Throwback Thursday: Jaguar Sophomore Sensations (25 years removed)

This day late "throwback Thursday" post was inspired by Tuesday's "City Classic," the historical name for the annual GRU Augusta versus Paine College basketball game.  As you may know, GRU continued its recent dominance over the Lions with an 87-78 victory on the road in large part due to the play of sophomore sensation Keshun Sherrill, who scored all 25 of his points in the game's final 25 minutes.  Now to the "throwback" part.

When my friend and Jaguar hoops legend Keenan Mann and I first saw Sherrill play, I made a remark that caused Keenan to author what probably has been my favorite post on this blog, a conversation with Brian Schmall.  Read it here.  It is a funny, touching, and very interesting piece.  But that post is only part 1 of this throwback Thursday post.

Part 2 is a trip down memory lane to the first City Classic I ever witnessed.  Twenty-five years ago, 5000 fans piled into what was then called the Augusta Civic Center (now James Brown Arena) to watch the Jaguars, coached by current GRU athletic director Clint Bryant, defeat Paine College, coached by long time local basketball fixture Ron Spry.  And the star of the game?:  Augusta College sophomore sensation Brian Schmall!







Side Note:  In Keenan's conversation with Brian, I am the person who made the remark that Schmall was the best Jags point guard I've seen.  Brian calls me crazy for saying it!  If so, it may be because I was a 7th grader at the time who idolized Jags like Brian, Keenan, and Derek Stewart.  The between-the-legs, behind-the-back move Brian does in the second clip was one of many moves I would practice alone with a chair set up in my drive way during my middle school years after watching Schmall as a Jag.  He doesn't know it, but he taught me how to do a spin move!