Monday, December 31, 2012

High School Basketball Season Opens Tonight For Jackets, December 8, 1959

1959 Leesburg High School Varsity Basketball Team

Left to Right: Coach Bill Travis, Johnny Ward, David Webster, Jeff Hart, Joe Heath, Larry Barnett, Bill Arnold, Max Wettstein, John O'Kelley, Buddy Stone, James Walker, Mike Cyrus, David Barnett, Manager.
 
Jackets To Clash With Fla. Military

Sports Staff
Daily Commercial
Tuesday, December 8, 1954

It will be a 'green'  but valiant Leesburg Yellow Jacket team that takes to the boards of the local armory tonight to match wits, brawn and speed with a dangerously fast Florida Military school, to kick off the basketball season for the locals.

With only four lettermen back this year, coach Bill Travis, says it may well be a mighty tough season for the Jackets.

What the locals lack in know how of battle may be offset by their height and speed. Average height of the team will touch on 6 feet and plenty of emphasis has been put on man to man defense to build individual self reliance.

Coach Travis said last week that he is relying on his team as a very well balanced bunch of boys, and is depending on them play rather than pinning his hopes on any one individual.


Lettermen back this year are seniors Joe Heath and Johnny Ward, and juniors James Walker and David Webster.

Included in the tough schedule this year will be two meetings with both Ocala and Wildwood. Ocala is a AA team and plenty rough on the scoring Wildwood will also present problems since they are defending district champions.

The cagers have shifted style and will break from a double post position this year and have the new method down to a well oiled precision on the floor.

Though a difficult season is in store for the Jackets, it's obvious that there will be some real surprises and upsets in store for basketball fans this year as Leesburg pulls every trick out of the hat starting tonight on the local court.

First game starts at 7 P.M.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Jackets Win In Closing Seconds, January 24, 1947

1946-1947 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Varsity Boys Basketball Team

Sports Staff
The Leesburg Commercial
Friday, January 24, 1947

Coming From behind, the Leesburg Yellow Jackets defeated the Golden Hurricanes of Mount Dora 27 to 26 here Tuesday evening when Lon Knight made a free throw in the closing seconds of the game.

Leesburg failed to make a field goal in the first quarter and trailed 7 to 1. Hamlin of Mount Dora sank a field gal just after the final whistle sounded.This was the seventh victory for the Jackets out of eight starts.

In the preliminary game the Mount Dora girls defeated the Leesburg girls 33 to 11.

Tuesday afternoon, the Seabreeze Junior High team took a 25 to 19 win from the Leesburg junior high team after the game was knotted at 16 all at the end of the third quarter.


RESOURCES




 











Glorianne Fahs
Museum Manager
Leesburg Heritage Society and Historical Museum
111 South 6th Street
Leesburg, Florida 34748
gfahs@aol.com 

www.leesburgheritagesociety.com 
Like Us On Facebook 
(352) 315-1800 
















Kay Adair
Retired SunTrust Bank Employee
Experience Works
Employee
Leesburg Heritage Society and Historical Museum
111 South 6th Street
Leesburg, Florida 34748







 














Articles provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Varsity Football Lettermen
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School

Member of the Leesburg Heritage Society 
geraldlacey@leesburgladyjacketsbasketball.com
leesburgyellowjacketsbasketball.com 
Like Us On Facebook 
Follow Us On Twitter

















Gerald is a professional Internet marketer and social media marketing expert. His online business ventures and websites generate multiple streams of income annually. His consulting clients include best selling authors and international speakers.

Gerald is the CEO/President of Lacey LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.


