Saturday, April 7, 2012

Oates Puts Together Tough Schedule for 2012-2013, April 7, 2012

2011-2012 Varsity Lady Jackets
Leesburg puts together busy schedule for the holidays

By Joe Williams
Sentinel Staff
Orlando Sentinel
April 5, 2012 

Leesburg’s girls basketball team isn’t used to posting losing records.

But, after going 11-15 last year — the Yellow Jackets first losing record in nine seasons under head coach Mark Oates — they are still going to be a center of attention during the holidays. In the 2012-13 schedule sent out by Oates Thursday, Leesburg will play in three tournaments.

“Surprisingly, I thought people would forget about us after this past season,” Oates said. “But I think a lot of people like playing us because of our style of play. In the playoffs you play a lot of up-tempo teams and that is the type ball we play.”

In addition to playing at the Crown Jewel Classic at Leesburg from Dec. 17-19, they will play at the Queen of Palms in Fort Myers, Dec. 27-29, and at the Martin Luther King Tournament at Fort Myers Dunbar Jan. 4-5. Leesburg also will participate in the Turkey Shootout in Vero Beach on Nov. 17. Leesburg also was invited back to the Savannah (Ga.) Holiday Invitational, but Oates said he declined in favor of the Crown Jewel Tournament.

Listen live on my790am or www.my790am.com Saturday April 7 2012. 
 
Leesburg Girls Basketball Head Coach Mark Oates will make his third appearance on the Lake County Sports Show in 2012. Listen live at 1:00 p.m.

Oates, Pearl Johnson (Former Leesburg High School Girls Basketball, Chipola College, and University of Alabama-Birmingham Womens Basketball Standout), and Angela Felton (former Leesburg High School Girls Basketball, Gulf Coast Community College, and current Louisiana Tech University Womens Basketball Standout) will be the featured guests along with the show host Billy Matthews (The Voice Of The Leesburg Yellow Jackets), Sonny Bronson (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Host), Allison Crawford (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Co-host) and Gerald Lacey (Carver Heights Quarterback Club Staff Writer).


Gerald Lacey (Carver Heights Quarterback Club Staff Writer), Allison Crawford (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Co-host), Sonny Bronson (Belton Bail Bonds Scoreboard Show Host),  Lake County Sports Show Host Billy Matthews (The Voice Of The Leesburg Yellow Jackets).
READ MORE CLICK BELOW
Mark Oates On The Lake County Sports Show

Resources
 
Joe Williams
Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
February 5, 2012


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Pearl Johnson: Lady Indians Make History And Take Third In National Tourney, March 21, 2012



SALINA, KS The Chipola College Lady Indians made school history defeating Kaskaskia College (IL), 81-74, to finish third in the National Junior College Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Tournament in the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kansas.  This is the highest finish in the history of the women’s program at Chipola.  

Chipola finished fourth in 2006 and fifth in 2007.

Marneshia Hall led Chipola with23 points and 5 rebounds. Latoya Williams earned a double with 12 points and 16 rebounds.  Lenita Sanford added 9 points and 5 rebounds.

WBCA All American Latoya Williams finished third in the tournament in scoring with 71 total points and an average of 19.5 points per game.  Williams finished first in three point scoring hitting 7 of 8 for an 87.5 percentage. Lenita Sanford took fourth in most blocks with 10 for the tournament.  Ashlie Billinslea had 13 steals to rank third.

Latoya Williams and Marneshia Hall were named to the NJCAA All Tournament Team.

The Lady Indians finish their season at 30-6. 

Central Arizona College defeated Jefferson College (MO) for the NJCAA Championship, 78-71.

Resources 


Pearl Johnson: LADY INDIANS LOSE BID FOR NATIONAL TITLE, March 20, 2009


SALINA, KS The Chipola College Lady Indians were defeated tonight ,78-59, by the Jefferson College (MO) Vikings in the semi-final round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Tournament in the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kansas.

Latoya Williams led Chipola with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Marneshia Hall added 10 points and 6 rebounds.  Pearl Johnson (Leesburg High School, Lady Lake Florida), Jamia Akins, and Lenita Sanford had 5 rebounds each. 

Chipola’s overall record stands at 29 – 6. The Lady Indians will play Kakaskia College from Centrailia, IL for third place at 5 p.m. CST on Saturday. 

The Lady Indians can be followed on WJAQ 100.9 radio or via internet through Chipola’s website at www.chipola.edu/radio/.  For game and tournament statistics, logon to www.cybersportsusa.com.  Women’s tournament information is available at www.salinakansas.org/visit/basketball.asp

Joe Williams
Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
June 21, 2007 

Monday, April 2, 2012

Pearl Johnson: Leesburg star commits to play basketball at UAB, June 21, 2007



June 21, 2007|By Joe Williams, Sentinel Staff Writer

Pearl Johnson, the junior who helped lead Leesburg's girls basketball team to a single-season school record for victories with 28 and a berth in a Class 5A state semifinal, has committed orally to play basketball at UAB.

