College Basketball Hall Welcomes Phil Ford

The College basketball Hall Of Fame on Wednesday announced that Rocky Mount Gryphon  Phil Ford will be inducted in their 2012 Hall Of fame Class. Ford who graduated from RMSH in 1974 is the all time leading scorer in Senior High history collecting almost 2,100 points in his three year varsity career.  He was passed in 2010 by TaShawn Mabry who is the leading scorer in Rocky Mount history as a four  year high school and Mabry started all four of his years for the Gryphons.

Ford went to North Carolina where he left school as the all time leading scorer and for many years he was the only player in ACC history to score 2,000 points and also have 600 assists.  Any time the name Dean Smith comes up the first thing anyone thinks about is the four corner offense in which during his four year career for Carolina Phil  Ford was the Master at the control dribbling from the foul line to mid court waiting for a team mate to break for the basket after a defender had turned his head to check on where Ford was and Ford would feed a pass for a Carolina Layup.

Ford will be joined in the 2012 inductions by Georgetown's Patrick Ewing  and former Kansas great Clyde Lovellette.  Several others including Earl the Pearl Monroe from Philadelphia but played his college ball at Winston Salem State and was the #1 draft pick of the Baltimore Bullitts in 1967 will also be honored.

Tonight in Elon the University of North Carolina baseball team left the campus for the first time this year and met the Phoenix on the baseball field and Mike Fox handed to ball to former Gryphon Benton Moss.   Not only does Benton win his first college game but he comes awful close to getting a complete game three hitter  as Moss goes 8.1 inning allowing three hits as the Heels Beat Elon 3-0.  Only five base runners reach base as Moss struck out eight.  The winningest pitcher in Gryphon history starts to climb up the ladder of baseball wins in Carolina history with #1.

Good news for Gryphon basketball fans heading into Saturday's Championship game with Hickory.  Levon Brutus who left Fayetteville last Saturday with ice on his ankle was back practicing  so he should be at full force for the Gryphon's Saturday.  If you haven't purchased your ticket yet they are on sale in Mike Gainey's office at Rocky Mount High School .  The Gryphons will be the visiting team and will wear their road uni's with Rocky Mount on their chest and all Gryphons fans are urged to wear blue Saturday night.