UGA Men’s Basketball
Red & Black: Georgia men's basketball defeats Georgia College 66-52 in exhibition
www.redandblack.com
AJC: Kario Oquendo returns as top scoring option for Bulldogs
www.ajc.com
Kario Oquendo 2nd Team Preseason All-SEC as voted by the coaches:
Gadogs.com: Oquendo Named Preseason All-SEC
georgiadogs.com
SEC Basketball
The Athletic: SEC men’s basketball preview: Kentucky faces challengers in reloaded league (Subscription)
“14. Georgia: There’s just not a lot here to get excited about. Is it a good thing to return your top two scorers and four of your top five in minutes per game from a 6-26 team? White added a handful of quality transfers: Bradley guard Terry Roberts (14.5 ppg), Longwood guard Justin Hill (14.2 ppg), North Texas guard Mardrez McBride (11.3 ppg) and then some unproven but promising high-major free agents. Wing Jusaun Holt (Alabama), power forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Oklahoma State) and center Frank Anselem (Syracuse) are all former four-star recruits who’ve yet to show that in college.”
theathletic.com
Auburn
Montgomery Advertiser: Here's what Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said about new athletics director John Cohen
Kentucky
Lexington Herald Leader: This is Calipari’s most-experienced UK basketball team. Does that make things easier?
Mississippi
New-Look Men’s Basketball Wins Exhibition Over West Georgia, 91-62
olemisssports.com
College Basketball
SI.com: Ranking Every Team in Men’s College Basketball, From UNC (No. 1) to Hartford (No. 363)
88. Georgia (12th in SEC)
BYU
Deseret News: Barcello-less BYU entering crucial transition period
www.deseret.com
Georgia College and State University
Bobcat men’s hoops keeps it competitive at UGA
www.unionrecorder.com
Kansas
Fox Sports: WITH SELF-IMPOSED SANCTIONS, KANSAS ADMITS SOME BLAME, SEEKS TO MOVE ON
“For starters, Kansas is admitting wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness. That’s a total change in approach from where the university stood on this matter two years ago, when it openly ripped the NCAA for its allegations.
"The NCAA enforcement staff's reply does not in any way change the University of Kansas' position that the allegations brought against our men's basketball program are simply baseless and littered with false representations," Kansas officials wrote in a statement in May 2020. "As the federal trial proved, Adidas employees intentionally concealed impermissible payments from the University and its coaching staff. The University has never denied these impermissible payments were made. For the NCAA enforcement staff to allege that the University should be held responsible for these payments is a distortion of the facts and a gross misapplication of NCAA Bylaws and case precedent."
The Jayhawks even went so far as to give Self a lifetime contract extension in the middle of this investigation process last April. They have stood by their Hall of Fame coach, and still do, but imposing a penalty shows that the NCAA's allegations are not all false and baseless. By the same token, assessing a four-game suspension indicates that while the Jayhawks admit wrongdoing, they don’t see their infractions the way the NCAA sees them as five Level I violations. In fact, Kansas doesn’t view the allegations as anything close to that, which is put on display by the minuscule suspension…”
amp.foxsports.com
Louisville
WDRB: NCAA decision on Louisville basketball violations could come as early as Thursday
“The program, which faces enhanced penalties for alleged recruiting violations that occurred on the heels of going on probation for the Katina Powell sex-for-recruits scandal, will have to abide by the lARP's decision. No appeal is allowed.
The ruling will be the culmination of a process that began the day the FBI announced that the school was alleged to have benefited from a $100,000 offer to Saginaw, Michigan, prep standout Brian Bowen to play basketball for Louisville and to sign with Adidas after turning pro.
The case includes lesser offers to other players, and is aggravated by allegations that former coach Chris Mack committed secondary NCAA violations by sending impermissible personalized recruiting videos to prospects and by having unauthorized personnel participate in scrimmages.
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who was dismissed shortly after the allegations from the FBI came to light, also faces sanction from the IARP. Neither the FBI nor NCAA complex case unit investigators could find proof that Pitino or officials at U of L knew of the Adidas scheme, but the coach, who now is the head coach at Iona University, still could be punished under NCAA head coach responsibility legislation.
