Nevil“TheShadow”Shed:ALivingLegend

ByAuroraElisaDeiri

There’s a good reason why the Road to Glory has never been paved with gold or nicknamed “Easy Street,” and the answer is obvious. We appreciate most of all that which we fight hardest for, work or practice the longest hours for and strive for with our entire body, heart, mind and soul. We pray for just a chance at glory, for even one opportunity to leave behind a legacy that lasts, whether it’s because of our love for our friends and families, our life’s work or our humanitarian giving to others and care for our communities. Nevil Shed has the right to say that his own Road to Glory was paved with all of that and more. He has seen it all in his 80 blessed years on this earth: blissful love and painful losses, those that could be worked with and those that needed more time to find the way, the winners and losers in every game, the good times and the bad - but through it all, Nevil never gave up. He didn’t quit. He was determined and he persevered.

In the beginning, Nevil was a child with many dreams, like all of us He grew up in New York City, playing on the courts and running around in the rough streets of the Bronx. What made his path different was that he was blessed with faith, strength, athletic ability, great height and true grit. He sometimes suffered in the face of challenges, but always kept on pushing through the pain, as he still does to this very day. Some things never change.

The Road to Glory

As he stretched and grew in many ways, Nevil knew that basketball would always be an important part of his life, but he had no way of knowing how far it would take him. He went all the way to the White House, Hollywood and the Basketball Hall of Fame.

When people were making racist comments in the 60’s, calling him names, shouting at his teammates simply because of the color of their skin, Nevil wanted to fight back or at least say something in turn. Nevil hadfriends from every race and socioleconomic background could be for anAfricanAmerican male at the time, but had no idea could get. There were times when the team had to leave quickly after game, instead of sleeping at a motel, because of discrimination due to order to avoid any potential violence.

He knew how bad things how much worse it an out of town segregation or in

Don Haskins started coaching at TWC in 1961, coming from Dumas to El Paso to become Head Coach for the Miners team, shortly before Nevil came along as a freshman in 1962. “The Bear” turned the team into winners with a strong defensive strategy In 1966, Coach Haskins gave Nevil some of the best advice ever, after hearing some of the terrible comments made during the game, when Nevil was tempted to respond, asking Nevil, “Is that who you are?” Of course, Nevil replied, “No...” and Haskins said, “Then go out there and show them who you really are!”

“We won that game,” Nevil recalls now, “and got some respect. Later on, when we won the championship game against Kentucky, things finally began to change.” The Miners made basketball history as the first college championship team to “have an all-black starting lineup against the all-white University of Kentucky Wildcats,” in the NCAA Title Game played on March 19, 1966 at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. This starting lineup matchup was unheard of at the time, incredibly controversial and later became the subject of a Hollywood film called Glory Road, making most ofAmerica aware of this part of our history for the first time. Nevil earned the nickname, “The Shadow” for sticking so closely to his man. Both teams went into the finals with records of 27 Wins and only 1 Loss, but TWC was leading by 3 points at the half and the Miners won the game 72-65, with over 14,000 people in attendance.

Nevil Shed (top row, left) & the TWC Miners Championship Team of 1966. Former President Barack Obama mentioned the TWC championship Miners in his congratulatory speech in 2015, honoring the 50th anniversary of the UTEP Miners. The Texas Western College became part of the University of Texas academic system several years ago. In 2007, Nevil “The Shadow” Shed and the rest of his championship teammates were one of only 10 teams to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nevil wears his Hall of Fame jacket with pride, looking everybit the celebrity, but he is always humble and gracious. Coach Don Haskins. Nevil and a few others even made it onto a Wheaties box, a special honor that matched perfectly with the team colors. I was lucky enough to see Nevil gracing that box many years ago, when we honored him at the Sports Legends Charity Golf tournament at the Dominion Country Club, and it felt like the box should be kept in a glass box under lock and key! Nevil has seen a lifetime of precious souvenirs, more than most of us can even imagine, but the life lessons he got from playing basketball were to most precious.