1947 Varsity Boys Basketball Roster

1946-1947 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Boy Basketball Varsity Team

Archie Barwick

Chick Chiodo

George Hanford

Billy Hardaway

Lon Knight

Jimmy Mahoney

Bobby Merrell

Albert Richardson

James Smith

Bill Vandiver

Tommy Windram

Herman Wink



RESOURCES







 



Glorianne Fahs
Museum Manager
Leesburg Heritage Society and Historical Museum
111 South 6th Street
Leesburg, Florida 34748
gfahs@aol.comwww.leesburgheritagesociety.comLike Us On Facebook(352) 315-1800
 
















Kay Adair
Retired SunTrust Bank Employee
Experience Works
Employee
Leesburg Heritage Society and Historical Museum
111 South 6th Street
Leesburg, Florida 34748







Articles provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Varsity Football Lettermen
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School

Member of the Leesburg Heritage Societygeraldlacey@leesburgladyjacketsbasketball.comleesburgladyjacketsbasketball.comLike Us On FacebookFollow Us On Twitter





















Gerald is a professional Internet marketer and social media marketing expert. His online business
ventures and websites generate multiple streams of income annually. His consulting clients include
best selling authors and international speakers.

Gerald is the CEO/President of Lacey LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from
his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about
helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Jackets In College: Marlyn Bryant: Friars take Bulls by the horns, December 6, 2003

Victoria Arocho/AP
Published: Saturday, December 6, 2003
Updated: Sunday, January 31, 2010 12:01

The Providence College Men's Basketball team took the Bulls by the horns last night, using defense and a balanced scoring attack to defeat the University of South Florida, 84-60 Monday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The victory improves the Friars to 3-0 on the regular season and avenges a 68-64 loss Providence suffered at the hands of the Bulls last November.

"One thing we emphasized [going into the game] was putting two halves together," said Head Coach Tim Welsh. "I thought in the Hofstra game, we played a very good second half, in the Alabama game, we played a very good first half. Tonight we wanted to put a complete game together, and I think we did."

All five starters finished the game in double figures for Providence, led by senior guard Sheiku Kabba, who registered 18 points. Junior forward Rob Sanders was not far behind, recording 17 points, including connecting on all three of his three point attempts. Classmate Ryan Gomes added 13 for PC, while sophomore Donnie McGrath and senior center Marcus Douthit scored 10 apiece.

After falling behind 8-5 early in the game, the Friars, ignited by a jumper by Kabba, went on an 18-3 run to take a 12-point lead over South Florida with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Kabba scored eight points during the run, and was joined by junior forward Tuukka Kotti who added four points and an assist. Providence built on that lead, taking its largest advantage thus far into the locker room at halftime, ahead 39-21.

The Friars' strong play carried over into the second half, with PC building on the 18-point halftime lead and increasing it to as many as 24 with just under a minute to play.

Providence was aggressive on defense, playing a tight 2-3 zone the entire 40 minutes. The Bulls were held to just eight field goals in the first half, and were able to manage just 24 points in the paint on the evening. Defense led to offense for the Friars, with 19 South Florida turnovers resulting in 20 points on the PC side of the scoreboard.

"Like Coach said, it always starts with defense," said Douthit. "When we get a good effort from the team on defense, offense with come. As long as we stop them from scoring, offense will come."

Providence's patience on offense and its ability to beat USF's man-to-man defense led to 21 assists and also 36 points in the paint for the Friars. Providence shot 50 percent from the floor on the evening, and connected on nine three-pointers, two above their average so far this season. Welsh's squad shot a solid 85 percent from the free-throw line, connecting on 17of 20 attempts.

The Friars were able to hold their own under the boards and out-rebounded the Bulls 32-26. Kotti, Gomes, and Sanders all registered five apiece.

"We talked about the game plan tonight," said Welsh. "South Florida is a team that pounds the boards; they really like to fast break, and those are two things I thought we limited them pretty well with. We out rebounded them, we limited their fast break points pretty much-they got some in the second half, when we started turning the ball over a little bit."

Bradley Mosley led the way for South Florida with 18 points. Marlyn Bryant (Leesburg High School, Leesburg Florida) added 12, and Brian Swift and Terrence Leather scored 11 and 10 points respectively.

The Friars return to action on Saturday when they travel to Kingston, RI to take on the University of Rhode Island. PC will be looking not only for its fourth straight win, and also to avenge a 73-71 loss suffered at the hands of the Rams last season.

