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Columbia head boys' basketball
coach and Atlanta Sports Hall of
Fame inductee Phil McCrary stands in
front of the Columbia High trophy
case which he has helped fill with
five state championship trophies.
Five state championships, 546 coaching victories and on June 9 at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center Columbia Eagles' head boys' basketball coach Dr. Phil McCrary adds one more accolade to his 25 years at Columbia High School as he is inducted into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame.
McCrary's induction class includes girls' basketball and Atlanta Tipoff Club pioneer Jackie Bradford, Olympic gold medal sprinter Mel Pender, Georgia Tech football's only three-time First Team All-American Randy Rhino and Emmy winning sports broadcaster Bill Hartman.
The 25 years (1988-2012) as the head of Columbia's boys' basketball program includes just two losing seasons (1995, 1998) with 13 seasons of 20 or more wins including four of 30 or more victories and a string of 23 or more wins since 2004.
"I feel very fortunate to have coached such a good group of guys who were not only good athletes, but good students and people as well," McCrary said. "It's all about the kids, not the accolades. Seeing that light bulb go on in a kid who recognizes that not only does he have to take care of his body, but also take care of his studies and the victories will take care of themselves is one of the best things that can happen to a coach."
The Hall of Fame nomination came as a complete surprise to McCrary who was told at the DeKalb County Basketball Media Day last fall that he would be in this year's class.
"Larry Winter (Hall of Fame President) came up and told me about it and I really thought it was a big joke," laughed McCrary. "My wife (Constance) called later and told me what was going on. It is such a great honor to be recognized in this way. It is very humbling."
A Griffin native, McCrary grew up playing football and baseball in high school and in college at Clark Atlanta where his football teammates and he teamed up on several occasions to beat the varsity basketball team in scrimmages.
A short stint at Walton County as girls' basketball and assistant football coach led to a football assistant's job at his college alma mater, Clark Atlanta. He ended up at Columbia High School as an assistant football and basketball coach thanks to then principal Bennie Lowe where he worked with basketball coach Lynn Ross.
"I got a lot of help along the way from people like Bennie Lowe, Lynn Ross, Travis Grant and Mike Hall amongst others to help me develop my basketball philosophy," said McCrary. "They are the ones who got me to where I am today."
A couple of years putting up with the weather during football convinced McCrary to move indoors and concentrate on basketball.
It took McCrary18 years to get his first state title (2006 Class AAAA 78-50 over Douglas County), but his Eagles have been on a roll ever since by winning five state titles in seven seasons (2008 Class AAAA, 2010-12 Class AAA). He won is his 500th game in 2011 and his total now stands at 546-185 after a 31-1 season and the completion of a three-peat at the top of Class AAA in 2012.
Columbia's Phil McCrary gets a ride
from his players following their 2010 Class
AAA state title that started a three-year
run as state champions.
McCrary saw things coming together with a group of players in 2005 as they went to the Class AAAA quarterfinals where they lost to DeKalb foe Tucker.
"That group laid the foundation of this run we've been on since that time," said McCrary. "Winning is an attitude you need to prepare to win by doing things the right way. That group showed those that have come since the way by taking care of their bodies and their books."
McCrary credits his players for most of his success and truly loves to see them become successful in whatever they do in life.
"We had a talented player who was 6-9 and wanted to be a point guard," McCrary recalled. "He got into a bit of trouble with me and school and when he returned he had a new outlook on life. He went on to play college basketball and is now teaching and coaching. We are in the business of helping kids and seeing him and others go on to success in their lives beyond high school athletics is the satisfaction I get from working with them."
Twenty-five years at one school does not happen a lot these days and McCrary credits those he has worked with and for all these years for allowing him to stay and be successful.
"Without the great support of my wife, Constance, my family, the players, the teachers and administrators at Columbia and the great folks in our Central Athletics Office, I could not have got where I am today," said McCrary.
(l-r) Southwest DeKalb seniors Jasmine Coleman
(basketball-Wallace State), Nekia Sockwell (basketball -
Clark Atlanta) and Sydnee Walton (aerobatics and
tumbling - Oregon) signed college scholarships
Two basketball players and a cheerleader were honored at Southwest DeKalb for their scholarships to further their athletic and educational careers on the next level in a ceremony at the high school's Media Center.
Forward Jasmine Coleman led the Class AAAA runners-up Lady Panthers in blocked shots (1.9 per game) and was second in rebounds (6.6 per game) this season. She overcame a broken foot and a knee injury during her career to earn a scholarship to Wallace State in Birmingham, Alabama.
