By Olivo H.R. No. 1027
77R15976 MJS-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The Willowridge High School boys' basketball team
1-2 captured the 2001 University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 5A
1-3 state title with a hard-fought 65-58 victory against Bryan High
1-4 School; and
1-5 WHEREAS, Willowridge, which owns a 61-game winning streak and
1-6 has compiled an amazing 75-1 mark over the past two years, also
1-7 defeated three nationally ranked teams to repeat as champions of
1-8 the prestigious Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament in Lewes,
1-9 Delaware; the Eagles' magical season earned them the No. 2 spot in
1-10 USA Today's final Super 25 boys' basketball rankings; and
1-11 WHEREAS, Head coach Ronnie Courtney and his coaching staff
1-12 guided Willowridge to an unblemished 39-0 record this season and to
1-13 its second consecutive state championship, having ably prepared the
1-14 Eagles for their title showdown against the resilient Bryan High
1-15 School Vikings; and
1-16 WHEREAS, In the championship game of the state tournament
1-17 held at The University of Texas at Austin, the Eagles were led by
1-18 point guard Terrance (T. J.) Ford, who finished with eight points,
1-19 four rebounds, nine assists, and four steals to be selected as the
1-20 game's MVP by Fox Sports Southwest; joining him on the
1-21 all-tournament team was teammate Daniel Ewing; and
1-22 WHEREAS, Moreover, T. J. Ford and Daniel Ewing were named to
1-23 the 2001 McDonald's All-American team, an honor given to the top 24
1-24 high school basketball players in the United States; and
2-1 WHEREAS, A number of Willowridge's players have received
2-2 scholarships to play basketball in college, and Daniel Ewing, Kenny
2-3 Taylor, and T. J. Ford each signed with NCAA Division I schools;
2-4 this dynamic trio combined to average 44.8 points a game this
2-5 season and will attend Duke University, Baylor University, and The
2-6 University of Texas, respectively; and
2-7 WHEREAS, Longtime head coach Ronnie Courtney, who was named
2-8 national high school coach of the year by USA Today and had a
2-9 237-120 record at Willowridge, will also be making the jump to the
2-10 college level, as he was recently hired to coach men's basketball
2-11 at Texas Southern University; and
2-12 WHEREAS, The stellar 2000-2001 season would not have been
2-13 possible without the valuable contributions of all the talented
2-14 team members, including Kendrick Johnson, Daniel Ewing, T. J. Ford,
2-15 Kenny Taylor, Donta Yates, Jamarcus Johnson, Andre Watson, Roland
2-16 Parsons, Brandon Chaison, Matthew Renfro, Ralph Viverette, Curtis
2-17 Walker, Isaac Rollins, Eddie Rowe, Brandon Scott, Brandon Anderson,
2-18 as well as assistant coaches John Howie, Greg Bell, Anthony
2-19 Armstrong, and Thomas McGaughey; additional support came from
2-20 student trainer, An'Gelle Sylvester, statisticians Teena
2-21 Castleberry and Mike Washington, and equipment managers James
2-22 Viverette and Ashley Armstrong; and
2-23 WHEREAS, With persistence, hard work, and training, the
2-24 Willowridge players and coaches came together to meet their
2-25 collective goal; the Eagles have proven themselves to be formidable
2-26 competitors, and as they take pride in their second consecutive
2-27 state championship, it is indeed fitting to pay tribute to them;
3-1 now, therefore, be it
3-2 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
3-3 Legislature hereby congratulate the Willowridge High School Eagles
3-4 for winning the 2001 UIL Class 5A boys' basketball state
3-5 championship and extend to the players and their coaches sincere
3-6 best wishes for continued success; and, be it further
3-7 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-8 prepared for the members of the 2001 Willowridge High School boys'
3-9 basketball team as an expression of high regard by the Texas House
3-10 of Representatives.