The MVP award was very satisfying in terms of personal accomplishments, but the championship was the most important thing of all.

We hung out on the streets, played stickball, and did all of the things that other kids did.

But as a coach I wanted to keep things from being too complicated.

We played every night. Sometimes we'd stay overnight after a game, but we'd usually drive on to our next destination.

I won the city scoring championship as a senior.

It also didn't take me long to decide that Tri-Cities wasn't for me, and that I wasn't going to go there to play basketball.

Bob Brannum was my body guard on the court. He was 6'-6 and built like a bulldog.