JMCCLURE2's BLOG

Tim Thompson Tackles Women’s Football

jmcclure2 — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:18:37 +0000

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

With his passion for football, Tim Thompson, who won two state high school championships as the head coach at Melrose High School in Memphis, started a company – V.I.P Sports Training. His goal was to help local high school football players improve their skills and get college scholarships.

Tim Thompson delivers words of instruction as coach to his newest team – the Memphis Belles.

Paula Anderson-Estep’s passion for football led her to start a women’s tackle football team, the Memphis Belles. The team is in its third year and in good hands with new coach Tim Thompson, said Anderson-Estep. (Photos courtesy of Memphis Belles)

Paula Anderson-Estep’s passion for football led her to start a women’s tackle football team, the Memphis Belles. Anderson-Estep’s team is in its third year and she says, “It is one of more than 80 women’s tackle football teams in the United States.”

The Belles compete in the International Women’s Football League and play an eight-game schedule April through June, with championship playoffs in July and August.

The worlds of Thompson and Anderson-Estep aligned when two of the women who play for the Memphis Belles asked Thompson if he would help them with their training for the upcoming season.

“I was not familiar with women playing tackle football,” said Thompson. “To me, football is football and I agreed to train several women on the team.”

So Thompson added the Memphis Belles players to a group of elite, male high school players that he was helping. As word spread among the Belles, more women asked Thompson to help them get ready for the season.

Anderson-Estep heard about Thompson’s work and went to watch some of the training sessions. “Tim Thompson has gift as a coach and teacher,” she said.

Anderson-Estep asked Thompson to take on an official role helping to train the Memphis Belles.

“I liked the fact that Tim treated the Belles as football players in the same way he worked with his male players,” she said.

Thompson later took on some offensive coaching responsibilities in addition to the physical training he was providing to the Belles. When it became clear that the coach of last year’s team was unable to coach this year’s Belles, Anderson-Estep asked Thompson if he would take over.

With some hesitation, Thompson decided to accept the challenge.

“As a (whole) the Belles are good athletes,” said Thompson. “Many have played sports in high school, college or the military, but few have had experience playing organized football before joining the team.”

Thompson is impressed by how hard the players are willing to work to improve their skills.

There are, however, some challenges coaching the Belles that are different from his experiences as a high school coach. For instance, many of the Belles have jobs, families and other obligations that can conflict with the team’s practice schedule.

“The Memphis Belles, like all my teams, will play exciting football and be fun to watch,” said Thompson, who also talked about the reward of watching players improve and gain confidence.

In the team’s first game of the season, the Belles beat the Tennessee Valley Tigers 28-0. On Saturday (April 17) at Halle Stadium, Memphis plays its first home game of the year. The kickoff against the Chattanooga Locomotive is set for 7:05 p.m.

Anderson-Estep said she was proud of the total team effort in the opening game. winning the Belles’ first game of the season. She noted that when Thompson recognized that the Belles were the better team and destined to win the game, he chose not to run up the score.

”I am really fortunate to have Tim coaching my team,” she said.

Tough schedule requires tough Tigers, says U of M new football coach

jmcclure2 — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:19:23 +0000

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

When Larry Porter, the new University of Memphis head football coach, met with members of the media on Tuesday, he outlined his goals for Spring practice, which began the next day.

Larry
Porter

Porter, the first African American to lead the Tigers as head coach, stressed that he wanted his team to be “tough.”

At the same meeting, when the new season’s football schedule was made public, it became clear that Porter’s team had better be tough because the schedule is very tough.

Memphis opens its season Sept. 4, traveling to Mississippi State, an up-and-coming team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The Tigers next travel to Greenville, N.C., to face perennial Conference USA powerhouse East Carolina. The Pirates are led by first-year coach Ruffin McNeill, who also is African American.

On Oct. 9, the Tigers travel to Kentucky to face their historic rival, the University of Louisville. The Cardinals are led by Charlie Strong, yet another first-year coach who is African American.

The home schedule does not ease up for Porter’s crew with games against Tulsa, Southern Mississippi and the University of Houston. Kevin Sumlin, an African American , is in his third year as the Houston head football coach .

On Nov. 6, Porter and his Tigers host the Tennessee Volunteers at the Liberty Bowl Stadium.

The Tigers will also face off against Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Marshall, UAB and the University of Central Florida in the course of the season.