In addition to Pitino, the university also parted ways with longtime athletic director Tom Jurich. Last December, his successor as AD, Vince Tyra, and then-U of L president Neeli Bendapudi also left the university. Tyra left to return to opportunities in private business and Bendapudi became president of Penn State University. In January, Mack and new AD Josh Heird negotiated Mack's departure from the school…”
www.wdrb.com
Massachusetts
Greenfield Reporter: Men’s basketball: Frank Martin era begins as UMass takes down AIC in exhibition
www.recorder.com
UAB
Alabama.com: UAB basketball runs amok in easy exhibition win over Mississippi College
www.al.com
History
Hoops Birthdays 11-02
Kedra Holland-Corn G UGA, SAC, HOU, DET WNBA 1999-2006 11-02-1974 48 YOA
AP (1-27-1997) Georgia star draws looks on and off the court
“When Holland-Corn puts on her uniform, her hair bound tightly by a red headband, those disapproving looks turn to cheers. With her husband, a team manager and fellow student, cheering her from the bench, Holland-Corn slashes around the court, creating turnovers, shooting 3-pointers and dishing out assists to the other Lady Bulldogs.
“Everyone always asks me what it’s like to be married to a superstar, to be Mr. Kedra Holland-Corn,″ Corn said. ``Everyone always congratulates me after the game like I scored the points.″
Before last Friday’s game at Mississippi State, the 5-foot-8 senior guard ranked second on the team in scoring (16.2 points per game) and was the leader in assists (4.0) and steals (3.8). Also, she has become the school’s all-time leader from behind the 3-point arc.
During her first three years, Holland-Corn didn’t look like the kind of player who would one day have the word ``star″ on her resume. Even as late as the beginning of her junior year, she had not earned a permanent spot in the starting lineup.
But after the graduation of national player of the year Saudia Roundtree, coach Andy Landers needed someone to step into the role of running the offense.
“She’s getting the ball a lot more,″ Landers said. ``Also, I think she senses a responsibility to do something with the basketball. In the past here, her feeling has probably been that someone else would score.″
After they had started dating, Corn asked the coach to be one of the team managers this season. Now he also wanted to be the husband of one of the players.
``It was one of those decisions that was easy to make,″ Landers said. ``I was comfortable with the idea because of the quality of the two people and the character of the two people. Probably if anyone else on my basketball team had come to me and said the same thing, I really would have been concerned about it.″
While Holland-Corn, 22, relished the idea of becoming a wife at a young age, she seemed caught off guard by the seemingly sudden transformation from role player to star.
``We were playing at Clemson in the first game of the season and I scored in double figures, but I figured, `Hey, this is only a fluke,‴ she recalled. ``My mind frame was, `I’ll still mess up sooner or later.′ Then against Virginia, I had a great game. Then against Tennessee, great again. It was like, `Something is wrong. This is not supposed to be happening.‴
But Holland-Corn doesn’t measure herself by the points she scores. An intensely religious person, she worries more about team goals and working toward the common good.”
“I don’t see myself a superstar,″ she said. “I’m just trying to keep myself humble, keep myself levelheaded and try to play each and every game the best I can.″
And if some people who cheer her on the court are disapproving of her life off the court, so be it.
“You don’t let those things stand in your way,″ she said.
apnews.com
AP (1-30-1997) “Georgia 86, Florida 73
Kedra Holland-Corn scored 26 points, including four 3-pointers, as seventh-ranked Georgia tied a school record for 3-pointers in an 86-73 victory over No. 13 Florida last night in Athens, Ga.
The Lady Bulldogs (15-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) hit 13 3-pointers in handing Florida (15-5, 5-1) its first conference loss.”
Gadogs.com: Holland-Corn Completes Collegiate Career (5-09-2009)
ATHENS, Ga. --- Just over a dozen years after she captured three championship rings playing for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Kedra Holland-Corn collected equally essential items to complete her University of Georgia career on Saturday. Holland-Corn took part in graduation ceremonies at Sanford Stadium, obtaining her bachelor's degree in Sociology and the medal awarded to all UGA graduating student-athletes.
Holland-Corn was an All-American for the Lady Bulldogs and helped lead Georgia to the 1995 Final Four, an NCAA runner-up finish and SEC Championship in 1996 and a second SEC title in 1997.
Soon thereafter, Holland-Corn began an extremely successful professional playing career that included a pair of WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock and stints internationally in France, Hungary, Spain and Italy.
"I never forgot about getting my degree," Holland-Corn said. "Before I went to college, I knew I wanted to play basketball, so when I got drafted, it was a dream come true. I always said I'd return to school, but I never said when."
