Well, let me see if I can name this bunch. I should be able to place a correct name on
each player, but it has been some fifty-four years since I have seen a few of these players.
Sitting-From Left to Right: Lake Saling, Harold Welborn, Fay Fulkerson, R. L. Goff, Bobby Singleton, James Geary and
Claudis Alexander.
Middle Row-Left To Right: Delbert Brown, Bobby Durbin, Jimmy Durbin, Bobby Drake, Jimmy Sheffield, Roy Neal Fulkerson,
Jimmy Beck, Darrell "Shotty" Curtis, and Mr. Park.
Back Row-Left To Right: James Baker, Jerry R. Durham, Lewis Hopper, James Devine (Not sure here), Dickie White and
Jerry Singleton.
Nice looking bunch of young athletes. Well, we thought that we could play ball and guess that we could play. We won
some games in the 1952-53 season and lost some games. We were as good as most of the teams in the area.
We had fun and the practice sessions under Mr. Park were not that strenuous. After warm-up time, some practice free
throw shooting, and a few drills, on about any practice day, all we had to do was to holler "Scrimmage" and we were
playing basketball. "Skins and Shirts". Sometimes we had a referee and other time, we just played. Scrimmage was fun
and guess that is why most of the high school boys went out for the team. There was probably not forty young males in
the combined high school classes and twenty-one guys were on the basketball team. If you showed up to practice, you were
on the team. We enjoyed playing ball in scrimmage sessions and in real games. On the weekends, a few of the players
were in good enough standing with Mr. Park that they could get the keys to the gym, and there would be enough guys to
show up to have two teams. We could then spend a couple of hours playing basketball.
Lewis Hopper and R. L. Goff were probably the two tallest guys on the team and they were probably not more that an
inch or so above six feet. There were several of the guards that were in the five foot six range. Thus, the team
consisted of front court players that may have averaged five foot ten or eleven inches, and the back court, maybe would
average five foot seven, five foot eight, at best. By today's standard, our team would have been very small and very
slow. In the era of the fifties, there were not very many Ohio County basketball players that played college ball.
Thus, we had fun, but did not expect to ever go to college on a basketball scholarship or to get rich playing pro ball.
Well, at that age, I guess that each and every one of thought that we would be approached by Adolph Rupp or E. A. Dittle
and be given a scholarship to play ball for either the U. K. Wildcats or the Western Hilltopers. Hum, it never happened.
Hoping you have a great day!
See you........
~jrd~
