Short summaries of past Elkmont Red Devils
who went on to play college ball:
As a child growing up in Limestone County, excitement for Terry Williams was going to the Fourth of July festival in Triana. He and his family would make the short trip to Triana each year to celebrate America’s independence. Little did Williams realize that one day he would be traveling, not to Triana, but to the nearby Huntsville International Airport to board jets that would take him to far-distant lands.
“Basketball allowed me to travel and see places that otherwise I would have never seen,” said the 2011 Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame inductee. “Counting college and professional, I played basketball in 42 states here and nine different countries. It was sort of ironic that a teacher in high school tried to get me to take a foreign language course. I refused thinking I would never leave this country. What I didn’t know was that one day I would be sitting in an elementary school room class in Paris, France watching my
daughter being taught.”
The 6-foot 10-inch William’s basketball journey began at Elkmont High School where he starred for coach Lester Smith and the Red Devils. He earned All- Area, All-County and All- State honors while playing at Elkmont. Williams averaged 25 points, 15 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game his senior season and was named to the Alabama Super Five Team. He captained Elkmont’s team as a senior and scored a career high 45 points against East Limestone.
“Terry was an unselfish player,” said Smith. “He played within the team concept and had a very good career for us. He handled the ball and shot the ball well for a player his size. Terry was a good all-around athlete as well.”
It was his senior season that Williams started believing maybe he could take his basketball talents to the next level. Major college coaches begin to flock to Elkmont to watch the slender forward with the feathery jump shot play and Williams was flooded with scholarship offers. “I was going to initially sign with Auburn because I thought I would have a quicker chance of seeing playing time. But, my parents wanted me to visit Alabama before I signed so I did. Once I visited Tuscaloosa, I knew that was the place for me and I signed with Alabama,” said Williams.
The transition to the college game for Williams was challenging. During his first two seasons, Williams was only a part-time player for the Crimson Tide. Williams, however, continued to work hard, added strength and became a big contributor to the Tide’s success during his junior and senior seasons.
Williams was the Tide’s fourth leading scorer during his junior year and started 18 games for Alabama. It was his junior season that Williams enjoyed what was to be his finest performance in a Crimson Tide uniform. Alabama was playing in the Finals of the Winston Tire Classic in San Francisco. against Georgetown and their All-American center Patrick Ewing. Williams scored 28 points against the Hoyas and hit 14 of 15 shots from the field to lead the Tide to a 94-73 win.
“The funny part of that is that I didn’t score a point the night before against Southern Cal. So before our game with Georgetown, (former Alabama guard and current UAB men’s basketball coach) Mike Davis came up to me and jokingly told me that we needed more points out of our small forward. I hit my first shot against Georgetown and it was just one of those nights that I was in a comfort zone and felt like I couldn’t miss. I found a comfortable spot on the floor and our point guard Ennis Whatley kept feeding me the ball and telling me to shoot,” said Williams.
The Tide would jump up to number five in the national rankings after their big win over Georgetown but soon would be humbled as they would go on to lose four of their next five games which didn’t sit well with Alabama Head Coach Wimp Sanderson. “Coach Sanderson got on us pretty good during that stretch. He really pressed upon us the importance of regardless of whom we were playing, we had to play hard every game,” said Williams.
Williams’s senior season would be a very good one for him and the Tide. Williams finished the 1983-84 season as Alabama’s third leading scorer (14.3 ppg.) and rebounder (4.5 rpg.). Alabama would win 18 games and advance to the NCAA tournament for the third time during Williams Alabama career.
Sanderson says that Williams had a good career at Alabama. “Terry was a good basketball player and he contributed to the success of our program. I’m proud that Terry’s being inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame. I’m excited and pleased for him,” said Sanderson.
Williams says he has some fond memories of his days at Alabama. “I played with some good players and good people. Probably my best memory was my sophomore year when we beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena for the SEC Tournament championship,” said Williams.
Former Alabama teammate and Houston Rockets standout Buck Johnson says Williams reminds him of some of the European players playing today in the NBA. “Terry had the length and the outside shooting ability like Dirk Nowitzki and others in the NBA right now. Terry was a great teammate with a good sense of humor. He was a terrific competitor who could really shoot the basketball. He had some good games when I was his teammate at Alabama. The Georgetown game obviously stands out but he played well against Auburn when they had (Charles) Barkley,” said Johnson.
Williams would be drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA draft after his senior season but without a promise of a guaranteed contract, he headed overseas to start his professional career. The first country he played in was Italy. He would play in seven more countries professionally before retiring in 1996. Turkey was the last country he played in. “One of my favorite countries to play in was Israel. Today, you here about all the terrorist activity there but when I played in Israel, all the people were so nice,” said Williams.
Williams says he is humbled by the journey that has taken him to be inducted into his home county’s hall of fame. “I have a lot of people to thank for this award. My mom was always my best fan. She would come to all of my games and support me. My teammates in both high school and college. My coaches and all the others who helped me in my basketball career. It is a real honor to be recognized by the board of directors for this award,” said Williams.