Resources


Jackets In College: Marlyn Bryant: Bearcats send a message, March 8, 2002

UC's Steve Logan looks to take a shot past a flying South Florida's Marlyn Bryant (Leesburg High School, Leesburg Florida) in the first half.
(Jeff Swinger photo)
Stars exit game early as UC gains semifinals

By Michael Perry, mperry@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer


  Steve Logan hates sitting on the bench. Hates it. Even for one minute.

        But University of Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins didn't give any of his starters a choice Thursday night. Some of the top-seeded Bearcats were able to get plenty of rest in a 79-57 rout of eighth-seeded South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament at Firstar Center.

        Logan, who played a season-low 23 minutes, and fellow starters Jamaal Davis, Immanuel McElroy and Donald Little, went to the sideline for good with 11:22 left. Leonard Stokes, the fifth starter, joined them with 8:55 remaining and UC ahead by 27 points.

        They all watched the rest of the game with their warmup tops on.

        “It's always tough to sit over there, but it was a good call,” Logan said. “It was a good chance for the young guys to get some minutes.”

        “It's obvious that if they get a little more rest, they should be a little fresher,” Huggins said. “My concern is if the game starts going the other way, then we kind of lose all the momentum that we've built. But ... this is probably going to be good for (Logan). He plays a lot of minutes. This has got to help him.”

        The fifth-ranked Bearcats (28-3) face Charlotte in tonight's 7:30 p.m. semifinal.

        Marquette and Houston are playing in the other semifinal at 5 p.m. The winners meet at 11:40 a.m. Saturday for the title.

        In the final 10 days of the regular season, UC played three of its closest games: Marquette (one-point victory), Louisville (three-point loss), Memphis (five-point overtime victory).

        The UC-South Florida game was never close. The Bearcats jumped out to a 13-2 lead. It was 47-23 by halftime. South Florida never made a run of any kind.

        “I thought we came out with great energy to start the game,” Huggins said.

        Said Stokes: “We just wanted to send a message to everybody watching, that we come out and play hard all the time, from the jump, and I think we did that tonight.”

        It was the ideal first game in a potential three-games-in-three-days situation.

        “Come out and just attack them,” Logan said. “Give them no chance to think they're in the ballgame.
We played defense well. We rebounded well. That's what playing in a tournament's all about.”

        Logan finished with a team-high 15 points. He also had three assists and no turnovers.

        Davis, who had totaled 12 points over his previous three games, finished with 13 on 5-of-6 shooting in just 19 minutes. Stokes added 11 points and six rebounds.

        It was Davis who really got UC going, scoring the game's first basket off a rebound, hitting a 3 and scoring off another rebound in the first four minutes — for seven of Cincinnati's first 11 points.

        “That was my whole plan from shootaround,” Davis said. “I kept telling myself to attack, attack, attack. I think it worked out for me.”

        Cincinnati has defeated South Florida 12 consecutive times. The Bearcats are 33-0 — 5-0 in the league tournament — against C-USA National Division teams since the conference went to a two-division format in 1997-98.

        Senior Altron Jackson, C-USA's all-time leading scorer, finished with 21 points, but 12 came after McElroy went to the sideline for good. McElroy, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, had been guarding Jackson.

        “Their intensity, their competitiveness. We just got out-toughed from the jump ball,” Jackson said.

        NOTABLE NUMBERS:
        Logan scored in double figures for the 52nd straight game, which is now the third-longest streak in school history. He also tied Keith Gregor's UC record by playing in his 131st career game. ... UC's 28 victories ties for the second-highest total in school history. The record is 29.

