Richmond Free Press
A10 April 2-4, 2020
Sports Stories by Fred Jeter
Scoring his 1,000th point, Huguenot’s Jordan Parham gets a Gatorade bath On special occasions, it can be OK for an athlete to take a shower even before getting to the locker room. At least that was the case for Huguenot High School’s Jordan Parham on Feb. 7, Senior Night. In dramatic fashion, Parham swished a free throw near the end of the team’s victory over Chesterfield County’s James River High School to reach the coveted 1,000-point milestone in his home finale. Soon after, he was rewarded with a chilly Gatorade bath, courtesy of his jubilant teammates. “No, I didn’t get to the locker room. It was right on the court,” Parham said of the drenching, trying to hold back a laugh. “I’d definitely say that was the memory, the highlight, of my career.” A long, entertaining highlight reel could be made of Parham’s four seasons — three on the varsity squad — for the Forest Hill Avenue school. Splitting time between point guard and shooting guard, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Parham averaged 19.5 points per game for the 18-6 Falcons, who reached the 4A region finals. The talent didn’t go unnoticed. Parham was named to the Virginia High School League All-State Team in a vote of rival coaches. “Jordan got his points despite other teams keying on him,” said Huguenot Coach Ksaan Brown. “He just kept getting better.” It wasn’t like Parham was a surprise package. He averaged 18 points and made second-team All-State as a junior. As a precocious sophomore, he cracked Coach Brown’s first five. Parham did much of his damage from long range. He was 66-for-181 beyond the arc for 36 percent. No one-trick pony, he added 73 rebounds, 56 steals and 78 assists. “I don’t want to be classified as just a shooter,” Parham said. “I like to feel I can score on all three levels — from deep, NBA range, also mid-range and taking it to the basket.” The son of Wallace and Trena Parham will take his all-around skills to Lynchburg College in the fall, where he will play for the Hornets of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. He received some recruiting interest from such Division I programs as the University of Richmond, Old Dominion Univer-
— to the school that showed the most love,” he said. The Lynchburg College coach is Hilliary Scott, a former All-American performer at Roanoke College. Parham sparkles in the classroom just as he does on the hardwood. He attended Richmond Community High School for the academically gifted. Because Richmond Community High has no athletics, Parham was permitted to play for his neighborhood school, Huguenot High. Parham practically grew up on or near a basketball court. His father, a former Maggie Walker High School player, is a veteran facilities director for the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. “I was always around it,” Parham said. His first organized team was at Bellemeade Recreation Center, where his father worked. The youngest of six children, Parham dabbled in football but began to focus on hoops in ninth grade. He wears the No. 3 jersey in part to honor one of his favorite players, NBA star Chris Paul. Looking ahead to the next level, Parham said he needs “to work on my handle, my defense, and put on some weight.” Now back to that 1,000th point. It was a two-shot foul attempt, so he had a chance for No. 1,001. “But I missed it,” he said with a laugh. The Gatorade dumpers didn’t miss, however.
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Jordan Parham of Huguenot High School goes up for a basket during the Falcons’ game against James River High School on Feb. 7.
sity and Virginia Military Institute, but felt Lynchburg College was the most comfortable fit. “I wanted to go where I could really play and make an impact
‘Curly’ Neal, who added skill and laughs to the Harlem Globetrotters for more than 20 years, dies at 77 Many people felt Frederick “Curly” Neal was like a magician on the basketball court. And his most dazzling trick of all— and one he never failed at—was putting glowing smiles on the faces of people of all ages. Mr. Neal, who died Thursday, March 26, 2020, at his home near Houston, played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1963 to 1985 as the comedic, touring squad’s featured dribbler and far-away shot artist. He was 77. Famous for his shiny, bald head, Mr. Neal combined skill, humor and a sense of humanity to entertain fans in 97 countries, covering some 6,000 games. Many times he appeared with the Globetrotters before awestruck fans at the Richmond Coliseum and, before that, the Richmond Arena. The games were just good, old-fashioned family fun. No one ever asked for their money back after seeing Curly & Co., with the great Meadowlark Lemon, put on a show. Tributes: “We lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known.”—Jeff Munn, Globetrotters general manager. “A great mentor, friend and teammate, he had the best smile in the world.”— former Globetrotter and Richmond native Clyde Austin. “It’s hard to express how much joy Curly brought to my life growing up. RIP to a legend.”—Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors. “The world has lost a true ambassador of the game and, outside of Muhammad Ali, one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.”—Globetrotters teammate Boo Johnson. Before the Globetrotters: Mr. Neal starred at Dudley High School in Greensboro, N.C., and then at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. The 6-foot-1 guard earned All-CIAA honors at Johnson C. Smith, averaging 23 points as a senior.
