Mardi Gras in Orange was a successful event mostly because of the great weather. It produced record crowds and we were honored to have Russell and Temple Perry as our King and Queen. They did a wonderful job representing the area and will continue to do so until next year.
I also wanted to tell you all that I mentioned in a Juice column that I had changed allergy doctors and had been pleased with the early results but wanted to wait to tell you about it until I had been on the program for a while.
Since then I’ve probably had as much reaction about that as anything you’ve read in The Juice to this point, which tells me how many of us suffer in this part of the country. Well I’m glad to tell you that Dr. Russell Perry is the allergist that I’m seeing. He’s from Bridge City but his office is on 11th Street in Beaumont. I’ve had tremendous results with a daily pill and nose spray combo after having one of the worst years ever. Thanks doc, I mean King!
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I was covering a basketball game and kept looking at this tall referee thinking I knew him and Cedric Lee confirmed what I was thinking, it was former Lamar basketball star Calvin Rice. Rice has been refereeing for some time but I just haven’t seen him in the gym.
It got me to thinking about the days when Lamar basketball was a big part of my life. A lot of dates for Angie and I included catching a Lamar game. So why did I stop going?
I had to put the old thinking cap on to remember. After Coach Pat Foster left in 1986, LU brought in a brash guy with a pretty good resume. His name…Tom Abatemarco. He was on Jim Valvano’s staff when they beat Phi Slama Jamma for the title in 1983.
He had a good first season winning 20 games with most of Foster’s kids. Then he did an interview with someone outside of the area and made the statement that people here in the south don’t really understand basketball. Oops! The support dried up, his team did too in year number two and he was gone. I remember a Beaumont Enterprise headline that read “Tom A-bad-remark-o.” But his trouble didn’t end there.
He went to Drake as head coach and in his second season there, the team revolted and refused to play for him because of how he treated them. He was removed as head coach.
While typing The Juice I thought I’d look him up. Can you believe, at age 76, he is still coaching. He was never a head coach again but is currently an assistant with Rick Pitino at Iona. I had to laugh because Pitino’s not under the category of “good person” but he does know how to win games.
Unfortunately Big Red has not had a coach with a winning record since Foster. I’d love to see them turn it around and I know they’re trying. One of those coaches that got his shot at resurrecting the team was Steve Roccaforte. From 2006-11 he almost won 50 percent of his games. He made his name as a great recruiter and he was on Buzz Williams’ staff at A&M before they both bolted to Maryland last season.
Rock and I grew up together and back in the Billy Tubbs days. We would get together at his house and watch LU basketball, drinking Big Red. And if you really want me to take you back, that was back in the day when they would tape the game and then show it after the 10pm news.
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Playoffs start this week for girls basketball. Good luck to the Lady Cardinals, Bobcats and Bears. The Bears will head to Lufkin which is a popular spot for Orange County teams in the postseason. Well our football teams that play up there could see a new stadium in the future. The Lufkin ISD has proposed a $140.25 million bond that would include a new state-of-the-art football stadium.
Orangefield is also putting a bond on the May ballot to turf their football, baseball and softball fields. I think it will pass but we’ll see.
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The scholarship offers continue to come in for Bridge City linebacker Bryce Breeden. Coach Smalley said he has received 24 offers with his latest being Michigan. So glad for him. Breeden says he won’t make a decision until summer.
Meantime Khelvy Jefferson at WOS will hopefully get a few more offers after dominating at the Next Level Athlete Showcase where he was named top running back.
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Please say a prayer for Bridge City municipal judge and PA voice of the BC Cardinals baseball team Bill Dixon and his family. I’ve know Bill since he was the tennis coach at BCHS for many years. He has been suffering from with pulmonary fibrosis. Bill and I have spent many days in the press box together.
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while and check on them.
Until next time…
-Gary Stelly-
gstelly66@gmail.com
Volume 2 No. 2
The Juice is a column where Gary Stelly discusses things that’s happened in the area and mixes it with 40 years of being involved in the Orange County community. (If we think of a better way to explain it we’ll change it) You can also check out his podcast by clicking on the Behind the Mic banner on the KOGT.com front page.
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