At6’8”,alean185pounds,ForwardNevilShed#33wasdraftedintotheNBAin1967by theBostonCeltics.Hislifelongfriendandteammate,thelateBobbyJoeHillwas#14forthe Miners,andit’sittingthattogethertheywerehonoredinElPasowithstreetsnamedafter eachofthem.YoungathletestodaycanstandatthecornerofNevilShedStreetandBobby JoeHillDrive,tothankthemformakingadifferenceinracialequityforathletes.

Bobby Joe, a guard from Michigan, was 5’11” and the leading scorer, with 20 points in that famous championship game, but he went undrafted in the 1966 NBA draft, remained in El Paso and married his college sweetheart, Tina Malachi, in 1968. He went on to become an Executive with El Paso Natural Gas, and tragically passed away in 2002, at age 59. He didn’t live to see the actor Derek Luke portray him in the

President George W Bush invited the entire 1965-1966 TWC Miners NCAA Championship Team to visit the White House and watch the Glory Road film with him and his wife. Actor Al Shearer played Nevil Shed for the film and has become a good friend to Nevil and his wife Melba. “Not everything they show in the movie is exactly like it happened,” Nevil was quick to remind me. “I was never beaten up in a restroom at a diner, but the writers did that just to show what it was like. People were going through that kind of thing every day, but that particular incident did not happen to me.”

NevilShedwithactorAlShearerfromtheWaltDisneyPictures filmabouttheteamthatchangedeverythinginGloryRoad.

Nevil Shed eventually moved to SanAntonio, Texas, where he met his wife Melba, at the downtown YMCA. She hired him and he worked his way into her heart. Melba is the perfect partner for Nevil and he fell in love. The couple met in 1987. She made his life complete and the two have been almost inseparable, sharing a strong foundation of good values, ethics and morals, raising a beautiful family together

He started working at UTSAin 1981 as an assistant coach and retired in 2006 as a Program Coordinator, becoming an Omega fraternity brother while there.

Nevil has worked as Camp Director of Spurs Youth Basketball Camps for children ages 6-18 every summer for more than 37 years. That’s where I first met him in the summer of 2003. I will never forget Shed’s first words to my son, as we registered for the camp, “We can work with you, big guy.”

I was more than a little star struck, because I knew who Coach Shed was, but he didn’t feel like a stranger then and hasn’t been one ever since. Children from all over the world come to learn basketball skills and develop as well rounded individuals.As Nevil likes to say at the end of every 5 day camp, “We never say goodbye; we always say to be continued….”

Nevil Shed also worked as anABA Coach & GM. I could never have guessed that in 2008, I would be fortunate enough to become the majority owner of a Men’s Pro Basketball team in the newABA and that Nevil Shed would one day come to coach the team with his good friend and fellow coach, Cesar Cervantes. Coach Shed helped the athletes of Texas FUEL to strive for a new level of excellence, inspiring them to play as a team and look out for one another. He and his wife Melba have always treated their ABA team members just like family. In 2013, theABA honored Nevil Shed at the Sports Legends Charity Golf Tournament in San Antonio at the prestigious Dominion Country Club, where Texas FUEL team members golfed with local foursomes. It was there that we learned what a great motivational speaker Nevil is. His experience speaks volumes, with life lessons that give hope for change, especially important to the young athletes of today.

Nevil coached for the CBS Great Day SA morning show’s Great Day Bowl in 2013 & 2014. He became the Texas FUEL team’s General Manager at the end of 2013, just before San Antonio hosted the 5thAnnual ABA Global Games with Japan for 2 days in February of 2014. In 2015, Nevil went on to coach in theABL FIBA development league for Lonestar Law

Nevil’sBackintheABA

NevilShedisbackintheABA asHeadCoachforthe2022-23seasonoftheSouthwest Division’sTexasRedWolves.ThiswinningTexasteamisownedbyJosephand StephanieGarza.LookforlivestreamingfromRitaHernandezwithInspiration4Life.

WewishNevilShedaHappy80thBirthday! ThankyouforeverythingyoudointheSanAntonioCommunityandforyourlifetime contributionstotheSportofBasketball. “Tobecontinued….”

Boxing’s Olympic Hopeful

My name is Cassie Parsley. I have been boxing for 3 years withdreams of competing with Team USA . I have 21 amateur bouts , I am ranked #8 in the US, and I am a 2x San Antonio Golden Glove Champion.

