbook, courtesy of Becton High School. Pingatore, who died in 2019 at 82 years old, won two state championships in 1999 and 2015. The Tigers were reigning state champions and on the way to their third Sweet Sixteen finals in four years. Not only was her night over, but her teams season was about to be over, too. Actually, I had it happen a couple times. I said, If you dont like it, get off the floor., Years later, he told me that he told that story to the guys who were whining (when he was an assistant coach) at (the University of) Kentucky.. McKnight has won 11 state championships, and his last state title also came with his lone national championship in 2014. Gaudet liked to joke that he only had two jobs his entire life, at Pine Prairie and when he took a three-year break to go fight in World War II. Pictured: Dennis Tobin of Hopatcong watching his son and fellow 2,000-point scorer Matt during a game in 2011. Then his coach at Ludlow High School, Dan Sullivan, retired from the position to take an assistant coaching role at Gallatin County, where his son, Vance Sullivan, is the head coach. North Clay Community High School 500 Kinmundy Rd Louisville, IL 62858 618-665-3102 FOLLOW US Facebook. Email: During the season its not uncommon for a fella to put in a 100-hour work week, Keith said in the middle of a 100-hour work week. Keith coached 27 seasons at Clay County, including 24 straight beginning with the 1970-71 season. The last 42 years of it were at Mercer Island High, where he won four state championships. . The 6-foot-6, 295-pound junior came off the bench and helped Ramsey repeat . Basketball Bowling Volleyball. Curran won CHSAA Coach of the Year 47 times in his career over the two sports and kept a steady stream of players from Archbishop Molloy to the NBA over that time, including point guards Kenny Smith and Kenny Anderson. During a second-half comeback effort, sophomore Maddie Sonsini hit a big shot to bring the Red Devils within a single possession, and Bolser fist-pumped so hard that his right leg came off the ground, spinning him around 180 degrees. High School, Mercer Island (Wa.) South River yearbook, courtesy of South River High School, Kevin Minnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Pleasantville High School yearbook, courtesy of Pleasantville High School, Perth Amboy High School yearbook, courtesy of Perth Amboy High School, Bogota High School yearbook, courtesy of Bogota High School. Thats what keeps him young and, at the same time, makes him old. All rights reserved. High School, San Marcos (Tex.) Facebook. Pictured: Burgos (with ball) playing at William Paterson. Not that he wants it. After Clay County beat Ballard in overtime to win the state title in 1987, he quipped: I was hoping so bad I could win one before I gave it up because these things are harder to come by than chicken teeth!. His players never did that. Besides, Adolph Rupp won a few games wearing brown., Ever since last years district tournament, the Tigers have also followed a pregame ritual just for luck. He was inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984, National Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. Schools: Memphis (Tenn.) University School. Bottom line: Ronald Bradley's career wins total gets over the 1,300 mark when you count his time as a girls basketball coach as well. Spider Thurman, who was Keiths high school coach. Henry Clay outlasted Carlisle County 35-33 in three overtimes in the finals of the 1983 Boys' State Basketball Tournament, with Greg Bates' buzzer-beating rebound basket finally deciding the epic battle that left the 19,500 fans in Rupp Arena emotionally exhausted. We still have a lot to figure out; were young, but by our senior year, I feel like well all reach our potential., What exactly that potential is Turpin couldnt say, but she believes they can go pretty high., Sectionals:Mastriano keeps it simple, leads Northeastern past Hagerstown in first round of sectionals. His coaching career record of wins and losses was 654-237. Coach Bordas is a born and raised Lexingtonian. Nowhere in sports is consistency more valued than on the high school level, where a coach can lead fathers and then their sons at the same school. Garrett Beegan signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Eastern University, a NCAA Division III school located just outside Philadephia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Baseball Bass Fishing Softball Track Volleyball. Coaching in an era before limits on games, Gaudet's team went 63-8 in 1938-39 and 62-6 in 1952-53. Currently Bordas is employed as the Dean of Students at Bryan Station High School. All the red faces that came out of the locker room from the tears shed inside were the result of all the work these girls put in together to get to where they are today and where they want to be in two years. Bottom line: Joel Hawkins won his first state championship at Lake Providence High in 1985, which was 19 years into his coaching career. State championships: 22 (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002). Guice graduated from Howard Payne University and went directly to work for Midway High, where he won 1,392 wins in boys and girls basketball combined, with 1,018 of those wins coming on the boys side, where he finished as state runner-up twice. After Keith was released from the hospital last summer, doctors told him hed be better than ever. College of Charleston approved a new five-year, $5.5 million contract for men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey. Ive been around here for a while.. These are my sisters now. Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.S. High School, State championships: 12 (1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005). Warren, a football and basketball star at East Tennessee State, won 15 coach of the year awards during his time at Sullivan but never was able to win a state championship as a coach. I know he just wants the best for us on and off the court. Bottom line: The stat that jumps off the page about Bill Krueger's 39-year coaching career is that in that whole time he never had a losing season despite spending his career at four different schools and all in Texas. Schools: Eisenhower (Washington) High School, Anchorage East (Alaska) High School, Anchorage West (Alaska) High School, State championships: 18 (1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983-85, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010). "It was my first and my only job, except for my time with Uncle Sam," he said. On 1/24, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, FL) by a score of 57-48. On 1/24, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their home non-conference game against Whitmer (Toledo, OH) by a score of 82-66. It was just as entertaining and spine-tingling the second time around. High School. Flanked by assistants Larry Sizemore and William Red Campbell, Keith puts as much energy into a game as his players. R1AAA Semifinal. The doctor told me I had between five minutes and three months to live unless I had surgery.. Schools: Sullivan (Tennessee) High School, Sullivan Central (Tenn.) HIgh School. Indiana High School Lacrosse Association (IHSLA) John Harrell's Basketball & Football. Keith was an absolute basketball genius. Caldwell 66, West Side 38. I wrote this profile of Keith for the Lexington Herald-Leader in 1988 at the height of Clay Countys success. 