       

Box Score

CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT

SOUTH FLORIDA (57)


                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
A Jackson           37  7-16   5-6   3-7   0   2   21
B Waldon            27   4-8   2-6   1-7   2   3   10
W Mcdonald          11   2-4   0-0   0-2   0   4    4
M Bryant            12   0-2   0-0   0-0   2   1    0
R Kohn              14   1-2   0-0   0-2   0   1    3
B Swift             26   2-9   1-2   0-0   2   1    6
B Brigman           17  4-11   0-0   3-6   0   4    8
G Morris             6   1-2   0-2   1-1   0   2    2
T Leather           10   0-2   0-0   1-1   1   1    0
J Baxter            16   0-3   0-0   0-2   1   0    0
M Bernard            9   0-1   3-4   1-1   0   3    3
G Brittian          15   0-0   0-0   0-1   0   1    0


_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             200 21-60 11-20 10-30   8  23   57
_____________________________________________________


Percentages: FG-.350, FT-.550. 3-Point Goals:
4-8, .500 (A Jackson 2-3, M Bryant 0-1, R 
Kohn 1-2, B Swift 1-2). Team Rebounds: 5. 
Blocked Shots: 1 (A Jackson). Turnovers: 15 
(W Mcdonald 3, J Baxter 2, M Bernard 2, A 
Jackson 2, B Brigman 2, R Kohn 2, B Waldon, M
Bryant). Steals: 6 (B Brigman 2, A Jackson, T
Leather, G Brittian, G Morris).


CINCINNATI (79)


                          fg    ft    rb             
                   min   m-a   m-a   o-t   a  pf   tp
J Davis             19   5-6   2-2   3-4   0   2   13
I Mcelroy           25   2-4   4-6   0-0   2   0    8
D Little            21   2-4   2-4   1-3   0   3    6
L Stokes            19   3-8   5-8   2-6   1   2   11
S Logan             23  5-11   5-7   0-2   3   0   15
F Williams          24   3-7   0-0   1-2   4   1    8
J Meeker             2   1-1   0-0   0-1   0   0    2
J Lucas              5   1-1   0-0   0-1   0   0    2
T Barker            13   0-1   2-4   0-4   3   2    2
R Flowers            4   0-1   0-0   0-1   0   0    0
R Crawford          10   1-3   1-1   4-4   0   1    3
B Grove             13   0-1   0-0   0-5   0   2    0
J Maxiell           22   4-6   1-2   0-6   0   2    9


_____________________________________________________
TOTALS             200 27-54 22-34 11-39  13  15   79
_____________________________________________________


Percentages: FG-.500, FT-.647. 3-Point Goals:
3-10, .300 (J Davis 1-1, L Stokes 0-1, S 
Logan 0-3, F Williams 2-4, T Barker 0-1). 
Team Rebounds: 2. Blocked Shots: 6 (D Little 
3, R Crawford, J Maxiell, J Davis). 
Turnovers: 12 (R Crawford 3, J Davis 2, F 
Williams 2, D Little, L Stokes, J Lucas, T 
Barker, J Maxiell). Steals: 5 (J Maxiell 2, J
Davis, D Little, F Williams).


-----------------------------------
SOUTH FLORIDA        23  34   -  57
CINCINNATI           47  32   -  79
----------------------------------- 




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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Class 6A Finals: Miami Norland Wins Third State Title, March 3, 2012

Class 6A Finals: Miami Norland Wins Third State Title 

BY B.J. PITZEN
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT

LAKELAND | Miami Norland won its third FHSAA title on Saturday in the Class 6A boys basketball finals at The Lakeland Center with a 44-point second half against Leesburg to win, 64-36. 

Cleon Roberts scored the first six points of the game and the Vikings (29-3) posted nine points almost five minutes into the game before Leesburg (23-10) chalked up a free-throw.
“I knew if I came out hard like that, that would get the rest of my team hyped up and get ready to play,” Roberts, who led the Viking attack with 27 points, said.



Roberts’ sisters Cleandra (who has two rings from Norland’s girls back-to-back state title team in 2009 and 2010 and currently plays for Long Island University) and Nia (who currently plays for Norland and was a freshman on the 2010 team) provided the senior standout plenty of motivation this week in Lakeland.

“It means a lot (to win the state final) especially since the coach (Lawton Williams III) nags me about my sisters’ rings,” Roberts said.

Leesburg pulled to within five after the first period but the Yellow Jackets shot 2-for-11 from the field and began a poor field-goal shooting trend (below 25-percent) they’d carry throughout the rest of the game.


