Lewis County Legends: Biographies

[govu]

The Legend's Biographies would not be adequate without the addition of the Human Highlight himself Evan "Fly Williams" Lawson. Evan grew up on the crime infested street of Woodmere Drive. Woodmere is known for its homeless, drug addicts, prostitution, and street gangs. The gang that controls most of the crime is the Mexican Mafia led by notorious Kingpin Roberto(Bobby) Sharpe'. Growing up Evan was beaten and abused many times by the Mafia thugs. To escape the abuse, Evan would ride his bike to Memorial Park to practice his skills. Through the years, Evan became a tremendous ball-handler, shooter, defender, and noted for his amazing ability to drive the lane and make gravity defying shots amongst some of the parks tallest players like the Gooch, Lee Burklow, Shane Kimbel, Mark Keeton, and Donnie Ellison. In middle school, Evan led the Raiders to back-to-back winning seasons under the direction of the legendary coach "The Old Cowboy" Wayne Tatum. Evan moved up to highschool to play for the Legendary Albert Ellison. During Evan's senior season the Panthers won an amazing 8 games, a record for the late 80's and early 90's Panther squads. After graduation, Evan accepted a scholarship to play for the Governors at Ft. Campbell Community College. Evan was a starter his freshman and sophomore seasons. However, future NBA player Bubba Wells came along and stole the spotlight the next two seasons and Evan was forced to play mop-up duty. Upon graduating from APSU, Evan decided to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Jack and become a coach. Jack "the Ripper" Lawson is the all-time leader in winning percentage among active highschool coaches in Maury County. During this time Evan also fell in love with Abbey Morton and decided to marry into another of Lewis County's famous basketball families. The Morton's have produced such great basketball talents as Kenny, Tobey, Tabitha, and Justin. Evan has also played a major role in helping to rebuild the Lady Panthers into one of Middle Tennessee's Premier Teams. Evan said he would like to see the Lady Panthers play again someday at the same level they did in the mid-1980's when the Bear Spears took them to the sub-state where they lost to eventual state champ Brentwood. In his free time Evan enjoys playing basketball with his Legends teammates where he is affectionately referred to as "The Fly" after another APSU legend Fly Williams. For your contributions to Lewis County Basketball Evan "Fly" Lawson we say THANK YOU!

[LegendsPRman]

Christopher "Twinkle Toes" Tanner was born into a family of rich basketball talent. His father and uncles once dominated basketball at the old Middle School playgrounds in the early 70s and they were feared throughout Middle Tennessee. As the son of legendary Courts All-Star, "Lightning" Larry Tanner, Chris grew up imitating his father's syle of play which was hard-nosed and all out hustle. When Chris played he appeared to be floating graciously around the court and was thus given the nickname, "Twinkle Toes", by Old Courts security officer Patrick Halfacre Sr.

 

In middle school Chris learned more about the game under coaching legend, Howard "The Bear" Spears. Chris was the star point guard on a team that consisted of Colin Cotham, Wesley Duncan, Jeremy Conner, and "Wild" Bill Berg. Chris led the second best team in Raider history (which went 28-2) in scoring, steals, and assists his eigth grade year.

 

As a freshman at LCHS Chris was cut by Head Coach Jimmy Jowers for a crude comment Chris made about Jowers' cowboy boots. Chris was devastated and vowed to never play organized basketball again. The Courts then became his second home. Soon Chris teammed up with fellow classmates Bryan Spicer, Tim Baker, Jonah Keltner and Jeremy Conner to form the Fab 5 (a team that had a record of 25-0 at the old courts). The Fab 5 was known for it's accurate shooting, constant hustle, and in your face defense. The team broke up, however, after Jeremy Conner abandoned the team to spend more time with his girlfried, Terri.

 

With the Fab 5 split up and noone to play with Chris worked tirelessly on his own and developed a magnificent 1 on 1 game. It was during this time that his legendary fueds with Tim Baker and Chad Clifton evolved. These three would play 1 on 1 endlessly against each other all day and all night, and more times than not Chris was on top.

 

After graduation Chris met a beautiful blonde heiress named Page and decided to tie the knot. He moved to Columbia where they lived in the luxurious Greymere apartments. However a short while after their marriage it was discovered that Page was only 17 and thus her trust fund was turned back in to her father's estate. In order to maintain their glamorous living conditions Chris was forced to work 11 jobs (lifeguard, swim instructor, Hardees biscuit maker, nurse, landscaper, gigolo, youth counselor, bartendor, Taco Bell cashier, construction worker, and Wal-Mart stockman). He did all this while finding time to spend with Page and attend Columbia State at night. But because of his extremely busy schedule Chris never had time for basketball and his career as a player was over.

 

Chris is currently living back in Hohenwald with his lovely wife and adorable baby girl. Since Page's graduation from CSCC, Chris has been able to cut back to 3 jobs but still has no time for basketball. It is rumored he is interested in playing with the Legends Basketball Association, but every time he is called he isn't home. Despite the fact that his basketball playing days appear to be over, he was a Court Legend for several years in the mid-90s. And for that I say "THANK YOU, Chris 'Twinkle Toes' Tanner"!

