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Sunday, November 3, 2019 35 Northwest Arkansas Basketball There have been many great days for the Grizzlies, who began to dominate in the 1950s at Fort Smith High School with stars like King, who later played at Tulsa and 10 years in the NBA with four different teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was team- mates with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Boyer played at Arkansas, where he led the nation for two years in free-throw percentage. King, a tough defender and proficient ball-handler, learned to play all the posi- tions on the floor. "He was tougher than a junkyard dog," Boyer said after his former high school teammate followed him into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame last spring. "He had those big hands. He was strong. Fundamentally, there wasn't any better basketball player." Lee was the flashiest of the former Grizzlies and he dazzled Arkansas fans with his ability during an injury-short- ened career with the Razorbacks. Lee was the first black player to letter in basketball for Arkansas during the 1969- 70 season and he made it acceptable for other blacks to follow his path to Fay- etteville. Brewer said he idolized older stars like Lee while growing up in Fort Smith. "For me, it was Almer Lee," Brewer said. "He got me excited about playing basketball. Almer Lee, Billy Joe Releford and Benny Shepherd took us young guys under their wings. They were getting in our ears and became our mentors. They were in our community and we became like one." Jerry Jennings was a football and bas- ketball standout in the mid-1960s when black students from Lincoln High School integrated with Northside. It was back in the day when athletes played different sports depending on the time of year instead of specializing in a year-round activity as some do today. "We went from playing football one day to playing basketball the next day," said Jennings, who graduated from Northside in 1968 after entering the school the second semester of his soph- omore year. "We lost to Horace Mann and Little Rock Central on Monday and Tuesday, then won 27 straight games to win the state championship in basket- ball. Sports was our thing. Everybody in our neighborhood played whether it was football, basketball, baseball, or running track. We loved to play and a lot of guys were really good at it." Much of Northside's success came under legendary coach Gayle Kaundart, who spent 19 seasons at Northside and led the Grizzlies to five state champi- onships. Kaundart left after Northside capped its 30-0 season with a 37-32 win over Conway and moved to what was Westark College, now the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, where Brewer fol- lowed and played for a year. "I had some great coaches but the one who molded me was Gayle Kaundart," Brewer said. "You don't realize that until you leave. Halfway, three-quarters of the way wasn't good enough for him. I was the point guard, so I was an extension of him. We'd do things over and over and over until he got his point across, and we didn't think anything about it." Kaundart had left when Burnett emerged as a star player for Northside. But the lessons he learned on the play- offs and boys clubs in Fort Smith were a springboard to his success at Arkansas Tech, where Burnett still ranks among the school's all-time leading scorers. He was named an NAIA All-American in 1993. "There were a lot of guys but, for me, it was Keith Wilson who had the biggest impact on me," Burnett said of Wilson, who was an ace defender for Nolan Rich- ardson's teams in the 1990s. "I knew he played for the Razorbacks and I looked up to him as a kid. He pushed me to be the best I could be. I would play one- on-one against him starting when I was probably in the seventh or eighth grade and I finally beat him when I was in the 11th grade. That's when I knew I could do something because he was a great defender and competitor." From Boyer to Lee to Brewer to Wil- son and others, Northside continues to be a feeder school for the Arkansas bas- ketball program. Joe is a star player who has gotten the attention of NBA scouts with his smooth stroke from the 3-point line. He's been greatly influenced by the Razorbacks who came before him, in- cluding those from his hometown. "Definitely growing up in Fort Smith, I grew up an Arkansas Razorbacks fan watching Ronnie Brewer, Michael Qualls, and even recently Daryl Macon, Dusty Hannahs, Jaylen Barford," said Joe, who led the Grizzlies to two state cham- pionships. "You have Ron Brewer Sr., who actually played at my high school. He's come up there to multiple practic- es and things like that, just giving tips. Corliss Williamson and Sidney Moncrief were in the past. Being able to play in the same state as them and being from here, I have my friends and family able to watch me in person. It's just great hav- ing that feeling, you know, that culture behind you." Northside has a Hall of Fame room in- side Kaundart Grizzly Fieldhouse, where portraits of former stars hang on the wall. The pictures and profiles are there for any young player to see, but Burnett said most of them already know the rich tradition of Northside basketball. "When you're talking Northside bas- ketball, you're talking the best in the state," Burnett said. "The kids, they know the tradition and what's expected of them. They know it because their dads played here. Isaiah Joe knows it from his dad. Jaylin Williams knows it from his dad, as well." All eyes will be on Northside again and Williams, especially, as the Grizzlies attempt to reach the state finals for the v Continued from preceding page File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette Isaiah Joe led Fort Smith Northside to two state championships before signing with Ar- kansas, where he made the SEC All-Freshman team last season. "I had some great coaches but the one who molded me was Gayle Kaundart. You don't realize that until you leave. Halfway, three- quarters of the way wasn't good enough for him." — Ron Brewer, former Arkansas and Fort Smith Northside player See NORTHSIDE, Page 36