On Saturday afternoon Furman University will honor one of its greatest basketball players ever, Jerry Smith, by retiring his #50 jersey, never again to be worn by another Furman player.
Jerry is one of my oldest friends, and as another friend of mine, the late Ron Boone used to say of Jerry. “Jerry was the most hard working dedicated player I ever knew.” I might add to that Jerry, besides being a pure shooter. He played with tenacity unequaled by any player I have ever seen.
As young boys growing up in Corbin’s east side, Jerry and his brother, Terry and I played together on Christian Street. I knew then Jerry was a special athlete. Jerry’s favorite baseball player in those days was Billy Loes, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jerry and I have stayed in touch over the years and I hope the city of Corbin takes as much pride as I do as Furman honors this fine man and outstanding All-American.
Milam
The Corbin Redhounds continue to roll with lop-sided wins over Middlesboro and Williamsburg and look ahead to Friday’s encounter with the Whitley County Colonels.
Whitley County Coach Chris Baker was quoted after his loss to South Laurel that he honestly felt South Laurel was the best team in the 13th region. Well, Coach, I guess we will see.
The Redhounds are 12-2 and impress me. Coach Tony Pietrowski continues to go deep to his bench, and continues to develop the young players and this will pay off down the line.
I watched much of the WYMT Mountain Classic on the tube over the weekend and was very impressed with the caliber of play of the teams and the play-by-play of Brian Milam. I don’t know how WYMT has been able to keep Milam at the mountain station, as he is an excellent talent.
Milam brought to attention the poor free throw shooting by high school teams this year and I agree, and it is totally inexcusable. It costs your team wins and championships.
‘Cats
The Kentucky Wildcats will arrive in Florida Tuesday night 16-0 after surviving a scare from Georgia Saturday. I am skeptical of the Cats’ chances of running the table in the SEC. It is just very difficult at the Division One level of play to go undefeated. Even with players the caliber of John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, of Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe, the Cats will find it difficulty to battle their way through a season without a blemish.
Rest assured with the parity in college division one basketball, not Kansas, not any team will go undefeated this season.
Greats
Thinking back to great Redhound basketball teams from the past, Coach Harry Taylor started Max Mobley, Curt Selvy, Bobby “Dirty Beard” Sturgill, Dusty Yates and Harold Brooks In 1947 and they went 33-2, not bad.