[BusterJr]

I too say thanks to old "Twinkle Toes"!

[govu]

Dear BusterJr.,

 

I just wanted to remind you of a gentlemen's agreement that you and I had a few weeks ago concerning predicting who will be in the boys Class A State Tournament. Do you remember? An official copy of our contract is on Coach Rodjo's desk. Anyways, I want my Bourbon Street Steak at Applebee's well done with steamed vegetables and a bake potato on the side with sweet tea and lemon to drink. While you are at it, go ahead and order us a Maple Blondy Brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I will be there on Friday at 3:00 pm at the Applebees in Murfreesboro. And Buster, don't ever question the knowlegde of your old Coach again. After all, I was the protege of the Original Lewis County Legend Howard "the Bear" Spears. Here are my predictions for the boys state tournament: Class A-Temple, Class AA-Giles Co., Class AAA-Hamilton. Buster, who do you pick?

[MrHonesty]

As mentioned earlier I really enjoy sitting down and reading about Lewis County athletics on CoachT and especially the Legends of Lewis County. This biography thread has some of the most amusing posts I have ever seen on here or any other website. They have drifted away lately, but I hope you all continue them for I am sure there are many more Legends with great biographies.

 

An issue I would like to address with all Legends players is the ball courts at the park. I walk the track a lot during the week and on the weekends as well and have missed seeing you guys play. When I walk the northwest area of the track now I am truly saddened at what I see. The basketball Legends you guys write about have been replaced with thugs and bums who are not only sorry excuses for basketball players but are also sorry excuses for Lewis County citizens. Rarely a trip goes by where I don't hear filthy language and cursing from 12, 13, and 14 year old kids. When they aren't cursing they are smoking and littering the area up with garbage. The area that was once considered sacred ground by all of you Legends.

 

I realize that most of the Legends work difficult schedules and rarely find time to play at the park. I also see where you have been playing in gyms rather than the park. As a concerned citizen of Lewis County I ask that the Legends retake controll of the ball courts and run these thugs off. If 6-10 Legends went up there consistently and whipped these thugs on the courts they would grow tired of losing and crawl back under the rock they came from. The basketball would be much more enjoyable to watch and the atmosphere itself would change and us old folks who walk wouldn't have to put up with the filth that is currently going on.

 

Also you guys may be able to turn some of these kids lives around and make a difference to some of them. The guy you call Smits was once one of these thugs but after taking him in has apparently turned into a good ball player and an overall good kid. I'd like to see more Terry Shipp's (a guy who according to your posts like to help young people out) than trash like the thugs I am seeing now. Please return to the ball courts, Legends, and help out the city of Hohenwald by saving the Park.

[LegendsPRman]

After a flood of phone calls to the Mayor's office over Mr Honesty's post, an emergency meeting was called by Guy Nicholson for the Hohenwald City Council to address the problem at Memorial Park. As news breaks we will report it to you here, first.

[govu]

Dear Mr. Honesty,

 

On behalf of the Legends Basketball Association I wish to thank you for your comments and your concern for the integrity of this community. A report has been filed with the League Offices and League President Howard "the Bear" Spears released a statement: "Based on the intelligence that our sources have collected, our league executives have come to the conclusion that the line must be drawn. I am issuing an ultimatum to all of the so called "thugs" at the park. You have 48 hours to clean that sacred area up or you will face extensive consequences. We will not tolerate having such a time honored tradition ruined because of a few immature and irresponsible teens. Throughout the next days and weeks several covert operations will take place at Memorial Park to find out who is responsible for the degradation of the facilities as well as those who are using inappropriate language in the area. These individuals will then be turned over to local law enforcement where appropriate action will then take place. I would also like to mention that Buster Jr. will graduate from Nashville School of Boxing on May 2. In addition, the official Memorial Park season opens on Saturday, May 3. I assure you that upon this date you will see a much more positive atmosphere at the courts."

[LegendsPRman]

The Hohenwald City Council has unanimously passed a resolution requiring all WMD's (Waste Magnifying Dummies) at Memorial Park be removed or destroyed, or else face serious consequences.

 

Also present for the vote but unable to participate was Danny McKnight (currently leading all Hohenwald mayorial candidates by a 47% margin) who expressed a sincere desire to clean up the Courts should he win the election in May. McKnight stated the following plans if he's elected: "Once we get Buster out of the Academy, I plan on sending him, Josh Powers, Raymond Runions, and Earl "the Pearl" Taylor to take on these thugs in a game of 4 on 4. After several hips from Keltner, a few elbows from Powers, some running knee kicks by Runions, and a few forearms from Taylor, I think we'll get our point across. After a 7 game series with those guys I don't think the thugs would return."

 

Legends President Howard "The Bear" Spears is scheduled to address the situation live on 1230 WMLR before tonight's games between the Legend's superstars. Stay tuned for more updates.

