I have so many things that deserve my attention in the local sports world, but I thought I would write about some things that touch my heart tonight.
I will open with my friend Matt Chambless, who is the athletic director and head basketball coach at Covenant Academy. I have known Matt for many many years and I will honestly say that if I went to him and said Matt I got you a game with Central on Tuesday, Matt would load up his bus and go play Central. He believes that much in his kids and although he knows they would probably lose, he would want them to have the chance to play the best.
This however, really is not about Matt believing in his team . This is about something a lot bigger than basketball.
I will honestly say that when one of my kids, even at 23 and 19 are struggling with something, I have issues focusing on other things. But I can say there is no way that I could stay focused if I had to go through what Matt and his family have been through.
You see Matts young daughter has been battling cancer for a long long time. I know this is at least the second basketball season that she been battling. I have followed the battle on face book and her frequent hospital visits to, and I have often wondered how Matt was able to focus on a game when his baby girl was so sick.
I think you call that strength as having an undeniable faith in god.
And low and behold a few weeks ago, I read on face book that Matts little girl was cancer free.
Matt Chambless is my hero and I hope to one day have half the amount of faith that he has/
Seems like this is becoming my hero's edition of my blog.
A year ago I wrote a story on Haley Gordon and her basketball career and her daily battles with her illness. I don't see her in person very much but saw her Friday night at the Tattnall basketball game. She wasn't playing, she graduated, she wasn't watching, although she would because her sister is on the team and she loves Allie. No Haley Gordon was coaching, like on the bench next to Todd Whetsel.
She looked like she was enjoying being on the bench, but to tell you the truth I barely recognized her because she looked like she was 23. But it was truly great to see her and the rest of her amazing family. I mean I wrote a story on the girl (its true it is the only story I have ever kept) but they live the battle daily, and they treat me like family. They are just a one of a kind family.
Umm Haley, no jeans on the bench
Umm Coach Whetsel, listen to her, she's not old like you
I say we have a media 3-point shooting contest to raise money for cystic fibrosis. I still believe it was the Telegraphs greatest headline ever.
I sent a tweet out saying O'Showen Williams was the most under rated high school athlete in Macon and I totally believe that. He shows what kind of man he is every day and has become comfortable not being in the limelight because he plays with a superstar. Kids gonna get his though, I have no doubt in my mind
I think that's enough for today. I feel like I am rambling a little as usual.
Thanks for my 8 faithful readers
Steven Gordon
Robert Cordova
Cater Pierce
Jamie Dickey
Jaime (spelled it right) Kaplan
my friend Bertha
Vol Fan
Miles Pippin
Baxter Sowell
Michael Smallwood
and if I missed anyone let me know
Love you guys
Monday, January 25, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
top 10 high school players in macon
Ok I now feel I have seen enough of the kids in Macon to give an honest top 10. I want people to remember that this is not a list of who will be the best players in college, this is a list of who does more to help his team win games. The 10 listed are all excellent players and deserve to be noticed. If I Miss someone let me know and I will take a closer look
10. Champ Dawson FPD- This kid is a sophomore I think and he doesn't score a lot and he is a defend first type of player but he is very solid and could help any team he plays on. FPD is much improved this year and this kid will play a big part in how far they can go in the playoffs.
9.Aubrien Kemp Tattnall Square: Pure athlete who excels on the football field, I have seen this guy grow up over the years as a basketball player. The problem with him up to this year is that he could not score. Well guess what, someone taught him how to score. He has always been a great great defensive player but he has turned the corner to be a complete player.
8.Aaron Ridley -Southwest. I don't know how good he is , I have only seen him play one time and have no idea if he is averaging one point or 14 points but he had a great game Saturday against Central, and if he can do it against Central he can do it against anyone. The kid is a three shooter but can run the court and play defense.