“We ran up against a good team that happened to have a significant size advantage on us,” Marcel Thomas, who coached the Yellow Jackets to a Class 4A state title last season, said. "(It’s a) tough feeling when you feel like your hands are tied behind your back because you’re not making shots that you normally make.”

In a low scoring first half, the Vikings' went 8-for-21 from the field compared with the Yellow Jackets' 5-for-21 as Norland led 20-13.

Norland hit 10-of-13 field goals while the Vikings’ defense limited Leesburg to two field goals in the third period. Roberts added nine points in the third quarter and Maljhum McCrea, who totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds, had a dunkwith 0:11 left in the third quarter to put the Norland up 22 points heading into the final period.

 
"Last night (Friday against Winter Haven), I played horrible," McCrea, who was held to four points and a rebound in Norland's 46-37 win against the Blue Devils, said. "I just came 

out (against Leesburg) with the mindset of doing my role of rebounding and scoring points."


 Norland's 15-point margin in the third quarter and 20-point final period was too much for Leesburg as the Vikings wrapped up the 28-point win and their third state title.

“I think the length of our kids took a toll on them,” Williams, whose Vikings’ outrebounded Leesburg by 20 boards and made 11 steals in the game, said. “Even our guards are long. We got a lot of deflections and loose balls.”

Williams’ also coached  Norland to titles in 2006 and 2008.

Miami Norland (64): Gino Fils-Aime (2-3 0-0 5), Cleon Roberts (12-17 3-3 27), Dalvin Roberts (0-0 0-0 0), Kevin Duncan (2-4 0-0 4), Tyrell Williams (2-5 2-4 6), Tyron Romer (0-1 0-0 0), Erron Cooper (0-2 0-0 0), Demetrius Fabien (0-2 1-3 1), Shering Henry (0-0 0-0 0), Jamell Peacock (1-1 0-0 2), Demari Bedward (0-1 0-0 0), Maljhum McCrea (7-11 2-5 16), Jovany Deceus (0-1 0-0 0), Rodney Bissainthe (1-1 1-1 3), Otis Pitts (0-0 0-0 0). Totals 27-49 9-16 64.

Leesburg (36): Joe Toolie (1-13 4-6 6), Julliard Roberts (0-3 0-0 0), D’Mauri Jones (3-7 2-2 8), Undra Mitchem (2-10 0-0 6), Nykei Little (0-2 1-2 1), Troy Willis (2-3 3-6 7), Tavian Cummings (0-0 0-0 0), Adrian Falconer (0-0 0-0 0), Brian Norflee (0-3 0-0 0), Taj Lake (1-4 0-0 3), Tre Bisbee (2-2 1-1 5). Totals 11-47 11-17 36.

Miami Norland       10            10            24            20 – 64
Leesburg              5              8              9              14 – 36

Halftime: Norland 20-13.  3-pointers: LBG 3 (Mitchem 2, Lake 1); NRL 1 (Fils-AIme). Rebounds: NRL 43 (McCrea 10); LBG 23 (Jones 5). Assists: NRL 11 (Roberts 4); LBG 8 (Toolie 5). Steals: NRL 11 (Roberts 4); LBG 7 (Willis 3). Records: NRL 29-3; LBG 23-10.

 

 

'Business as usual' approach works for LHS, March 1, 2012

'Business as usual' approach works for LHS

Published: Thursday, March 01, 2012

FRANK JOLLEY | Staff Writer
frankjolley@dailycommercial.com

To outsiders, Wednesday's practice for the Leesburg High School boys basketball team looked like any other workout the squad has held this season.

The calendar proclaimed it to be the last day of February, but it could've passed for early December, mid-January or even some time in November.

Players loosened up with a shootaround and a few demonstrated their ability to dunk the basketball -- to the amazement and amusement of teammates. Wind sprints were run and coach Marcel Thomas directed his charges through drills and ran plays until the Yellow Jackets were playing up to a level he demanded.

