BENNY ROGERS: Cleaning off the sports desk

By Benny Rogers

A few random notes, thoughts and observations as we await March Madness ...

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The Region XIV women’s and men’s basketball tournaments are both scheduled for Vivian and Bob Smith Gymnasium on the campus of Lon Morris College in Jacksonville. Tournament dates are Thursday-Monday, March 9-12.

Both Trinity Valley Community College teams have already qualified to participate. The Lady Cardinals (21-6), who have won nine straight games, are currently first in the conference with three games to go and stand a good chance at being the top seed — certainly no worse than the second. The Cardinals (18-8) are likely to be the No. 3 seed, though the second seed is still a possibility, as is the fourth.

There are only two more opportunities to see the TVCC teams in action at Cardinal Gym this season. They play Kilgore in a doubleheader Wednesday and take on Lon Morris on Tuesday, March 6.

By the way, the TVCC-Kilgore twinbill will be Dollar Night. A buck buys a general admission ticket and will also be the cost of hot dogs and soft drinks.

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A pair of former Henderson County area high school basketball standouts — RaTonya Hunter of Athens and Sha Shead of LaPoynor — recently finished their four-year playing careers at UT-Tyler.

Hunter finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in steals and assists. She was also named the American Southwest Conference East Division Player of the Week for the final week of the season.

Shead ended her career as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She also has the most double-doubles, having started every game for four years.

Hunter and Shead were UT-Tyler’s first-ever four-year starters.

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Unless you want to travel, you’ll have to wait a bit before you see the Athens Hornet baseball team in action. Coach Tony Sikes’ squad are road warriors to start the season.

The Hornets don’t have a home game scheduled until Thursday, March 9 in the opening round of their annual tournament.

But you can see the Lady Hornet softball team at home Saturday, March 3, against Moody. Coach Gary Qualls’ squad plays close to home Tuesday, going to Malakoff.

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In no time at all, Henderson County Girls Softball Association and Athens Teenage Baseball Association teams will be in action. Registration for both programs is upon us.

We would like to publish registration dates and information, so if representatives for both organizations would submit the information, we would pass it along. Registration information can be faxed to 903-675-9450 or e-mailed to sportseditor@athensreview.com.

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According to the Buffalo News, defensive back Terrence McGee, a graduate of Athens High School, has filed a civil suit against his former financial adviser Craig Curry, former agent Terry Bolar and former defensive coordinator Jerry Gray.

The story reported McGee is seeking to reclaim more than $1 million he says was taken from his accounts without his knowledge or authorization. McGee’s lawsuit alleges that through forged documents and unauthorized secret wire transfers, Curry invested a significant amount of McGee’s money in property in the Dominican Republic and diverted an additional $600,000 to purchase shares of stock in a non-existent company called Corporate Community Inc. in Austin.

The story said according to McGee’s lawyer, J. David Sampson, Bolar recommended McGee use Curry as his financial adviser and Curry used his relationship with Gray to convince McGee to hire him. Sampson added Gray, who currently serves as a defensive backs coach for the Washington Redskins, was named a co-defendant in part because of his “inappropriate involvement” in allegedly trying to talk McGee out of firing Bolar in 2005.

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A reminder to Henderson County area high school basketball coaches that nominations for the 2007 All-Henderson County Area Basketball Team are due Wednesday.

Nominations should be faxed to 903-675-9450, or e-mailed to sportseditor@athensreview.com.

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QUICK-HITTERS: Kerens head football coach Mike Loveless has resigned to join Hal Wasson’s staff at Southlake Carroll ... Former Brownsboro head football coach Tony Baccarini is a finalist for the head coach position at Keller Fossil Ridge, where he has served the past four years on Wasson’s staff ... Palestine radio station KYYK (98.3 FM) will broadcast Wednesday’s TVCC-Kilgore doubleheader. The games can also be heard by logging onto www.kyyk.com.

Benny Rogers is sports editor for the Athens Daily Review.

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