Glory days revisited for 1970 Mr. Basketball

Robert Books was chosen Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1970 after he led Madison High in Richmond to a runner-up finish in the Sweet Sixteen. When Brooks was recently contacted about a push to have all Mr. Basketball winners inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame (a project spearheaded by 1958 winner Harry Todd), he was told he needed to document his credentials. But Brooks had nothing to help him remember his high school glory days. A house fire 20 years ago destroyed or damaged beyond recognition all of his basketball mementos, including scrapbooks and trophies

To give Brooks (shown above with Madison Coach Ray Vencill in 1970) an assist, I looked up some of his accomplishments in the Herald-Leader’s microfilm library. If you need to reminded just how terrific a basketball player the 6-foot-5 guard was, here are some his career highlights for the Royal Purples:

• Scored more than 2,200 points, including 27.8 ppg as a senior and 23.6 as a junior.
• Averaged 11 rebounds his senior year despite playing point on Madison’s 1-3-1 defense.
• Scored 128 points in the 1970 Sweet Sixteen, which at that time was the second highest total in tournament history.
• Scored a school-record 47 points in the Sweet Sixteen quarterfinals against Breathitt County. At the time that was the second highest single game total in tournament history.
• Scored 32 points in the Sweet Sixteen finals, a 70-69 loss to Male. At the time that was the third highest championship game total.
• Shot better than 50% for his career, including 57% his senior year.

Brooks, who played college basketball at Eastern Kentucky, was known for his unorthodox shooting style. “That’s probably what led to my demise,” he said with a laugh. When he was young, he had to cock the ball near his ear to get enough oomph on it to get it to the basket. He never changed his style. “I kind of hoisted it up there,” he said. “I got away with it in high school, but when I got to college and played inside against guys who were a lot bigger, I had difficulty getting my shot off. I was more of a run-the-floor player.”

Brooks plans to attend the gathering of Mr. Basketball winners in Elizabethtown on June 9. Vencill is also expected to be there. Vencill, a standout player at E-town who also later coached E-town to the Sweet Sixteen, was inducted into the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 1994.

Foul balls and smashed windshields

If you’ve been to a high school or college baseball game the last few years, you’ve heard the corny sound effects (courtesy of a quick-finger computer operator) that accompany a foul ball, including the sound of glass breaking, which is supposed to be the windshield of a car in the parking lot. The sound effect is so overused it rarely gets a chuckle.

A unsuspecting driver on Man O War certainly wasn’t laughing earlier this week when his windshield got smashed by a foul ball that exited Paul Dunbar’s baseball field during the 43rd District Tournament. No big deal, right? If the driver has comprehensive car insurance, his insurance company will pay for a new windshield, and waive the deductible.

Having your windshield busted by a fast-flying baseball while you’re cruising along at 50 mph could result in a serious accident. That’s not a far-fetched scenario on the stretch of Man O War that runs alongside Dunbar’s baseball field. Who would be to blame? The kid who hit the foul ball? His coach? The school? The Fayette County School Board?

If you’re a spectator at the game and get hit by a foul ball or an errant throw, it’s assumed you knew the risk when you entered the ball park. (It might even be explained on your ticket stub.) But if you’re innocently motoring past the park in your car, you haven’t waived any rights to your safety. Lexington attorney Bryce Franklin said even if the school board is protected by sovereign immunity, a person could take their case to the state Board of Claims, which can compensate citizens who think they are due damages because of state negligence.

It would be impossible for Dunbar to put up enough netting to eliminate the possiblity of a foul ball soaring out to Man O War. And while chances are slim that a foul ball will ever cause a serious accident, never say never. Meanwhile, Dunbar might want to delete that breaking-glass sound effect from its computer.

Cole looks like good catch for college

Somerset wide receiver John Cole had one of the most productive seasons in state football history last fall when he caught 86 passes for 1,891 yards and 28 touchdowns. His yardage and TD receptions were state records, so his selection to the “Tremendous 26″ — a group of some of the top seniors-to-be in Kentucky — was no surprise.

“I knew I was capable of doing good things when the ball was in my hands, but I had great quarterback (Ross Deaton) and supporting cast,” said Cole, a 6-foot, 170-pounder with 4.4 speed. Cole’s 4.0 GPA is another reason Vanderbilt and Stanford are showing the most interest in him, along with North Carolina State and Troy. “Louisville and Kentucky are still in the mix, too,” he said.

Cole also plays basketball and baseball for Somerset, but football is his ticket to college. Deaton has graduated, so the Briar Jumpers will have a new QB getting the ball to Cole next season. Chase Hall, who played football as a freshman and sophomore but not last year, is expected to be that guy as Somerset moves from Class A to 3A in football’s new six-class alignment.

