Thursday, July 1, 2010Sports B1

The Brownsville States-Graphic

By Calvin CarterStaff Writer

Haywood County graduated senior Mau-rice Bynum’s hard work on the court and in the classroom has paid off.

The former Tomcat re-cently singed a letter of intention to play basket-ball for Mid-Continent University.

Bynum fi rst attracted attention to the universi-ty during an open work-out for high school and Junior College players in April of this year.

“Quentin Lee, a young man from Ripley we were interested in, was com-ing up for that weekend for our workout,” Mid-Continent University Director of Sports Infor-mation, Steve Schwepker said. “His dad called us and said that there was another young man who wanted to come too.”

The young man was Bynum, who among a number of college-lev-el players who’ve had the opportunity to play NCAA Division 1 Basket-ball, managed to hold his own, Schwepker said.

“I mean he came up and he showed out,” Schwepker said.

Since that workout, the university kept in contact with the young man believing that he had what it takes to be a part of their program.

“You never know what to expect when it comes to a high school player,” Schwepker said. “The level is totally dif-ferent between college

and high school. Some young men, when they come out of high school they are ready to play. And then you know, you have some that need to develop a little more; get that fi rst year experi-ence. With him [Bynum] there are a little fi ne tun-ing things but other than that, he came in ready.”

Donning jersey num-ber 22 on the court, it would be remiss for some not to point out Bynum’s skills during his last sea-son as a Tomcat.

Bynum averaged 15.3 points per a game, had 66 offensive rebounds, 63 defensive rebounds, 32 steals, 39 assists and 22 blocks.

Bynum admitted that he was left “speechless” and a bit “overwhelmed” after the signing, but at the same time, accom-plished.

“I feel accomplished,” Bynum said. “I did what I came to school to do: play ball and get a schol-arship. All the hard work, it’s paying off.”

Bynum noted his desire to play for Mid-Continent resulted in being with a team that naturally fi tted the hard-working player.

“They are a hardwork-ing team and they go to the championship like every other year,” he said. “And I wanted to be a part of that.”

For Tomcats Coach Ray Jones, Mid-Content University signing By-num is benefi cial for both parties.

“I think Mid-Continent

and Maurice are a good fi t,” Jones said. “Maurice has a lot of character and speaking with the coach from Mid-Continent, he’s the type of guy who will

fi t with their program. He’s a hard worker and he’s done ev-erything possible to put himself in this situation and I’m just proud of him

and the representation he has done for Haywood High School.”

Does Bynum have any advice for upcoming se-niors?

“To our seniors com-ing up, stay dedicated and always want to go to the next level,” Bynum said. “Work hard and anything is possible.”

Maurice Bynum signs with Kentucky school

Senior Tomcats Photo By: Xavier Cole Pictured are the senior 2009-2010 Tomcats along with coaches Frank Chapman (left) and Ray Jones. This year’s seniors are C.C. Comage, Khiry Turner, Harold Watson, Okoye Rogers, and Maurice Bynum.

No Stopping Me Photo By: Xavier Cole Maurice Bynum gets his intentions across that he will not be denied from scoring two points.

By: XAVIER COLE

New Haywood foot-ball cheerleading coach, Mitzi Bryant recently completed testing from the American Association of Cheerleading Coach-es and Administrators (AACCA). Bryant passed the AACCA safety certi-fi cation test in Murfrees-boro. As a member, Bry-ant will be presented with opportunities for annual conventions and periodic safety updates. This cer-tifi cation is endorsed by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Associa-

tion (TSSAA). Haywood Athletic Di-

rector Jim Frazier encour-aged Bryant to attend the training sessions. To our knowledge, Bryant is the only coach in the area to possess this cer-tifi cation. Bryant is foot-ball cheer coaches with Jennifer Emerson and Elizabeth Lovelace. She has two children, Kayla and Hunter. Hunter is entering the sixth grade at Sunny Hill, and Kayla is entering her freshman year at Haywood High. Bryant’s certifi cation is valid for four years.

Local coach becomes certifi ed

Like Father Like Son

Coach Winston, left and Jarvis Vanardo are pictured following a radio interview in Brownsville. Vanardo was drafted 41st by the Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA Draft last Thursday night.

Radio Show Photo By: Xavier Cole Jarvis Vanardo along with several other local sports fi gures gather in the 95.3 studios for a live radio show the day before the NBA Draft.

Photo By: Xavier Cole