The "Superstar In The Making" Story

My brother Steve #43 flying toward the basket in 1967.
He scored 43 points in this game.  In 1967 there was
no three-point line so it was truly a fantastic game for him.

It was an ordinary day. On a recent holiday visit with my brother Steve in Ephrata, Pennsyl- vania, he brought out a container with photos from our past.  We often talked about his high school years when he played basketball and was good enough to earn a partial scholarship to play in college.  Well, Steve found a few memories recently and wanted to share them with me.  

Dribbling down the court in another game.

Photos taken when he was a high school senior at Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, PA.  Steve was a talented athlete, staring in both basketball and baseball.  He had a sweet left-handed shot from the baseline corner as well as a super fastball on the mound.  Only problem was … he didn't care for with either coach.  He only began his basketball career as a senior since he didn't like the Junior Varsity coach and therefore didn't try out for basketball until he was in 12th grade and could only play varsity basketball.  

#43 shooting from the corner. In this photo my girlfriend
and I are sitting in the center of the photo.  I have a white
shirt on while she has long dark hair and a gray top.

Same goes for the baseball diamond.  He was a power pitcher who still holds the school record for most consecutive strikeouts with 15 as well as a great shooter who still holds the record for most points in a game with 43.  All this while only playing basketball and baseball during his senior year.  Actually he struck out all those batters during the span of a few games, since the coach would only allow him to come in as a relief pitcher.  

His away uniform number was 33.  Here he takes a shot.

Anyway, my girlfriend Carol, the same girl I eventually married, and I went to see just about every basketball game that my brother played as a senior.  I tell you this because when Steve showed me the couple of photos he had from his senior campaign, there in the stands were Carol and me.  Neat photos of Steve driving to the basket on a shot or two as well as taking his soft-shot from the corner in another one.  

Tournament in which Steve scored 43 points
in one game against Cherry Hill High School.

We had the best time reliving his senior year as we sat in the living room of his daughter and son-in-law while the rest of the our families were having a good time playing some other game around the kitchen table.  I asked if I could take his photos home and scan them to share with my readers and he said he was wondering when I would ask.  He still is a pretty good shot when he takes on his son in a game of basketball in the swimming pool.  Steve graduated and went to South-East Louisiana State College to play basketball.  Stayed a year until a Marine recruiter talked him into joining the Marine Corps.  He ended up on a base in Japan where he was the heavy-weight boxing champion until he was sent back to the states.  The stories he tells are like reliving my life all over again along with him.  Actually, I hope it never ends!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.