When she retired a year ago, Holland-Corn turned her focus to unfinished business in Athens. She and her husband, Jesse, himself a former manager with the Lady Bulldogs, moved from Naples, Italy and rented an apartment less than a mile from Stegeman Coliseum. Kedra Holland-Corn "full-time athlete" became Kedra Holland-Corn "full-time student."
"I felt mentally and physically worn out from playing, and I felt my career was coming to a close, so I thought it was the perfect time to go back to school," she said. "It's about completing what I started back then."
Holland-Corn became the 52nd of Andy Landers' 54 four-year letterwinners to receive their degrees from UGA. Lady Hardmon Grooms and Danielle Taylor, the lone members of that ledger yet to earn a diploma, are slated to take part in graduation ceremonies this August and next May, respectively.
"I always knew Kedra would come back," Landers said. "Kedra was an excellent student but chose to change her major her senior year or she probably would have graduated on time."
Landers was there Saturday morning, along with Kedra's mother and Jesse's parents, all soaking up an achievement that Holland-Corn ranks alongside her accomplishments on the basketball court.
"Basketball at Georgia was all about working hard, persevering and never giving up," Holland-Corn said. "That was instilled in us by coach Landers. We were taught to never quit, to always finish to the end. I have no remorse or regrets about what I've done; if I had the same chance, I'd do it all again."
georgiadogs.com
Rodney Buford SF Creighton MIA, PHI, MEM, SAC, NJ 1999-2005 11-02-1977 45 YOA
Keith Jennings PG ETSU GS 1992-1995 11-02-1968 54 YOA
Ron Lee PG Oregon PHO, NJ, ATL, DET 1976-1982 11-02-1952 70 YOA
Ron Reed PF Notre Dame DET 1965-1967
11-02-1942 80 YOA
SP ATL Braves 1966-1975 80-88 3.74, STL, PHI, CHI WS
National Polish-American Sports HOF
“Born in LaPorte, Indiana, Reed was a three-sport star in high school. Basketball was his first love so he turned down a bonus offer to sign a baseball contract and accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. A 6’6″ forward, he averaged 19 points and 14.3 rebounds a game for his career (1962-65). Along the way he set the Notre Dame single season rebounding record averaging over 17 a game. Drafted in the third round by the Detroit Pistons he played two seasons and averaged 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Reed was also drafted by the Milwaukee Braves playing both sports for two years then decided to devote full time to baseball. He pitched 17 seasons in the Majors with the Braves, Cards, Phillies and White Sox. A starting pitcher for the early part of his career he was converted to a relief pitcher in 1976 when he was traded to Philadelphia. He saved game two for the 1980 World Series Champ Phillies. He ended his career in 1984 with 146 wins, 140 losses and 104 saves.
Sometimes even life’s most critical decisions are the easiest to make.
“I felt like I was one step too slow and three inches too short to make a 10 to 12 year career in professional basketball,” Ron Reed explained. “So I decided to give baseball my best shot.”
If not the best decision of his life, it certainly was the wisest. Reed combined his reliable right arm with his insatiable appetite for competition to create a major league baseball career that covered 17 full seasons and part of two others.
And he’s never wasted a moment wondering what might have been.
Born and reared in the basketball crazed city of LaPorte, Indiana, Reed’s boyhood passion was to rewrite the NBA record books. He was well on his way when he earned a full-ride basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. His distinguished Irish career earned him a spot on the school’s all-time best 25 players list. Following graduation in 1965, Reed was drafted by Detroit and played two seasons for the Pistons.
At the same time, Reed spent off-seasons pitching in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. In 1967, his pitching prowess skyrocketed. He jumped from Class A to AA to AAA to one month in the big leagues. The following season, he re-terrorized Class AAA hitters and again was called up to the Braves for another September stint.
He never returned to the minor leagues and his basketball career was officially finished. In 1968, he began a big league tour that included appearances in six League Championship Series and two World Series. His career didn’t end until after the 1984 season.
“Growing up where I did, basketball was a passion,” Reed said. “I just transferred that passion to the mound. I think I made the right decision.”
That may be as understated as the fastball flying from his 6-foot-6-inch frame that kept all enemy hitters on their toes.
“I love competition,” Reed said. “The ultimate competition in sports is that one-on-one situation in basketball where one player wins and the other loses. It’s the same thing in baseball. There’s no feeling like when a pitcher is going up against a good hitter. It’s him or you. I loved it. If a pitcher doesn’t want to be in that situation, then he’s not going to last too long.”