[govu]

Prior to last nights action, LBA Commissioner addressed the situation at Memorial Park. He reassured fans that the "mess" will be cleaned up and will not pose a major distraction leading up to the season opener on May 3. The Legends met for preseason action last night. Two new legends were inducted into the league last night. They are Lance "Penny" Dabbs and Phillip "the Clutch" Denton. The match-ups consisted of Team I with Penny, Phillip, "Downtown" Hubie Brown, and "The American Dream" Bobby Young going against Team II of T-Mac, Rodjo, Jumpin Jonah Keltner, and ODB. Team I jumped out to an early lead winning the first two games. In game 3, Rodjo caught fire connecting on 5 consecutive trifectas to lead his team to victory. In game 4, ODB was confused about the kind of defense his team was playing. Team I took advantage of the confusion using a combination of a 3pt barrage along with a solid inside attack to go up 3-1 to capture the series. At this point the fans started heading for the exits. However, a game five was played for pride only and Team II proved their worthiness by capturing game 5 in a thriller. At the conclusion of the post game interviews, Legends players came back out to meet fans and sign autographs. "The Dream" Bobby Young was unable to attend the post-game festivities because he was hosting a post -game party of his own at his favoite after hours hang out. The Legends played in front of their smallest crowd ever due to the fact that Buster Jr. is away a Boxing school. Richard Duvall III could not participate in last nights action as he was busy helping prepare for the Dream's post-game party. Stay tuned for more preseason action in the coming weeks.

[ODB]

Yo we went down hard las nite. American Dream was tough and the longball was fall'n for Smith. LD was his usual self with good play and lots of hustle, and Phil played well also. It is tru dat I didn't no what kind a defense we be playin' cause back in Dirtyville, ARK we don't play no defense. It is all fun-n-gun down there yo. And if the stupid mutha T-Mac would've let me shot mo we wouldn't have lost any games. When we play make it take it, you gots to feed me da rock cause once I gets hot its all over wit for tha other team. Good games tho, and I hope Duvall will sho up next time so we can rastle. I will pin Ricky D.....1,2,3.

[LegendsPRman]

Clinton "White Wonder" Reeves grew up in Wildcat Hollow not far from the present day high school. As a youth he and his brother "Handy" Randy Reeves constantly played basketball from sun up to sun down. Blessed with an uncanny jumping ability and natural shooting touch, Clinton always beat the younger Randy in every game of 36 they ever played.

 

After entering high school in the mid 80s, "White Mike" didn't try out for the Panther squad until his senior year. As usual Coach Albert Ellison's harsh workouts were rough on everyone that summer. However the workouts were especially grueling for Reeves because of his parents devout Pentecostal beliefs, which required Reeves to train/practice/play in sweatpants instead of shorts. Despite being on the verge of constant dehydration and suffering severe mental fatigue, Reeves survived the cut and was soon one of the best players on the team.

 

On July 36, 1988 Clinton's playing days for the Panthers were over, before he'd even played in a regular season game. Leading a 3 on 1 fast break Reeves threw a behind the back pass to reigning district MVP Scotty "Too Hotty" Duncan who was unaccustomed to playing with someone whose passing skills were as great as Reeves. The ball bounced off Duncan's nose and out of bounds. Reeves had not only broken Duncan's nose but Ellison's #1 rule which was never pass the ball behind your back. Ellison immediately kicked Reeves off the team.

 

Heartbroken, Reeves took his game to Memorial Park where he would eventually grow into a Lewis County Legend. Reeves became the dominant player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before seen: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful reverse lay-ups. Reeves was also one of the first Court players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that would prevail in the years to follow.

 

Reeves soon began to realize, along with everybody else, that he was something special. "That really didn't become something that I accepted 'til I was at the Courts", he told the Lewis County Herald. "I didn't think it was possible that I might be the most talented player in the County. But after I began playing at the Park, I thought that there was a possibility that I could offer something unique."

 

While the "White Wonder" is known for many moves and even dunks (such as the 360 oop to himself from the baseline), the one that comes to mind is his over the shoulder, over the backboard shot he hit against Bobby "The American Dream" Young in the 1989 Courts Championship game. The move, which would go down as one of the most spectacular shots in Courts history, took place after driving past "Creature" Grimes at mid-court. Next he eluded "Doc" Haley at the free throw line. As he then drove past the next defender along the right baseline, he was pushed nearly out of bounds beneath the basket by Fung. His route to the rim was then quickly blocked by 6-foot-8 Terry "Gooch" Shipp's outstretched arms. Flailing towards the old Genesco building, Reeves brought the ball down and just continued to float, seemingly forever, passing behind the backboard while appearing to glide slightly to the left in midair. He finally cleared the backboard and gently tossed the ball over his shoulder and over the backboard for the score. "Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open", Grimes, then a rookie, recalled. "He actually did that. I thought, What should we do? Should we take the ball out or should we ask him to do it again?"

 

Many more heroic and mind boggling shots were made by Reeves during his 13 year career. Although he retired in 2001 to concentrate solely on his budding golf career, Reeves still holds numerous of records at the Courts. Among them are highest career winning percentage (878%), the leader in steals, points scored, three pointers made, and most shots made in the clutch. For all you've done for the game of basketball, we say "THANK YOU"

[goldenboy]

You guys are really hilarious.