by Dennis Cox, Sports Editor
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If you haven’t noticed, I’m a stat guy. Always have been. Hey, I just found out Bulldog head football coach Patrick Treece is a stat guy, too, so I guess I’m not the Lone Ranger when it comes to numbers.
I will say that I agree with most coaches who believe that individual stats are only important in regard to how they advance team success.
What brings me to the keyboard for this column is this. Jett Simmons recently wrapped up his high school career with 1,154 points. Inside that total were a record number of points from three-point shots. Jett totaled 163 three-pointers in his four seasons, demolishing the old record of 129 set by GHS girls head coach Chad Sullenger from 1997 to 2000. I’m sure Chad didn’t even know he had the previous record.
The three-point shot was instituted in Missouri high school basketball in time for the 1987-88 season. I remember that because one cold winter night I made the trek to Grant City to watch Hamilton take on the Tigers. Former Hornet all-star Kelly Gentry handled the point and brought the ball down to the top of the key and swished four straight treys before the Tigers decided he should be guarded a little more closely.
And that leads to another point of clarity…or near clarity, anyway, in regard to a GHS basketball record.
It has been documented that former all-state center Syd Weybrew amassed 1,662 points during his high school career at Gallatin (1983-86). Keith Morrissey, arguably the best athlete to ever grace the halls of GHS, scored 1,630 points from his sophomore through senior seasons. I can find no record of Keith suiting up for varsity as a freshman …with good reason. That year’s team was powered by Howard Weldon, Dennis Morrissey, Richard Reynolds, Phil Gooding, Rick McCloud, Joe Bird and David McWilliams.
More on Keith. Can you imagine a high school game in which a player scores 46 points and pulls down 39 rebounds? Keith did that his senior year against the Bethany Bulldogs. His 686 points during his senior year are a GHS single season record. Morrissey and Kenny Youtsey formed a dynamic post duo in 1972-73, combining for 1,268 points, nearly equaling the 1,313 points posted by this year’s entire GHS boys’ team. Youtsey finished with 1,097 points in his four years as a Bulldog.
On the girls’ side, Amy Woodruff LaBrie scored 1,493 points from 1995 to 1998. Lori Beck totaled 1,439 points from 1981 to 1984. Most recently, Roxi Davitt topped the 1,400 mark with 1,428 from 2000-03. GHS assistant coach Courtney Ray holds the single-game total of 37 points versus South Harrison during her 2007-2008 senior season.