Texas High School Basketball Champions, 1921-2008

By Dr. Billy Wilbanks

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MISCELLANEOUS FACTS ABOUT TEXAS STATE BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT FOR BOYS (1921-2008) AND GIRLS (1939-1954 & 1951-2008)

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TEXAS  HIGH SCHOOL ALL-STATE BASKETBALL  TEAMS,  1955-2009

Compiled by Dr. Billy Wilbanks

Texas high schools have been playing basketball since around the first decade of the twentieth century with the first (boys) state tournament being held by the University Interscholastic League (U.I.L.) in 1921.   All-State Tournament teams have been selected for the entire periods for the boys’ (1921-2009) and girls’ (1951-2009) state U.I.L. tournaments but the selection of all-state teams from throughout the state that were not limited to those playing in the state tournament did not begin until 1955 when the Texas Sports Writers Association (TSWA) began its selection of a (state-wide) All-State Team. 

The TSWA named first-team, second-team and third-team all state teams for boys for each division (B thru 4-A from 1955-1980 & 1A thru 5A)  from 1955-2002.  The Waco Tribune Herald (WACO) selected boys all-state teams from 1956-1958.  The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) began selecting all-state boys teams in 1979 and continues thru 2008 as the only organization naming all-state boys teams in Texas. 

The first all-state girls basketball teams were selected by the Amarillo Globe-News (GLOBE) in 1973 and continued thru 1988 with the exception of 1978-81 when the Waco Tribune-Herald (WACO) selected the all-state girls teams.  In 1983 the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) began naming all-state girls teams and continues thru 2008.  The TSWA began naming all-state girls teams in 1986 and continued thru 2002.  In 1985 another organization, the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA), began naming all-state teams and continues thru 2008.    Thus from 1986-1988 there were four different all-state girls basketball teams in Texas—with those named by the GLOBE, TSWA, TABC  and the TGCA.  Likewise, from 1989-2002 there were three (“competing”) girls all-state teams (TABC, TSWA & TGCA).  In 2008 there were only two organizations (TGCA and TABC) naming all-state girls basketball teams in Texas.   See the “chart” below demonstrating the different all-state teams by year.

This “overlap” does not consider the “pre-season” all-state girls teams named by Bob Springer in Texas Basketball before each season.  It also does not include the girls named “all-state” (tournament) in the years 1951-1972 when that designation was the only honor available.  All-State Tournament lists for girls (1951-2008) and boys (1921-2998) are available at www.TexasBasketballChamps.com.  

Since there are “competing” and “overlapping” girls all-state basketball teams in Texas it is difficult to say who has made “all-state” in TX H.S. girls basketball and thus this data base includes all of the above “selecting organizations” (GLOBE, TSWA, WACO, TABC, & TGCA) and presents listings of the all-state teams chosen by each organization.

A “sorting” of the players named in the data base from 1955-2008 allows one to see a listing by school of all of its all-state players.  Thus one can compare all-state selections for any individual named by one or more organizations in a given year and over the entire period from 1955-2008.  There is no “consistency” in the type of data included in the all-state listings as the various “selecting” organizations at times gave info on such “variables” as Position (post, forward, guard, etc.), Class (Sr, Jr, etc.), Height, and Scoring Average.  Also, this author added notes—where info was available—such as “played at Baylor,” “was all-state for 3 years,” “won 4 gold medals at state track meet,” “later played in WNBA.”

Names in red in the data base indicate players on the all-state team who were members of the team which won state in this division/year.

The TABC and TGCA had complete archives that facilitated the process of adding its all-state teams to the data base.   The GLOBE and WACO had no archives other than the old newspapers which were searched each year for all-state listings.  The research in the Amarillo Globe-News was conducted by Rob Groman of the Amarillo Public Library and by Dr. Wilbanks.  The TSWA had incomplete archives (only first-team all-state) for its early years and thus old newspapers had to be searched for second-team and third-team listings from 1955-1987 and for all listings from 1988-2002.  This author utilized newspapers on microfilm at Texas State U., TX A&M, WTSU, UT, NT, Baylor, and in libraries at Athens, Temple, Waco, Bryan, Tyler, Amarillo, Levelland, Lubbock, etc.