Guard Nekia Sockwell, the Lady Panthers' leading scorer this year at 10.1 points per game was a key in Southwest's run to the state title game for the first time since their three-year reign (2008-2010) atop the Class AAAA girls' basketball standings. Sockwell is staying close to home by signing with Clark Atlanta University.
The final honoree is Syndee Walton, the daughter of Lady Panther basketball and competitive cheerleading coach Kathy Walton. Walton helped lead the Lady Panthers to the Region 6-AAAA championship in competitive cheerleading and an eighth place finish in state competition. Walton will be moving to the Pacific Northwest as she signed with two-time Aerobatics and Tumbling national champion Oregon.
Martin Luther King Jr. track athletes
(l-r) Vanita Pulliam and Felecia Brown
The pair helped lead the Lady Lions to the 2011 Class AAAAA state track title which was the first state title of any kind for Martin Luther King Jr. High School.
Pulliam competes in the long jump, triple jump and runs a leg on the 4x100 meter relay team. She cast her lot with Coastal Carolina to continue her education and track career next fall.
Brown the reigning 400 meter dash state champion was part of the record tying 4x100 meter relay team that won the state gold medal with a time of 46.3 and also the gold medal winning 4x400 meter relay team in 2011.
She is also part of the two relay teams to set DeKalb County Track Championships records of 45.42 (4x100) and 3:45.94 (4x400) this spring. Both times are the fastest in the state of Georgia this fall and the 4x100 time of 45.42 is the fastest in the United States.
The University of Tennessee was Brown's choice to continue her education next fall.
The Georgia High School State Cheerleading Championships are set for this weekend and four DeKalb teams are preparing to compete.
The Southwest DeKalb cheerleaders won the Region 6-AAAA title last weekend to earn a trip to the championship finals on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus.
Squads from Miller Grove (Region 6-AAAA #2), Towers (Region 5-AAA #3) and Cedar Grove (Region 5-AAA #4) qualified for the sectionals to be held on Friday, November 11 at the Columbus Civic Center.
Cheerleading squads competing in the sectionals must finish eighth in their classification to advance to the championship round on Saturday.
Cedar Grove will be the first DeKalb squad to compete on Friday in the 9 a.m. session as the cheerleaders are slated as the ninth school to perform its routine. Towers will also compete in the 9 a.m. session but is in the 57th slot on the day.
Miller Grove will be part of the 2 p.m. session on Friday and slotted into the 23rd position to perform.
Southwest DeKalb is part of the 2 p.m. state championship session on Saturday and will perform in the 24th slot.
The championship rounds will be show on GPB.org/sports on the web. Admission for the event is $10 per day.
Peach State referee Larry Hobgood (left)
shows Tucker High secretary Linda Link
(center) and Tucker team captain Jacob
Sealand (53) the coin following the toss
before the Tucker-Mays game on Friday,
October 7, 2011 at Adams Stadium.
Tucker High School's longtime secretary Linda Link was honored as an honorary team captain before the Tigers' homecoming football game against Mays on Friday night at Adams Stadium.
The team and school wanted to honor the cancer survivor as part of Cancer Awareness Month.
The Tucker players wore pink stickers with Link's initials (LL) on their helmets and the Tiger coaches wore the stickers on their headsets during the game.
Link was escorted out with the Tucker team captains by Peach State referee Larry Hobgood as an honorary captain to participate in the pregame coin toss. Link shook hands with all the team captains from both Tucker and Mays as the squads prepared for the coin toss.
Link serves as secretary to Tucker Principal James Jackson while also handling many other duties including acquiring substitute teachers, payroll and working on employee benefits.
Principal Rodney Swanson (front with trophy) and
the Dunwoody High School coaches and top seniors
accept award during their season opening pep rally.
Dunwoody High School captured its 12th DeKalb County Schools all-sports award during the 2010—2011 school year. The award was presented by DeKalb County Schools athletics specialist Chris Chilton at Dunwoody's season opening pep rally on Friday, August 26, 2011.
The win brings Dunwoody in to a tie with Lakeside for the most all-sports awards with 12 and marks the third consecutive year and fourth out of the last five the school has captured the county-wide award.
The point total of 328.5 was the second highest total in the 30 year history of the award just behind Dunwoody's record setting total of 357.5 set just one year ago. Southwest DeKalb finished second for the fourth time with a point total of 300.0 followed by Lakeside with 296.0.
