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By Bob Baker Sports Writer for The Gazette If motorists approaching the city limits of East Bank yesterday weren't basket ball fans, they might have been puzzled by a sign reading: “East Bank. Now West Bank” No, the 1,068 citizens of East Bank haven't officially changed the name of their town. They were just showing their excite ment about Jerry West leading East Bank High School to its first state Class A basketball championship at Morgantown Sat urday. . Two rabid East Bank fans, Duke Shaver and Ellis McDaniels, got up at 7 a. m. Sunday morn ing to put up the sign honoring West, the high-scoring ace of the champion Pioneers. That set the Pace for an exciting day for East Bank as the people gave their team a rousing welcome home. While such signs as *‘Welcome Home Pioneers! State Champi ons!” waved in the March breeze, the entire population of East Bank and many people from surround ing Cabin Creek District gath ered at the high school to await the arrival of Coach Roy Williams; and the team from Morgantown. FESTIVITIES were scheduled to start at 3 p. m. but it was 3:50 yp. m.before the team arrived. The fans waited patiently as the East Bank band kept playing and the cheerleaders worked up en thusiasm. “The oil line in my car burst,” Coach Williams reported upon ar rival. “Had to stop and get it fixed.” Coach Williams shouldn't have such trouble in the future. Two East Bank basketball fans, Rex Hill of Chesapeake and Sherman (Huck) Uldrich of East Bank, are leading a fund drive to buy Coach Williams a new station wagon. The fund was started last Sun day after East Bank won the area tournament from Huntington East. And it gained momentum this past weekend as the Pioneers downed Mullens, 77-73, and Mor gantown, 71-56, to win the Class A cage title. To date $900 has been raised, WEST, the team captain, hap pily hugged the big, gleaming state championship trophy as the players filed out of the cars. It was West who scored 43 and 39 points at Morgantown to win plaudits as one of the best play ers ever to appear in a state tournament. West is the all-time West Vir ginia high school scoring ace. He scored 926 points in 27 games this season for a 34.3 average. Coach Williams, hoarse from all the excitement, told the fans, “It was cold in Morgantown, but this team was hot. “This reception overwhelms me. The team and I surely do appre ciate it. We are tickled to death. These boys are tops; there is no greater bunch of guys anywhere. They are always well-behaved— except when they get on a basket ball court.” AMONG the speakers paying tribute to the East Bank cagers were East Bank Mayor O. 4. Trimbles, Principal Dana R. Ir vin, Kanawha County Superintend ent Virgil L. Flinn Board of Edu cation President Herbert Beddow; Meredith Parry, county school personnel head; and Leo Kopel man, a merchant who arranged for the celebration. Superintendent Flinn got a rise out of the crowd with: “Ka nawha County has the track champion (Stonewall), the foot ball champion (St. Albans) and the basketball champion (East Bank). Just name another championship and we'll take it in Kanawha County. Students in the crowd wouldn't let the proceedings break up without hearing from all 12 of the players and assistant coach es Joe Butta and Chester Spe lock, “I think our team de served to win. We are glad to win this for you,” said Team Captain West, pointing to the trophy. Other members of the team who spoke briefly were Bob Buck sley, Bob Green, Jack Landers, Gary Stover, Bob Greer, Roy IAkers, Ronald Fisher, Mike Dot Ison, Jack Pauley, Freddie Hud Jnall and Gifford Basham. Since the Cabin Creek District High School was started at East Bank in 1912, this is the first state ‘championship for the Pioneers in either of the major high school sports — football and basketball. ‘East Bank has won several titles in baseball, however. THREE of the happiest people at the pep rally were Mr. and Mrs. Howard West of Chelyan, parents of Jerry, and Mrs. Roy Williams, wife of the coach. “To me he’s still the same old Jerry, Mrs. West said of her son, the team’s big star. “Praise, doesn't bother him at all. He's been playing basketball since he was six years old.” Mrs. Williams, who teaches the third grade at East Bank Grade School, said each of the students in her class wrote a letter to Coach Williams wishing him luck. “Such spelling you never saw, she said, ‘but Roy got a big bang out of the letters.’* After 30 minutes of speeches, cheers and band music, the rally broke up. But there’s no school for East Bank High School stu dents today and will be some time before the cheering dies down about East Bank winning h its first state basketball cham pionship. Swyers’ Goal (Continued From Page 14) tipped in a fellow shot and Swyers ladded a free throw to tie it at 55 Ed Halberg hit a onehander from the side to give Seattle a 57- 58 lead and then Haldorson tied it to set the stage for Seattle's tingling finish. Seniors from the University of Alabama plunked in three free throws in the last two minutes to whip Milwaukee Allen Bradley 77-76 for third place. DENVER, March 25#—Runner up Phillips 66ers of Bartlesville, Okla., placed three men and champion Seattle Buchan Bakers two on the All-Star team selected for the 49th annual National AAU, a basketball tournament. Guard George Swyers, who tossed in the winning basket for Seattle and his running mate, Charles Koon, were picked by sports writers and sportscasters from the title club. Chosen from Phillips were Bur dette Haldorson, James Walsh and Chuck Darling. The others are Jerry Harper and ‘George Linn of Mobile, Ala., Ada’ Oilers,‘Terry Rand, Dick Miller of Milwaukee, Allen Bradley, and Dick Eicher of Denver Central, Bank. : Miller is a native of Wheeling,’ W. Va. EAST BANK £ash cee Bask THIS SIGN greeted motorists driving by the East Bank city limited yesterday. The “West Bank” reference is in honor of Jerry West, the high-scoring forward who led the East Bank team to the state Class A basketball title last Satur day. (Gazette Photo by Lew Haines). YOUNG horn-tooter in Clin ton Jeffreys, mascot for the East Bank High School band. Clinton tried his hand with his older brother's in strument during welcoming home ceremonies for the state basketball champion East Bank team yesterday. Gazette Photo by Lew Raines).
Newspaper Details
Charleston Gazette
Charleston, West Virginia, US
Mon, Mar 26, 1956
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Guy E.
USA 26 Jul 2026
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