Reed’s big league longevity certainly proves he knew where he belonged.
Reed was a starter for the Braves into the first half of the 1975 season when he was traded to St. Louis. During the off-season, he was traded to Philadelphia where he was converted into a reliever.
“At first I didn’t like the move,” said Reed who immediately asked to be traded. “I didn’t want any part of it. But they didn’t want any part of letting me go. The Phillies convinced that I could make a significant contribution.”
Reed accepted the new role that figured prominently in Philadelphia’s run of five League Championship Series and two World Series appearances from 1976 to 1983. In 1980, the Phillies beat Kansas City for the world championship.
Reed flourished in his new role. In eight seasons with the Phillies, he appeared in at least 60 games four times. Except for 39 games in 1981, he never appeared in less than 55 games.
“Making the transition from starter to reliever is a whole new mindset,” Reed explained. “I fought it at first. But then I came to appreciate how I could come to the park every day and maybe get into the game. And most of the time it was a critical situation. After I learned how to do it, I loved it. I loved the competition.”
Looking back, Reed appreciates how the move lent to the Phillies’ success.
“No question, the World Series victory has to be the highlight of my career,” Reed said. “And I proudly slip a ring onto my finger everyday to remind me of it. Winning the World Series, being named to Notre Dame’s all-time 25 basketball best and now being elected into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame are my three greatest honors.”
Of course, there are countless other memories too numerous to recall. One that remains alive and cherished, however, occurred on April 8, 1974, when he was pitching for Atlanta. That’s the night Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to pass the legendary Babe Ruth.
“I was the starter and winner that night,” Reed said proudly. “That boxscore is posted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the bottom it reads: ‘WP-Reed.’ That’s pretty neat to have hanging in Cooperstown.”
For his career, Reed finished with a 146-140 won-lost record. He had a 3.46 ERA and 103 saves. In two appearances in the 1980 World Series he posted a 0.00 ERA with one save.
One of Reed’s grandmothers was of 100 percent Polish extraction. His late father was half Polish.
“My father considered himself to be full-blooded Polish,” Reed said. “He was a member of all the Polish organizations. He attended all kinds of meetings and competed in all sorts of sporting events that those organizations sponsored. If I have one regret it’s that he isn’t able to be at my induction ceremonies. I know he would have had the biggest smile on his face.”
Reed, instead, will do the smiling for Dad.
“I look at all the great names that have been inducted before me,” Reed said. “The list is truly quite impressive. I don’t know if I should be considered among them. But I can tell you one thing – I really am proud.”
So are Dad and the rest of the family. Ron Reed did enough to make everyone proud.”
www.polishsportshof.com
Ron Reed Reflects on Braves Career, Friendships with Aaron and Niekro (2021)
(Video)
Leon Smith C Chicago, IL HS ATL, SEA 2001-2004 11-02-1980 42 YOA
Tom Thacker PG Cincinnati CIN, BOS, IND 1963-1971 11-02-1939 83 YOA
Dave Wohl PG Pennsylvania PHI, POR, BUF, HOU, NYN, NJ 1971-1978 11-02-1949
73 YOA
Red & Black: Georgia men's basketball defeats Georgia College 66-52 in exhibition
Georgia men's basketball defeats Georgia College 66-52 in exhibition
The Georgia Bulldogs opened the men’s basketball season with an exhibition match against the Georgia College Bobcats, securing the victory with a score of 66-52 in Mike White’s first game
AJC: Kario Oquendo returns as top scoring option for Bulldogs
Kario Oquendo returns as top scoring option for Bulldogs
ATHENS -- In Georgia’s 66-52 exhibition win against Georgia College Tuesday night, questions were answered about how the offense would operate, considering the turnover from last season.
Kario Oquendo 2nd Team Preseason All-SEC as voted by the coaches:
Gadogs.com: Oquendo Named Preseason All-SEC
Oquendo Named Preseason All-SEC - University of Georgia Athletics
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia's Kario Oquendo was tabbed second-team preseason All-SEC in balloting of the league's 14 head coaches announced on Wednesday.
SEC Basketball
The Athletic: SEC men’s basketball preview: Kentucky faces challengers in reloaded league (Subscription)
“14. Georgia: There’s just not a lot here to get excited about. Is it a good thing to return your top two scorers and four of your top five in minutes per game from a 6-26 team? White added a handful of quality transfers: Bradley guard Terry Roberts (14.5 ppg), Longwood guard Justin Hill (14.2 ppg), North Texas guard Mardrez McBride (11.3 ppg) and then some unproven but promising high-major free agents. Wing Jusaun Holt (Alabama), power forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Oklahoma State) and center Frank Anselem (Syracuse) are all former four-star recruits who’ve yet to show that in college.”