Dunwoody's successful year included playoff appearances in softball, volleyball, boys' and girl's soccer, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' golf and baseball which helped secure the award for the third year in a row. Dunwoody also had state competition appearances in cross country, swimming and gymnastics. Southwest DeKalb's strong finish was aided by state playoff appearances in football, boys' basketball and a state championship in girls' track. The state title was the fourth in five seasons for the Lady Panthers.
Dunwoody, Lakeside and Redan lead the county in top 10 finishes with 30 each, one for each year the award has been given while Lakeside also has 30 consecutive top 5 finishes. Redan has the most runner-up finishes with a total of seven.
Jandé Pierce, middle, is joined by DeKalb Schools of
the Arts principal Susan McCauley (left) and her
father, Gary "Pearl" Pierce (right) as they
celebrate her track scholarship to Florida State.
Jandé is wearing several of the many medals she
won while competing in USA Track and Field
Competitions from 2003 to present.
photo by Mark Brock
History was made at the DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA) this year as senior Jandé Pierce became the first known student from the school to sign an athletic scholarship.
Pierce is moving to Tallahassee, Florida this week where she will be on a track scholarship at Florida State University.
The catch is that DSA does not field athletic teams as do nineteen of DeKalb County's high schools.
Pierce started running track in the county recreation programs as a nine-year-old and continued to compete in the summer as she moved to DSA Elementary and following her acceptance into DSA High School. Her home school was Stephenson where she could have competed on the middle school and high school teams.
Running in only four or five track meets each summer and excelling on the USA Track and Field circuit got Pierce the recognition from high school and college coaches across the country. Balancing her training and busy schedule at DSA was not easy.
"I've been running track since I was nine years old and made the USA Track and Field Nationals when I was 10,"
said Pierce. "Keeping up with training and school work was tough at DSA. I might have two rehearsals after school, take off to track practice and back to another rehearsal. It was a matter of balance in time management and making sacrifices."
DSA principal Susan McCauley watched Pierce juggle her two loves for five years while becoming an honor graduate with a 3.90-plus GPA and gaining national recognition to become a highly recruited track athlete.
"She was very active in both drama and dance at DSA,"
said McCauley. "DSA is unique in that we don't offer athletics. Her parents (Gary and Toni Pierce) nurtured her talent in the summer with very little impact on academics during the school year."
Pierce was the lead vocalist in the jazz group at DSA and a member of the DSA tour group Highleite.
"Jandé is very driven to do the very best she can in whatever she is involved in at the time,"
continued McCauley. "She has a lot of energy and an amazingly powerful voice for her size. She is also very hard on herself when she thinks she hasn't performed at the level she should."
The limited training time Pierce had by sneaking in twenty minutes here and thirty minutes there between her busy DSA schedule and being able to perform at a level to be nationally ranked in the Top 8 in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes during each year from 2003 is a testament to her work ethic and talent. Pierce was third in the nation in the 400 in 2005 as a twelve-year-old and fourth in the 200 in 2010. She was also a candidate for the USA World Youth Team in 2009.
"Her talent is a gift from God and I want her to always remember it,"
said her father, Gary "Pearl" Pierce. "I'm proud she realizes that is where she gets it. She was also fortunate to have a coach in Louscelle Lewis that was able to get the best out of her in such a short training time to prepare for her meets."
Gary Pierce recognizes how much tougher it was for his daughter to train while attending DSA instead of a regular high school.
"When you are in a regular high school you have a set schedule and offseason training, but we had to squeeze that training in between rehearsals while also getting her from point A to point B,"
said Gary Pierce. "She would go into these summer meets competing against other high school athletes who are peaking after their high school seasons. Her being able to get in good enough shape to compete at a high level with them helped her get recognized by college coaches who really did not know anything about her since she was not listed as participating in any state meets."
Recognition came quickly as she was watched in meets all over the South including regional meets in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as well as national meets as far away as Los Angeles, California. Compiling state and regional titles and high national finishes had coaches from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida Atlantic, Central Florida, Clemson, Stanford, and Florida State began calling and asking her to visit.
"I got to take five official visits and though I thought Florida State might be too close to home a New Horizon teammate and now my college roommate convinced me to take a visit,"
said Jandé. "I had been to Clemson and when I got to Florida State I fell in love with it. They had real performing arts programs and good academics as well as a Top 10 ranked track program. The coaches and everyone made it feel homey and just treated me so well."
The honor student is set to major in political science with a minor in business, but still with an eye on her love of performing arts as well as the possibility of becoming an agent in the athletic or music industries.
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