7.O'Showen Williams- Stratford: This shows the strength of the list because this young man can straight play and if Stratford didn't have him, they would win much even with the other great players they have. He has picked up his offense this year and he is the straw that stirs Eagles basketball, and in my eyes, will have strong college career at whatever sport he chooses
6. Antarius McCoy: Maybe the best three shooter on the list, McCoy has more to offer that just the three game. He can get to the paint and he can be seen many times guarding one of the teams best players. He is a bit frail but he is a blood and guts shooter who will take the big shot even though he has missed three in a row. He plays the game with great confidence in his ability.
5.Nick Hargrove- Southwest: hard nosed point guard who scores by getting to the paint. He has solidified Southwest as a state tournament team this year and I am interested to see how far they can go. He does not have the greatest shot, but finds ways to score and finds the open man .His dad is an assistant coach at Southwest.
4. Derrick Evans- Central: I watched him play Saturday and for most of the game I was thinking that Derrick had lost some interest in football after signing a football scholarship. The Central got in trouble and Derrick took over the game. He will his team to a tough win. The kid had 21 points and 15 boards and he is not a big he's a point guard. Most of all, he's a competitor with a wont quit attitude. The fact of the matter is he doesn't have to dominate the ball like he has had to in the past because he is on a great team, but please let it be clear, with the game on the line, its his ball and his team
3. Kentrevious Jones: He is a legit 6 foot 9 and a legit 260 even though he looks like he has slimmed down a great bit. I have been waiting for this kid to be the player that can dominate and as a junior, he has become that player. He can take over a quarter or a game, he has great feet, a great touch, and has showed he is a very good passer. He is a D1 talent and could help Central to the final four this year.
2. Quintez Cephus- He's pretty good for sure and I (among others) still think he is a basketball player first , even though he has signed to play football. I have seen him play both many times and I see the love for the game of basketball he has. He is better this year than ever before, and he would be a factor at any school in Macon.
1. Khavon Moore-Westside: Easily the most talented kid in Macon . He is 6 foot 7 with point guard skills and he has showed that he is a total player this year even though he is only a sophomore. I remember a few years ago when everyone was after the Greene kid from Mary Persons, but just wait till you see the crowd this kid will have. He is the real deal and will lead Westside into the state playoffs.
1. Justin Slocum- Southwest: IN my mind this is a no brainer. He is a six foot six kid who can play inside or out and he put on a show in the first half against Central. They had no one who could guard him. He can pass the ball and does not mind doing the dirt work. Robert Worthy has worked the heck out of him for the last three years, and all that work is paying off.
Let me know what you all think
10. Champ Dawson FPD- This kid is a sophomore I think and he doesn't score a lot and he is a defend first type of player but he is very solid and could help any team he plays on. FPD is much improved this year and this kid will play a big part in how far they can go in the playoffs.
9.Aubrien Kemp Tattnall Square: Pure athlete who excels on the football field, I have seen this guy grow up over the years as a basketball player. The problem with him up to this year is that he could not score. Well guess what, someone taught him how to score. He has always been a great great defensive player but he has turned the corner to be a complete player.
8.Aaron Ridley -Southwest. I don't know how good he is , I have only seen him play one time and have no idea if he is averaging one point or 14 points but he had a great game Saturday against Central, and if he can do it against Central he can do it against anyone. The kid is a three shooter but can run the court and play defense.
7.O'Showen Williams- Stratford: This shows the strength of the list because this young man can straight play and if Stratford didn't have him, they would win much even with the other great players they have. He has picked up his offense this year and he is the straw that stirs Eagles basketball, and in my eyes, will have strong college career at whatever sport he chooses
6. Antarius McCoy: Maybe the best three shooter on the list, McCoy has more to offer that just the three game. He can get to the paint and he can be seen many times guarding one of the teams best players. He is a bit frail but he is a blood and guts shooter who will take the big shot even though he has missed three in a row. He plays the game with great confidence in his ability.
5.Nick Hargrove- Southwest: hard nosed point guard who scores by getting to the paint. He has solidified Southwest as a state tournament team this year and I am interested to see how far they can go. He does not have the greatest shot, but finds ways to score and finds the open man .His dad is an assistant coach at Southwest.