In making reference to the “Tremendous 26″ in recent posts, I thought I had listed all the players on this blog weeks ago. Apparently I had not. So here it is (only 25 players are listed because Tyheem Lawton of Fern Creek moved out of state):

• Ryan Benzik (OL), Fern Creek
• Aaron Boyd (WR), Henry Clay
• Shumari Bridgewater (LB), Campbellsville
• Logan Bunch (QB), Lafayette
• Jared Carpenter (DB), Bowling Green
• Clay Cecil (LB), Highlands
• John Cole (WR), Somerset
• C.J. Croft (QB), Fort Campbell
• Nathan Dials (DL), Johnson Central
• Cory Farris (RB), Boone County
• E.J. Fields (WR/DB), Frankfort
• Dontey Gay (RB), Henry Clay
• Dexter Heyman (DL), Male
• Tatum Lewis (S), Clark County
• Alex Matthews (QB), Shelby County
• D.L. Moore (WR), Bowling Green
• Brandon Newman (DL), Pleasure Ridge Park
• R.D. Reynolds (DB), North Bullitt
• Sam Robey (OL), Trinity
• Matt Smith (DL), St. Xavier
• Dave Ulinski (DL), Manual
• Ryan Wallace (TE), Bowling Green
• Alan Williams (RB), Marshall County
• Brad Wright (DL), Apollo
• Brandon Young (DE), Manual

PRP’s Newman a heavyweight football prospect

One of the most prized recruits in Kentucky high school football next season will be Brandon Newman of Pleasure Ridge Park. The 6-foot-1, 305-pound nose guard said he already has scholarship offers from UK, Louisville, Notre Dame, Stanford, Cincinnati, Indiana and Ole Miss. “It’s good to have choices, and I feel that with all the hard work I’ve done, I’ve put myself in position to kind of reap the benefits,” said Newman, who was in Lexington on Sunday to take part in a photo shoot for the “Tremendous 26,” a group of the state’s top senior-to-be football players.

Newman’s explosiveness off the ball makes him a prime defensive line prospect. UK might have a pretty good chance of landing him, considering Newman said his best friend is Corey Peters, a Louisville Central product who was a red-shirt freshman D-lineman at UK last season. “I talk to Corey all the time,” Newman said. “And I love what UK is doing with their program. I see nothing but good things for them. I’ve been to a lot of practices, and in on D-line meetings with the coaches.”

Football for UK hoops blue-blood

Sam Robey (shown at right) figures to be one of the more intriguing high school football propspects in Kentucky in the coming months because of his name and his game. He’s the son of former UK basketball All-American Rick Robey, who starred on the Cats’ 1978 NCAA title team. Sam also plays hoops for Trinity, but football is where he excels. A 6-foot-5, 240-pound offensive lineman, he has helped the Shamrocks to back-to-back Class 4A state titles.

Sam, accompanied by his parents, was at UK’s Nutter Field House yesterday to take part in a photo shoot for the “Tremendous 26,” a gathering of some of the state’s top seniors-to-be. Robey has a scholarship offer from Louisville, but he figures to have a lot of choices by the end of the summer. He has talked to UK a couple times and “definitely” thinks Rich Brooks has the Cats on the rise. “The recruiting classes they’ve had, and going to a bowl and beating Clemson last year, that was huge,” said Robey, whose speed and quickness are his best assets, and has some colleges looking at him as a tight end prospect.

Rick Robey said his son is “hearing from schools all the way from the University of Florida, to Notre Dame to Ohio State to Tennessee. He’s going to a bunch of one-day camps starting in a couple weeks. That’s where he’ll get to showcase his speed.” Robey said UK fans are always telling him to steer his son toward Lexington, but dad is going to let son make up his own mind.

Asked if he has beaten his dad in one-on-one basketball, Sam said he has, “but if he had good hips and knees, I’m sure I couldn’t. He can’t really move around much anymore.” Rick agreed. “All I can do is hold him because I can’t run around much anymore.”

As for his basketball Cats, Rick Robey is excited about new coach Billy Gillispie. “I think he’s wonderful. He’s got himself a couple good recruits coming in, but give him a couple years and he’ll get a lot more. I really liked Tubby (Smith) as a person, but Bill is a little more aggressive recruiter. I just think the change has helped. It’s brought back some enthusiasm. You can already feel it with the fans.”

Calling all Mr. Basketball winners

Where have you gone Mike Redd, Jeff Lamp, Dwayne Morton, Jermaine Brown, Tick Rogers and Elton Scott?

