By Lee DavisMaybe there was a method in Homewood girls’ basketball coach JoVanka Ward’s apparent madness in starting four freshmen and a sophomore against some of the toughest competition in Alabama.Maybe Ward’s team was so young it didn’t know teams that start five girls not old enough to have driver’s licenses couldn’t possibly win a state championship.If that was … [Read more...]
Golden State: Great Area Season Reflected by All-Over the Mountain Team
By Lee Davis It’s always risky to use superlatives when describing anything, but it’s also easy to make the case that 2014-15 was the greatest season in the history of Over the Mountain boys’ basketball.Hoover won the Class 7A state championship by defeating a Mountain Brook team that was going for its third consecutive title. In Class 6A, Homewood reached the Final Four … [Read more...]
Hoover’s Smith Provided Spark for Buccaneer Title
By Lee DavisThere were plenty of reasons why Hoover’s Dylan Smith should not have been playing in the state Class 7A basketball championship game on Feb. 28.The first reason is that Smith, a senior, is a transfer from Mobile’s McGill-Toolen High School. If there’s no transfer, he is never at Hoover in the first place.Secondly, despite their No. 5 rating and strong … [Read more...]
Patriot Youth and Intensity Led Way to Championship
By Lee DavisThe Homewood Patriots girls’ basketball team put together a season for the books in 2014-15.The team finished 30-4, spent most of the year at the top of the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A rankings and then claimed its first-ever state championship.Much can and should be written about the Patriots and their amazing championship run, but … [Read more...]