4. Derrick Evans- Central: I watched him play Saturday and for most of the game I was thinking that Derrick had lost some interest in football after signing a football scholarship. The Central got in trouble and Derrick took over the game. He will his team to a tough win. The kid had 21 points and 15 boards and he is not a big he's a point guard. Most of all, he's a competitor with a wont quit attitude. The fact of the matter is he doesn't have to dominate the ball like he has had to in the past because he is on a great team, but please let it be clear, with the game on the line, its his ball and his team
3. Kentrevious Jones: He is a legit 6 foot 9 and a legit 260 even though he looks like he has slimmed down a great bit. I have been waiting for this kid to be the player that can dominate and as a junior, he has become that player. He can take over a quarter or a game, he has great feet, a great touch, and has showed he is a very good passer. He is a D1 talent and could help Central to the final four this year.
2. Quintez Cephus- He's pretty good for sure and I (among others) still think he is a basketball player first , even though he has signed to play football. I have seen him play both many times and I see the love for the game of basketball he has. He is better this year than ever before, and he would be a factor at any school in Macon.
1. Khavon Moore-Westside: Easily the most talented kid in Macon . He is 6 foot 7 with point guard skills and he has showed that he is a total player this year even though he is only a sophomore. I remember a few years ago when everyone was after the Greene kid from Mary Persons, but just wait till you see the crowd this kid will have. He is the real deal and will lead Westside into the state playoffs.
1. Justin Slocum- Southwest: IN my mind this is a no brainer. He is a six foot six kid who can play inside or out and he put on a show in the first half against Central. They had no one who could guard him. He can pass the ball and does not mind doing the dirt work. Robert Worthy has worked the heck out of him for the last three years, and all that work is paying off.
Let me know what you all think
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
the talent in macon
I will use this more of a vent than a blog. I mean I guess its all the same but I have to talk about a subject that is near and dear to my heart.
You see, I hate seeing kids that have worked their butts off for their entire high school careers, are good enough to play college sports,but are sitting here with very very few offers.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE COLLEGE RECRUITERS GONE AND WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THEM TO REALIZE THAT MIDDLE GEORGIA IS ONCE AGAIN A HOTBED OF HIGH SCHOOL ATLHETES
I WILL start by mentioning several athletes who have very little on the table as far as offers.
Derrick Evans- the perfect example of a kid who has done everything right but really does not have much coming to him as far as offers. He is a two sport star, makes grades, and is a likeable as he can be. He is a standout football player and basketball player, who could play either one in college. Is he a D1 guy ? Well that's a question I can only answer in my opinion. I think he is a D1 athlete, maybe not Georgia or Alabama, but surely smaller D1 schools and maybe even as big as a Georgia Southern. I believe he has been offered by Western Carolina, but a kid who has put his hear and soul and become one of the better athletes in Macon in recent years deserves more.
Torrez Finney- The Jones County lineman is a stud, but he does not meet the size requirements to play the defensive line in college. Its true, he probably cant play D1 football, but anyone else should be all over this kid. I believe he has one football school that has talked to him, which is just a joke. Now the good thing about him is that he is a wrestling state champion and will probably have the chance to wrestle at a d1 school. I don't know though, the guy loves playing football and he needs to be getting more attention than he has.
Justin Slocum +A standout wide receiver and a standout basketball player. I am not sure what he has going on college wise but I have heard that he does not have many solid offers. That's a joke. Thus kid is a D1 athlete in both sports. I think he is a basketball first guy, and he will have to play away from the basket and probably play the 3, but he is athletic enough to do it.
O'Showen Williams- in my eyes has been lost a little bit because Stratford has another standout two sport athlete. Cephus deserves everything he is getting because he is supremely talented, but I will say right now, that even though he is a bit on the smallish side. Williams is a solid D2 athlete in two sports.But as of right now, he also is not a heavily recruited kid, even at the D2 level.