SEC preview: Lots of new coaches and premium talent to go with a familiar favorite
Six new coaches and 10 five-star recruits enter the league this season. Can anyone break through to the Final Four?
theathletic.com
Auburn
Montgomery Advertiser: Here's what Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said about new athletics director John Cohen
Here's what Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said about new athletics director John Cohen
Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl had this to say about the university hiring John Cohen as athletics director.
www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
Kentucky
Lexington Herald Leader: This is Calipari’s most-experienced UK basketball team. Does that make things easier?
Mississippi
New-Look Men’s Basketball Wins Exhibition Over West Georgia, 91-62
New-Look Men’s Basketball Wins Exhibition Over West Georgia, 91-62 - Ole Miss Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men's basketball showed off a roster full of new additions, and some returners picked up right where they left off in a 91-62 exhibition
olemisssports.com
College Basketball
SI.com: Ranking Every Team in Men’s College Basketball, From UNC (No. 1) to Hartford (No. 363)
88. Georgia (12th in SEC)
BYU
Deseret News: Barcello-less BYU entering crucial transition period
Barcello-less BYU entering crucial transition period
Coach Mark Pope is implementing a faster-paced, more defensive-minded style of play
www.deseret.com
Georgia College and State University
Bobcat men’s hoops keeps it competitive at UGA
Bobcat men’s hoops keeps it competitive at UGA
ATHENS, Ga.- Georgia College & State University men’s basketball hit the road for a season-opening exhibition at the University of Georgia taking a competitive 66-52 loss, Tuesday night.
Kansas
Fox Sports: WITH SELF-IMPOSED SANCTIONS, KANSAS ADMITS SOME BLAME, SEEKS TO MOVE ON
“For starters, Kansas is admitting wrongdoing and asking for forgiveness. That’s a total change in approach from where the university stood on this matter two years ago, when it openly ripped the NCAA for its allegations.
"The NCAA enforcement staff's reply does not in any way change the University of Kansas' position that the allegations brought against our men's basketball program are simply baseless and littered with false representations," Kansas officials wrote in a statement in May 2020. "As the federal trial proved, Adidas employees intentionally concealed impermissible payments from the University and its coaching staff. The University has never denied these impermissible payments were made. For the NCAA enforcement staff to allege that the University should be held responsible for these payments is a distortion of the facts and a gross misapplication of NCAA Bylaws and case precedent."
The Jayhawks even went so far as to give Self a lifetime contract extension in the middle of this investigation process last April. They have stood by their Hall of Fame coach, and still do, but imposing a penalty shows that the NCAA's allegations are not all false and baseless. By the same token, assessing a four-game suspension indicates that while the Jayhawks admit wrongdoing, they don’t see their infractions the way the NCAA sees them as five Level I violations. In fact, Kansas doesn’t view the allegations as anything close to that, which is put on display by the minuscule suspension…”
With self-imposed sanctions, Kansas admits some blame, seeks to move on | Fox Sports
Kansas' self-imposed sanctions show some admission of guilt, but are unlikely to impact this season's championship chase.
Louisville
WDRB: NCAA decision on Louisville basketball violations could come as early as Thursday
“The program, which faces enhanced penalties for alleged recruiting violations that occurred on the heels of going on probation for the Katina Powell sex-for-recruits scandal, will have to abide by the lARP's decision. No appeal is allowed.
The ruling will be the culmination of a process that began the day the FBI announced that the school was alleged to have benefited from a $100,000 offer to Saginaw, Michigan, prep standout Brian Bowen to play basketball for Louisville and to sign with Adidas after turning pro.
The case includes lesser offers to other players, and is aggravated by allegations that former coach Chris Mack committed secondary NCAA violations by sending impermissible personalized recruiting videos to prospects and by having unauthorized personnel participate in scrimmages.
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who was dismissed shortly after the allegations from the FBI came to light, also faces sanction from the IARP. Neither the FBI nor NCAA complex case unit investigators could find proof that Pitino or officials at U of L knew of the Adidas scheme, but the coach, who now is the head coach at Iona University, still could be punished under NCAA head coach responsibility legislation.
