State sports briefs

— School for the Deaf court to be renamed for Fuller

Bennie Fuller, a 1971 graduate of Arkansas School for the Deaf, will have the basketball court at Houston Nutt Sr. Gymnasium renamed in his honor Saturday.

The ceremony will take place at 5:15 p.m. before Arkansas School for the Deaf plays Mississippi School for the Deaf during its homecoming. Homecoming ceremonies will take place between the boys and girls games, and a luncheon is scheduled in Fuller’s honor at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Old Gym at Parnell Hall.

“He is by far the most decorated player to play here in recent times, and for homecoming this year we wanted to do something in his honor, and that was to rename the court,” said Jon Parker, athletic director at Arkansas School for the Deaf.

Fuller scored 102 points against Leola on Jan. 19, 1971, to become the country’s only deaf player to score 100 points in a documented, state association varsity basketball game.

He went on to set a single-season scoring record of 1,294 points during the 1970-1971 season, when he averaged 53.8 points per game, and averaged 39.4 points per game during his four-year high school career.

Fuller was a member of the Art Kruger All-America basketball team in 1969-1971 and The Frat All-America basketball team in 1968 and 1970.

He was selected to the Arkansas High School All-Star game after his senior year, where he scored 26 points for the East team and earned Most Valuable Player honors before going on to play at Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College.

Fuller, who is retired from the U.S. Postal Service, lives in Oklahoma with his wife and son.

  • Jeff Halpern FOOTBALL Three UCA players honored

Three Central Arkansas players were named to the Southland Conference All-Academic team.

Senior linebacker Seth Allison, junior defensive tackle Matt Hornbuckle and redshirt freshman defensive end Jonathan Woodward were named to the team.

Allison has a 3.83 grade-point average while getting his master’s degree in business administration. Hornbuckle has a 3.10 GPA and is majoring in management. Woodard has a 3.00 GPA with an undeclared major.

  • Democrat-Gazette Press Services

Sports, Pages 21 on 01/10/2013

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