GAME DAY
S U N D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 27, 2011
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Perfect opportunity INSIDE PAGE 2I
Playing college basketball was not an option for Henry Calhoun, until opportunity came knocking while he was stocking shelves at a Wal-Mart, which led him to Shelton State
■ Men’s and women’s tournament brackets ■ Past ACCC Tournament winners and league MVPs
PAGE 3I ■ QUIET LEADER: Terrance Coleman stepping up big for Shelton State ■ GETTING HER SHOT: After sitting out last season’s tournament, Shelton State’s Hayes ready for action
By Tommy Deas Executive Sports Editor
TUSCALOOSA | A little more than six months ago, Henry “A.J.” Calhoun was working the night shift stocking shelves at a WalMart in his hometown of Mobile. He was splitting time between two church basketball leagues, playing weeknights in Mobile and weekends in Grand Bay, about 30 miles down the road near the Mississippi border. All that changed in an instant last August. This week, Calhoun will be starting for Shelton State Community College in the Alabama Community College Conference Division I Basketball Championships at Umphrey Center, where he will likely be the oldest player on the court. “I’m a 22-year-old freshman,” the 6-foot-7 center said. He came out of high school in 2007 averaging just six points per game. No recruiters were calling. The idea of playing college basketball wasn’t in his plans. Instead, Calhoun sought out a trade. At the time, EADS and Northrop Grumman had won a $40 billion contract to build refueling aircraft for the Air Force, and had announced plans to house the manufacturing facility in Mobile. Calhoun enrolled in Enterprise-Ozark Community College’s Aviation Center in Mobile, a technical school with a Federal Aviation Administration-certified aviation maintenance training program. Calhoun enrolled to get a two-year degree in air frame and power plant technology to position himself for a job at the plant, but Boeing protested the bid. EADS and Northrop Grumman dropped out of the race for the contract last year. The plant was never built. “I was there (at Enterprise-Ozark) two years,” Calhoun said. “I learned how to fix airplanes’ framework and work on engines. That’s what I was going for, but they cancelled that (proposed plant). After that, I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I worked at Wal-mart for two years (after graduating).” Calhoun got his degree, but did not participate in athletics. SEE CALHOUN | 2I
PAGE 4I-5I ■ Complete roster for each ACCC Tournament team
PAGE 6I
■ JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED: Bevill State’s Bolling couldn't stay away from coaching ■ ACCC men’s and women’s stats
PAGE 8I ■ SHOOTING STAR: Robinson’s 3-point proficiency a big lift for Wallace State Hanceville
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ACCC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL NAME: The Alabama Community College Conference Division I Basketball Championships WHERE: The Umphrey Center on the Shelton State Community College campus WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT: Begins today and concludes Wednesday MEN’S TOURNAMENT: Begins Wednesday and concludes Saturday
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STAFF PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER AND ANTHONY BRATINA
■ GYM RAT: Hard work pays off for Gadsden State’s Rudolph ■ Gadsden State’s Davis finds way to honor brother, who was killed in a car accident