By Tyler Waldrep The disappointed faces and groans left no doubt how the family felt when the Golden State Warriors retook the lead in the final minute of game three of the 2017 NBA finals. “(We’re) so mad at the freaking Cavs for not (winning),” Steve Susce said. “We just want it to go seven games because we’re sports nuts.” At this, his daughter, who is one of the girls … [Read more...]
In It for the Team: Mountain Brook Lacrosse Player Caps High School Career With a Pass to Denver
By Tyler Waldrep The odds were never in his favor, but that didn’t stop Zachary Carroll from creating his lacrosse wish list years before he joined Mountain Brook’s varsity team as a freshman, the school’s first eighth-grader to do so. Years later, in the summer of 2015, his determination took him to the University of Delaware to compete in front of some of the best Division … [Read more...]
Making Changes: John Carroll’s New Coach Isn’t Afraid to Take Risks in His First Season
By Tyler Waldrep John Carroll coach Logan Colafrancesco felt a little nervous about how the players would receive him when he met with them for the first time in the spring. Turns out, he didn’t have anything to worry about. “Sometimes I’ll sit there with my hands on my hips in practice not paying attention and somebody will come hit me, and I’ll look and it will be a … [Read more...]
Stepping Up: Bell Leaning on Players to Lead Eagles Back to a Playoff
By Tyler Waldrep Oak Mountain coach Cris Bell didn’t need a visit to the hospital to realize things needed to change for his team, but that’s what he got. In February, spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the open spaces in the spine, crushed the nerves between Bell’s L2 and L5 vertebrae and left him unable to walk for nine days. “I remember they would move me from the bed … [Read more...]
Making the Best of Plan B: Samford’s Quinn Dreamed of Playing Basketball, but Baseball Has Taken Him to a Shot at the Big Leagues
By Tyler Waldrep Growing up, former Oak Mountain standout Heath Quinn dreamed of playing basketball professionally. Whenever his dad asked him what his backup plan was, Quinn would always repeat that he wanted to play in the NBA. On June 10, Quinn got the call that he had been drafted by a San Francisco Bay-area team, but it wasn’t the Golden State Warriors on the phone, it … [Read more...]