2023 www.southbendtribune.com. The celebration has really never stopped in Clay County, probably because the Tigers are ready to make a run at a second straight crown. They didnt want to take any chances, the coach said as he played with the furry newcomer named Sweet Pea. On 1/27, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Findlay (OH) by a score of 70-18. What matters most is Bolsers players understand where all his passion comes from, and they do. For 51 weeks, Lorenzo Sozio hasnt forgotten the pain of falling one win short of a sectional title. Read more: Clay HS Girls' Basketball 2020-21. As a coach, Bolser wears his heart on his sleeve. Coach cant even eat on game day. It was lunch time one day last week and Keith was sitting at a corner table in Bob & Skylers, his favorite eating establishment in Manchester. In its second trip to the game, Clay County defeated Ballard, 76-73, in overtime before a crowd of 19,000 in Rupp Arena. Schools: Mound City (Missouri) High School, Raytown South (Mo.) Bottom line: Kenny Almond won three state championships at Woodlawn High and also finished as state runner-up four times in his career three at Woodlawn and once at Lee High in 1982. After rising to elite status as a player at Rogers, Brooks matriculated to Indiana University. I do things differently.. Richmond sophomore Amari Jackson picked up her fifth foul with just a couple minutes left in the Red Devils sectional game against New Palestine Wednesday. To tell you the truth, I thought we might have had better teams in 1973, 74 and 86, but we didnt win it then, either.. Previous Coaching Experience: Lanier High School, Grayson High School, and Dawson . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Keith, a Manchester native, wanted nothing more than to bring back hardware to his region. The official Facebook account of the Clay County Bulldogs Basketball teams. Were all trying to push ourselves to become better people and better players because we know he cares., Bolser said this year has been a learning curve for both him and his players, but theyve gotten to a point where there is mutual respect and trust in each other, and they believe Wednesday was the hardest weve ever played.. He knows what could happen.. Hero shot for Nova a personal thrill for LexCath alum, Dodgers A.J. Coach is badder than ever.. He was 75. The Tigers finally reached the top last year, beating Ballard 76-73 in overtime for the state championship. The Tigers points were the most by a losing team in the state finals, and that team also set a tournament record with 345 total points scored. He never took a day off practice. It is a complete index of all his amazing accomplishments over the decades. One is named Midnight and has been around 15 years. But I wasnt nervous at all, Keith said. As the clock ticked under a minute, Bolser took his starters all sophomores out of the game, and he embraced each of them the same as he did with Jackson. 13th Regiontitles. Note: Only boys basketball coaches were included in these rankings. Clay Countys championship snapped a 31-year drought between titles for mountain schools, Carr Creeks run to the 1956 trophy being the most recent before it. Keiths daughter Stephanie, who manages the clothing store, has been known to blister a referees ear. When the scores tied with five minutes to go, shes so nervous she hits the lobby and waits to hear the good news from our fans.. White, who only had one losing season in 45 years as a coach, died in 2019 at 78 years old. NEW! Clay HS Boys' Basketball 2020-21. On 1/13, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Central Catholic (Toledo, OH) by a score of 68-24. The only way to go from here is up, both with the Red Devils abilities on the court and their bond with their coach. 2023 www.pal-item.com. [1] Please help us by reporting the final score. On 2/7, the Clay varsity basketball team won their home playoff game against Baker County (Glen St. Mary, FL) by a score of 59-48. State championships: 8 (1947, 1949, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964). He brings great enthusiasm to the program and is excited about the direction the program is headed. His old college coach once said Bobby had two vocabularies one for the college classroom and one for Clay County, said J.W. To this day he remembers the scores: In 1957 we lost to Hazard 50-47 and in 1958 he lost to Monticello 51-45. You have to learn who they are and what makes them go, Bolser said of his players. I bounced a ball off his head (to get his attention). 2021-2022 Boys' Basketball schedule for the Clay County Bulldogs from Celina, TN He's thankful for Coach Gay letting him be a part of the "staff!". Gilbert was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2014. He attended Bryan Station High School where he was a 2-year starter and was captain his senior year for the Defenders. On 1/27, the Clay varsity basketball team lost their home non-conference game against Interlachen (FL) by a score of 48-40. But you know whats crazy? His desire, the will to be successful, just wanting it set him apart from the rest.. $('span#sw-emailmask-14429').replaceWith(''); YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Caldwell's Ryan Lawrence (center) is mobbed by his fellow students after Caldwell defeated West Side for the North 2, Group 2 title. In the 80s and 90s, you could go about anywhere in the state and if you had anything Clay County on, thats the first thing people would say: Bobby Keith, Gregory said. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13. Bottom line: Gary McKnight has been the head coach at powerhouse Mater Dei since 1983 and is the all-time wins leader for California high school basketball coaches. As a boys coach, he spent his entire career in Georgia. Eugene Rawlings is another player who will testify to his coachs intensity. Pictured: Burns at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. In 2012, he married Clay High grad April Presley. On 12/3, the Clay varsity basketball team won their home non-conference game against Madison Comprehensive (Mansfield, OH) by a score of 73-71. In an exciting title game, Hopkinsville won 65-64 when Clay County, with 11 seconds left to pull out the victory, lost the ball as it was hurrying down the court. 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