In addition to Pitino, the university also parted ways with longtime athletic director Tom Jurich. Last December, his successor as AD, Vince Tyra, and then-U of L president Neeli Bendapudi also left the university. Tyra left to return to opportunities in private business and Bendapudi became president of Penn State University. In January, Mack and new AD Josh Heird negotiated Mack's departure from the school…”
NCAA decision on Louisville basketball violations could come as early as Thursday
More than five years after the FBI unsealed a sweeping investigation into college basketball corruption, the NCAA verdict appears to be in for the University of Louisville men's basketball program.
Massachusetts
Greenfield Reporter: Men’s basketball: Frank Martin era begins as UMass takes down AIC in exhibition
Men’s basketball: Frank Martin era begins as UMass takes down AIC in exhibition (PHOTOS)
AMHERST – UMass’ new men’s basketball arrivals looked right at home in the team’s first exhibition Tuesday against AIC at the Mullins Center.Former LIU forward Isaac Kante led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Louisville forward Matt Cross...
www.recorder.com
UAB
Alabama.com: UAB basketball runs amok in easy exhibition win over Mississippi College
UAB basketball runs amok in easy exhibition win over Mississippi College
UAB grabbed a 98-47 win over Mississippi College in a preseason exhibition contest.
History
Hoops Birthdays 11-02
Kedra Holland-Corn G UGA, SAC, HOU, DET WNBA 1999-2006 11-02-1974 48 YOA
AP (1-27-1997) Georgia star draws looks on and off the court
“When Holland-Corn puts on her uniform, her hair bound tightly by a red headband, those disapproving looks turn to cheers. With her husband, a team manager and fellow student, cheering her from the bench, Holland-Corn slashes around the court, creating turnovers, shooting 3-pointers and dishing out assists to the other Lady Bulldogs.
“Everyone always asks me what it’s like to be married to a superstar, to be Mr. Kedra Holland-Corn,″ Corn said. ``Everyone always congratulates me after the game like I scored the points.″
Before last Friday’s game at Mississippi State, the 5-foot-8 senior guard ranked second on the team in scoring (16.2 points per game) and was the leader in assists (4.0) and steals (3.8). Also, she has become the school’s all-time leader from behind the 3-point arc.
During her first three years, Holland-Corn didn’t look like the kind of player who would one day have the word ``star″ on her resume. Even as late as the beginning of her junior year, she had not earned a permanent spot in the starting lineup.
But after the graduation of national player of the year Saudia Roundtree, coach Andy Landers needed someone to step into the role of running the offense.
“She’s getting the ball a lot more,″ Landers said. ``Also, I think she senses a responsibility to do something with the basketball. In the past here, her feeling has probably been that someone else would score.″
After they had started dating, Corn asked the coach to be one of the team managers this season. Now he also wanted to be the husband of one of the players.
``It was one of those decisions that was easy to make,″ Landers said. ``I was comfortable with the idea because of the quality of the two people and the character of the two people. Probably if anyone else on my basketball team had come to me and said the same thing, I really would have been concerned about it.″
While Holland-Corn, 22, relished the idea of becoming a wife at a young age, she seemed caught off guard by the seemingly sudden transformation from role player to star.
``We were playing at Clemson in the first game of the season and I scored in double figures, but I figured, `Hey, this is only a fluke,‴ she recalled. ``My mind frame was, `I’ll still mess up sooner or later.′ Then against Virginia, I had a great game. Then against Tennessee, great again. It was like, `Something is wrong. This is not supposed to be happening.‴
But Holland-Corn doesn’t measure herself by the points she scores. An intensely religious person, she worries more about team goals and working toward the common good.”
“I don’t see myself a superstar,″ she said. “I’m just trying to keep myself humble, keep myself levelheaded and try to play each and every game the best I can.″
And if some people who cheer her on the court are disapproving of her life off the court, so be it.
“You don’t let those things stand in your way,″ she said.
Georgia star draws looks on and off the court
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) _ Kedra Holland-Corn expects to get looks of scorn when she walks down the street with her husband, when they buy groceries or eat in a restaurant. But when people in her own church cast disapproving glances because she's black and he's white, well, that hurts. ``We're...
apnews.com
AP (1-30-1997) “Georgia 86, Florida 73
Kedra Holland-Corn scored 26 points, including four 3-pointers, as seventh-ranked Georgia tied a school record for 3-pointers in an 86-73 victory over No. 13 Florida last night in Athens, Ga.