Johnson, who made the commitment late Tuesday night, becomes UAB's first player to commit out of the 2008 high school senior class and is expected to sign with the Blazers in November.

With Johnson's commitment, which is non-binding until she signs, this will be the third year in a row that at least one player from Leesburg's girls basketball program has signed with a college. Two years ago, Sharece Taft signed with Fayetteville College. This past year, the team's two senior guards, Amber Bradley and A'shyia Haugabrook, signed with Clearwater Christian College and Webber International University in Babson Park, respectively.

UAB's Bartow Arena
Along with Johnson, several other seniors on the team, including forward/center Tenia Manuel, are expected to receive offers from colleges this year.

 "They really like her vision and court awareness, and typically, they like the way she carries herself on the floor," Leesburg Coach Mark Oates said about what the Blazers' coaching staff has told him about Johnson. "They feel there are a lot of leadership qualities in her."

Johnson, a 5-foot-6 guard, showed those abilities during a 69-61 loss to Clearwater in a state semifinal game. At times during the game, Johnson's play sparked Leesburg and helped the Yellow Jackets stay close to the Tornadoes. She led Leesburg with 22 points.

Johnson was the Orlando Sentinel's girls basketball player of the year for Lake/Sumter, averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds a game. She also was chosen to the Class 5A all-state first team, selected by the Florida Sports Writers Association, and was a second-team member of the All-Central Florida team by the Sentinel.

Bartow Arena
UAB first saw Johnson when she played in the Battle of the Bayou in Birmingham, Ala., an AAU basketball tournament, the summer after her sophomore year at Leesburg. The Blazers watched her again last year at the South Classic, an AAU tournament in North Carolina, and have been following her progress.

Oates said Johnson called him Tuesday night while she was returning from a basketball camp for elite players in Miami seeking his advice because she had received the offer from UAB.

"I told her to go home and talk to her mom and to make a list of pros and cons about going to UAB," Oates said. "I told her if the pros outweigh the cons, then she has her answer. She called me back at about 11:20 last night [Tuesday] and told me she had made up her mind."

Oates said her choice is a good one, and he knows she will be looked after with the Blazers.

UAB Womens Basketball Assistant Coach JoVanka Ward
JoVanka Ward, one of the team's assistant coaches, whose responsibilities include recruiting, has been in close pursuit of Johnson for a while. Oates also knows another of the program's assistant coaches, Daryl Oliver, quite well. Oliver's father was the pastor at Red Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Clinton, N.C., the church that Oates and his family attended when he was younger.

"I really think UAB is an outstanding school academically," Oates said. "From a basketball standpoint, I think it is a good fit for her. I know the Olivers. I know the environment she will be around. The relationship is there if I need to call him, or he needs to call me about Pearl. There is that comfort level there. I think she will be in good hands."

Joe Williams
Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
June 21, 2007 

Angie Felton: Gulf Coast CC wins NJCAA Division I women's hoops title


Monday, March 22, 2010 



STAFF REPORT

The Gulf Coast Community College Commodores defeated the Jefferson College Vikings 83-61 to win the 2010 NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship.

The Vikings came out stong taking a 4-0 lead to kick off the game, but it was the Commodores who pushed ahead to take a 36-23 lead at the half.


Tournament MVP Andrea Smith had a game high 35 points for Gulf Coast who finished 32-1 on the season. The Vikings were led by All-Tournament selection Ashley Brown who finished the day with 17 points.

Former Leesburg High School standout Angie Felton earned a place on the all-tournament team in her final game with the Commodores.

Angela Felton Lady Techsters vs. NMSU, Saturday, 2/25/2012 Karl Malone Court at the Thomas Assembly Center, Louisiana Tech University,Ruston LA. (photo by Donny Crowe) Louisiana Tech University

Oates is much more than just a coach, February 2, 2011



Thursday, February 24, 2011
FRANK JOLLEY | Columnist
frankjolley@dailycommercial.com 

Once upon a time ... 

In many ways, the success of the Leesburg High School girls basketball team might seem like a fairy tale. 

An unheralded assistant steps into the void left when the team's head coach departs and leads the Yellow Jackets to their most successful period in school history. 

Five seasons of 20 or more victories. 

A school record 29 wins in the 2007-2008 season, and 173 victories since 2003. 

The Yellow Jackets will make their third state semifinal appearance in five years at 10 a.m. Friday against St. Petersburg Lakewood at the Lakeland Center, and has become the program other area schools want to emulate. 

Mark Oates -- in his eighth season as coach of the Yellow Jackets -- has always been quick to point out that his team's success is anything but a fairy tale. 