Harry Todd is looking for you.

Todd, who was co-Mr. Basketball in 1958, is trying to add some lustre to what he calls “the most cherished award in the state” by establishing a Mr. Basketball Fraternity. Its exclusive membership will be the 53 players who have been voted Kentucky’s top senior and worn the No. 1 jersey in the summer all-star games against Indiana.

Todd has contacted 31 of the 51 honorees still living. (Pat Doyle, who won the title in 1959, and Mike Silliman, who won it in ‘62, are deceased.) Most of them, including the first Mr. Basketball, King Kelly Coleman, and the latest, Steffphon Pettigrew, have agreed to gather in Elizabethtown in a few weeks to officially form the fraternity. But Todd is having a difficult time tracking down such luminaries as Jeff Mullins, Jason Osborne, Ervin Stepp and Phil Cox. If you know a missing Mr. Basketball’s whereabouts, email Todd at hrtodd@mchsi.com.

Among the goals Todd has set for the organization will be to re-energize the Kentucky-Indiana all-star game by helping the sponsoring Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation promote the series against Indiana. The summer all-star games have drawn little interest from fans in recent years, partly because the Hoosiers have regularly manhandled the boys from the Bluegrass State.

Todd also wants to lead a drive to have all Mr. Basketball honorees inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame. (I won’t fault Todd’s effort, but I’m not sure every Mr. Basketball has Hall of Fame credentials.)

Once the fraternity is established, Todd hopes it can hold an annual banquet a couple weeks after Mr. Basketball is announced to welcome the newest honoree. Todd is thinking of getting all the members blazers, complete with nifty badges. This won’t be a dues-paying organization, however. “We paid our dues by being chosen Mr. Basketball,” Todd said.

Honoring a request and a nice guy

Three years ago I got a phone call from Les Reynolds, whom I had met in 1988 while doing a story on his accomplishments as a senior amateur golfer. The phone call’s purpose threw me. Les, 92 at the time, wanted to know if he could send me some biographical information that might supplement his obituary. His health wasn’t good, and he didn’t think he had much longer to live. A few days later I received a large envelope in the mail that included five typed pages detailing his life, with handwritten notes in the margins. After skimming through it, I filed it away and didn’t give it another thought until a couple days ago when I saw Les’s obit in the paper. He was buried yesterday in his native Jackson County, alongside his wife, Edith, who died in 1999.

Les wanted people to know that he was more than just an accomplished golfer. He was a top-notch engineer, both in the U.S. Navy during World War II (he was an expert on lighting runways for military airfields), and in the private sector. His hobbies and interests included travel, bowling, the Civil War and physical fitness.

But golf, it seemed, brought him the most joy. He didn’t start playing the game until he retired and moved to Lexington in 1969. He shot his age for the first time in 1983 when he was 71. He accomplished the feat more than 130 times over the next 15 years. He finally had to give up playing a few years ago because of glaucoma, but he was still a fan. He attended the Masters 40 times, and said his annual trip to Augusta, Ga., “was better spring tonic than sassafras tea.”

The last paragraph of the obit he sent me three years ago read: “I was blessed with parents who taught me to ‘knuckle down,’ to work hard and study, to never use profanity, to share with my nine brothers and sisters, and never to quarrel among ourselves. This was a wonderful foundation for a long life.”

Here’s to you, Les.

Basketball recruiting insanity, 1970 style

Imagine a taller, more talented version of Patrick Patterson stringing Kentucky along in a recruiting process that would include 1,000 Cat fans showing up at the airport to greet him when he came to visit.

That could happen someday, right? A high school basketball star so brilliant athletically and academically that he’d cause such a ruckus.

Hey, hoops fans. We’ve been there, done that, almost 40 years ago.

To show you that all this recruiting insanity is nothing new — it is amplified by infinite more media, sure, but it is nothing new — let’s look back (with the help of Lexington Herald files) to the spring and summer of 1970 when UK was among the schools vying for the affections of Tom McMillen. A 6-foot-11 star from Mansfield, Pa., McMillen was the No. 1 high school player in the nation. He averaged 48 points and 22 rebounds, and was a standout in the classroom, too.

In the spring of 1970, he narrowed his college choices to Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and UK. He was scheduled to visit Lexington the evening of April 10, and more than 1,000 UK fans showed up at Blue Grass Field to greet him. When his private plane was delayed, a lot of fans left, but about 300 stuck around to cheer him when he arrived. Fayette County’s police chief presented him a proclamation declaring Saturday, April 11 as “Tom McMillen Day.”