Ready for the Challenge

Meeting with the media, Porter and his assistant coaches expressed confidence in their ability to steer the Tiger football program. Porter, who was a star running back for the Memphis Tigers during his college career from 1990-93, has had success as an assistant coach at Tennessee-Martin, Arkansas State, Oklahoma State, and at Louisiana State University.

The Tigers’ new headman has hired assistant coaches with a wide variety of backgrounds. Heads turned when Porter announced that former University of Alabama head coach Mike Dubose would be his defensive line coach. Dubose came to Memphis from Millsaps College in Jackson Miss., where he was both head coach and defensive coordinator.

Dubose said he is excited to be in Memphis. “I have a lot to give to the Memphis program,” he said.

In contrast to Dubose, Porter added former Michigan State and NFL star Sedrick Irvin to his staff as the running backs coach. Irvin served as an intern with the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. This is Irvin’s first full time coaching position.

Unlike Irvin, offensive line coach John McDonell is a veteran of coaching staffs, including Washington State, Stanford, Purdue and most recently, Bowling Green.

Somewhere between the experience of Irvin and McDonnell, linebackers coach Galen Scott has had several years of coaching experience at Illinois State and Tulsa.

“I am really excited to be here, in part, because I have family in Byhalia, Miss.,” said Scott, who met Porter when they were both recruiting the same area.

Porter added Eric Price to his staff as offensive coordinator. Price, the son of former Washington St. and current UTEP head coach Mike Price, has both the pedigree and experience to stand out among conference coordinators.

Porter reached out to the University of Michigan to get Jay Hopson as his defensive coordinator. Hopson, an Ole Miss alumnus, has a lengthy coaching resume.

Porter said the Tigers will use a pro style offense, with his quarterback under the center most of the time. The defense, Porter said, will operate with a four-man front.

Asked about the details of the offense, offensive line coach McDonell said players – not the scheme – win games.

“It’s not the X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmy and Joes.”

LeMoyne-Owen Brings Down Stillman

jmcclure2 — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:55:21 +0000

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

The Stillman College men’s basketball team was leading the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) with five wins and no losses when players and coaches arrived at historic Bruce Hall in Memphis to play The LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) Magicians on Tuesday evening.

The team from Tuscaloosa, Ala., was ranked in the top 25 among Division 2 NCAA schools. By the time the game was over, Stillman had suffered its first conference loss (93-80) and the Magicians had demonstrated its potential as a force to be reckoned with in the SIAC.

Five LeMoyne-Owen players scored in double figures. Ladarius Johnson led the Magicians with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Maurice Mickens added 18 points; DeAndre Gant had 15; Taurean Moy scored 13; and Jeremy Anderson added 10 to the LOC cause.

In the first half, the score seesawed back and forth until the Stillman Tigers took a one point halftime lead, 46-45. Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the first half. In the second half, LeMoyne-Owen’s defense got stingier and held the visitors to 40.7 percent, while the Magicians improved their shooting percentage to 54.5 percent.

Foul trouble plagued Stillman’s leading scorer and rebounder, Gerard Devaughn. The six-foot eight-inch, senior center and team captain from Fairburn, Ga., played only 19 minutes of the 40-minute game. Devaughn, who entered the game averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds, had but 8 points and 5 rebounds against the Magicians.

Stillman was led in scoring by Omari Murray and Marquell Jones, who each had 16 points. Stillman’s floor leader, Skyler Williams, scored 15 points, but with 14:06 left to play in the game injured his arm during a failed, uncontested dunk. He did not return until 3:08 was left to play and the Magicians had taken a significant lead.

During Williams’ absence, LOC’s Mickens helped seal the victory down the stretch with his quickness and ball handling.

LeMoyne-Owen Coach William Anderson praised his team for “stepping it up in the second half. We played better defense and made our free throws down the stretch.”

Lady Magicians Tough in Second Half

The Lady Magicians of The LeMoyne-Owen College had a one point lead, 36-35, at the end of the first half of their game against Stillman’s Lady Tigers at Bruce Hall Tuesday night.

Then came the second half. The Lady Magicians outscored the visitors by ten points, grabbing a 76-65 victory with a display of some long-range shooting and solid defense.

“When we play good defense it makes all the difference,” said LeMoyne-Owen Lady Magicians’ Coach Myquita Mackey. “This was a tough win.”

