Thanks to DBR for linking the warm article on Howard Hurt. I lived in West Virginia in the mid-fifties and was aware of Hurt as a player but never saw him play. I particularly enjoyed reading about his exploits on the court as a 70-year old. I am a few years younger and like Howard I shoot better than I ever did but the running and jumping have diminished over the years (Have to watch those Achilles tendons!). I also recognized the names of a couple of his teammates. I suspect that he has some interesting stories re his old roommate, Art Heyman.

I got a chuckle of the brief reference to playing summer ball with Jerry West. I saw West play his last two years in high school and I saw Willie Akers play as well. Akers was a nice player in high school but, IMO, not on the same level as West. He played freshmen ball with West at West Virginia and some considered him the better player of the two. That quickly changed when West outplayed two preseason All Americans (Cox of Kentucky and Brennan of UNC) at the Kentucky Christmas Tournament and played well in front of the New York press in MSG.

gw67