Gainey Named NCBCA Coach Of The Year

The North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association has named Rocky Mount High School  boys basketball Mike Gainey as the coach of the year.  This is not and award as the 3-A coach of the year but for all levels of high schools  boys and girls in North Carolina.

Gainey who has lead Rocky Mount to two State Championships in the past three seasons finished this year with a 27-3 record and beat Hickory in the 3-A championship game 68-54.    Gryphon senior Terrill Hilliard has been named to the first team NCBCA All State team.  Hilliard is the only player from this area to make the all State top three teams.

This afternoon Rocky Mount baseball played the host team South Johnston in the fifth place game of the South Johnston Tournament.  Gryphons lose 9-5.  They will now not play again until next Thursday nines days from now as they will travel to Northern Nash to start the second go round in conference baseball play.

Prayer Time:  Speaking of Northern pitcher Hunter Watson has been involved in a four wheeler accident and is in Greenville under going treatment and has probably been lost for the season.  I understand he has multible injuries but I don't know the extent.

During my years either doing play by play on radio or TV I have come across many friends who have no idea who I am but because they have heard me and I covered something they wanted to know about we have become friends with many people.

One of those people is Greg Pierce who graduated from Rocky Mount High in 1987,  Greg now lives in Fuquay Varina and has a property Investment Company.  Greg still loves his Gryphons and any time he can pick up a game on radio he has listened and over the years we have corresponded with each other.  Once coming to a Gryphon football game he made a visit to the booth just to meet me.  He and I have become E-mail buddies and he is all the time asking me about the Gryphons.

Ten days a go Greg's son Drew who plays soccer on one of the select teams in the Raleigh area broke his leg in two places and went to Rex Hospital to get it reset.  By Wednesday it was discovered that his leg was dying  and blood flow was cut off to his feet and toes.  He was transferred to UNC Hospitals where Drew has undergone  several operations in the last week to save his leg.

A week has past and Drew is not out of the woods yet but signs are improving.  I hope you are like me and believe that prayer works and when a mass of people pray the Lord will listen. Drew and Hunter need our prayers.  Please join me in a prayer for these young men.

You know sports is vital to our society.  Whether it's a little leaguer getting hit in the head or a football player having a spinal injury, injuries occur in our pursuit of enjoyment.