SPORTS
STORM CENTER COLUMN: Winning stays with McKinley
Bob McKinley grew up playing basketball here in Bowie back in the 1950s, and he was part of that tradition-rich decade of success.
McKinley said his coach Bobby Brashear helped him develop his love of basketball, and that has translated into a long fruitful career as the athletic director and head women’s hoop coach at Weatherford College.
This summer, McKinley will be inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He will be feted at a banquet on July 24 in Niceville, Fla.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected after 38 years here at Weatherford College,” McKinley said in a telephone interview with me on Wednesday afternoon.
McKinley will be joined in the Hall by fellow inductees Ricky Gene Ford from Northeast Mississippi and Denny Jerome from former NJCAA member Waldorf (Iowa).
Bob’s record speaks for itself.
McKinley has amassed more than 870 victories and entered the 2014-15 campaign as the winningest active coach in the entire NJCAA. He’s third on the all-time wins list.
While a schoolboy at Bowie, he helped the Jackrabbits make state as a junior before falling to Buna. That team featured the likes of James Thompson, Jerry Cantwell, Tommy Powers and Orville Welch.
Brashear’s Bowie teams had a “culture of winning,” and that precedent has followed McKinley wherever he’s been as a coach.
“Coach Brashear did a lot of things other coaches weren’t doing (at the time),” McKinley said.
Bowie was known for its stifling press defense, and that’s one of the cornerstones of how Weatherford College has played since McKinley arrived on campus in 1977.
What else did McKinley learn from Brashear?
“Discipline,” he said. “It’s very important to let the players know how you feel about them and believe in them. Then you can get just about anything out of them.”
Once he graduated from Bowie, McKinley played for three seasons at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where he met his wife, Delores. He served as Horned Frogs’ team captain. Read more of this column in the weekend News.
Weatherford College head women’s basketball coach and athletic director Bob McKinley, a Bowie native. (Courtesy photo from Weatherford College)
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
In its first match since last year’s state semifinal appearance, Saint Jo hosted Bryson Aug. 11 and took a 25-13, 25-12, 25-21 win over the Cowgirls.
The Lady Panthers lost some talent to graduation but have five seniors ready to have a successful season. Savannah Hil, one of the five, got Saint Jo rolling offensively with a four-point serving string, including a pair of aces. Abby Carter’s kill and Kamron Skidmore’s block helped put the Lady Panthers up 5-2 in game one.
Hadleigh Moore added a four-point string of her own to extend the lead to 10-3. Tatum Morman’s pair, helped by a Hill kill, gave Saint Jo a 14-5 lead. Bryson got within five before a Hill 3-pointer, with help by a Carter kill, put the lead back at 18-10.
After an Olivia Johnson kill broke serve, Jordyn O’Neal served up the final five points, with Johnson providing a kill to move things along.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Despite being the smallest school in the Brock varsity classic volleyball tournament, the Lady Indians finished 4th out of the eight teams there.
After losing to the host team in its first pool play match Aug. 14 18-25, 14-25 and also to Class 3A Wall 12-25, 8-25, Nocona rebounded to close out pool play with a 20-25, 25-23, 25-20 win over Christoval. Sy Parker had 16 kills and 7 blocks in the three matches. Raylea Bowles had 12 kills, 17 digs and served up three aces. Maddyn Bowles had seven kills and 14 digs while Paige Davis had seven kills and 15 digs. Baylee Thomas added 11 digs.
From the setter spot, Kasi Castro had 20 assists, served up five aces and contributed 14 digs. Leah Meekins added 18 assists and six digs during the three matches.
To open Saturday’s bracket play, the Lady Indians posted a 25-18, 18-25, 26-24, 25-19 win over Fort Worth Christian. Castro staked Nocona to a 2-0 lead in game one. Kills by Parker set up pairs of points from Raylea Bowles and Leah Meekins helped Nocona negate an early deficit and take a 10-9 lead.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
County football teams had their first scrimmage of the season Aug. 14 with mixed results.
Forestburg hosted Azle Christian and Victory Christian. Under a new system with new head coach Cori Hayes, the Longhorns looked pretty good in the coach’s eye.
“The first team looked good,” Hayes explained. “Overall we need to work on our pace and blocking assignments and blocking assignments. Overall we looked good for the new regime.”
Forestburg hits the road to scrimmage Newcastle Aug. 21.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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