UK assistant coaches Joe B. Hall and T.L. Plain had accompanied McMillen from his Pennsylvania home. When they arrived in Lexington, UK players Mark Soderberg and Tom Parker took him to Spindletop for dinner. After having the red, er, blue carpet rolled out all over town on Saturday, McMillen returned home on Sunday. UK’s coaches and fans felt good about the visit.

Over the next few weeks, the Herald reported occasional updates, saying McMillen was still undecided. In early May, when many college campuses, including UK and Maryland, were rocked by anti-war protests sparked by the shootings at Kent State, the Herald reported that McMillen might be considering another visit when things calmed down.

When McMillen kept delaying his decision, the Herald reported that it “may be encouraging to note that neither Dan Issel nor Tom Parker signed with the Wildcats until June.”

But June and July came and went, and McMillen hadn’t signed on anybody’s dotted line. There were stories that he commited, then un-commited to North Carolina. August arrived and McMillen was still waffling, although it seemed to be between Maryland and UNC.

Finally, around Labor Day, McMillen chose Maryland.

So if you think Patrick Patterson’s recruiting song-and-dance has gone on too long, consider yourself lucky. Compared to Tom McMillen, he’s making a quick decision.

Haddix headed for Miami (Ohio) hoops

After Scott County beat Ballard to win the Sweet Sixteen championship two months ago, Rodney Haddix was right in the middle of the post-game celebration in Rupp Arena. Even though Haddix had been ruled ineligible to play his senior season for the Cards (after leading them in scoring and rebounding as a junior), he was still part of the team. “We tried to include him in everything,” Coach Billy Hicks said. “But amid all that happiness after we won, there was some degree of sadness to look at Rodney and realize what he missed out on.”

But there’s a happy ending to the Rodney Haddix story. The 6-foot-3 wing player will sign a letter of intent with Miami of Ohio today. “Rodney’s a strong, athletic kid, and as he gets better as a shooter, he’s gonna make a real good college player,” Hicks said. Haddix was also a Division I prospect in football as a wide receiver.

After the KHSAA ruled Haddix ineligible last summer because he had repeated the eighth grade, he went to Findlay Prep in Las Vegas. He played well there, averaging 17 points, but broke his foot right after Christmas. He returned to his home in Georgetown and completed his senior year of high school. Even though Haddix couldn’t play for the Cards, Hicks said he made a valuable contribution during their drive to the state championship. “He was a great supporter, a real boost to our team,” Hicks said. “Ol’ Rodney was quick to give a good halftime speech. He was a buddy to all our guys, so when he got on their tails, that got their attention. He gave some great speeches down the stretch.”

Hicks was in Las Vegas over the weekend for a Nike-sponsored coaches’ clinic. Among the speakers was UK Coach Billy Gillispie, whom Hicks said was “the best speaker there.”

Basketball recruiting: recalling ‘May’ day

Todd May is glad he was a hot-shot basketball prospect 25 years ago and not today, especially when he views the hype and hyperbole surrounding Patrick Patterson, the West Virginia prep star who is supposed to announce his college choice next week. Over the last six months Patterson and his parents have squeezed this recruiting saga for all its worth in headlines, sound bites and message-board postings, while stringing along such national powers as UK, Duke and Florida.

May, a versatile 6-foot-8 standout at Virgie (shown in action at right), was Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1982. He had Auburn, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and UK recruiting him his senior year. “Back then you got a lot of phone calls from coaches, and I guess there was stuff written in the papers, but I didn’t pay much attention to it,” May said. “I do know that the longer you wait to make a decision, the worse it gets. It’s like feeding a monster. The media coverage wasn’t anything like it is now, though. ESPN was just getting going, and there wasn’t all this Internet stuff.”

May, who waited until April to sign with UK, said, “I guess there are pros and cons to the way it is now. Kids have the advantage of knowing what’s coming, more or less. But sometimes the media build somebody up as the next (Michael) Jordan, and then when they don’t pan out, the media destroys them. That’s sad in a way. Most kids don’t ask for that. They just want to play ball. Even what I went through, which was nothing like it is now, I didn’t like it. I was real shy back then.”

While looking through the Herald-Leader files, I came across a photo of May getting an award and a handshake from O.J. Simpson. It was taken in the spring of 1982 after May was named the top high school athlete in Kentucky. Hertz sponsored a “No. 1″ award and brought each of the state’s winners to New York, where they got a “grip and grin” from Simpson, the spokesman for the rental car company at the time. May has a copy of the photo boxed up somewhere. It may even be autographed. But Simpson’s star power has dimmed considerably, of course, so the photo will remain stashed away, along with May’s memories of being in the recruiting spotlight.