Saturday, June 16, 2001
Summer Basketball League returns
Veteran McBride back for more
By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Last year, Walt McBride spent about a month working out five times a week to prepare for the Deveroes Summer Basketball League.
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AT A GLANCE
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• When: Sunday-July 17
• Where: Oak Hills High School, 3200 Ebenezer Rd., Bridgetown
• Admission: Free; donations accepted at door
• Defending champion: Mike Albert Leasing defeated Kenwood Old-Timers 103-101 in overtime in last year's final and became the first summer league team to go undefeated
• 2000 tournament MVP: David West
• 2000 regular-season MVP: Kenny Satterfield
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As the oldest player on any roster and the only player to have participated each summer since the league started in 1985, McBride, 36, believed the extra work was necessary.
“My intention was to go in and get five 3s a game,” McBride said.
But as player/coach of a talented Mike Albert Leasing team — David West, Torraye Braggs, James Posey, Darnell Wiliams, Gary Lumpkin and Lenny Brown, to name a few — McBride saw less than 10 minutes a game, kind of passing the torch to the new generation of current Xavier and former XU stars.
“I took a backseat to them and let them play,” McBride said. “I've had my days.”
Mike Albert became the first unbeaten team through the league's regular season and tournament. It begins defense of its titles at noon Sunday in the first game at Oak Hills High School, host of the summer league for the second consecutive year.
McBride isn't sure where he'll fit in. But one thing is certain: He has bypassed the heavy schedule of workouts.
“For me, it's a challenge to stay in shape, to keep up with the younger guys and the college guys,” McBride said. “It's a level that I want to continue playing on. I'm used to playing the athletic guys and quick guys.
“The one edge I have on them is knowing how to break the floor down, spacing.”
“Now he's more of a teacher,” said league director Dennis Bettis. “If they need him, he'll come out. He still can compete with the college players.”
McBride graduated from Xavier in 1986, then spent 9 1/2 years playing in Ger many before retiring in December 1997.
He is an admissions associate at Summit Country Day School, his alma mater. Though he is 10 pounds heavier than his overseas playing weight, he still is in basketball shape.
During the winter, McBride plays on a 35-and-over team that travels around the Midwest. During the summer, he plays at Oak Hills and in a 35-and-over league in Columbus. He is playing three times a week in open gym at Woodward High School.
“It's just the competitiveness in you,” he said. “You see a lot of things that these kids are doingand you say, "I could stop him from doing that,' so now you want to go out there and show that you can.”
His favorite guy to play against? Former Bearcat Ruben Patterson, now with the Seattle SuperSonics.
“He wants to score,” McBride said. “He wants to show you up. He's a showman. I've been known for defense, not really offense, all through Xavier, so I'm looking to stop a guy.”
Other thirtysomethings play at Oak Hills as well. No one has given McBride a hard time.
“They give me respect,” he said. “They know I've been overseas, and they know about (my) jumper. The first thing they'll say is, "Stay up on him.'”
What if someone does call him “old man?”
“Then I'm looking to score on them every time,” he said.
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