Shonice Sprouse led LOC with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Amber Johnson added 18 points and some dazzling ball handling. Ryan Herd added 15 points and Karen Barr contributed 11 to the Lady Magicians’ cause.

Stillman’s Lady Tigers were led by sophomore Phyllice Eubanks with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Alicia Young with 17 points and 6 rebounds, and Jasmon Hazley with 15 points.

‘Possibilities’ Abound with LeMoyne-Owen Basketball

jmcclure2 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:16:07 +0000

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

Although William Anderson is the men’s basketball coach of a small college team, he has large ambitions. He thinks that his team at The Lemoyne-Owen College could be a factor in the NCAA Division 2 Championship picture at season’s end.

Anderson’s team began the season by playing exhibition games against the University of Memphis Tigers and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, which are both Division 1 powerhouses. LeMoyne-Owen lost both games but gained confidence, visibility and experience. Anderson, who also serves as the college’s athletic director, was pleased with the substantial payments received from those games. “These dollars are really helpful to our program,” he said.

Last year, the men’s team won the S.I.A.C. conference tournament and Andersen is building upon that strong foundation. He points to sophomore forward DeAndre Gant, a scoring machine who heralds from Detroit, a favorite recruiting spot of LeMoyne-Owen coaching legend Jerry Johnson.

Anderson said the Magicians also will count on senior guards Maurice Mickens and LaDarius Johnson to be major contributors this year. Sophomore Calvin Stoudemire, the 6’6” brother of Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire, is expected to bring some needed front-court power to this year’s team.

Anderson beamed when speaking of Chris Noel, a 5’7” guard from Harlem, N.Y. “Noel is our Christmas gift. He plays like a New Yorker and he can be a really valuable member of our team.”

Memphis high school legend, Taurean “T-Head” Moy, returns to the team as a walk-on player this season. Moy was one of the most prolific scorers in Memphis prep basketball history. Anderson says that Moy, whose college career was sidetracked by legal issues, “has done everything we have asked of him. He has been a model citizen and he still has a beautiful shooting stroke.”

The Lady Magicians

The LeMoyne-Owen women’s team is also poised to have an exciting year. Anderson, who coached the women’s team from 2000-09, thinks the new Lady Magicians’ coach, Myquita Mackey, “is ready to build a solid program.” Mackey, a former LeMoyne-Owen star player, thinks she has “some of the “pieces in place to be competitive this year.”

Mackey is especially proud of 5’9” guard Shonice Sprouse, a Memphis native who transferred from McNeese State in Louisiana.

Jasmine Massey, a 5’5”junior guard from Memphis’ Booker T. Washington High School, should be another leader of this year’s Lady Magicians.

Coach Mackey also thinks that another McNeese State transfer, Ryen Hurd, will be a valuable addition. She expects solid contributions from former Southwest Tennessee Community College star Ashley Mason. Mackey, who played for Coach Andrea Martre at Southwest Community College before transferring to LeMoyne-Owen, hopes Mason is the first of many Southwest players who will find their way to the LOC campus.

Anderson says this could be an exciting year for both the women and men basketball teams at LeMoyne-Owen.

“This is my dream job and I am excited by the possibilities we have here,” he says.

Basketball Seasons in the Making at Southwest Tennessee Community College

jmcclure2 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:49:51 +0000

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

The men’s and women’s basketball coaches at Southwest Tennessee Community College face very different challenges as the new season begins.

For legendary men’s coach Vertis Sails Jr., his 31st season opens with no returning players from last year’s 27-3 team.

And for Andrea Martre, the women’s coach, the challenge is to mix her seven returning players with eight “very talented” new players.

The Lady Saluqis

While last year was disappointing, Martre’s Lady Saluqis were a combined 51-3 the two previous seasons. And during her 12-year tenure at Southwest, Martre’s teams have won 215 games while losing 135.

“I had to play all my freshmen last year because I only had a few returning players,” said Martre.

The team suffered from a lack of solid guard play.

“We recruited a number of outstanding guards for this year’s team,” Martre said. “We really beat the bushes and found some outstanding players.”

Martre points to Chandellear Smith, Latorya Simmons, Shantel Crout, Andrea Jones, Krystal Riley, and Decdrica Brooks – all freshman guards that she believes will make a big difference.