Not one time did anyone mention playing for state championship or getting ready for the latest biggest game in school history -- a Class 6A state semifinal game against Jacksonville Wolfson.

And that's just the way everyone wearing a Leesburg uniform wants it.

"We know what's at stake when we play on Friday," Thomas said. "If we want to play for a state championship, we have to beat (Jacksonville) Wolfson. It's a big game -- our biggest of the year -- but it's still a basketball game, and we're getting ready for it just like we've prepared for every opponent this season.

"The stage is just a lot bigger and the stakes are a lot higher for this game."

Leesburg learned how to get ready for this year's tournament based on last year, which resulted in the Class 4A state title.

Because Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., the team has been provided with hotel rooms and will leave for Lakeland at about 4 p.m., following a brief walk-through practice. In addition, meals have to be arranged, coaches have to set and enforce player curfews, and other often-overlooked aspects of travel have to be accounted for.

Thomas believes the key to winning on the road in "foreign" surroundings is to keep the team's routine as normal as possible. Because of travel, lodging and dining concerns, it is often difficult to maintain a sense of normalcy, except on the basketball court.

"The court in The Lakeland Center is the same size and the baskets are the same height as they are in our gym," Thomas said. "From that perspective, playing in Lakeland is no different from any game we've played this season. We've got enough veteran leadership who went through last year's run to the state championship to keep everyone focused on the game. We know what has to be done and we know how to get it done.

"Our focus now is the same as it's been all season -- to get the job done."

Thomas' players share the coach's sentiments, although they admit the week of preparation leading up to Friday's game is not the same as a regular-season contest. Some of that, they said, is at the players' urging.

"We've been more intense this week than we have been all season," said senior D'Mauri Jones. "Practice has been a little harder, but I think that's the way everyone wants it to be. Our focus has to be on the game, we have to be ready to play defense. That takes intensity.

"Intensity helped us win a state championship last year, so our goal is to do just what we did then."

If the Yellow Jackets play on Friday as they practiced on Wednesday, they will be a loose group. No one was overcome by nerves as game time drew closer.

It's part of Thomas' master plan. Prepare the same for each game and when a March megabattle crops up, it'll look the same on paper as an early season contest in November.

The end result may be a win in both instances, with the second victory likely resulting in a state championship.






Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Joe Toolie Named Class 6A All-State, April 25, 2012

Leesburg High School Point Guard Joe Toolie. (Photo by ALAN YOUNGBLOOD | STAR-BANNER)
By Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
April 25, 2012

LEESBURG - Leesburg senior point guard Joe Toolie was named All-State for the second consecutive year. Toolie was placed on the Class 6A First Team by Source Hoops.com. 

Toolie (6'3", 158) led Leesburg to back to back State Championship games and was the 2011 Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A Player of the Year. Toolie went 5-7 from behind the 3-point line to lead Leesburg to its first Boys Basketball State Championship in 34 years in 2011.

Toolie was also was named the 6A player of the year for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association’s District 7. 


Below is a list of the rest of the Class 6A All-State team.

First Team

Cleon Roberts, 6-4, Sr., Miami Norland

Devon Walker, 6-6, Sr., Winter Haven

Deion Clark, 6-4, Sr., Naples Barron Collier (note this corrected version from SourceHoops with Clark added).

Joe Toolie, 6-3, Sr., Leesburg

Diamante Lewis, 6-4, Sr., Lake Weir

Second Team

Malcolm Bernard, 6-6, Sr., Middleburg

Isaiah Jackson, 6-6, So., Gainesville

Laron Smith, 6-7, Sr., Palm Bay Heritage

Brandon Channer, 6-3, Sr., Dover Strawberry Crest

Jordan Banks, 6-7, Sr., Orange Park Ridgeview

Third Team

Kyle Koszuta, 6-0, Sr., Niceville

Justin Satchel, 6-7, Jr., Pembroke Pines Charter

Eddie Keith, 6-3, So., Orlando Edgewater

Jake Driscoll, 6-2, Sr., Newport Richey Mitchell

Jordan Smith, 6-2, Sr., Palmetto 

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