High School Snippets from AI's High School Days The play of Denbigh point guard Sam Steen in the Fort Eustis Christmas Invitational made a lasting impression on Bailey, who has sophomore phenoms Allen Iverson and Tony Rutland and senior Rodney Bell at his disposal.  The knock on Bethel High School's basketball team this season is that the Bruins are a doughnut - great on the perimeter, but with a huge hole in the middle.  But that didn't matter Tuesday night because sophomore guard Allen Iverson scored 39 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Bruins defeat Hampton 83-72 before a near-capacity crowd at Bethel.  BETHEL'S SOPHOMORE SENSATION Bethel's Allen Iverson has had arguably as great a two-sport impact as any sophomore in Peninsula District history. Last fall, Iverson led the Bruins to their first outright Peninsula District football title in 15 years and an unbeaten regular season. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound quarterback-safety produced 1,583 yards total offense and intercepted 13 passes.  Bethel High guard Allen Iverson made a mockery of basketball tournament pressure Saturday afternoon at Anderson Field House.  The sophomore phenom riddled Menchville for a career-high 42 points to trigger a 79-67 victory that earned the Bruins (15-7) a berth in Wednesday's Peninsula District tournament semifinals against Hampton.  Rising Bethel High junior Allen Iverson scored 33 points to pace Boo Williams' team of Hampton Roads all-stars past Cleveland 102-95 in triple overtime in the third round of the AAU boys 17-and-under national tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C.  Iverson passed Faisal Abraham for a dunk at the first-overtime buzzer that forced the game into double OT at 88-88. Cleveland's Matt Clemons hit a half-court shot at the second-overtime buzzer to make it 95-95, but Iverson scored all seven of the p  Allen Iverson, a starting quarterback and defensive back on Bethel's 1991 Peninsula District football championship team, missed the second day of preseason practice Friday.  ``Allen practiced Thursday, but hasn't been here today,'' Bethel coach Dennis Kozlowski said before Friday's 4:30 p.m. practice, the second session of the day.  Quarterback Allen Iverson returned to defending Peninsula District champion Bethel High School's football practice Saturday after missing both of Friday's workouts, Bruins coach Dennis Kozlowski said.  Iverson's return quelled any speculation that he might forsake football this season in order to concentrate on playing basketball.  The insertion of Allen Iverson at quarterback in the second half righted what had been a mistake-prone Bethel offense Tuesday night at Darling Stadium.  Iverson, who played strictly defensive back in the first half, engineered two scoring drives in the Bruins' first four possessions after halftime to secure a 21-0 season-opening victory against Lafayette.  FOOTBALL  ALLEN IVERSON, Bethel. The junior scored four touchdowns, including a 102-yard interception return and a 78-yard punt return in Bethel's record setting 75-15 victory against Gloucester Saturday  When fullback Matt Harris was carried off the field, his left leg in a splint, Allen Iverson had yet another reason to turn it loose. Right then, Hampton High School's football team should have realized Saturday afternoon was going to turn out to be as disappointing as it already was cold.  Iverson plays quarterback, flanker, safety and returns punts and kickoffs for Bethel High School. He spends more time on the field than the officials. That because there is no way of telling what will  Tommy Amaker, a Duke assistant basketball coach, called Wednesday. He wanted a fax of a Daily Press story about Allen Iverson. Kentucky assistant Billy Donovan called Thursday with the same request. Notre Dame assistant Jimmy Black called Monday.  Those calls confirmed suspicions that began during the summer: The serious recruitment of Bethel High School's Allen Iverson has commenced.  Allen Iverson's 2-yard sneak for an overtime touchdown capped a miraculous rally Saturday night that sent Bethel High School to next week's state Group AAA Division 5 state championship game.  The Bruins rallied from a 16-0 deficit, scoring twice in the fourth quarter to force the overtime en route to an unforgettable 22-16 victory against Huguenot at University of Richmond Stadium.  Bethel High School closed its state Division 5 football championship season with a large exclamation point Saturday afternoon at City Stadium.  