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Thursday, January 18, 2007
League helps coach fulfill obligation to educate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Say your son gets cut from his high school team. Now, because of the newly developed Metro Atlanta Basketball Alliance, it does not have to mean he cannot play basketball in an organized environment.
Lindsey McDaniel, a structural designer at Home Depot’s corporate office, was first a basketball dreamer who had to fall back on an alternative plan when he realized he would not make a living playing basketball.
His Plan B has served him well, and it hit him one day that it was his obligation to help steer youths to understanding the value of preparing for life. And he’s using basketball as the vehicle.
So, the MABA goes into its second weekend of existence, 60 players spread over five teams from Henry, DeKalb, Fulton and Clayton counties playing each Sunday at North Clayton Middle School in a competitive environment.
It is not high school ball. There are no cheerleaders and very few fans. But the kids are competing. Coaches are volunteers or former recreation league coaches who have bought into the idea of serving as mentors as much as teaching basketball.
“I look at this as a developmental league for kids who want to play ball and get better and come back to try out for their school the next year,” McDaniel said. “We will work with the kids on basketball, their skills, the effort needed, etc. But, mostly, I look at it as a way of helping kids learn about life. That’s what the MABA is about.”
To that end, McDaniel merges his league with another program of his: GOALS, which is Giving Out Adolescents Life Skills. With GOALS, McDaniel plans to have speakers address the players weekly on a variety of skills needed to flourish: communication, decision-making, time-management, interviewing skills, perseverance and separation (conquering peer pressure).
“Those are a group of lessons that are very valuable to teenagers,” McDaniel said. “It’s just important that we give our youths the materials to succeed in life. Basketball is a great vehicle for getting kids’ attention.”
McDaniel formerly coached in AAU and rec leagues and soured on the emphasis on basketball only. So he moved on his idea.
To get the program under way, McDaniel contacted about 40 coaches from different counties, informing them of the MABA and its ideals. Coaches referred players who did not make their teams to the league. The MABA teams will play a 10-game schedule, a postseason and hold an awards ceremony. Certified referees call the games, which are played on Sunday afternoons. The cost is $50 per participant.
“The response was good, and we expect that we’ll get more and more kids each year,” he said.
Right now, it is a boys-only league, but that could change in the future.
For sure, those participating will get far more than exercise. Players are required to maintain a 2.3 grade-point average.
“It’s all about education,” McDaniel said. “We emphasize the ‘student’ first in student/athlete. … This is a league that we expect will help a lot of kids next year. There are so many boys who try out for teams, but schools can only keep 15 on their roster. So this alternative gives them a chance to play basketball, get better and learn life lessons.”
For more information on the MABA, call 404-643-9430 or e-mail maba1@bellsouth.net.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
State duals future in limbo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the state duals heading to the Macon Coliseum this weekend, questions have been raised on whether the meet will stay in Macon or if each classification will hold the duals at area high schools. State duals director, Pete Fritts Jr., said the reports of the state duals leaving Macon are just rumors and that a decision on the future of the state duals won’t be made until May. We sat down with Henry County coach Marty Hutsell to get his thoughts on the matter.
Q: So you think this might be the last year for the state duals in Macon?
A: That’s the rumor. I think this is the last year in Macon. It’s too expensive to rent the arena. What they’re doing is great, I think you have to put it in an arena.
Q: Why do you think the duals need to be in an arena?
A: If you had it in high schools, it would take away from it because some of the kids aren’t going to go to traditional state. That’s why I like the state duals, because some kids will not be able to qualify top-four in traditional area to wrestle in the traditional state tournament in Gwinnett Arena. Like last year, we won the state duals and finished second at traditional. We had a couple kids that did not qualify for traditional state, yet they still got to wrestle in a state championship and wrestle for a state championship team. Plus, I like to see it all under one roof because you can watch every team.
Q: Why is the Macon Coliseum such a good venue?
A: I think it’s a great venue. I’m all for staying there. What gets me is, they find the Macon Coliseum for basketball, and finally we’ve got it with wrestling, we fought for it to be in a big venue, and then it’s too expensive. I know it’s expensive but it’s for the kids. Let’s figure out a way to keep it there.
Q: So, where do you think the duals will take place?
