Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003182456
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
First, the teams:
Old Salem High (the predecessor to Andrew Lewis) won in 1916, 1917 and 1918. Jefferson followed with titles in 1922, 1929 and 1930. The great Jefferson champs of 1934 and 1935 were led by Bob Spessard and Paul Rice, both later standout collegians. The 1941 Jefferson titlists included Watt Ellett, Billy Flint and James "Skinny" Akers.
Then came William Fleming in Group II (now Group A) in 1954 and 1955. Jefferson won again in 1955 with Dick Kepley and Lewis Mills. Old Troutville High won Group III in 1960.
Next came the Charlie Hammersley, Denton Willard, Dave McCray Andrew Lewis team in 1968. Jefferson won again in 1970 with Kepley as coach. Joe Davis coached an overachieving Glenvar team to the Group AA title in 1975 and Woody Deans was the boss of the magnificent Patrick Henry powerhouse of 1988.
Also mentioned along with the great Roanoke Valley teams were several that didn't win titles.
Among these was the Rudy Lacy-led Jefferson team of the early 1950s that was considered the best in the state but was beaten in the tournament.
Patrick Henry's 1965-66 team that included Noble Marshall, Jackie Burrows and Phil Bushkar was also considered an exceptional team. So was the Jefferson team of 1970-71 that had three starters returning from the previous year's title squad but was beaten in the regional by R.E. Lee of Staunton, a team it had defeated three times previously.
Another fine group was the 1968-69 Magicians, the state runners-up to Hampton.
Yet another outstanding team that did not win the state was the 1979-80 PH team that included Chuck Kepley, Anthony Robinson, Ralph Wright, Tommy Wright and Teddy Hackley.
As good as many of these teams were, most authorities consider two above the rest: 1969-70 Jefferson and 1987-88 PH.
"They were by far the best two teams," said former Roanoke World-News sports editor Bob McLelland, a Roanoke native who has covered sports in the valley for parts of six decades.
Most view the once-beaten Patriots that included George Lynch, Curtis Blair, Percy Covington, Melvin Davis, Russell Turner and Bernard Basham as the greatest Roanoke team ever.
Bob Teitlebaum has worked for the Roanoke newspapers for 20 years, arriving in time to cover the 1970-71 Jefferson team that was beaten in regionals. That team included Ross Hardy, Ralph Boyd, Mike Franklin, Joe Fields and Gene Terry from the previous year's champions. The most prominent losses from the title team were Ron Marsh and Wayne Holland.
"Unless Marsh made a lot of difference, it wasn't even close between PH and Jefferson," Teitlebaum said.
McLelland agreed.
"Jefferson was the greatest team of its era, but you can't compare teams that were 18 years apart," he said. "PH had six players who were great. Besides, look at who they beat."
Among the victims were the defending state champions from Indian River, a team anchored by current Georgetown star Alonzo Mourning.
Long-time Roanoke coach Hank Hamrick, who was an assistant on both the 1970 Jefferson team and the 1988 PH team, chose the Patriots.
"PH had a little bit of an edge because all those guys were basketball players," he said. "That was the best team I've seen since I've been in Roanoke."
Dick Kepley admits he's partial to Jefferson, but said, "Both teams had ingredients that made for great teams. Both had players who got along extremely well together and that's very, very important."
Jerry Spangler, a reserve on the Jefferson team and a long-time high school basketball official, said the teams were very close but that Jefferson was a shade better.
"Kepley would have been the difference. He's the best coach ever, bar none."
Wayne Holland played on the 1970 team and later coached many of the better PH players in youth leagues.
"We [Jefferson] were a lot deeper and I know we would have outcoached them," he said. "I don't see any way in the world they could have beat us, I honestly don't."
Bill Hankins of the 1970 team was particularly outspoken.
"I don't want to sound conceited, but those boys couldn't hold a candle to us. We would have beat them to death - run them off the court. Ronnie Marsh would have scored 60 points. They didn't have anybody that could have checked him. In fact, Ralph Boyd and Daggie [Marsh] could have beat them by themselves.
"You put in there Bill Hankins said they didn't even belong on the same court as us. They couldn't have even handled our practices."
Marsh, who is 38 now and has played in Houston-area amateur/professional leagues that included such players as Moses Malone and Clyde Drexler, laughed when informed of Hankins' analysis.
"Bill hasn't changed a bit. He used to get us in trouble talking like that. I've seen videos of that PH team and they were great. That Percy Covington, what a player. I'm going to be keeping up with him. It would have been a privilege to be on the same court as those guys.
"But I sure would have liked to try."
by CNB