Frederick ‘Curly’ Neal
Nickname: Mr. Neal began shaving his head in college. Someone with the Globetrotters joked that he looked like bald Curly Howard of Three Stooges fame. It stuck. NBA?: Though undrafted out of college, Mr. Neal had tryout offers from the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons, the Baltimore Bullets and the St. Louis Hawks. At the time, the NBA was majority white. His other offer to tryout, held at DePaul University in Chicago, came from Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein. “I remember (the invitation) came on red, white and blue stationery,” Mr. Neal recalled. “There were 125 guys there and they only chose five. I was one of the lucky five.” Local sighting: For a spell in the 1990s, Mr. Neal lived at St. John’s Woods apartments on Richmond’s South Side. He was known to show up, unannounced,
for friendly pick-up games at the outdoor courts at Westover Hills Elementary School on Jahnke Road. In addition, he worked with kids at the Jewish Community Center in Richmond. Double-deuce: Mr. Neal’s No. 22 jersey is one of only five to be retired by the Globetrotters. Others honored are Wilt Chamberlain, Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon and Goose Tatum. Breaking down barriers: Race relations were badly flawed in 1963 when Mr. Neal joined the Globetrotters. Still, packed crowds of mostly white fans rooted unanimously for the all-black Globetrotters to humiliate their klutzy, all-white opponent, the Washington Generals. At least for a couple of hours, the most bigoted white men in America would be cheering for the black guys. Mr. Neal’s amazing talents and infectious smile won people over. During the 1960s, long before there had been much integration of college and pro basketball, and before there was much on television, the Globetrotters were a Saturday regular on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Entertainer: Mr. Neal’s charisma extended far past the court. He appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Love Boat” and did voice-overs for Scooby-Doo movies. The Globetrotters also had their own show, “The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine.” Personal note: In 1964, the Globetrotters came to Waynesboro High School in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The tickets were $3, $4 and $5. My mother dug into her purse and bought me a $5 seat. I don’t think I ever had so much fun as watching Curly Neal dribbling on his knees, sinking a half-court shot and performing to the beat of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the most toe-tapping theme song of all time. That $5 ticket turned out to be worth $5 million in memories. I still smile every time I think of it.
Flying Squirrels get ready for the season with virtual tours despite coronavirus The Diamond will be eerily quiet this early spring. Get used to the sounds of silence. That means no crack of the bat, pop of the mitt, roar of the crowd or voices of vendors peddling their wares. And no thrilling fireworks shows on Saturday nights. The Richmond Flying Squirrels, like all pro baseball teams, are cooling the heels of their cleats because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even the most wishful thinkers aren’t predicting the Eastern League season will commence prior to June. The July 13-15 All-Star break might be a more realistic target date. Still, there’s much to discuss involving the Flying Squirrels, the San Francisco Giants’ AA affiliate housed José Alguacil at 3001 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. Keepin’ busy: With schools closed, the Flying Squirrels are offering an online “digital field trip” for youngsters K-5. This includes a variety of fun games and exercises for the team’s youngest fans. Go to richmondflyingsquirrels.com and click on “Education Day.” Familiar face: José Alguacil is returning for his second go-round as the Squirrels’ manager. The native Venezuelan managed the team to a 72-68 record in 2015. Alguacil succeeds Willie Harris, the franchise’s first African-American manager, who directed the team to a 62-76 mark in 2018 and 59-84 a year ago. Packing ’em in: Despite finishing last in the EL Western Division in 2019, the Squirrels were first in attendance, averaging 6,255 customers for the 64 Heliot Ramos dates. This is the result of an endless parade of promotions and a family-friendly atmosphere at The Diamond. Star watch: Alguacil’s likely centerfielder will be 20year-old Heliot Ramos. A native of Puerto Rico, the 6-foot, 188-pound Ramos was the Giants’ first round draft choice in 2017 and the 17th pick overall. Ramos’ brother, Hector, is all-time goals scorer on the Puerto Rican national soccer team. Last year’s centerfielder for the Flying Squirrels was another Puerto Rican, Johneshwy Fargas, who was among the minor league’s top base stealers with 50. Fargas has been traded to the New York Mets organization. New digs: Virginia Commonwealth University has purchased 10.94 acres of land on Hermitage Road for a future Athletics Village. Part of the plan includes a new ballpark to be shared by VCU and the Flying Squirrels. There is no firm timetable on completion. The property had been owned by Greyhound Lines and was used for maintenance. The cost of the deal was $11.75 million. The Flying Squirrels and previously the Richmond Braves have played at The Diamond since 1985. The Diamond has also been VCU’s home field for decades.
Les Hunter, who helped change the face of NCAA basketball, dies at 77 Les Hunter, famous for his role in the “Game of Change,” died Friday, March 27, 2020, near his home in Chicago. Mr. Hunter was 77. At 6-foot-7, Mr. Hunter was a shining star on the barrier-breaking 1963 Loyola University of Chicago basketball squad that won the NCAA title. The Ramblers started four AfricanAmerican players, including Mr. Hunter and All-America Jerry Harkness, during a time when many schools still had not integrated. This came to a head on March 15,
1963, when the Ramblers were set to face all-white Mississippi State University in the second round of the NCAA Mideast Regional in East Lansing, Mich. At the time, the state of Mississippi had a strict rule forbidding its statesupported, majority-white schools from playing integrated teams. Mississippi State defied that rule and the game went on. Thus, the name the “Game of Change.” NCAA basketball would never be the same again.
Les Hunter
The Ramblers, with Mr. Hunter in the lead role under the baskets, defeated Mississippi State 61-51. Loyola went on to beat the University of Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime to win the NCAA title in Louisville, Ky. Cincinnati started three black players in that final game. It was the first time in NCAA annals that African-American players were in the majority in the championship match. Mr. Hunter averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds as a junior in 1963, and 21 points and 15 rebounds as a senior
in 1964. He finished his career with 1,472 points and 1,017 rebounds in three seasons. Freshmen were not eligible at the time. During Mr. Hunter’s three seasons on the varsity team, Loyola went 74-12. Mr. Hunter, nicknamed “Big Game,” grew up in Nashville, Tenn., starring at Pearl High School. Following his career at Loyola, he was a second round NBA draft pick by the Detroit Pistons. He went on to play with five different pro teams in six seasons in the NBA and ABA.
