The final day of the Sam Moir Christmas Classic basketball tournament gave over 3,000 fans who were packed into Catawba College’s Goodman Gym some great basketball. And some pretty amazing drama.
Maybe it was frayed nerves after three days of ultra-intense basketball. Maybe it was frustration by some teams who thought they’d go farther.
Perhaps everybody was just tired.
Whatever it was, there were more knockdown and glares Friday than a Tyson-Golota matchup:
In the girls’ consolation and girls finals, there were so many bodies hitting the floor that the fans started rubbing some aching joints. But the most drama came in the boys consolation game between East Rowan and Davie County.
War Eagle gunner Sean Stevens was smashed to the ground a couple of times and when Davie County coach Jim Young saw his star writhing in pain on the floor, he charged toward Stevens, making a pit stop at the East Rowan bench.
East coach Mark Flynn didn’t particularly like what Young said and those two had a little conversation. But at the end of Davie’s win, Young raced over to Flynn and began hugging him. Squeezing him.
Later, both coaches said it was a misunderstanding. Young said he was just trying to tell Flynn the number of the kid he thought gave Stevens what he felt was a cheap shot.
“Mark thought I was talking to him,” said Young, who then rubbed his belly and remarked, “Look at me. I’m 53 years old. I’m not going after anybody!”
The East Rowan fans let Young have it as he left the court. Did Young get mad? Did Young retaliate with a verbal barrage or with some type of gesture?
Are you kidding? A smile pursed his lips. He absolutely loved it.
“Back in Pennsylvania, if I didn’t get one or two technicals, they gave the people their money back,” he laughed.
Asked what Young said to him at the end of the game, Flynn thought a minute and remarked, “He wished us luck.”
Seeing the reporters weren’t satisfied, Flynn shrugged.
“I’m not (Mike) Gurley!” he laughed, referring to West’s wacky wordsmith of a coach.
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Stevens, meanwhile, said, “They were pushing a lot. I’m not sure they were doing it on purpose, but it started getting to me.”
Asked how he felt about his coach running to his aid, he said, “I thank him for that. My head was hurting.”
The head wasn’t hurting so much that it kept the 5-7 dynamo from accepting his all-tournament plaque.
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In the boys final between West and North, you’d probably expect more knockdowns and glares than in any of the games.
Nope. Gurley, wearing all black — his Johnny Cash look — lost a game to the Cavs but knew there would be no black marks on these two teams’ resumes.
Even with all those big bodies clogging the lane, it was the cleanest and classiest game of tournament between kids who really respect each other.
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The Moir Classic handed out its awards at the end of Friday night’s action. So the Post will hand out a few more right now:
All-name team: Salisbury’s Ke-Ke (Chunn), Magellan (Stevenson) and Boo (Blount, an old favorite of ours), Davie’s Danko Jankovich, East’s Ciji (Cress), South’s Asisha (Littlejohn) and (my personal favorite) Marquette (Diggs).
All-nickname team: North’s Junior Farmer, known as Junebug, and Marcus “Law Dog” Lawing; East’s Taylor Weber, known as T-Web. South’s Maurice Torrence is known as Reece the Beast.
Best hairdo: Hands down, it’s North’s Amber Hill with that bright blonde coif. Runnersup: Gurley (oops, sorry, shaved pates don’t count) and North’s Marcus Reddick.
Best 1-2 punch: South’s Doug Daugherty and Torrence. Daugherty had the tournament’s best scoring spree, hitting for 17 in the fourth quarter in a loss to East.
Coming out parties: Players everyone were highly-touting for the first time: West’s Junior Hairston and Tim Mauldin, Salisbury’s Chunn, Davie’s Walker, East’s Maggie Rich.
Should’ve made all-tournament: West’s Hairston, South’s Daugherty, South’s Brittney Gaddy.
Celebrities in the crowd: Three of last year’s stars were hanging out at the tournament this week:
West’s Scooter Dalton: A redshirt freshman tailback at Western Carolina, Dalton said he is bigger, faster, stronger and will play some next year.
“We’re real young,” he said. “We should be pretty good. I’ll be in the rotation next year and I’ve got something to show.”
West’s Kari Schenk: She did not go to Appalachian State to play basketball but is an intramurals junkie. And get this. She also played on a club football team ranked No. 18 in the nation.
Davie’s Duane Phillips: Last year’s MVPsaid he is starting at Spartanburg Methodist, which is 10-4. He is averaging 10 points and six assists.
Don’t I know you? Among the “older” and of course “much wiser” celebrities in attendance: Salisbury resident and former Davie coach Bill Peeler was in the house reminiscing about losing a title on a last-second shot; Jesse Watson, who watched his East Rowan girls teams decide seven championships by a total of 10 points; and even the man himself, Sam Moir, who was seen watching the action.
Betcha didn’t know ... Harold Higgins is the only person to win titles with girls (Central Cabarrus in 1986) and boys (West Rowan in 1972).
Whatever happened to: Some former Moir MVPs we were wondering about: Salisbury’s Sheldon Shipman (1971), North’s Randy Hutchins (1973), East Rowan’s Kathy Sapp (1975), Salisbury’s Tim Smith (1977), West’s Karen Simpson (1978), West’s Chris Luckey (1984), East’s Paige Jones (1989), West’s Andrea Grissett (1992), West’s Keeper Scoggins, who could make our all-name team (1994), Davie’s Jonette Willard (1995) and South’s Jason Crook (1995).
And we were also wondering about the girls MVP of 1991. The program had “not available.”
Not available?
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And finally...
Someone asked me whatever happened to the 1974 MVPfrom North Davidson, Steve Cloer.
The 6-4 Cloer lives in Swain County where he works as an undercover cop, busting people for drugs.
Cloer happens to be one of my best friends from high school. When we go visit him, he tells me stories of his daily routine and they seem mighty scary.
So, when he asks if I’d like to go with him on the job?
“No thanks,” is always my reply.
I’d like to live to see next year’s Moir Classic.
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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.
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