Sports stories make summer reading list

Summer usually is a time to take a vacation, but for some area athletes, it's a time to keep working on their skills.

No matter the sport, kids who are really serious about having success in high-school athletics, or are thinking about earning a college scholarship, use their summer break wisely.

For fans, parents, and people in the media, summer is a time when rumors fly. You may find out details on a young star on the rise, or about a key prep player considering a change of schools, and sometimes coaches feel the heat, and not because it's summer.

So here are a few stories you might have missed this summer.

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Evans loses quarterback

The Evans High School football team is getting a fresh start this year with new head coach Marty Jackson, the former Aquinas coach who replaced Lee Chomskis.

It didn't take long for Jackson to face an unexpected dilemma - losing his best player before summer drills even started.

Travis Clark, who has started at quarterback the past two seasons, has transferred to Lincoln County High School, and will play for the Red Devils during his senior season.

To hear Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell tell it, the Clark family was planning to retire in Lincolnton. If you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Appling you might be interested in.

Campbell is just being extra careful that his program is not accused of recruiting Clark, which would be a violation of Georgia High School Association rules.

I don't think for one second that Campbell, or anyone at Lincoln County, recruited Clark. Campbell not only is a coaching legend, he's ethical, and I can't imagine him doing anything illegal.

Another rumor regarding Clark's departure is that the star quarterback was unhappy that Chomskis was forced to resign.

Well, from what I can gather, that's not the case.

How about this explanation? Clark simply wants to win.

The Knights are coming off two poor seasons and compete in a tough region, while the Red Devils are expected to be one of the premier teams in Class A this fall.

Clark's passing ability, coupled with all the talented running backs at Lincoln County, should be a recipe for success.

With Clark out of the picture at Evans, Brad Freeman has the inside track to the quarterback position in 2003. Also keep an eye on talented sophomore Israel Machovec, who had a solid season at quarterback for the Knights freshman team last year.

Black out

Greenbrier High School coach Garrett Black replaced his father, Danny, as the Wolfpack's varsity basketball coach last year, and thanks in large part to the play of Eric Marshall, Garrett enjoyed the best basketball season in school history.

Before the 2002-03 school year, Black had coached the girls basketball team at Greenbrier, and this year he's back in that position. Black will lead some talented players next season, which includes a group of ninth-graders with loads of potential.

Taking over the boys team at Greenbrier is Casey Dees, who previously was coaching at Wayne County High School.

Scott shot

In an upcoming column, I plan to take a look at the busy summer of Lakeside High School basketball standout Matt Scott.

Scott has been getting a lot of attention from college coaches, including Clemson's new leader, Oliver Parnell.

The rising Lakeside senior will be heavily recruited this season, and in a future Bottom Line, I will detail the programs showing interest in the sharpshooting guard.

Also, we'll take a look at Scott's summer workout regimen, Lakeside's summer-league play and all of the camps Scott has attended.