The Lady Bulldogs (15-4, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) hit 13 3-pointers in handing Florida (15-5, 5-1) its first conference loss.”
Gadogs.com: Holland-Corn Completes Collegiate Career (5-09-2009)
ATHENS, Ga. --- Just over a dozen years after she captured three championship rings playing for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Kedra Holland-Corn collected equally essential items to complete her University of Georgia career on Saturday. Holland-Corn took part in graduation ceremonies at Sanford Stadium, obtaining her bachelor's degree in Sociology and the medal awarded to all UGA graduating student-athletes.
Holland-Corn was an All-American for the Lady Bulldogs and helped lead Georgia to the 1995 Final Four, an NCAA runner-up finish and SEC Championship in 1996 and a second SEC title in 1997.
Soon thereafter, Holland-Corn began an extremely successful professional playing career that included a pair of WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock and stints internationally in France, Hungary, Spain and Italy.
"I never forgot about getting my degree," Holland-Corn said. "Before I went to college, I knew I wanted to play basketball, so when I got drafted, it was a dream come true. I always said I'd return to school, but I never said when."
When she retired a year ago, Holland-Corn turned her focus to unfinished business in Athens. She and her husband, Jesse, himself a former manager with the Lady Bulldogs, moved from Naples, Italy and rented an apartment less than a mile from Stegeman Coliseum. Kedra Holland-Corn "full-time athlete" became Kedra Holland-Corn "full-time student."
"I felt mentally and physically worn out from playing, and I felt my career was coming to a close, so I thought it was the perfect time to go back to school," she said. "It's about completing what I started back then."
Holland-Corn became the 52nd of Andy Landers' 54 four-year letterwinners to receive their degrees from UGA. Lady Hardmon Grooms and Danielle Taylor, the lone members of that ledger yet to earn a diploma, are slated to take part in graduation ceremonies this August and next May, respectively.
"I always knew Kedra would come back," Landers said. "Kedra was an excellent student but chose to change her major her senior year or she probably would have graduated on time."
Landers was there Saturday morning, along with Kedra's mother and Jesse's parents, all soaking up an achievement that Holland-Corn ranks alongside her accomplishments on the basketball court.
"Basketball at Georgia was all about working hard, persevering and never giving up," Holland-Corn said. "That was instilled in us by coach Landers. We were taught to never quit, to always finish to the end. I have no remorse or regrets about what I've done; if I had the same chance, I'd do it all again."
Holland-Corn Completes Collegiate Career - University of Georgia Athletics
ATHENS, Ga. --- Just over a dozen years after she captured three championship rings playing for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Kedra Holland-Corn collected eq...
Rodney Buford SF Creighton MIA, PHI, MEM, SAC, NJ 1999-2005 11-02-1977 45 YOA
Keith Jennings PG ETSU GS 1992-1995 11-02-1968 54 YOA
Ron Lee PG Oregon PHO, NJ, ATL, DET 1976-1982 11-02-1952 70 YOA
Ron Reed PF Notre Dame DET 1965-1967
11-02-1942 80 YOA
SP ATL Braves 1966-1975 80-88 3.74, STL, PHI, CHI WS
National Polish-American Sports HOF
“Born in LaPorte, Indiana, Reed was a three-sport star in high school. Basketball was his first love so he turned down a bonus offer to sign a baseball contract and accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. A 6’6″ forward, he averaged 19 points and 14.3 rebounds a game for his career (1962-65). Along the way he set the Notre Dame single season rebounding record averaging over 17 a game. Drafted in the third round by the Detroit Pistons he played two seasons and averaged 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Reed was also drafted by the Milwaukee Braves playing both sports for two years then decided to devote full time to baseball. He pitched 17 seasons in the Majors with the Braves, Cards, Phillies and White Sox. A starting pitcher for the early part of his career he was converted to a relief pitcher in 1976 when he was traded to Philadelphia. He saved game two for the 1980 World Series Champ Phillies. He ended his career in 1984 with 146 wins, 140 losses and 104 saves.
Sometimes even life’s most critical decisions are the easiest to make.
“I felt like I was one step too slow and three inches too short to make a 10 to 12 year career in professional basketball,” Ron Reed explained. “So I decided to give baseball my best shot.”
If not the best decision of his life, it certainly was the wisest. Reed combined his reliable right arm with his insatiable appetite for competition to create a major league baseball career that covered 17 full seasons and part of two others.
And he’s never wasted a moment wondering what might have been.
