I am still digging through my collection of cassette tapes. I found a WFTM SportsSpeak program that aired on February 3, 1988 featuring Maysville coach Mike Reitz, Mason County coach Allen Feldhaus and Deming coach Gary McKinney.
Oscar Day and I hosted the show. I have transcribed several portions of the show,
Weddle: First of all, Coach McKinney, welcome to the program; tell us a little bit about this Deming team that we've heard a lot about.
McKinney: Well, thank you, Danny. I guess we're kind of a surprise; I think that down the line, nobody expected Deming to be 16 and 5 at this time, but we've got a good group of kids, they've worked hard and they've done a good job. They seem like they've brought out the good in the later part of the ballgame and that's what's won the games for us. We've played a lot of games from behind and we were fortunate to come out ahead, and it's just from a lot of determination. I think they could have given up a lot of times, but they haven't and they've continued to win. So, we're real proud of 'em, and hopefully, we can continue on.
Weddle: You had won six straight, then I called you and asked you to be on the program; I thought I might have jinxed you, you lost two over the weekend, but you came back with a win over St. Patrick last night. But you lost to Montgomery County on the 29th, and the second time you've played Montgomery County, neither one of these two guys have played Montgomery. What about a scouting report on the Indians?
McKinney: Well, the first time we did play 'em in their tournament, and we did play within 11 of 'em, but seemed like the bottom fell out of us Friday night. But we've got to give them credit: they shot 50 field goals of 72 shots, so, you know, we may have gotten their momentum going, but it continued on through all of their players. So, Montgomery County is a good basketball team, there's no question about it. I think they have the depth, they have the quickness, they have everything for a good basketball team. I can't make a lot of excuses for 'em. If we play 'em again, you know, we'll try to do things a little bit differently, but, hopefully, their not 50 of 72 from the field.
Weddle: And, obviously, you'd like the opportunity to play them again.
McKinney: Hopefully, yeah, that would be in the regional tournament; that'll tickle us to death.
Weddle: And you lost to Raceland 95-77. What about the Rams and that game?
McKinney: They're a very control team. Ron Reed does a good job with his ball club, and they're strong kids and they do things fundamentally right. And we seemed to tire a little bit in the latter part of the game. I don't know if it was from the Montgomery County or not, but we usually come back in the fourth quarter; we did make a comeback, but we just fell short and then we tried to push things at the end of the ballgame and shooting a few three-pointers at the end, and the score really wasn't an indication of the game.
Weddle: Last night, 68-58, Coach McKinney, a win over St. Patrick.
McKinney: Well, it was trying to get back on track, Danny. I think that that's the main thing. Our kids, little bit slow on the start, but I thought that during the ballgame, the second half we started putting our offense a little bit more together and the kids did a better job. I think after they have a couple of losses after being winners for awhile it takes a little bit out of 'em, and I think to get it back on track. I think St. Pat played well, and our kids had a little more intensity in the second half, and we were fortunate to beat 'em.
Weddle: We want to move on now to the Mason County game last night, an 88-74 victory over Buckhorn, and kept us scorekeepers busy last night, coach.
Feldhaus: Danny, I told Billy Hitt when the game was over when he went to call in the score, I said, "Billy, it's going to take you twice as long to do this because we usually just get 44 points, and we had 88, so we made up for two games." I know I was surprised. I didn't think that we could score 88 points if there was only one defensive player out there the way we've played most of the year on offense. But I guess maybe sometimes those things come back. And I was really pleased, Danny, the first half of the ballgame. I thought it was by far our best ballgame of the year, both offensively and defensively, and we did some things we that haven't been able to do all year long, especially passing the basketball. It was pleasing some of the efforts that we're getting and maybe all the frustrations that we gone through, maybe some of 'em coming back now and they're going to pay off for us. I hope it's not an indication of just going to go out and play one night like that. I hope we can continue this.
Day: One of the reports I've heard about your team, and some of the games that they've started calling you the Cardiac Kids because of your late wins is that you play sporadically at times in the respect that you build up a lead and then lose your intensity and let the other team catch up. Is that case or are people misreading you?