Leesburg's winning ways, is due to a combination of factors: 

n a seemingly endless stream of talented players, all of whom have accepted Oates' system, and share his work ethic and desire to be the best. 

n a support system that includes parents who stay out of the way and let Oates coach and the girls play. 

n an administration that believes a school's athletic and academic success can co-exist. 

The biggest reason, at least from someone who has watched this team for the past seven years, is Oates. He'll likely be quick to deflect the praise he's earned -- he always has -- but he is the only constant during the Yellow Jackets' run. 

I've asked him many times what makes the girls basketball program at Leesburg so special, and he has the same answer every time -- his players. 

"I came from North Carolina and have no family here," Oates once said. "My basketball players became my family. I care about them and they care about me. When they do well in the classroom or on the basketball court, I'm like a proud father. 

"I often get emotional when I talk about these girls because every group I've had has meant so much to me." 

Oates truly is a special human being. He doesn't like to use the word "I" in conversation. Instead, he'd rather talk about his players, often addressing them by the pet name "Rockheads." 

"How many of you Rockheads want to win a state championship?" Oates asked his players during Tuesday's practice. 

Immediately, every hand in the gym was raised. 

"We need a championship effort, then. Even in practice and I'm not seeing it right now. 

Oates then blew the whistle and the intensity that was missing prior to his comments -- the suffocating get-after-the-ball-and-force-turnovers defensive pressures that's a trademark of Yellow Jackets basket -- returned. 

You can't help, but like Oates. He always has a smile on his face and something positive to say.
Oates is an advocate for his players, but he's also their toughest critic. He hugs them when they need it, but he'll also sit them on the bench when they need an attitude adjustment. 

He is the epitome of a successful high-school coach, but -- more important -- he's an even better person. 

And apparently, I'm not the only one who shares those beliefs. 

"I've learned so many lessons from coach Oates and not just about basketball," junior guard Baylie Bridges said. "Without him, I definitely wouldn't be here, getting ready to play in the Final 4. I'm a better player and I'll be ready to handle life after basketball because of the time I've spent around him. 

"After learning from him, I can't imagine where I'd be without coach Oates." 

Said senior Jaleesa Blue, "Coach Oates has impacted my life in so many ways. He's always done so much for us and we all respect him for that. In many ways, he's not just our basketball coach. He's someone we depend on and trust. We can talk to him when we can't talk to anyone else about anything. 

"For me, winning a state championship will have mixed emotions. I'll be happy for this team and our program, but I'll be sad to know that it will be the last game I play for coach Oates." 

Many people would love to have the impact Oates has in our community, but it will only be a pipe dream for most of us. 

He's the type of person you never forget when you meet him, and hope to meet when you about him. So many Leesburg High School girls basketball players are better because he's touched their lives. In fact, the statistic that Oates is most proud of is not about wins or championships. 

"Most of the players I've had at Leesburg has gone on to college or junior college," Oates said. "Not all of them on a scholarship or to play basketball, but they did get the opportunity to further their education." 

If anyone deserves to hang a banner that says, "State Champions" it is Oates. 

What a fitting ending to a story we could read to our children and grandchildren. 

... and they all lived happily ever after. 

Frank Jolley is a columnist for the Daily Commercial. Write to him at frankjolley@dailycommercial.com

Resources 

Yellow Jackets win again, January 20, 2008

Yellow Jackets win again 

January 20, 2008|By Shannon J. Owens, Sentinel Staff Writer

WINTER HAVEN -- Some basketball teams don't win with finesse and ease, but rather heart and muscle.

That was the case for Leesburg's girls basketball team as it overcame a listless first half to knock off Father Lopez 64-58 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Shootout at Winter Haven on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (22-1) are on a nine-game winning streak, undefeated against Florida basketball teams and snapped a six-game win streak for The Green Wave (17-4), ranked No. 1 in Class 2A.

"The kids have a good record. They need little things like this to shake them up," said Leesburg Coach Mark Oates.

Oates called his team's first half performance the "laziest he'd seen in his 18 years of coaching."

But Father Lopez's star freshman guard Cassie Peoples had a major hand in her team's 33-26 halftime lead. Peoples, who led both teams with 29 points, knocked in three treys and went 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

Father Lopez stayed one step ahead until Leesburg picked up steam on a few Pearl Johnson drives and dishes inside the paint.

The Yellow Jackets got their first significant lead, 60-54, in the fourth quarter on two Keyoshia Wright free throws from a Peoples foul.

Trailing in near double figures with less than two minutes in the game, Father Lopez missed five three pointers on their final seven possessions.

"We showed we can play with anybody," said Father Lopez Coach Brad Ridenour. "We just gotta finish."

Resources 

Shannon Owens 
Sentinel Staff
Orlando Sentinel
www.orlandosentinel.com
January 20, 2008