Martre also was able to recruit Cambriel Jeffries, a 6’3” center from West Memphis.

“Jeffries has height and that is something you can’t coach. She has real promise,” said Martre.

While the freshmen are important, Martre says the team’s success depends on sophomores such as Kiana James and Mariame Sylla providing leadership for the freshmen.

Sails’ Saluqis

In his 30 years at Southwest, Sails’ teams are 664-248 – good enough for 16 State Junior College Championships and appearances in 10 Regional and National Championships.

This year’s 2009-10 team has real talent, he said, noting that not one of his players has ever played “in a system like ours.” That means a fast-break offense and a full-court press on defense.

As usual, Sails’ offense will be an “equal opportunity system.” Last year’s team, which averaged more than 100 points a game, had seven players average double-digit scoring.

The Saluqis will look to former Memphis Hamilton High School star Deveon Hunter for leadership.

“Deveon will have to lead this team, if we are to be winners,” said Sails.

In addition, former Whitehaven standout Deandre Bynum (6’5”) is a talented scorer. And Sails said 6-foot, 8-inch Cortez Wilder, “Just might be the best big man I have ever coached, if he can stay injury free. Wilder is a solid rebounder.”

Also worth watching this season, he said, are former Kirby High School players Chris House and Mario Bass.

“I always try to play 11 to 12 players in every game. We might be better early in the season if we only played 5 or 6 players, but by playing 11 or 12 players we just might become an outstanding team by tournament time.”

Sails also believes that by playing so many, every player gets a chance to feel that he is a vital part of the team.

“I believe you take the talent you have, work with it and win with it,” he said.

Stylistics Turn The LeMoyne-Owen College Gala Into a Time-Travel Affair

jmcclure2 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:44:39 +0000

While only two of the Stylistics’ original members remain, the group’s crowd-pleasing sound still was strong during a performance at Minglewood Hall last Saturday. (Photos by Earl Stanback)

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State Defender

At Minglewood Hall in Midtown last Saturday night, the calendar seemed to have turned back to the early 1970’s. And the timekeepers were the Stylistics.

The Philadelphia “doo wop” group brought many in the audience of more than 500 to the dance floor, with many others singing along as the group moved smoothly through an array of memorable songs during the 39th Annual Gala of The LeMoyne-Owen College.

LOC President Johnnie B. Watson and his wife seemed right in their element as they danced to the sounds of one of Philadelphia’s famous soul groups. The Stylistics are celebrating their forty-first year as a group. While only two of the group’s original members remain, the sound seems unchanged.

The Stylistics are known for tunes such as ”Betcha By Golly Wow,” “Stop Look Listen to Your Heart,” “Break Up to Make Up,” and their most popular recording, “You Make Me Feel Brand New.”

”The Stylistics have always been and will always be all about love songs,” Herbert Murrell, one of the original group members, told the audience.

The Gala is part The LeMoyne-Owen College’s fund-raising effort on behalf of the United Negro College Fund. In addition to the evening’s entertainment, the program included two presentations of the college’s Beacon of Hope Award. The first went to Tennessee Rep. Lois Deberry, who is the Speaker Pro Tem of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Deberry, who is a LOC graduate, was recognized for tireless advocacy on behalf of African-American citizens in the state of Tennessee.

The Tri-State Bank of Memphis was the other Beacon of Hope Award recipient. Two historic leaders of Memphis’ African-American community – Dr. J.E. Walker and his son, A. Maceo Walker – founded the bank in 1946. Tri-State Bank was honored for its pioneering efforts to provide home financing to African-American prospective homeowners. During the civil rights protests of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the bank provided bail money to activists who were arrested. In addition the bank was cited for its financing of African American churches and its commitment to help African-American farmers, historically black colleges and other community organizations.