NOW the question is, what is going to change when it comes to athlete getting recruited in Macon. Obviously it starts with the coaches, but it takes more than that. I feel like if Macon has a few standout D1 guys that the recruiters might notice the others. I believe one of those guys could be Khavon Moore, a sophomore who plays at Westside. He is a 6'8 point guard who can play anywhere on the court, and if he has the grades, could become the most highly recruited player in Macon in many many years. That stuff gets recruiter to notice this area again.
Central also has a player that I am very intrigued by. Kentravious Jones is a legit 6'10, which excellent post moves and a nice touch, and by his numbers, he has turned the corner as a junior. I cannot wait to see what happens with him.\
I urge the fans of Macon to support these guys because the basketball is better in Macon than it has been in years.
You see, I hate seeing kids that have worked their butts off for their entire high school careers, are good enough to play college sports,but are sitting here with very very few offers.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE COLLEGE RECRUITERS GONE AND WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THEM TO REALIZE THAT MIDDLE GEORGIA IS ONCE AGAIN A HOTBED OF HIGH SCHOOL ATLHETES
I WILL start by mentioning several athletes who have very little on the table as far as offers.
Derrick Evans- the perfect example of a kid who has done everything right but really does not have much coming to him as far as offers. He is a two sport star, makes grades, and is a likeable as he can be. He is a standout football player and basketball player, who could play either one in college. Is he a D1 guy ? Well that's a question I can only answer in my opinion. I think he is a D1 athlete, maybe not Georgia or Alabama, but surely smaller D1 schools and maybe even as big as a Georgia Southern. I believe he has been offered by Western Carolina, but a kid who has put his hear and soul and become one of the better athletes in Macon in recent years deserves more.
Torrez Finney- The Jones County lineman is a stud, but he does not meet the size requirements to play the defensive line in college. Its true, he probably cant play D1 football, but anyone else should be all over this kid. I believe he has one football school that has talked to him, which is just a joke. Now the good thing about him is that he is a wrestling state champion and will probably have the chance to wrestle at a d1 school. I don't know though, the guy loves playing football and he needs to be getting more attention than he has.
Justin Slocum +A standout wide receiver and a standout basketball player. I am not sure what he has going on college wise but I have heard that he does not have many solid offers. That's a joke. Thus kid is a D1 athlete in both sports. I think he is a basketball first guy, and he will have to play away from the basket and probably play the 3, but he is athletic enough to do it.
O'Showen Williams- in my eyes has been lost a little bit because Stratford has another standout two sport athlete. Cephus deserves everything he is getting because he is supremely talented, but I will say right now, that even though he is a bit on the smallish side. Williams is a solid D2 athlete in two sports.But as of right now, he also is not a heavily recruited kid, even at the D2 level.
NOW the question is, what is going to change when it comes to athlete getting recruited in Macon. Obviously it starts with the coaches, but it takes more than that. I feel like if Macon has a few standout D1 guys that the recruiters might notice the others. I believe one of those guys could be Khavon Moore, a sophomore who plays at Westside. He is a 6'8 point guard who can play anywhere on the court, and if he has the grades, could become the most highly recruited player in Macon in many many years. That stuff gets recruiter to notice this area again.
Central also has a player that I am very intrigued by. Kentravious Jones is a legit 6'10, which excellent post moves and a nice touch, and by his numbers, he has turned the corner as a junior. I cannot wait to see what happens with him.\
I urge the fans of Macon to support these guys because the basketball is better in Macon than it has been in years.
Monday, January 4, 2016
New Year Perspectives
I have debated on what to start the new year off with and as we all know, I focus on sports. So obviously I will have some sports in this blog. However I will start it off with a more personal blog.
