AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 26 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USOn string and a prayer, McNair girls make sectionals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There have been hundreds of road trips throughout the state leading up to this weekend’s state volleyball sectionals, but none of the teams took a longer road than McNair.
In the past two years, the Mustangs have played every match away from their south DeKalb campus. In 2005, construction prevented any home games. Before this season, equipment was stolen — and a lengthy debate over purchasing new poles, nets, etc. produced nothing — so the three scheduled home games were played away.
And still, McNair, with some players who had to be coaxed into playing, made history as the school’s first team to advance to the sectionals.
“Just a great group of girls,” coach Doug Wheeler said. “They may not be the most athletic, but they play great together and their hearts are into it.”
At the predominantly African-American McNair, just getting girls to participate is a chore.
“They just feel like it’s not a sport for them,” Wheeler said. “But we have to expose our kids to everything. I tell them all the time that there are opportunities for college scholarships in volleyball. Plus, it’s a great game.”
With his reliable and talented assistant coach, Cheryl Way, and their loyal eight — seniors Cherelle Mack, identical twins Alecia and Jalecia Hiley, sophomore sensation Brianna Coleman, ultimate team players Whitney Stembridge and Chenquiella Faust and freshmen Jelesia Presley and Desma Gray — the Mustangs finished the regular season 17-11 and emerged from the area tournament with the school’s first chance to win the Class AAA volleyball championship. They meet North Hall on Saturday in the sectionals at Westminster.
“It’s really special that the girls hung in there and are seeing the rewards,” Wheeler said.
Without equipment, the team still needed to practice. So, Wheeler and players made a net out of string and tape and created a contraption that replicated the elements of a real net.
“If you had seen that thing,” he said. “But while people went back and forth on who was going to pay for new equipment, my girls and I just went on about our business. We were not going to let it hold us back.”
Which is in keeping with Wheeler’s past. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., played basketball in high school, and after two years of college, started a 10 1/2-year career with the Marines. While he was in the military, he attended college at all his stops. When he left the service, Wheeler served as a federal correctional officer, a high school basketball referee and a mailman, all the time attending school.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s from Troy State and is studying for his doctorate. “Been in school all my life, it seems,” he said. “My wife’s a teacher. My son’s a teacher and my daughter will be a teacher. … My heart and soul is into teaching. My whole family is.”
Last year, Wheeler’s father died. “That hit me hard,” he said. “But these kids kept me going. They kept me going.”
And his team’s season has gone a way no one could have foreseen. Except for him and his players.
“We have one of the hungriest group of seniors I’ve ever coached,” Wheeler said. “They love to win, but hate to lose. If not for the grace of the Lord, I would have walked away from this with all we had to go through. But thank God I didn’t. And now, here we are.”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Comments
By Ernest
October 26, 2006 12:41 PM | Link to this
Great story!!!
By Lee C.
October 26, 2006 02:21 PM | Link to this
Hey, MR.Chalie Henderson the A.D. why u cant buy the volleyball team a net. You bought the football everything they needed for football and the girl’s volleyball team cant get a net. O.K. they dont make enough money at the gate so u and Ron S. cant steal money lack the two of u do in football. Ron S. driving a new vette and Chalie Henderson with a nice house on the water. MR. Henderson and Ron S. you two are the dumest niggars in town i wonder how that job was given to u. O i forget u know the Superintent of school and he aint s** either. Niggars in charge in dekalb killing the system, when the white had dekalb it was not lack that. Sorry Coach Wheeler it is sad that u had to do that for your team the coaches in Gwinnett dont have to do that.
By KSShake
October 27, 2006 10:15 AM | Link to this
AMEN!!! Lee C. I totally agree with you 100%. I’ve been going on and on for a while about how incompetent That man and the rest of them are. They are truely embarassments as African Americans with their shortchanging, cheapskate approach to Dekalb athletics finances. He is pathetic, and he has Dekalb 25 years behind other systems.
By KSShake
October 27, 2006 10:24 AM | Link to this
This is a great story for two reasons. It shows how a commmited group of kids and coach can be sucessful (to a degree) inspite of the lack of support from Dekalb athletics. And it exposes (once again) the gross inequities and mismanagement of Dekalb.More proof that their approach is seriously flawed or they’re crooked!
By please
October 27, 2006 01:33 PM | Link to this
KSShake, can u fine mr. henderson and Ron .S email and sent that to them along with the other interview that was in the paper about booster club.
By KSShake
October 27, 2006 02:27 PM | Link to this
They know about it they did an interview in it. Parents in Dekalb NEED to read ALL of it and just listen an read how absolutely pathetic and ignorant these men sound. And how they insult the parents of these communities intelligence with their excuses for why they run Dekalb Athltics in such a archaic, cheapskate manner and try to spin it like their doing people a favor shortchanging their children.
By KSShake
October 30, 2006 10:01 AM | Link to this
As you can see by the amount of blogs in this section, people don’t seem to care enough about the ineptitude and imcompetence of the people running Dekalb athletics to do anything about this disgrace. This is why the people continue to stay in office and collect fat salaries. (I bet you Mr. Henderson isn’t as frugal and cheap when it comes to his own finances and if he is it moreso the reason he shouldn’t have that position). That man’s thinking is so narrow it’s not even in the 21st century. No one as pathetic as that would be allowed to run a concession stand in Gwinnett county. But because he’s African American we sit by idly and allow this man to use his office to be a cheapskate, pennypinch, and poormouth Dekalb’s student athletes and hamstring their ability to compete equally. Same for APS athletics.