No Hank Aaron, No Problem at Namesake Golf Tournament

jmcclure2 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:42:33 +0000


By Tri-State Defender Newsroom \| Published 08/27/2009 \| Bob Simpson, Lionel Hollins, Penny Hardaway and Roger Brown

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure Special to the Tri-State Defender When more than 140 players teed off at the annual Hank Aaron Celebrity Sports Weekend Golf Tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course last Friday (Aug. 21), one person was notably absent – baseball great and tournament namesake Hank Aaron. Aaron lent his name to the tournament more than fifteen years ago to help raise funds for LeMoyne-Owen College and the United Negro College Fund. “Hank has usually been present but recently he has restricted his travel as a result of his age and busy schedule,” said Bob Simpson, tournament chairman and a State Farm Insurance agent. Simpson said that while Aaron was missed, a number of celebrities stepped in to pinch-hit for the Hall of Fame slugger. David Porter, the Grammy winning musician and song writing partner of the late Isaac Hayes, stood in for Aaron as the tournament’s host. Porter, who has been inducted into the National Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, is also a passionate golfer. The tournament’s all-star lineup included Memphis’ own NBA greats, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Elliott Perry. Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and former NFL standout Stanley Morgan were on hand, as was former Los Angeles Dodger and two-time National League batting champion Tommy Davis. The Hank Aaron Tournament has its roots in the Ad In Tennis Association of Memphis and the association’s commitment to give back to the Memphis community. More than 25 years ago, the association first sponsored an annual tennis tournament to raise funds for a number of Memphis area charitable organizations that served African Americans. “After a few years, the tennis club realized that we could raise a lot more money from a golf tournament than a tennis outing,” said Simpson. “There a lot more golfers in Memphis than tennis players. There are also a lot more golf courses than tennis facilities.” The association also decided to focus its efforts on supporting LeMoyne-Owen College because it was “such a vital resource to the Memphis community.” This year’s tournament was sponsored by Comcast, with Otha Brannon, one of its executives, taking care of all the logistics of the tournament. NIKE provided commemorative shirts and hats to all the participants. A team from Harrah’s Casinos won the tournament’s first flight, while a team from AT&T finished first in the second flight. Simpson closed out the awards luncheon with this quip: “ I know that the Memphis Grizzlies are going to have a winning season because I saw Coach Hollins play golf today and it is clear that he must be concentrating on basketball because his golf game needs a lot of help.”

Pioneering African American Policeman: A Beacon of Hope

jmcclure2 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:40:38 +0000

Published 08/27/2009

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure
Special to the Tri-State DefenderSeated at a table near the front at the 39th annual The LeMoyne-Owen College Gala Saturday night, retired Memphis Police captain Elmo Samuel Berkley suffered a massive heart attack just about the time guests were told that the buffet lines were open. Despite the valiant efforts of paramedics, the 83-year-old Berkley passed away.

Retired Capt. Elmo Samuel Berkley was a Memphis Police Department pioneer. (Courtesy photo)

With his death, a man who was a major part of Memphis history and the history of African Americans in the South moved on.

Capt. Berkley, a veteran of the United States Navy, was a member of the second group of African Americans hired by the Memphis Police Department. The first African officers were hired in 1948. Starting with his appointment in 1951 and serving more than 41 years as a policeman, Berkley saw dramatic change in his city and in the MPD.

In the early days of his service as a policeman, African-American officers were not allowed to arrest white people. All they could do was try to surround white suspects until a white policeman arrived to make the arrest. They called this stall technique, “the magic circle.”

By the time he retired, Berkley had risen to the rank of captain and the city he had served was about to come under the direction of the first African American elected to serve as mayor. African Americans were able to serve at the highest levels of the MPD, including as director.

Berkley will be buried with full honors from the Memphis Police Department.

Roger Brown, director of special events at The LeMoyne Owen College, worked closely with the retired police captain for many years. He called Berkley “Mr. LeMoyne-Owen” for the many years and many hours Berkley had given to raise funds for the historical college.

“Despite his advanced age and illness, Captain Berkley had attended every weekly planning meeting for this year’s 39th Annual (The) LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) Gala for the past three months,” said Brown.

That was to be expected since Berkley had supported every one of the previous 38 Gala fund-raisers.

In addition, Brown said, “Captain Berkley supported the Baptist International Tea for 50 years,” which is another LOC fund-raising effort. Berkley himself had attended Henderson Business College.

Berkley was also devoted to his church, the Greater White Stone Baptist Church. There he served as a deacon (emeritus) and as the church clerk (emeritus). He was seated at the Gala table sponsored by the church on Saturday. It is said that Berkley always got his church to buy its table early, so that he could sit close to the stage.

LOC President Johnnie B. Watson told a television interviewer that as a youngster growing up in Memphis, Berkley’s service with the police force showed him and his friends that more doors were opening up for African Americans in the city.

