The late Charles Ripley left a lasting imprint on high school basketball in Arkansas, but it didn't end with him just being the conductor behind the rise of Little Rock Parkview basketball.
What he did behind the scenes -- namely the compassion and generosity he regularly showed those he came in contact with -- may have resonated more than anything he accomplished on the basketball court.
Today, the Little Rock School District will honor that legacy and everything the long-time coach and mentor did when it holds the inaugural Charles Ripley Holiday Basketball Tournament at Little Rock Southwest High School.
"We are honored to host this event in memory of Charles Ripley and have worked hard to make sure this will be a tournament that Coach Ripley would be proud of," LRSD Athletic Director John Daniels said. "Covid has limited our opportunities over the past nearly two years, and we are ready for an electrifying comeback."
Ripley, who died on June 28, 2020, at the age of 74, became the head coach at Parkview in 1974 and led the Patriots to 10 conference crowns and five state titles (1978, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995) during his 21 seasons at the helm. Ten of his final 12 teams reached state title games. He won nearly 500 games and had 17 seasons where he guided Parkview to at least 20 victories.
The Arkansas Sports Hall of Famer also coached at Westark Community College (now the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith) and Arkansas Baptist College.
The tournament, which is presented by First Community Bank, features a seven-team field and is slated to tip off today at 5:30 p.m. with Pine Bluff facing Bryant. Hot Springs will play Little Rock Central at 7 p.m., followed by Parkview against Mills at 8:30 p.m. The host team, Southwest, will get a first-round bye and play in the semifinals Friday.
"I'm excited about it," said Parkview Coach Scotty Thurman, whose team knocked off Pine Bluff 70-55 on Tuesday night. "Just excited about the opportunity to play in something that's honoring Coach Rip, who was a great coach, a great person. I'm also excited for the Little Rock teams and the chance to get together. There's a couple of teams outside of the district that'll be in it as well.
"But I think it'll be great for all of the fans during the holiday season to get a chance to see all of these teams prepare and play. The atmosphere, the opportunity to play. ... I'm just excited about it."
All proceeds from the event will benefit the LRSD Athletic Foundation, an organization that supports athletic facility enhancement, extra-curricular activities and interscholastic competition while promoting initiatives such as mentoring and character development.
CABOT GIRLS
Trending upwards
Cabot Coach Jay Cook isn't looking for his team to be anything other than what it is.
The Lady Panthers (3-2) are underclassmen-heavy and don't have nearly as much size as some of their counterparts. But for Cook, that's what makes this season exciting.
"We're still trying to establish some depth, too," he said. "We've got some kids that can score it a little bit, and I think we're getting better defensively. I think the ceiling is still fairly high, but you know, it's all relative.
"Our league ceiling is really, really high. Even at our highest, I'm not sure where that will put us, but I really do like this group. We're getting better every day, and I think we'll continue to do that."
Cook said he believes his team got an early wake-up call during a benefit game against Bentonville -- one the Lady Panthers lost 68-38. But the results in the five games following indicate that Cabot has been steadily improving.
After a loss at perennial Class 7A contender Bentonville and a close defeat to Class 5A challenger Little Rock Christian, the Lady Panthers won all three games last week during the Battle at the Brier Classic in Greenbrier. Cabot closed out the showcase with a 62-37 victory over White Hall and will head into its own holiday event riding a noteworthy winning streak.
"We really only had one kid returning, Layla Reese, that played significant minutes for us last year," Cook said. "Until we got out there against Greenwood, it really didn't become real to them, and our young ones got their eyes opened to say the least. But that was by design. I try to schedule as competitive of a nonconference schedule as I can because I want our kids to know where we're trying to go.
"After that game, we got a dose of Jada Brown at Bentonville, but we competed. I don't think we were shellshocked, I don't think we tried to duck the competition. Our kids knew what they were up against and accepted the challenge."
Cabot will get three tests during its Christmas Classic, starting today with Mountain Home. The Lady Panthers will also face Nettleton on Friday and Pulaski Academy on Saturday.
JONESBORO BOYS
Another steep hill
Jonesboro (3-0) relished its victory over North Little Rock last week in the final of the Hurricane Classic. Yet, Coach Wes Swift wasn't going to let the win linger, not with another national power on the way.
The Golden Hurricane have a tall hurdle ahead of them today when they begin play in the Ozark Mountain Shootout in Springfield, Mo., against Branson's Link Academy.
"We know how good North Little Rock is," Swift said after his team beat the Charging Wildcats 62-48. "But I've also seen Link. And North Little Rock is the second-best team on our schedule. Hopefully, [the win] gives us some confidence that we can go in there and compete with those dudes."
North Little Rock has two players in Kel'el Ware and Nick Smith, who have signed with Oregon and the University of Arkansas, respectively. But Link Academy (7-0) has four, including Razorback signee Jordan Walsh, who have pledged to Division I programs. Julian Phillips, a 6-8 forward, has committed to LSU while Tarris Reed, a 6-10 center, and Felix Okpara a 6-11 center, have committed to Michigan and Ohio State, respectively.
The Lions also have three other players (Trey Green, Jordan Ross, Omaha Biliew) who hold Power 5 Conference scholarship offers, while two more (Julian Norris and Damien Mayo) have offers from schools such as Middle Tennessee State and Saint Louis. Link Academy's average margin of victory in its seven games is 26 points.
The teams will play at 6 p.m. Shiloh Christian (2-4) will also participate in the event and takes on Springfield (Mo.) Glendale at 7:30 p.m. Jonesboro battles Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo, led by junior standout guard Zaide Lowery, on Friday at 7 p.m.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma
Border bragging rights may be on the line when the Taco Bell Tournament of Champions convenes today at Fort Smith Southside.
Four teams from Arkansas and four teams from Oklahoma will play, starting with Howe, Okla., the state's reigning Class 3A champion, taking on West Memphis, which finished runner-up last season in Class 5A, in Game 1 at 4 p.m. Fort Smith Northside, the defending Class 6A champ, will follow against El Reno, Okla., at 5:30 p.m. Tuttle, Okla., which has a number of players holding Division I scholarship offers, will battle Southside at 7 p.m., and Greenwood faces Ada, Okla., in the final game on the opening day.
The semifinals will be held Friday and the final will be Saturday.
TIP-INS
Maumelle (4-1) has played only five games, but the Hornets are already breaking school records. The 110-60 rout over cross-town foe Maumelle Charter on Monday was the most points Maumelle has ever scored in a game. Also, the 50-point margin was the Hornets' biggest spread in school history. ... Southside Batesville guard Olivia Allen, who had 18 points in the team's 58-56 win over Highland on Tuesday, signed a letter of intent to play at Henderson State earlier this week.