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GACC BASKETBALL HONORS
Members of Brewton-Parker College's basketball teams collected an armload
of recognitions.
Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference presented a number of awards at its
tournament banquet, which focuses on recognizing excellence.
Efforts posted by Derrick Green and Tameka Oliver earned them spots on the
GACC's All-Conference Team, and five Brewton-Parker student athletes
earned positions on the All-Academic Team.
"Derrick and Tameka are good basketball players," said Dr. David
Smith, Brewton-Parker's president. "But beyond that, however, they
are excellent Christian young people with a tremendous potential to make a
difference in the future."
Green, a guard from Macon, Ga., capped off his court career by receiving
recognition on both the All-Conference and All-Academic teams.
"It was great to be honored for all the hard work," he said.
"I worked hard for three years and waited for my time to come."
He took advantage of the opportunities to make his senior year memorable.
"For three years," said Barons coach Steve Barker, "Derrick
handled the ball 85 percent of the time as the team's point guard."
During those years he directed an offense that featured the potent scoring
attack of Sug Parker and Terrell Wallace.
"With that scoring combination," Barker said, "Derrick's
role was to get the ball into their hands. He did the job well, and as a
result as a sophomore he was fourth in the nation in assists."
Green's 237 assists helped the team advance to the NAIA national
championship tournament.
But last spring Green and Barker met to discuss his senior season.
"We got together and discussed the team and what we needed him to
do," said Barker. "It was obvious that we needed him to shift
from point guard to shooting guard."
After focusing for three years on one offensive position, shifting to a
new position would mean learning new strategies.
"To his credit, he spent a tremendous amount of his summer working to
prepare himself for the responsibilities of the high profile
position," said Barker.
After accepting the responsibility, Green spent his summer devoted to
preparation.
"I have never worked harder than I did the past summer," he
said. "I divided my summer between the weight room and the court,
trying to get better."
Results from the preparation ended with Green having a stellar season in
which he recorded 543 points and 83 assists.
The season output pushed his Baron career scoring total above the mark of
1,400.
As a candidate for May graduation, he is looking forward to opportunities
as a teacher and coach, or in the pharmecutical field.
Oliver, a post from Savannah, Ga., received top recognition for her play
as a junior.
"Tameka had to work extremely hard to become the player she now
is," said Lady Barons coach Tommy Dalley. "She has made huge
strides from one year of high school ball to becoming an All-Conference
basketball player."
Oliver didn't even begin playing basketball competitively until her senior
year at Savannah High School.
"Coach Edward Stevens and a lot of friends kept after me until I
finally decided to try out," she said.
From that one year of play, she showed enough talent to earn a
scholarship.
Since becoming a member of the Lady Barons, she has stayed on campus
during the summer to focus on improving her conditioning and basketball
skills.
It is again part of her plan for next year's senior campaign.
"I have a goal of helping the team getting back to the national
tournament," said Oliver. "I started working the day after the
season ended."
The Lady Barons came close to again making it into the championship
bracket after posting 20 wins.
"After I realized that we had lost our last game and that we weren't
going to be heading back to the national tournament," she said,
"I committed myself to becoming a more dedicated student
athlete."
The GACC All-American is setting her sights for an outstanding senior
year.
"Somebody is going to have to step up and be a leader," she
said. "I'm going to work hard and come back next season ready to
play. I'm going to do everything I can to have my greatest basketball
successes during my senior year."
Coach Dalley knows that her dedication could allow her to reach goals that
are outstanding.
"She has an outstanding work ethic and is extremely motivated,"
Dalley said. "There is not telling how good she can become."
The five Brewton-Parker student-athletes named to the All-Academic Team
are: Sasha Evans, Derrick Green, Starla Mahaffey, Jennifer Lease and Josh
Stuart.
"These fine students are winners on the court, and in the classroom,
and in every day living," said Dr. Smith. "They represent the
finest that Christian higher education can offer.
Evans, a senior forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., has a grade point average
of 3.45; Green, a senior guard from Macon, Ga., posted a 3.62; Mahaffey, a
forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., has a 3.62; Lease, a junior guard from
Melbourne, Fla., posted a 3.76; and Stuart, a junior guard from Ashland
City, Tenn., has a 3.35.
BARONS BASEBALL
Brewton-Parker College's baseball team broke out the brooms.
The Barons hosted the Warriors of Southern Wesleyan and won each of the three games that composed the weekend series.
Baron coach Chad Parker is optimistic about his team after notching up the important Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference victories.
"We are playing real good in conference," he said. "The team is getting a lot of confidence, which is going to help us through the remainder of the schedule."
Brewton-Parker's record stands at 11-17 (5-3), which has them in the GACC standings in second place.
"We have played a lot of good teams," said Parker, "and the experiences caused the kids to do a lot of growing up."
"With every game, we are continuing to get better," he said. "We are a young team, but there are lots of opportunities. We are going to be in good shape."
The Barons are preparing for a long road trip. The team will log games against Southern Tech, Augusta State, Emory University, Claflin University, Thomas College, and Auburn University-Montgomery before returning home April 8 to host Edward Waters.
Brewton-Parker pitcher Craig Trent, a freshman left-hander from Chattanooga, Tenn., fires a strike in last weekend's series against Southern Wesleyan. The Barons claimed wins in each of the three games to move into second place in the GACC.
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