The Grove Comet ~ 1969 ~ Final Copy ~ Section One ~ Page 7

   Although basketball has been
played at Grove some 36 years,
the first and last teams
representing E. W. Grove High will obviously be most remembered.
   Basketball originated at
Grove as an interclass activity
and little interest was shown in
its development, as it was not a
very popular sport. 1932 saw the
inauguration of the boy's
basketball at Grove. Considering the fact that the majority of
candidates had never played
basketball before, the limited
amount of facilities, the schedule and time the boys had to practice, the team did remarkably well.
   Kenneth Clayton and Leon
Chapman were centers; Charlie
Butler, Don Wendling, Lester
Neese, and William Juion were
forwards; Sonny Humphreys and
Curtis Mann were standing
guards, Bluse McAbee and Paul
Scott were running guards. The team was coached by Mr.
Robison and managed by

Kenneth Daniel. A captain was
appointed at the beginning of
each game. Games were played
on outside courts until the little
gym was built. Now with the use of Grove's larger gym, the seating capacity for a home game has easily tripled. For the past several
years Grove's gym has been the
center of all District 25 action
and has only occasionally been
filled to its true capacity.
Grove's 68-69 season, or the
last basketball team in Grove's
long history, was quite different
from its first as far as height
goes. Each team had just about
the same number of players,
around ten, but in height
Grove's first team would have
literally "looked down" to this
year's team. Man for man,
except for maybe a few cases,
the 1932 team had an inch to
three inches on this team.
Grove's last starting line-up
consisted of Jerry Thomas
center,

Pat Vogel and Lynn Paschall, forwards, and Greg VanDyke and Jimmy King the guards. Although Alf Caldwell and Bill Clayton weren't always in the starting role, but they saw a considerable amount of action in practically every game. Other substitutes were Franky
Hosford, Mike Davis, and Ernie
Greer. The team was coached by
Mr. Bob Jarvis and Steve Looney
was the manager.
Despite this years team's lack
of size, experience, and having
to play the schedule for next
year's team in the consolidated
high school, the team did
remarkably well. Many of the
teams they played were in the
top 20 in the state. Six games
that were played were decided
by 2 or fewer points. Even
though percentage wise in the
win-lost column Grove's last
team was under .500, it was
obvious during each game every
player gave his 100% in trying to
make Grove's last team the best.

By the late 1930's Grove
High's girls' basketball team was
well on its way. First known as
the Grove High Cagers and under
the direction of Coaches Julian
Brewer, Robert Jelks, and D.
Routon, these girls were out to
put Grove on the map. In 1936
the season's record was 12-3-1.
To wind up this year's season,
Grove High won the
tournaments.
The next year the girls had a
winning season until the last
night of the district tournament.
On January 16, 1937, Grove
beat Henry, 38-18. March 2,
1937 was an important day in
the nineteenth district
tournaments. A new style of
basketball made of ten separate
pieces of leather glued together
and without laces was
introduced. The winner of this
tournament received a huge
bronze trophy and the runner-up
received a small one. More than
one-hundred twenty-six players
accompanied by coaches from
14 schools of Henry, Benton,
and Carroll counties attended
this game. The Grove High Blue
Devilettes beat McLemoresville
23-22 in this game. On March 6,
1937, Grove played Clarksburg
and Carolyn Clayton, a Grove
star, racked up seventeen points.
She was backed up by another
brilliant player, Cora Trevathan.

   From 1938 to 1947 our girls
played average seasons. Then in
1947, the good luck streak ran
out. We lost our first game
which set the pattern for the rest
of the season. The team was
small and inexperienced, but
they showed good
sportsmanship.
   1948 was a very successful
year. Captain, Bobbie Holden,
and alternate Captain, Betty
Kerney, led the team to a score
of victories. The coaching of Mr.
Robert Jelks and Mr. Julian
Brewer brought those girls a long
way.
   The year 1950 went the same
as the past two years for the
team was very successful. The
Captain for this year was Pat
Owens and the co-captain was
Larue Wainscott. Mr. Julian
Brewer continued his excellent
job of coaching.
   In 1951 Coach Lamar
Roberts came to Grove and she
will leave behind an excellent
record. Her first and second
years showed her ability as a
coach when her teams came up
winners in the district.
   From 1953 to 1958, her
teams won the district
tournaments. 1959 was one of
the highlights of her entire
coaching career. This team won
the district, went on to the

regionals, and came up fourth in
the State.
   The next year her luck ran
low, and the team didn't do
much. The 1961 season was slow
also.
   In 1962 the tide turned, and
the Devilettes won the district
tournament. In 1963 they were
defeated in the district
semi-finals. In 1964 the streak of
luck continued to run high, for
the Devilettes went to State
again.
   In 1965 the team slowed
down, and the following year
they were defeated in the
district quarter-finals. Nineteen
sixty seven and 1968 were very
bad years for the Devilettes.
Their winning streak was low.
   To wind up a successful
coaching career. Miss Roberts's
1969 Devilettes played with
great hustle and determination
and came up fourth in the
district.
   Miss Roberts summed up her
career at Grove with the
following: "Three of my best
players [Judy Robinson, Linda
Hutcheson, and Sue Valentine]
went to Nashville Business
College to continue playing
basketball. Grove went to the
regionals ten times and to state
twice during my eighteen years,
and that is something everyone
can be proud of."