This author asks that readers report any errors or omissions to:

WilbanksWilliam@hotmail.com so that these changes can be added to the data base.  Where names were not legible in the sources, a “?” followed the questionable spelling/listing.  These ? marks will be removed as more accurate info is available.  There is considerable inconsistency in the spelling of names by the different all-state listings.  Hopefully readers will report the correct spelling to the author.

A tentative listing of available all-state listings indicates that a number of “famous” persons have made all-state in basketball in TX who are not known primarily as basketball players.  Examples are NFL stars Don Meredith of Mt. Vernon, Bob Lilly of Throckmorton, Bake Turner of Alpine, Keith Davis of Italy, Leroy Caffey of Thorndale, Dat Nguyen of Rockport-Fulton, Bill Bradley of Palestine, Leonard Davis of Wortham, Hart Lee Dykes of Bay City, Riley Odoms of Corp. Chr West Oso and Bobby Boyd of Garland.  Other football notables with an all-state basketball background include H.S. coach G.S. Moore of Pilot Point and Colt McCoy, the Texas QB.  Track & field notables who made all-state in basketball include Randy Matson of Pampa, Jim Ann Baker of Cisco, Suzie Snider of Robinson, Chandi Jones of Bay City, Cynthia Jones of Frisco, Mindy Myers of Munday, and Jolanda Jones of Alief Elsik, etc.

Later NBA stars who made all-state in TX include Shaquille O’Neal, T.J. Ford & Daniel Ewing of Sugar Land Willowridge, Chris Bosh of Dallas Lincoln, Kendrick Perkins of Beaumont Ozen, Larry Johnson of Dallas Skyline, Emeka Okafor of Houston Bellaire, Deron Williams of the Colony, Spud Webb of Wilmer-Hutchins, Rasheed Lewis of Alief Elsik, Lamarcus Aldridge of Seagoville, Greg Ostertag of Duncanville, Steven Jackson of PA Lincoln, Jason Maxiell of Carrollton, Ricky Pierce of Garland, Daniel Gibson of Houston Jones,  Craig Ehlo of Lubbock Monterrey, Greg Kite of Houston Madison, Jay Arnette of Austin McCallum, LaBradford Smith of Bay City, Chris Mihm of Austin Westlake, Kurt Thomas of Dallas Hillcrest, Charles Outlaw of SA Jay, Acie Law of Dallas Kimball, Darrell Arthur of Dallas SOC, C.J. Miles of Dallas Skyline, D.J. Augustin of Ft. Bend Hightower, David Wesley of Longview, Oliver Miller of FW SW, Deron Brown of SA SW, etc.

WNBA notables include Sheryl Swoopers of Brownfield, Tamika Catchings of Duncanville, Shereka Wright of Coppersas Cove, Angela Aycock of Dallas Lincoln, etc.

Some all-state players whose fathers were quite famous include Randy Matson and his son, Cole Matson of A&M Consolidated, George Gervin  & his son, George Gervin, Jr of SA MacArthur, Moses Malone and his son Moses Malone, Jr of Wolfforth Frenship, John Lucas and his son John Lucas, III of Houston Bellaire, and Doug Moe and his son, Doug Moe, Jr of SA Clark.  Randy Matson is the only father among those listed above who played H.S. basketball in Texas.

The first all-state team in 1955 included Gerald Myers of Borger (now Texas Tech athletic director) and Charlie Pack of Waco (now a TV “fishing show” celebrity).  Nolan Richardson of El Paso Bowie (1958) was one of the first African-Americans to be named all-state by the TSWA and later coached Arkansas to an NCAA championship.   Perhaps the first “Negro” to be named all-state by the TSWA was Jesse Robinson, a 6’3” Sr from Beeville in 1957.  This data base includes 4 all-state listings (1957, 1960, 1965 & 1967) from the Prairie-View Interscholastic League—hopefully more PVIL listings will be “discovered” in the future.

With data available thus far it appears that only four boys have made all-state for four consecutive years—6’4” Glendon Alexander of Carrollton Newman-Smith; 6’5” Reggie Childress of Coleman; 6’8” Walter Martin of Snook; and 6’8” Stacy Thompson of Tenaha.  Approximately 75 boys have made all-state for 3 consecutive years.  Approximately 25 girls have made all-state for 4 consecutive years with the most notable being Sherika Wright of Copperas Cove and Erin Grant who was all-state and all-state tournament for 4 years and led her Mansfield team to four consecutive state titles.

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