A:It’s going to go back to the high schools, but, again, I think it takes away from it — from the excitement of having it Macon, in the big arena. I think that’s one of the reasons we did it in the first place. At least they’re going to keep the traditional (state tournament) in Gwinnett. The best thing they did was move the traditional out of the high schools into Gwinnett Arena; and to my knowledge it’s the largest high school tournament in the country. What I like best about it is that we’re one of the only states that has a dual and traditional state tournament.
Well represented:
With the state duals only a day away, we broke down the 64 duals teams by county. Here are the counties sending the most teams to Macon:
4 teams:
Fulton (Centennial, Westminster, Blessed Trinity, Lovett)
Gwinnett (Collins Hill, Brookwood, Parkview, Wesleyan)
Henry (Union Grove, Stockbridge, Henry County, Eagle’s Landing Christian)
3 teams:
Cobb (McEachern, Walton, Harrison)
DeKalb (Redan, Southwest DeKalb, Tucker)
Jackson (Jackson County, Jefferson, Commerce)
2 teams:
Bartow (Woodland, Cass)
Chatham (Groves, Benedictine)
Carroll (Carrollton, Bowdon)
Effingham (Effingham County, South Effingham)
Fayette (Starr’s Mill, Whitewater)
Laurens (West Laurens, Dublin)
Lowndes (Lowndes, Valdosta)
Muscogee (Columbus, Hardaway)
Paulding (Hiram, Paulding County)
Walker (Lafayette, Gordon Lee)
Best of the rest:
1 - Camden (Camden County); Forsyth (Forsyth Central); Lee (Lee County); Jones (Jones County); Catoosa (Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe); Glynn (Glynn Academy); Whitfield (Northwest Whitfield); Newton (Eastside); Cherokee (Cherokee); Houston (Northside Warner Robins); Grady (Cairo); Gilmer (Gilmer); Oconee (Oconee County); Dougherty (Westover); Pickens (Pickens); Elbert (Elbert County); Cook (Cook); Gordon (Sonoraville); Ben Hill (Gordon Lee); Toombs (Toombs County); Chattooga (Trion); Haralson (Bremen); Walton (Social Circle).
Time for you to tackle this subject. Speak your mind. Got a wrestling-related issue for Kurt to take down? Send an e-mail.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Takedown
Golden future for ‘unknowns’?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC’s Kurt Aschermann Jr. talks H.S. wrestling each Thursday. Feel free to talk back.
Ever heard of Eastside’s David Bender, a 145-pounder who is 25-3 and moving to the head of the pack in a wide-open field in Class AAAA? How about Redan’s Teddy Gardner or Parkview’s Nandor Csonka?
It could be that type of state duals tournament in Macon this weekend: A bunch of teams you’re not so familiar with could emerge with gold.
The folks in DeKalb County know all about Gardner, a heavyweight who’s qualified for state three times. This season Gardner should grab a place on the podium.
And then there’s Csonka. The Panthers have so many big names, it’s fairly easy for Csonka to get lost in the shuffle, but numbers don’t lie: The 215-pounder is 32-4 and hasn’t lost to a Georgia wrestler.
If Eastside and Stockbridge meet in a semifinal, look out for the 160-pound match between the Eagles’ Tim Sloan (17-4 record) and Ben Jones of Stockbridge.
Tigers coach Don Williams calls Jones the team’s most vocal leader and he’s not too shabby on the mats, either, with a 40-8 record heading into the duals.
It almost doesn’t seem fair, but Collins Hill has added another weapon in 103-pound David Carson. He is 10-1 since joining the lineup, including a 3-0 mark at the Area 7-AAAAA Duals.
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Jan. 11 (last week’s ranking in parenthesis)
1: Parkview (1)
2: Collins Hill (2)
3: McEachern (3)
4: Walton (5)
5: West Laurens (4)
6: Eastside (6)
7: Lafayette (8)
8: Union Grove (7)
9: Gilmer (9)
10: Stockbridge (10)
11: Jefferson (NR)
12: Harrison (NR)
On the cusp: Cass, Woodland, Starr’s Mill, Cherokee, Toombs County, Hardaway, Wesleyan, Dublin, Columbus
Pin it down: Which of the state’s wrestlers do you think could shock the field? And rank the rankings: Let us know who your Top 12 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