Danny Anderson
Elkmont's 'Mr. Everything'now a coach at Guntersville
It has been 12 years since Danny Anderson led Elkmont High School to the Limestone County and Area basketball championships and a trip to the Northwest Regionals at Wallace State-Hanceville. Today, Anderson is a husband, father and high school basketball coach at Guntersville High School.
"For me, coaching is my calling," Anderson said. "I get the opportunity each and every day to be a role model to so many young adults. I try to coach the game of basketball just like I played."
He is married to Jennifer Anderson, and they have two children, Jaylon and Brooklyn. They are expecting their third child, a boy, in August.
While at Elkmont, Anderson was a sharpshooter who gained the nickname Elkmont's "Mr. Everything," while leading the team to an overall 53-10 record during his junior and senior seasons. He was the All-County MVP, All-Area, All-Region, and first team All-State in 1998. He also played in the North-South All-Star game. At Elkmont, he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds a game.
He went on to star at Calhoun Community College where the Warhawks finished as the 1999-2000 national runner-up during the tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Anderson made the All-Tournament team.
"Playing basketball at Calhoun was special for me because it allowed my family and close friends to continue to see me play," Anderson said. "Eight of the 11 players were from North Alabama, so that was fun to know many of the guys on the team. Winning our state tournament and going to play in Kansas was a great experience.
His sophomore season, Anderson transferred to Midland College in Midland, Texas. The team there went 25-9 and was the state runner-up. Anderson was first team All-Conference, averaging 15 points and rebounds a game.
"Moving to Midland and living in West Texas was very different," he said. "This was the most talented team I have ever been a part of. I think all 10 players signed or could have signed to play Division 1 basketball. "I enjoyed playing there because I was able to travel and see a lot of places for a small kid from Elkmont, AL."
He spent his junior and senior years at the University of North Alabama.
"I decided to come back closer to home and play so that my family could come and watch," he said.
Anderson played semi-pro basketball with the "Magic City Court Kings" and played with such players as Rod Grizzard from Alabama and Brandon Robinson, of Auburn. His coaching career began at New Market School where he coached the 7th and 8th grade teams for two years. He then hired on at Deshler High School in Tuscumbia where he was the interim head coach where his team finished 21-7 and won the area championship.
He is now coaching at Class 4A Guntersville High School where he is the head coach of the JV Boys and a varsity assistant. Guntersvile went 20-10, won the area championship and hosted a Sub-Regional game this past season.
BAILEE ROBINSON
| College: UAH Position: Guard Class: Senior Hometown: Elkmont, Ala. Previous School: Wallace State CC 2011-12: Started 29 games while appearing in all 30 contests for the Lady Chargers … Ranked third in the Gulf South Conference in free throw percentage (79.4 percent), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (39.2 percent) 3- point field goals made (49) and assists (69) … Featured the third-best scoring average on the team as she tallied 10.7 points per contest … Registered double figures in 18 contests … Scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds at West Georgia (1/7) … Connected on 11 of 12 free throw opportunities while collecting a season-best nine boards against West Florida (1/14) … Knocked down three treys and scored 13 points in GSC Tournament championship contest against West Alabama (3/4). |
Prep: Attended Elkmont High School and was coached by Steve Bates and Jeff Davis … Named 3A Player of the Year as a senior … During freshman through senior years, named to the All-County and All-Area teams … As a junior and senior, earned All-Region and All-State accolades … Earned All-Area honors as an eighth-grader First Team honors … Holds the varsity school record for most points scored, 2,180… Played in the North-South All-Star Game … Graduated third, academically, in class and received the Bryant Jordan Student-Athlete Scholarship … Volunteered with Operation Christmas child and Habitat for Humanity.  |
Tom Logan
Elkmont High School senior Tom Logan Commits to Maryville College
Maryville, Tenn. – Tom Logan, a 6'3" guard from Elkmont High School, has committed to continue his education and basketball career at Maryville College. Logan, the son of Therese and Jim Logan, was a senior standout for the Red Devils and head coach Tony Willis.
A three-year starter for the Red Devils, Tom was three-time All County, three-time All Region, and team captain during his senior season. He scored 1410 points, grabbed 510 rebounds, and dished out 179 assists through his high school career. Tom averaged 16 points per game and six rebounds per game and hit 109 three point shots in his senior campaign.
Randy Lambert, head coach of the Scots, had this to say about Tom's decision to continue his career at Maryville College, "Tom is a quality student-athlete that we welcome into our program. His ability to shoot the three and play either wing position was attractive to us. Tom comes to us from a good high school program. He knows how to win."
Logan will be joining a Scots basketball team that finished the 2008-09 year with a 20-7 record, including a 16 game winning streak before a 68-64 loss to Trinity University in the NCAA tournament.
The MC Cagers also had an undefeated regular season Great South Athletic Conference championship, a Great South Athletic Conference Tournament championship, and an eleventh consecutive NCAA Division III tournament berth. Head Coach Randy Lambert has been at Maryville College for 29 seasons, and has 545 career wins to his credit – all at his alma mater.
2010-11 Men's Harding Basketball Roster33 Jonathan Carter Position: GuardHeight: 6-2 Weight: 185Class: Redshirt FreshmanHometown: Elkmont, Ala. Previous School: Univ. of Missouri-St. Louis | |
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