Born and reared in the basketball crazed city of LaPorte, Indiana, Reed’s boyhood passion was to rewrite the NBA record books. He was well on his way when he earned a full-ride basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. His distinguished Irish career earned him a spot on the school’s all-time best 25 players list. Following graduation in 1965, Reed was drafted by Detroit and played two seasons for the Pistons.
At the same time, Reed spent off-seasons pitching in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. In 1967, his pitching prowess skyrocketed. He jumped from Class A to AA to AAA to one month in the big leagues. The following season, he re-terrorized Class AAA hitters and again was called up to the Braves for another September stint.
He never returned to the minor leagues and his basketball career was officially finished. In 1968, he began a big league tour that included appearances in six League Championship Series and two World Series. His career didn’t end until after the 1984 season.
“Growing up where I did, basketball was a passion,” Reed said. “I just transferred that passion to the mound. I think I made the right decision.”
That may be as understated as the fastball flying from his 6-foot-6-inch frame that kept all enemy hitters on their toes.
“I love competition,” Reed said. “The ultimate competition in sports is that one-on-one situation in basketball where one player wins and the other loses. It’s the same thing in baseball. There’s no feeling like when a pitcher is going up against a good hitter. It’s him or you. I loved it. If a pitcher doesn’t want to be in that situation, then he’s not going to last too long.”
Reed’s big league longevity certainly proves he knew where he belonged.
Reed was a starter for the Braves into the first half of the 1975 season when he was traded to St. Louis. During the off-season, he was traded to Philadelphia where he was converted into a reliever.
“At first I didn’t like the move,” said Reed who immediately asked to be traded. “I didn’t want any part of it. But they didn’t want any part of letting me go. The Phillies convinced that I could make a significant contribution.”
Reed accepted the new role that figured prominently in Philadelphia’s run of five League Championship Series and two World Series appearances from 1976 to 1983. In 1980, the Phillies beat Kansas City for the world championship.
Reed flourished in his new role. In eight seasons with the Phillies, he appeared in at least 60 games four times. Except for 39 games in 1981, he never appeared in less than 55 games.
“Making the transition from starter to reliever is a whole new mindset,” Reed explained. “I fought it at first. But then I came to appreciate how I could come to the park every day and maybe get into the game. And most of the time it was a critical situation. After I learned how to do it, I loved it. I loved the competition.”
Looking back, Reed appreciates how the move lent to the Phillies’ success.
“No question, the World Series victory has to be the highlight of my career,” Reed said. “And I proudly slip a ring onto my finger everyday to remind me of it. Winning the World Series, being named to Notre Dame’s all-time 25 basketball best and now being elected into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame are my three greatest honors.”
Of course, there are countless other memories too numerous to recall. One that remains alive and cherished, however, occurred on April 8, 1974, when he was pitching for Atlanta. That’s the night Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run to pass the legendary Babe Ruth.
“I was the starter and winner that night,” Reed said proudly. “That boxscore is posted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. At the bottom it reads: ‘WP-Reed.’ That’s pretty neat to have hanging in Cooperstown.”
For his career, Reed finished with a 146-140 won-lost record. He had a 3.46 ERA and 103 saves. In two appearances in the 1980 World Series he posted a 0.00 ERA with one save.
One of Reed’s grandmothers was of 100 percent Polish extraction. His late father was half Polish.
“My father considered himself to be full-blooded Polish,” Reed said. “He was a member of all the Polish organizations. He attended all kinds of meetings and competed in all sorts of sporting events that those organizations sponsored. If I have one regret it’s that he isn’t able to be at my induction ceremonies. I know he would have had the biggest smile on his face.”
Reed, instead, will do the smiling for Dad.
“I look at all the great names that have been inducted before me,” Reed said. “The list is truly quite impressive. I don’t know if I should be considered among them. But I can tell you one thing – I really am proud.”
So are Dad and the rest of the family. Ron Reed did enough to make everyone proud.”
NPASHF | Ron Reed
www.polishsportshof.com
Ron Reed Reflects on Braves Career, Friendships with Aaron and Niekro (2021)
(Video)
Leon Smith C Chicago, IL HS ATL, SEA 2001-2004 11-02-1980 42 YOA
Tom Thacker PG Cincinnati CIN, BOS, IND 1963-1971 11-02-1939 83 YOA
Dave Wohl PG Pennsylvania PHI, POR, BUF, HOU, NYN, NJ 1971-1978 11-02-1949
73 YOA
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