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Phantom Warrior
10-02-2013, 08:10 AM
This year's list of inductees into the Wisconsin High School Basketball Hall of Fame includes some names that bring back a slew of memories. Other old farts, like me, might also take a few strolls down Memory Lane when they see names like Roy Birk, John Rushing, and Calvin Rayford.

Birk played at Waukesha when I was in high school, so I got a chance to watch him play quite a few times. He may just be the best long range shooter ever in the state, and that includes Bob Wolf, Freddie Brown, Rick Olson, and Novak. He had range out to nearly 30 feet, and he could create his own shot. He sometimes shot after taking one or two dribbles past mid-court, a la Jimmy Rayl. If memory serves, he signed with Bradley, but I don't know if he ever played there as grades were apparently an issue. Anyway, he was the long range bomber par excellance.

Rushing was somewhat unheralded despite being the best player on a couple of those Milwaukee Lincoln teams in the early 60s that included, among others, Clarence Sherrod and Fred Brown. He graduated in December, as that team's leading scorer. I think he played juco after leaving Lincoln, but I'm not sure. That Lincoln team with Rushing, Sherrod, and Brown was, without a doubt, the best - and most entertaining - high school team in state history. I believe that team averaged - AVERAGED - something like 97 points a game.

Rayford was a 5'6" point guard at Washington High School. He might be the quickest player I've ever seen in the state. He was, as an article in the J/S pointed out, the only Milwaukee city player to ever be named a McDonald's AA. He played at Kansas, which was just as strong a program then as it is now.

Anyway, I still have visions of that Lincoln team as well as flashes of Birk putting up 30+ points against some very good Whiteifsh Bay High School teams.

Ah, the good old days.

TheSultan
10-02-2013, 08:17 AM
Phantom, I agree with you about Rayford - real quick player. Played with . I believe that Marquette was one of his finalists, but Kansas got him.

A little bit of a disappointment at Kansas. Prop 48 his first year, his second year he was backing up Jacque Vaughn, who was a freshman, and averaged 15 mpg. But Vaughn was much better, and Rayford missed a year due to a knee injury, so his minutes and production went down from there.

IWB
10-02-2013, 08:51 AM
I believe MU took William Gates, not that they would have gotten Rayford, but we'll see.