Written by John Ferguson Saturday, 20 March 2010 08:33
The early results may be dire, but don't believe for a moment that the sun is setting early on the Blue Devil 2010 campaign.
I had a chance Friday night to go watch the Blue Devil soccer team play Gallatin last Friday night, a rare treat for me. A club soccer coach myself, I don't get to watch many high school games, as they tend to conflict with my teams' practices.
White House is young, and youth combined with Coach Lamberth's shrewd strategy of scheduling tough games early has made for a rocky start this season. To the untrained eye, the beatings the Blue Devils have taken early this year - yielding over 20 goals in preseason, then falling 7-0 to Beech and 4-1 to Gallatin in the season's opening games - would seem to indicate little to no chance for this team this spring.
Think again.
This team is not at full strength. Junior GK Jordan Baker injured his knee in the Beech game, forcing head coach Mark Lamberth to press freshman Cameron Curry into service. Oscar Callejas, a junior midfield with a solid soccer IQ, is also working his way back from injury, and freshman Gage Black, a workhorse with a huge motor, was out this week with the flu.
After a disastrous opening Friday night, the Devils began to find their feet, and actually created some nice chances in the second half - no mean feat, given that this Gallatin dropped DII powerhouse MBA 3-1 in their preseason. I've trained with several of the Green Wave players in our club, and they are quality, with several playing on state championship teams.
Curry clearly gained confidence as the night progressed, and the White House back four are beginning to get organized. Senior Alfredo Louis' stocky frame belies a quickness on the ball, and once this team figures out a way to get quality service early into the attacking third, senior forward Cole Elrod's speed and vision should give opposing defenses fits.
Coach Lamberth sees the big picture as well. "I liked some of the things I saw in the second half," he said afterward. "We're starting to get organized in the back, and in all these early games, we've never stopped competing."
Possession through the middle third and creativity in creating chances offensively are still questions that need answers, but in the game of soccer, those answers only come with time and experience. This tough early schedule will help accelerate the learning curve for this young squad.
Don't let the early results fool you - this team is not that far from being dangerous come tournament time.
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Written by Submitted Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:52
We never knew what to expect from the 'do, but we knew we'd get something special every night on the floor. Photo by Tommy Rouse.
The thought was a bit perplexing, that fans at White House High School would take for granted what was about to happen on the basketball court.
Rather the most mysterious question of the night was, what design would be shaved into the side of Rob Poindexter’s noggin - usually a trademark star with his jersey number “5” to complement a team full of faux-hawk haircuts. This was Rob, laid back, styled-out, rocking the headphones from an iPod with his gray warmup suit to enter the gym while the White House girls were playing the first game. Everyone always noticed, for sure fans checked out Rob’s style.
No one bothered to worry about the things he could do on the court.
Then like neon lights plugged into hot wire, someone turned on the clock and put him between the lines. The humble, care-free, comedic spirit turned fierce competitor and took over the basketball arena at home or away, dominating the league as the co-District 9-AA Player of the Year and the statistical leader in almost every category on his team.
This is why Rob Poindexter, a senior forward for the Blue Devils, was named the Star’s City Player of the Year in boys basketball, and will graduate this spring from WHHS after three years as a starter for the boys team.
“I’ve never seen a player take over a gym before he ever spoke a word or stepped on the basketball court like Rob did,” said Pastor Kris Freeman, who works with Blue Devil sports in the local media. “But the magical thing was, Rob never noticed it. He never changed. He had no signs of anything but humility and loved every person from the smallest kid to the oldest fan. He is one of the most humble young men I have ever seen. But wow, put him on the floor and look out.”
He was a middle school phenom, a sensational tight end for the football team and nothing but potential in hoops. He later dedicated himself just to basketball. But Coach Dee Spencer, who was his head coach for the past three seasons, remembers Rob as a sophomore, still green, with raw talent, but ever-coachable.
“It’s been a joy to coach him,” Coach Spencer said, whose team finished as the co-District 9-AA champions and made a regional appearance at 18-10. “He couldn’t take two dribbles in a row or bring the ball up court, but he was coachable. He listened to everything we said and worked his butt off and went from being a role player his sophomore year to the best player in the district.”
For those in White House, it would seem a shame that Rob did not win the District 9-AA Player of the Year outright. But that may be traced to a road game in Westmoreland, where the mild-mannered Poindexter was pushed to his limit perhaps further than any time in his career. Swarmed on defense in a physical game that was allowed to be sloppy by officials, Rob missed the majority of the second quarter with a nasty injury.
In a scramble for the rebound, Poindexter and junior teammate Taylor Ward battled to the floor with two Eagles defenders. Ward was rolled up and thankfully missed an ankle injury, but Poindexter wasn’t so lucky. His left temple slammed the court and bloodied the floor and his jersey, sending Rob to the locker room to change his trademark number 5 to jersey 23.
Rob would score 21 points in the game – and did nothing to turn his status except for the first time, the district made progress on White House and every team had at least two losses. Westmoreland would eventually tie for the title at 7-3.
But this game wasn’t over. Poindexter and the Blue Devils were down 42-33 when he drove for back-to-back baskets plus a foul. But in the third period, Poindexter went up for a shot and then after the rebound. While holding the ball at his right shoulder, senior Jacob Hinton reached over him from behind to try and create a tie-up possession. But Hinton never let go, and the mild-mannered Poindexter had enough.