The Bruins (12-2) humbled E.C. Glass on its home field 27-0 to earn their first state title since 1976.  ALLEN IVERSON, Bethel. The junior passed for 201 yards and intercepted two E.C. Glass passes, as well as scoring two touchdowns in the Bruins' 27-0 victory in Saturday's state group AAA Division 5 championship game.  So what might Allen Iverson do when he gets his basketball legs underneath him?  Exactly three days and one practice after leading Bethel High to the Group AAA Division 5 state football championship, Iverson poured in 37 points to lead the Bruins to a 73-68 victory at Kecoughtan on Tuesday.  Chuckster had 'em calling for more Tuesday night at Anderson Field House. That, despite a sensational performance in the Fort Eustis Christmas Invitational basketball tournament.  Bethel High's Allen Iverson - nicknamed ``Bubbachuck'' and often called ``Chuckster'' - scored a career-high 46 points in leading the undefeated Bruins past Huguenot 78-60 in the finals of the Kal-Kan Classic division.  Fans were left to wonder what Allen Iverson might have accomplished if he'd played all 32 minutes in Saturday afternoon's Fort Eustis Christmas Invitational basketball tournament in the Kal-Kan Classic.  As it was, the Bethel High star had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Bruins pounded Bruton 107-49 in the first round of the 14th annual tournament at Anderson Field House.  The honors keep rolling in for Allen Iverson, leaving just one question for the Bethel High School star: What can he do next year to top his junior football season?  Iverson, who led Bethel to the Group AAA Division 5 championship, received his latest - and biggest - honor on Sunday, when he was named the state's Group AAA player of the year. He was first-team all-state as a defensive back and kick returner, and he received consideration at quarterback.  The reaction of two older E.C. Glass fans on first seeing Bethel High's Allen Iverson before the Dec. 12 state championship football game wasn't unusual.  ``Look how skinny his legs are,'' said the first man.  ALLEN IVERSON  The 6-foot-0, 170-pound junior excelled as a quarterback, defensive back and kick returner for Bethel. He produced 2,204 yards total offense, scored 21 touchdowns, and passed for 14 more. In seven games, he scored multiple touchdowns. He intercepted eight passes. His leadership was also invaluable in the Bruins' state Division 5 title success, highlighted by his rallying them from a 16-0 deficit with less than nine minutes to play for an overtime victory against Huguenot in the  BOYS BASKETBALL  DAMON BACOTE, Hampton. The senior scored 141 points in four games to lead the Crabbers to the Fort Eustis Invitational title. His 51 points against Denbigh established a tournament single-game record and he was named most valuable player of the Pepsi-Cola Division.  ALLEN IVERSON, Bethel. The junior scored 136 points in four Fort Eustis Invitational games for the Kal Kan Division champions. He was named Most Valuable Player of the division.  With all-everything guard Allen Iverson missing for unexplained reasons, Bethel High School was no match for Denbigh in Tuesday night's featured Peninsula District basketball matchup.  Both of Bethel's guards passed the 1,000-point mark of their high school careers Friday night.  Allen Iverson's 23 points and Tony Rutland's 24 were enough for both of them to surpass the milestone in this their junior year as host Bethel defeated Gloucester 84-52 in a Peninsula District game.  The game features two of the top players in Hampton Roads, Allen Iverson of Bethel and Damon Bacote of Hampton.  Hampton High used cohesive team play to turn its eagerly anticipated Peninsula District basketball rematch with Bethel into a runaway Friday night.  The game, a 101-67 Hampton romp, attracted a sellout crowd of more than 2,600 to Hampton University's Holland Hall. It bore no resemblance to the 83-80 thriller the Crabbers won Dec. 30 in the Fort Eustis Invitational title game  IVERSON SCORES 42, BETHEL WINS 105-54  Allen Iverson scored 16 of his 42 points in the first quarter to set the pace as Bethel ran over Kecoughtan 105-54.  The host Bruins used a full-court press most of the game in improving to 14-3 overall, 11-2 in the Peninsula District.  Hampton University's athletic program has self-reported to the NCAA a minor violation stemming from football coach Joe Taylor's published comments about a high school player.  