E.A. Sports Today




Home / HIGH SCHOOL / BASKETBALL / Friday’s local angle

Friday’s local angle

Former NBA player helps wrap Oxford camp, first-day play in the Excel Memorial Wood Bat Classic, first-round tee times in Centre

Former NBA point guard Walker D. Russell talks to the campers at the conclusion of Oxford's fifth annual basketball camp Friday.

Former NBA point guard Walker D. Russell talks to the campers at the conclusion of Oxford’s fifth annual basketball camp Friday.

By East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD — Walker Russell’s road to the highest level of the game has been a winding one. If it has taught him anything, it’s to make the most of every opportunity presented.

That’s exactly the message he left with the campers on the final day of Oxford High School’s fifth annual basketball camp Friday afternoon.

Yellow Jackets coach Joel Van Meter hosted more than 50 boys and girls in grades K through 8 for a week of fundamentals with the Oxford players and coaches serving as counselors. Campers received a T-shirt and camp basketball to take home to work on the skills they learned.

The highlight of the week was Russell’s talk with the campers. The 33-year-old point guard honed his game at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College and Jacksonville State and after playing in the NBA D-League (where he was a three-time all-star) and with several NBA Summer League teams, landed a permanent spot with the Detroit Pistons in 2012.

He averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 assists in 28 games that season.

He is currently playing professionally in Puerto Rico. He also has played in Spain, Bulgaria, China, Venezuela, Cyprus and the Dominican Republic.

“Walk D is family, bottom line,” said Van Meter, who coached Russell at Chipola and JSU. “I’ve known him for 14 years and had the tremendous pleasure of coaching him on a daily basis.

“He embodies professionalism, on and off the court, in every aspect of his life. It was great to allow these young people to hear from someone with the life experiences of Walk. He’s been where they dream to go.”

BASEBALL

Both Excel teams in the 15u division, Power House in 16u and both Triton Rays Prime teams in 18u went undefeated in the first day of play in the Excel Memorial Wood Bat Classic at Choccolocco Park and Oxford High School.

The Triton Rays Prime teams both went 2-0 as the 18u division had the most extensive action of the day.

Opening-day results from the Excel Memorial Wood Bat Classic

Friday’s Games
15U: Excel Blue Wave 9, CABA 1
15U: Excel Blue Sox 18, Birmingham Braves 0
16U: Power House 3, Excel Blue Sox 1
16U: CABA 5, Triton Rays Prime 5
18U: TPL Pro Elite Red 9, Top Gun 0
18U: Triton Rays Prime Navy 17U 5, Excel Blue Wave 16U 4
18U: Triton Rays Prime 17U 7, Excel Blue Sox 1
18U: Triton Rays Prime 18U 2, CABA 0
18U: Indian Springs Stingers 13, Birmingham Braves 0
18U: Excel Blue Wave 3, TPL Pro Elite Blue 1
18U: CABA 7, TPL National 18U 1
18U: Excel Blue Wave 16U 9, TPL Pro Elite Red 1
18U: TPL Pro Elite Blue 3, Triton Rays Prime Navy 17U 2
18U: Triton Rays Prime 17U 5, TPL National 18U 4
18U: Triton Rays Prime 18U 9, Excel Blue Wave 5
18U: TPL National 17U 11, Academy Raiders Black 2

Saturday’s action runs all day starting at 9 a.m.

GOLF
First-round tee times for Cherokee County CC Two-Man

Here are the first round tee times (Saturday) for the Cherokee County CC Two-Man Scramble. The 11 a.m. pairing features two of the newest “dream teams” in the Sunny King Charity Classic.

7:50 a.m. — Stephen Keen/Allen Keen; Jeff Keen/Jimmy Tatum
8:00 — Adam Weaver/Lee Morgan; Steve Baker/C J Murphy
8:10 — Tim Hill/Kurt Duryea; Johnny Bentley/Phillip Hicks
8:20 — Lenn Coffey/Jimbo Phillips; Chance Harris/Dustin Viehe
8:30 — Aaron Burt/Sebastian Burt; Jay Myrick/Larry Guffey
8:40 — Jon Bailey/Adam Lawrence; Ricky Hairston/Nick Tinker
8:50 — Shawn Snow/Phil Donahoo; Allen Patterson/Scott Robertson
9:00 — Matt Rogers/Jeremy McGatha; T.J. McGatha/Scotty Grimes
9:10 — Clay Calkins/Chris Hubbard; Jay Wilson/Scotty McFry
9:20 — Leslie Tucker/Jeff Cordell; Holly Gaston/Ann Peery
9:30 — Ryan Zebeau/Cameron Barnes; Nick Wheeler/Bobby Pope
9:40 — Chris Shiflett/Keith Mainz; William Sparks/Scott Sparks
9:50 — Jeff Noah/Lee Vinson; Kenny Fulmer/Randy Lipscomb
10:00 — Nick Pollard/Austin; Vernon Marcoullier/Josh Poole
10:10 — Austin Minter/Bill Owens; Janson Wilborn/Caleb McKinney
10:20 — George Morris/Bob Hayes; Adrian Geeting/Steve Davis
10:50 — David Garrett/Caden Garrett; Wayne Garrett/Dawson Garrett
11:00 — Ty Cole/Gary Wigington; Chad Calvert/Lance Evans
11:40 — Byron Reed/Chris Hancock; Larry Barber/Mason Barber
2:50 p.m. — Tim Trammell/Keith Atkison; Sid Garrett/Scott Tucker
3:00 — Josh Reynolds/Bart Smith

You must be logged in to post a comment Login