“You know that look – players get it – when they’ve been beaten, and pushed, and draped and knocked around, and they finally say enough is enough…well, this was it. Rob didn’t mean to do anything except get the player off his back,” said Freeman, who was working on the local Comcast broadcast that night. “He threw Hinton on the floor right over his back. All arms, body-slammed to the ground. I hated the call was a foul on him, but officials have to get control of a game before something like that happens. It was unfortunate but I just simply couldn’t believe how strong he was to sling him off like that. Another player might have caused an altercation, but that’s not Rob. Rob has class and he plays the game right. He just defended himself. Enough was enough.”
Poindexter was called for a technical foul and a personal foul and that was critical, because with one minute to play, Poindexter and the Blue Devils were within one point at 46-45 and Rob went to the basket. He spun right, leaned forward and then faded back for a four-foot jumper – and in the worst call of the season against White House basketball, was called for a charge.
He left the game with five fouls, and Seth Graves nailed a jumper on the other end to put the game away. Perry led all players with 25 points and that game unfortunately turned the tide on the Blue Devils.
“It’s one of the worst calls I have ever seen,” Freeman said. “It’s probably the only time as an announcer where I have just had to turn my mic off and drop it and shut up. I couldn’t believe the call and Rob didn’t deserve that. That shot was good, and I fully believe if the call goes the right way, we win. We win going away.”
Westmoreland captured a 51-45 victory but there was no way Poindexter and his teammates were going down easy. Despite being double-teamed and swarmed in the halfcourt, Poindexter still averaged 19 points a game, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and led the team in nearly every single category.
He was the only senior. And his leadership ability took over.
Rob found himself the primary target of opposing defenses night after night.
It all started at Hendersonville, a double overtime thriller in the Hall of Fame Classic at HHS to open the season. Poindexter missed winning shots in regulation, the first overtime but in the second overtime was money and hit the game-winning jumper as White House rallied on all three occasions in the final minute.
Then he sent the Macon County game to overtime at White House, but missed on the opportunity to win it in regulation at the free-throw line. Still, he shot over 70 percent from there for the season. White House suffered its first loss of the season in the district that night, 44-39.
But they got revenge.
White House played at Macon County in the lowest scoring game of the season. Tied at 18-18 in the fourth quarter, Poindexter intercepted a ball on the home end and officials ruled he stepped on the baseline. What seemed like a questionable call actually turned on karma for the good, as the Tigers turned it over with under 10 seconds to play.
With 4.4 seconds left, Poindexter took the inbounds pass and faked a look to Taylor Ward, then after being double-teamed all night dribbled right between two defenders and into the right wing, sinking a 30-footer with nothing but net at the buzzer for the win.
The 21-18 final was one of Rob’s lowest statistical performances of the year, but without a doubt the most exciting.
The Blue Devils would eventually end the season with disappointing exits in the district and regional tournament to Greenbrier and Martin Luther King, but Poindexter was brilliant and humble through it all.
“He led us in every category and we kind of knew what we expected of him this year,” said Coach Spencer. “We wanted to see him in more of a leadership role and we always knew he was going to play hard. He was our leader, he was our go-to guy and we expected him to make big plays and he did it all for us.”
Once again, however, basketball is not the only thing that makes Rob an excellent young role model and man. He was voted Mr. White House by his peers at school for his senior year, and is as respected in the hall and the class room maybe more than he is on the court.
Same quiet walk, same sheepish smile, same relaxed demeanor, you’ll find him roaming the halls. Whether it’s hanging with his teammates like Casey Tidwell, Darrell Crouch and others or playing online video games – and according to Rob – beating Casey with ease, Rob is who he is.
He hung out with Casey enough to talk a little trash, anyway.
Dena Tidwell, Casey’s mother, once said of Rob, “he is the most polite, most humble young man I have ever been around.” Rob loves to be introduced as the “other brother” with a big smile, according to Casey’s sister, Amber Leftwich-West.
Everyone in White House wishes they could keep Rob around longer, including his head coach.
“It’s been a joy to coach him and we’re going to miss him,” Poindexter said. “It changes the whole approach. I just want the younger guys to see if you put in the time and the work, it will be worth it in the long run. If you continue to work hard on that, you will get better and he’s done that. He’s modeled it.
“He dedicated himself to the game of basketball and his teammates and I hope they learned from him how it’s supposed to be done.”
Rob is also a sly comedian, and his teammates, coaches and fans will miss his sense of humor. Maybe fans will miss the most the famous signs and chants after a blocked shot…
“You’ve been Rob’d.”
No one in White House was robbed, though, rather were rewarded with an opportunity to see excellence personified
“He’s a great person, that’s the bottom line,” Spencer said. “That’s why he was voted Mr. White House. His teachers love him, the kids love him and he’s just a great kid. And he’s a big cut up. He wants to make everyone laugh.”
What he did was make us cheer and for three years, watching Rob was a privilege. Still undecided, a college will likely get the same chance in the future but nothing will ever be White House.
Just like the shaved shape in the side of his head, Poindexter was destined to be a star – but he’d never tell you that. We might have it figured out, but Rob would just as soon someone else get the credit.
For that reason, we will award it to him.
We might have been witnesses, but ladies and gentleman, Rob Poindexter was the man.