For Watson and many other African Americans in Memphis, Captain Berkley was a “Beacon of Hope” – the name of the award the college bestows at the Gala each year.

Capt. Berkley leaves his wife, Dorothy Biggs Berkley, and two sons, Steven W. Berkley and Lyndon Berkley.

Lionel Hollins’ Big Chance

jmcclure2 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:08:30 +0000

By Jesse F. McClure | Published 02/26/2009 | Sports | Rating:

‘My chance to prove what I can do’

Head Coach Lionel Hollins signals in a play during the Grizzlies recent game against Sacramento, a losing effort that left Hollins far from satisfied. (Photos by Warren Roseborough)

An 18-month contract as the Memphis Grizzlies’ headman is very short by NBA standards, an observation that new head coach Lionel Hollins brushes aside with ease. “Look at Terry Porter the former coach of the Phoenix Suns. He had a three-year contract but was just fired long before he finished his first season,” says Hollins. “Even Mark Iavaroni, the man I am replacing had more than a year and a half left on his three year contract.”

At 55, Hollins has almost twenty years experience as an assistant coach. Along the way, he’s watched many younger coaches with less experience become NBA head coaches.

“I have interviewed for several head coaching jobs before without success. It only takes one person to choose you and this time Michael Heisley (the Grizzlies’ owner) picked me.”

Coach Hollins’ ability to whistle often comes in handy.

Coach Hollins gives his team instructions after a time out. Young teams have to learn to win, he says.

Memphis Grizzlies Head Coach Lionel Hollins (left) attended the Staxtacular event Saturday (Feb. 21) along with his wife, Angie, and his son, Anthony.

This, he said, “is my chance to prove what I can do.”

For Hollins, the journey to NBA head coach has not been a straight shot. As a guard in high school in Las Vegas, Hollins was a solid player. Most college coaches, however, thought he was too small to play at the collegiate level.

“I thought that the best thing I could do was to get a job at one of the Las Vegas casinos when I finished high school,” he says.

Hollins’ high school coach challenged him to take a chance, attend a junior college in Utah, and see if he could succeed at both basketball and academics. Hollins enrolled at Dixie Junior College in Saint George Utah in 1971.

In the predominantly white, Mormon community where African Americans such as Hollins were virtually non-existent, he found in Dixie Junior College Coach Doug Allred a “surrogate father” with whom he still enjoys a very special relationship.

While he experienced “some racial heckling, the community as a whole was very supportive” says Hollins, who counts the experience in Utah and his upbringing in a multi-cultural environment in Las Vegas as preparation for learning how to respect people regardless of their backgrounds.

The lesson learned has helped him in the all-important arena of relating effectively to different players. His task with the Grizzlies, involves coaching coach players not only from the United States, but also from Spain, Serbia, and Iran.

After two years of success at Dixie Junior College both on and off the court, Hollins was recruited by a number of colleges that only two years before had ignored him. He’d led Dixie College team to a league championship, netting junior college All- American honors in 1973.

Armed with choices, Hollins passed over his hometown college, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and accepted a basketball scholarship at Arizona State University (ASU).

Why? It was not very far from Las Vegas but it was far enough away so that his grandmother would not be able to ask him to do chores at home, he says.

Coached by the late Ned Wulk, an ASU legend, Hollins became a West Coast college basketball star. He led his team to a conference championship in 1975 and Sporting News named him to its 1975 All-American first team.

His play was so outstanding that Hollins was the sixth overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft, going to Portland’s Trailblazers. In his second year with the team, legendary NBA coach, Dr. Jack Ramsey, took over. The year was a magic one as Hollins along with Bill Walton, Dave Twardzik, Maurice Lucas and others won the 1976-77 NBA championship beating Dr. J (Julius Erving) and the Philadelphia 76’ers in the finals.

Soft spoken and heady as player, Hollins enjoyed a ten-year career in the NBA, returning to ASU in 1985, where he completed his bachelor’s degree.

“I would have stayed at ASU and gotten my master’s degree, but they didn’t offer the major I wanted,” he says.

Instead, Hollins accepted an assistant coaching position with Cotton Fitzsimmons and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns in 1987.