For those who know me some of these things will be common knowledge. I am fairly sure however, that most of the things I am going to talk about are things that most of you don't know about me. These are areas that I would like to improve on in 2016
Since I like lists, these are the top five things I would like to improve on in 2016
5: Procrastinating: It is true. I am the worlds worst at waiting til the last minute to getting something done. I think it all started when I was young because I remember my dad introducing me to the word procrastinate. It was not a good thing then and it surely is not a good thing now. It literally drives me insane. A perfect example is when the house I live in with my wife, two dogs, two cats, three (known) roaches and whatever else crawls in through open doors, gets a little dirty. The dishes may sit there for three or four or five days and nothing gets done with them, and it does make me a little mad. So finally after waiting that long, I figure my wife isn't going to do it, so its up to me. I HAVE TO UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER ON MY OWN. I PROCRASTINATE up to five days to get this done before I just do it. After that the dirty dishes are loaded that very day by my wife. I don't understand that logic at all, like its my job to empty the dishwasher. Some Saturdays the dishes sit there all day while my wife is just doing yard work for six hours. I just don't understand that. So what I am saying is, I procrastinate with doing the dishes because my wife wont do it. Just because she works 55 hours a week and does yard work on the weekend doesn't mean I should have to unload the dishwasher. I work 32 hours (give or take) at my main job and then I get paid to watch sports for my other job. My life is tough.
4: Blog Topics: I have some people that give me crap about my blog topics all the time. Bertha Anne at work is a faithful reader of my blog and she constantly whines about my continuing blogs that mention one school in Macon. She insists that I cant write a blog without mentioning that one school. That is simply not true. It is also not true that I am on that schools payroll or that I continuously mention them in my blogs because some of their coaches favorite and retweet my blogs on twitter. However, I will write on things that stimulate my mind and motivate me to put things on paper and if they are the ones who do that , then I will continue to write on things that happen with them. I mean I see a lot of Derrick Evans in my blogs too, but no one is saying anything about that. So for 2016, I pledge to continue blogging about anything I feel like writing about.
3:Grammar: I realize that a lot of the stuff I write makes me look like I never went to school a day in my life. Well I did go to school but its me the better parts of 30 years ago since I have taken any kind of English class. When I am writing a blog, I am trying to get it on paper and get it out as quickly as I can and sometimes I don't go back and read it, so I send out a sloppy version. On the advice of my brother, who says if I want to be taken seriously as a writer, I must clean up my stories, I am going to give my best efforts to clean up my stories on here before I send them out. I wont strive for perfection but I will work for improvement.
2. I want to be a better person: I guess everyone does,but I have got to the point where sometimes I don't even want to be around anyone. I am 53 years old now and not getting any younger, but I need to work on keeping the people I love happy. My wife, who does not read my blog, has a birthday coming up in two weeks, and it is a big birthday. I mean its not like its number 49(which is just another birthday) its one that is like, monumental. I will not say how old she is for fear of repercussion, but I will say that its not number 49 and this one coming up rhymes with nifty. That's all I am saying. Anyways I have not a thing planned and its two weeks away. I know I must come through but seriously, nothing is popping into my head. I don't have a spare nest egg to use, so I need a cheap, special, plan. I am willing for assistance. Right now I am thinking of emptying the dishwasher on the first day instead of the fifth. Is that good enough ??
1-Worry- I am the worlds most outrageous worrier. I worry daily about stupid things. Today I am worried about my son getting his bills paid. on time. If I have a story that is due in four days, I lose sleep over writing the story at least two days before it is due. I have my 4a.m worries (I have to use the bathroom at 4 a.m, but that's an entire new story) and I usually worry for a good hour until I fall back asleep. I get the worry gene from my mom, who was the worst. If I was supposed to be home at 11 pm when I was younger, I could count on her looking out the window by 10:30, wondering where I was. Thank god for cell phones and responsible kids. For 2016, I will attempt to calm down my worry, gene, but well you know I am worried about accomplishing that,
My mind is full of fresh ideas for the next two week but that will be all for now. Let me know if you like this.