I train at the: Title Boxing Club in North Ausn, under Coach–Ricco Spencer My boxing team is called DeadGame Boxing. A basic understanding of what “deadgame” means is to never give up no matter what the situation isAlways keep fighting!

Iwasalwaysveryathletic.Iplayedsoccer,basketball,andtrackthroughoutmylifeupuntiltheendofhigh school.Ialwaysenjoyedplayingthosesports,andwhileImayhavethoughtIlovedthem,whenIfoundboxing,I realizedIneverdid.WhenIstartedboxingitabsolutelysparkedsomethingIhadneverfeltbefore,andthefire keepsbuilding.WhileIloveboxingandcompetingformanyreasons,mystorystartedin2020ataroughtimein mylife.Iwasveryoverweight,andinamentallyandphysicallyabusiverelationshipwhenIwasintroducedto boxing.IstartedtrainingONLYtoloseweightandlearntoprotectmyself,andintheprocesslefttheabuseand lost45LBS.Duringthattime,Ifellinlovewithboxing.Boxingmademefeelstrong,powerful,andbeautiful , mentallyandphysicallyIturnedsomethingterribleintosomethingamazing,andIwouldnevertakeanyofit backbecauseitledmeintothegymandtookmewhereIamtoday

My coach has been with me since the beginning, and when I say I have come a long way, that is an understatement. I had never even thrown a punch or been anywhere near a punching bag before I walked into the gym. My coach has built me from the ground… and I really mean the ground, all the way to where I am now. Starng out only being there to teach me how to protect myself, quickly turned into “how much do I have to weigh for you to let me compete?”. I am sure he has heard someone ask that a million mes, but once I lost the weight, he knew I was serious and from then on, I have been going nonstop. He believed in me before I believed in myself, and he pushes me harder and harder every day. I would not be where I am without all the me and effort he has spent giving me the knowledge he has.

Formegettingintheringisn’tdifficult , IbattlewithmyselfeverysingledayItstartsat5AM,orsometimes even 3AMwhenIgetupformyfirstworkout,itwouldbeeasytostayinbedandsleepin,butIgetupanyways,andI winthatbattleThenwhenitstimetoeatmymealsfortheday,ohhowIwouldlovetohaveaburgerandfries, butIcookandIeatwhatIhaveprepped..andIwinthatbattle.Fromgoingoutsidetorun,thenbacktothegym forthe2ndor3rd timeinaday,Ihavetofightmyselfandchoosetogetupanywaysnomatterthepainorthe sorenessIamfeelingbecausethat’swhatittakes.Thenwhenitcomestimetostepinthering,Idon’thaveto wonderifItrainedhardenoughforthisfight,IknowIdideverythingIneededtodotoprepare.Iwillneverlose, becauseevenifIdon’tgetthedecisionthatday,IhavelearnedsomethingfromthegirlIamintheringwith, andithasmademebetter.

Amateur’sdonotmakeanymoneytocompete,andtravelingforweeklongcompetitionsisfarfromcheap,so work,sponsorsandfundraisersaretheonlywayIamabletocontinuetotravelaroundtheUStocompeteat thehighestlevel.

Ihavemanygoals,butmydreamistobeapartofTeamUSA,aninvitationtotheOlympictrainingcenter.Ihave foughtagainstmanygirlswhohavealreadyachievedthis,andIamnext.Iamcurrentlyranked#8inmydivision, thisyearIamplanningonmovingupthelatter,asthetop2or 3rankedfightersgetaninvitetotheOlympic trainingcenter.Iwillcontinuetokeepfightingthebestcompetition,untilIamthebestcompetition.

March 2023 MY Up Coming Schedule is as follows

• Golden Gloves State Championships

- This is an advancing tournament, if I win, I get to go to naonal Golden Gloves

March 11th – 18th

1040 N Henderson St ,Fort Worth , TX 76107

• USA Boxing Naonal Qualifier

-

If I place within the top 2 girls of this tournament, I will qualify to compete at the Olympic trials.

March 18th – 25th

Huntinton Place

1 Washington Blvd. Detroit, MI 48226