In addition to his time with the Suns, Hollins coaching resume includes stays with the Bandits of the International Basketball League, the St. Louis Sky Hawks of the U.S. Basketball League, the Harlem Globetrotters and the Grizzlies. He was the Griz interim coach for sixty games during the team’s 1999-2000 season in Vancouver and later for four games in the 2004-05 season. When the Grizzlies hired Mark Iavaroni as the coach for the 2007-08 season, Hollins found himself on the outside of basketball coaching for the first time in years.

At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the Milwaukee Bucks hired Hollins as an assistant coach and that’s where he was when the Griz gave him a call.

Hollins had kept his home in the Memphis area because he did not want to uproot his family. He and his wife, Angie, have a son, Austin, who is junior at Germantown High School, where he’s developing his own reputation as “a very good basketball player.” Daughter Jacqueline is a student at Miami University of Ohio, while son Anthony is finishing his M.D. degree at the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine and plans to become an orthopedist. Hollins’ eldest son, Christopher, lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

As head coach, meeting the challenge of proving what he can do includes making sure his players are giving maximum effort, even when things are not going well.

“I can live with losing a game, but I can’t live with not playing hard,” he says.

“We are a young team with a lot of talent; my job is to help them learn how to win. A lot of talented teams and talented players never quite figure out how to win.”

The Federal Reserve Bank and Memphis

jmcclure2 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:04:34 +0000

Martha Perrine-Beard

Most people think the Federal Reserve Bank’s major purpose is to decide whether interest rates will rise or fall. More recently, the Federal Reserve Bank has been actively involved in trying to address the nation’s economic collapse

For people in Memphis, the Federal Reserve Bank (the FED) is a major player in trying to educate people about the financial problems they face. In Memphis, the FED is especially concerned about people losing their homes in foreclosure.

This educational role is in addition to the Bank’s responsibility for providing for the cash needs of banks in the region, monitoring banks in the region, and analyzing economic activity in the region. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks in the nation. The St. Louis Bank has branches in Louisville, Little Rock, and Memphis.

Led by Martha Perrine Beard, the Memphis Branch of the Federal Bank of St. Louis actively supports a number of community organizations and causes.

Perrine- Beard, who has been the Senior Branch Executive of the of the Memphis Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since 1997, is responsible for the 150 Federal Reserve Bank employees in Memphis. She says that a major part of the FED’s role in community like Memphis, is to help educate low and moderate-income citizens about ways to improve their financial lives.

With growing numbers of people, losing their homes the FED is active in identifying areas of the community with high numbers of sub-prime mortgagees and mortgage delinquencies. Working with community organizations and coalitions the Memphis FED is attempting to help average citizens find ways to keep their homes.

Perrine-Beard says,” that a combination of bad choices by homeowners and in some cases misleading claims by lenders” have caused many people to lose their homes. She also feels that during the housing boom, “many first time home buyers tried to buy the largest and most expensive home for which they could get a loan often with no money down.” With home values falling and higher monthly payments for adjustable rate mortgages, too many people simply can no longer afford their house payments.

In addition to the current housing crisis, the Memphis area has a history of high numbers of people filing for bankruptcy each year. Perrine-Beard says that some of her efforts” are aimed at helping young people learn to handle their finances”. The savings rate of people throughout the nation is so low that when people face unexpected bills they have no resources to tide them over. Perrine-Beard says that the FED has a consumer website (www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov) which can answer questions people have.

As the face of the Federal Reserve Bank in Memphis, Perrine –Beard is an active volunteer for a number of community agencies. She is on the boards of directors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Memphis Regional Chamber, the United Way of the Mid South, the Baptist College of Health Sciences, the RISE Foundation, the Mid South Minority Business Council, the Better Business Bureau, the Leadership Academy, and United Housing Inc. While she admits that her volunteer activities are many, she says her “peers on the boards are also great resources if I need information regarding a certain segment of the Memphis economy”. She also says that all the boards she serves on are well organized and well run.

Regina Walker, the Senior Vice President for Community Impact at the United Way of the Mid South, says, “Martha-Perrine Beard is a phenomenal leader. She is remarkable in how she uses her time as both a community leader and an executive with the Federal Board. “Walker says that Perrine-Beard has helped “the United Way become more responsive to community needs and to become more efficient and effective in addressing those needs.”

Perrine-Beard received her bachelor’s degree in business from what is now Clark-Atlanta University and a master’s degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis. She joined the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis after completing her master’s degree. Perrine –Beard is married and the mother of three children.