High School Notebook: former UNC star Lennie Rosenbluth to be honored at Myers Park fundraiser

Former UNC basketball basketball legend Lennie Rosenbluth will be the featured speaker at a special event put on by the Myers Park girls basketball team next week. Rosenbluth’s wife, Dianne, is a Myers Park graduate.

Rosenbluth, now 83, led the Tar Heels to a 32-0 record and the 1957 NCAA national championship. UNC beat Kansas 54-53 in triple-overtime, denying Kansas 7-1 center Wilt Chamberlain a title.

Rosenbluth averaged 28 points per game in 1957. He had 20 points in the ‘57 national final.

Rosenbluth will speak on Oct. 12 at the Sugar Creek Brewing Company. The event is from 6-9 p.m. with proceeds benefiting the Mustangs’ girls basketball team. Other UNC notables, including former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot, are expected to be in attendance.

Tickets (limited quantity) are $65 each and are available here.

Volleyball: SouthLake wins third straight league title

SouthLake Christian went undefeated in Metrolina Athletic Conference play to win its third straight regular-season championship. SouthLake lost just one set in 10 matches and finished regular-season play on a seven-game win streak.

The Eagles are the No. 1 seed for the MAC tournament, Oct. 10-13 at SouthLake.

Sophomore Kennedy Smith leads the Eagles with 337 kills and 245 digs. She’s had 60 kills in her last three matches. Sophomore Mia Handlogten leads the team with 35 blocks, followed by junior Kylee Garrison with 34. Sophomore Grace Iannarino has team-highs with 70 aces and 743 assists.

▪ After a fifth-grade student at Cox Mill Elementary named Elijah lost a battle with cancer last year, a foundation named his honor, “Prayers for Elijah,” became a central theme and cause for the Cox Mill volleyball team. Junior volleyball player Courtney Webster helped plan and organize the school’s campaign to support the foundation, which seeks to help pediatric cancer patients.

Last week, Cox Mill held its second #BeBoldForGold charity match to raise money for childhood cancer awareness month and to raise money for the Prayers for Elijah foundation. Cox Mill’s families donated money and wore special warm-up shirts. Players decorated the gym and the booster club and athletic department at the school agreed to donate 10 percent of concession sales from the day of the game and 10 percent of ticket sales to the charity.

Cox Mill sold raffle tickets and pizzas and a gold volleyball. Cox Mill’s opponent, Hickory Ridge, held a 50/50 raffle at an earlier home game with proceeds going to the cause. Between them, the schools raised more than $1,000.

Basketball: Comenius to host fourth annual Christmas tournament

Fort Mill’s Comenius High will host its fourth Christmas tournament Dec. 15-17. Games will be played Thursday and Friday at 3:30, 5, 6:30 and 8. Games on Saturday the 17th, will be 3, 4:30, 6 and 7:30. Seven teams have been named for the eight-team field: Comenius; 22 Feet Academy; Charlotte Basketball Academy; Raleigh Word of God; Liberty Heights; Durham Mount Zion; and Walnut Grove.

▪ Several Observer-area players have been invited to the 8th USA Basketball Men’s Junior National October mini-camp Oct. 8-9 at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The players will train from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (all times are MDT) and 4:30-7 p.m. on Oct. 8 and from 9-11:30 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. on Oct. 9.

The mini-camp is designed to familiarize players with USA Basketball and to help USA Basketball field competitive, experienced teams for upcoming competitions.

Area players invited are Cox Mill’s Wendell Moore (2019) and Rocky River’s Jaden Springer (2019).

Also invited are Carson McCorkle (Raleigh Broughton, 2020), Josh Nickelberry (Fayetteville Northwood Temple, 2019) and South Carolina star Christian Brown (AC Flora High, 2019),

Baseball: North Meck to dedicate field to former coach

North Mecklenburg will name its baseball field for former coach Bill Ross at a special ceremony prior to Friday’s homecoming football game with Hopewell. Ross taught history and coached baseball and football at North from 1958-73. He was assistant baseball coach from 1958-62 and was head baseball coach from 1963-73.

His baseball record is 128-61-1. His teams won five conference championships. In 1966, he led the Vikings to the N.C. 4A state championship. In 1973, North Meck was state runner-up. Ross was also instrumental in helping design the Vikings current baseball stadium, including the lighting, dugout and stands.

“Although his athletic record is certainly impressive and, alone, should qualify him for this honor, many North Mecklenburg alumni suggest Coach Ross’ impact and influence on many generations of students was remarkable and long-remembered,” Vikings athletics director Marc Calderone said in a statement. “Ross set a level of expectation and example for all his students-athletes and non-athletes—and exhibited true caring for teenagers struggling with growing up in confusing times. He always sought the best results for his students.”

The ceremony to honor Ross begins at 6 p.m. Friday.

▪ The baseball job at Olympic High is open, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson Renee McCoy told the Observer. Jonathan Thomas led the team to a 13-12 record last season.

Lacrosse: Marvin Ridge names new coaches

Kevin Mack is the new boys lacrosse at Marvin Ridge, and Marvin Ridge graduate Melinda Vasconcellos has been hired as the girls’ head coach.

Mack, a PE teacher at Marvin Ridge and has been an assistant for two years with the varsity lacrosse team. He played at Ohio State and was a member of the Charlotte Hounds practice squad last year.

Vasconcellos, a 2009 Marvin Ridge grad, played at Presbyterian College as well as being a part of the Winthrop University women’s lacrosse coaching staff in 2015 when Winthrop qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time. Vasconcellos coached at Sun Valley High last season.

Soccer: Mallard Creek star nominated for national award

Mallard Creek fullback Alfredo Macias-Yanez scored a goal against Kernersville Glenn that is nominated for a USA Today goal of the year. Macias-Yanez approached a deflected header and hit a long, rising shot that slipped past the goalie and set off a mad celebration.

▪ East Meck sophomore Marley Poku-Kankam is helping to organize a “Kick Cancer” event at the school’s Pink Out soccer game against Butler Oct. 10. Proceeds will go to the St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the American Cancer Society. Students are asked to bring in a picture of someone they know who has battled cancer and $2, and organizers will put it on an “I Kick Cancer” poster to hang at the game.

Misc

Community School of Davidson won the 2015-16 N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A Wells Fargo Cup for overall athletic excellence. The school will be presented the cup Friday at halftime of the Bessemer City “home” game at Mallard Creek High School.

The Wells Fargo Cup recognizes the high school that achieves the best overall interscholastic athletic performance within each of the state’s four competitive classifications.

▪ South Caldwell High’s marching band will perform in the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago with some of the nation’s best bands. The band earned an invitation from WorldStrides OnStage and is under the director of Jason Childers, who has taught for 17 years. South Caldwell’s band is made up of 80 students.

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 8:13 PM with the headline "High School Notebook: former UNC star Lennie Rosenbluth to be honored at Myers Park fundraiser."