For those who know me some of these things will be common knowledge. I am fairly sure however, that most of the things I am going to talk about are things that most of you don't know about me. These are areas that I would like to improve on in 2016
Since I like lists, these are the top five things I would like to improve on in 2016
5: Procrastinating: It is true. I am the worlds worst at waiting til the last minute to getting something done. I think it all started when I was young because I remember my dad introducing me to the word procrastinate. It was not a good thing then and it surely is not a good thing now. It literally drives me insane. A perfect example is when the house I live in with my wife, two dogs, two cats, three (known) roaches and whatever else crawls in through open doors, gets a little dirty. The dishes may sit there for three or four or five days and nothing gets done with them, and it does make me a little mad. So finally after waiting that long, I figure my wife isn't going to do it, so its up to me. I HAVE TO UNLOAD THE DISHWASHER ON MY OWN. I PROCRASTINATE up to five days to get this done before I just do it. After that the dirty dishes are loaded that very day by my wife. I don't understand that logic at all, like its my job to empty the dishwasher. Some Saturdays the dishes sit there all day while my wife is just doing yard work for six hours. I just don't understand that. So what I am saying is, I procrastinate with doing the dishes because my wife wont do it. Just because she works 55 hours a week and does yard work on the weekend doesn't mean I should have to unload the dishwasher. I work 32 hours (give or take) at my main job and then I get paid to watch sports for my other job. My life is tough.
4: Blog Topics: I have some people that give me crap about my blog topics all the time. Bertha Anne at work is a faithful reader of my blog and she constantly whines about my continuing blogs that mention one school in Macon. She insists that I cant write a blog without mentioning that one school. That is simply not true. It is also not true that I am on that schools payroll or that I continuously mention them in my blogs because some of their coaches favorite and retweet my blogs on twitter. However, I will write on things that stimulate my mind and motivate me to put things on paper and if they are the ones who do that , then I will continue to write on things that happen with them. I mean I see a lot of Derrick Evans in my blogs too, but no one is saying anything about that. So for 2016, I pledge to continue blogging about anything I feel like writing about.
3:Grammar: I realize that a lot of the stuff I write makes me look like I never went to school a day in my life. Well I did go to school but its me the better parts of 30 years ago since I have taken any kind of English class. When I am writing a blog, I am trying to get it on paper and get it out as quickly as I can and sometimes I don't go back and read it, so I send out a sloppy version. On the advice of my brother, who says if I want to be taken seriously as a writer, I must clean up my stories, I am going to give my best efforts to clean up my stories on here before I send them out. I wont strive for perfection but I will work for improvement.
2. I want to be a better person: I guess everyone does,but I have got to the point where sometimes I don't even want to be around anyone. I am 53 years old now and not getting any younger, but I need to work on keeping the people I love happy. My wife, who does not read my blog, has a birthday coming up in two weeks, and it is a big birthday. I mean its not like its number 49(which is just another birthday) its one that is like, monumental. I will not say how old she is for fear of repercussion, but I will say that its not number 49 and this one coming up rhymes with nifty. That's all I am saying. Anyways I have not a thing planned and its two weeks away. I know I must come through but seriously, nothing is popping into my head. I don't have a spare nest egg to use, so I need a cheap, special, plan. I am willing for assistance. Right now I am thinking of emptying the dishwasher on the first day instead of the fifth. Is that good enough ??
1-Worry- I am the worlds most outrageous worrier. I worry daily about stupid things. Today I am worried about my son getting his bills paid. on time. If I have a story that is due in four days, I lose sleep over writing the story at least two days before it is due. I have my 4a.m worries (I have to use the bathroom at 4 a.m, but that's an entire new story) and I usually worry for a good hour until I fall back asleep. I get the worry gene from my mom, who was the worst. If I was supposed to be home at 11 pm when I was younger, I could count on her looking out the window by 10:30, wondering where I was. Thank god for cell phones and responsible kids. For 2016, I will attempt to calm down my worry, gene, but well you know I am worried about accomplishing that,
My mind is full of fresh ideas for the next two week but that will be all for now. Let me know if you like this.
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