McKinney: That's pretty much true, Oscar. I think they're trying to give me the heart attack. I guess, you know, they talk about the Cardiac Kids, I guess I'm the one that's going to have the heart attack if I keep watching some of the ballgames we have. Anytime I've said I'm going out and start selling popcorn or anything else just to get out of the gymnasium. But they've done a good job of coming back. They have given up leads. That's one thing that down the stretch, here hopefully in February, that we can learn to protect a lead, that we can run an offense that's more productive and not give up the easy baskets on the other end. Like I said, we like to go with the basketball. It's been good to us, but when it comes down to the tournament time, you gotta be able to play a bit more smoother than what we're doing.
Weddle: We'll go back and talk Maysville basketball now with Coach Reitz. Since we were on last on with this program, you won the Burley Belt Conference Tournament, played two games: a semifinal win over Grant County and then a thriller against Scott County Saturday night.
Reitz: I thought the game against Scott County was one heck of a high school basketball game, Danny. It was exciting all the way, and Scott County is really a much improved team from the first of the year and I think that showed last night because they played Danville who is probably the top or second ranked team in the 12th Region. They play them in overtime and got beat two. Mutt Varney does a super job and his kids are playing extremely well together right now. But I'm really proud of our kids for winning the Burley Belt. It's like Allen two years ago, they won the league and won the Burley Belt Tournament. And I think that's quite an accomplishment when you can end up on top in both of those areas and it's an extremely hard thing to do. And I thought Mike Case and Jerry King and Jerome Turner and Pat Moore, Chris Wilburn, J.D. Simpson and Terry King and all of our kids had a nice tournament and we're just thrilled to death. You know, it's been a long time since Maysville has won a tournament, and we feel very fortunate to be in that position this year.
Weddle: You've won two and won the consolation game in the Class A.
Reitz: Well, I was talking to Coach Appelman and Dickie Butler about that today, that each tournament we've been in, we've played the maximum number of games and we've already played 21 basketball games, and going into the district tournament, barring any snow outs or whatever or cancellations, we will have played 28 games, and that's quite a bit going into the first of March.
Later in the show, Oscar asked the coaches to name the player they coached who always seemed to want the ball in their hands at the toughest time. Coach Reitz said Alonzo Linner at Millersburg Military Institute. Coach McKinney said Tim Purdon at St. Patrick. and Coach Feldhaus listed several players: Allen Feldhaus Junior, Kelly Middleton, David Orme, Jerry Butler and Deron Feldhaus.
Those answers led to a follow up question.
Day: What makes a player like that? What factors make a player develop to the point where he's the guy who's Mr. Clutch, if you want to call him that.
Feldhaus: Well, I think it's confidence. I just don't think you take a youngster that's only played one year. I think most of those kids we talk about here, and I'm sure that Coach McKinney and Coach Reitz has talked about, you talk about kids that's probably started ever since their sophomore year. And you just have to play a lot of basketball. You just gain so much confidence that you have that feeling, "Hey, you know, it's time to get the ball in my hands." You know, I think it's just like Rex Chapman. I don't care what they say, they can say he shoots too much, too little or what he does. But I promise you one thing, when those last two minutes come and you know, it gets down to nitty-gritty out there, you can't think of a better guy you'd rather have the ball in his hands. I think we saw that Sunday, you know, when he scored the seven straight points when things got a little hairy. As coaches, a lot times we're not able to get the ball in the guy's hands that we want to. And maybe that's the secret of coaching a little: knowing who to keep the ball out of which player's hands on the defensive end. But it's a good feeling on a coach's standpoint. And something else I think in that situation we're talking about, these guys gotta be good free throw shooters and they gotta be comfortable when they get to the line in the last situation.
Reitz: I agree with what Allen said. Almost all of it has to do with confidence. A kid that has experience is going to feel confident in any situation, and there's nothing like experience. Doggone it, when the kids have played two and three years, they should know what it's all about the last two minutes of the game when it's really on the line, Oscar.
McKinney: I agree, unanimously, it's confidence. And as we talk about these players, I think each year, you know, we mention one player. Like Allen said, he's got, you know, several players he needs to mention. I guess down the line, that Coach Reitz and I both would have several players to mention because each game, or each year that we coach, there is a player on that team that you feel more confident with the basketball, and hopefully, that the ball gets to that person. But at the same time, you know, sometimes it doesn't get to the person, but I think it all in confidence, and I think this is why we go through a season to get to a tournament time in Kentucky. Hopefully, that, you know, you may want somebody with the ball, but you hope if the other kid gets the ball that he's got that confidence and he's built that confidence throughout the year.
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