In a USA Today article Monday about two-sport Bethel standout junior Allen Iverson, Taylor said of Iverson: ``He's the best defensive back I've ever seen; he's the best quarterback I've seen.''  ALLEN IVERSON, Bethel. The junior scored 83 points in victories against Denbigh and Gloucester to regain the Peninsula District scoring lead.  BETHEL EDGES HAMPTON  Published on 02/17/1993, Article 41 of 333 found.  (693 words)  Some 8,000 fans, the largest crowd to witness a high school basketball game on the Peninsula in more than 15 years, saw Bethel win its first Peninsula District championship Tuesday night at Hampton Coliseum.  The Bruins (19-3 overall, 16-2 district) ended Hampton's 17-game winning streak 69-67 on the final day of the regular season, earning a berth in Eastern Region competition regardless of what happens in the Peninsula District Tournament, which begins Friday at Fort Eustis.  CHAIRS FLY DURING BRAWL AT HAMPTON BOWLING ALLEY  Published on 02/17/1993, Article 43 of 333 found.  (511 words)  Police say they are investigating a chair-throwing brawl at a bowling alley early Sunday that sent three people to an emergency room.  No charges have been filed, and detectives have interviewed approximately 10 witnesses, according to police spokesman Sgt. Donnie Moore. Witnesses and police said they do not know what started the fight.  Several high-school-aged males participated in the brawl, according to four bystanders who were injured by thrown chairs at Circle Lanes.  CHAIRS FLY DURING BRAWL AT HAMPTON BOWLING ALLEY  Published on 02/17/1993, Article 43 of 333 found.  (511 words)  Police say they are investigating a chair-throwing brawl at a bowling alley early Sunday that sent three people to an emergency room.  No charges have been filed, and detectives have interviewed approximately 10 witnesses, according to police spokesman Sgt. Donnie Moore. Witnesses and police said they do not know what started the fight.  Several high-school-aged males participated in the brawl, according to four bystanders who were injured by thrown chairs at Circle Lanes.  Add a berth on the Parade All-America high school basketball first team to Allen Iverson's awesome junior year of athletic achievement.  The Bethel point guard, who has driven the Bruins to their first Peninsula District championship and a school-record 20 victories, is one of five Virginia representatives among the 40 honorees who will be announced in Sunday's Parade magazine.  Iverson has averaged 31.1 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds per game this season.  It took a classic effort by Bethel All-American Allen Iverson to overcome a superb upset bid by Ferguson in the Peninsula District basketball tournament semifinals Tuesday night.  Iverson wowed the Anderson Field House crowd with a 42-point performance as the top-seeded Bruins (21-3) fended off No. 4 Ferguson 81-78 in a masterpiece.  All-America guard Allen Iverson was one of two juveniles arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with a bowling alley brawl, sources said.  Iverson will remain with Bethel High School's basketball team during the playoffs despite his arrest, school officials said.  Add the Peninsula District Tournament championship to Bethel High's accomplishments in the best basketball season of the school's 25-year existence.  Tournament most valuable player Allen Iverson produced his second consecutive 42-point performance in triggering Bethel's 93-69 dismantling of Hampton before a sellout crowd in excess of 3,000 at Anderson Field House Saturday night.  ``We jumped on them right away and didn't let them see any light,'' Iverson said. ``We shot well and pla  The Bethel High basketball team provided a winning answer Friday night to those who questioned its ability to defeat a quality opponent that executed a deliberate offense effectively.  The Bruins (24-3) downed patient and determined Maury 52-50 despite a career-high 37 points by premier center Joe Smith to earn their first trip to the state Group AAA tournament quarterfinals next week.  Bethel High overcame a season's worth of adversity in one emotion-filled game Friday to earn a shot at the first state basketball title in its existence tonight.  The Bruins (27-3) rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter, forced an overtime on Allen Iverson's 3-point shot with 26 seconds left in regulation and thanks to the best performance of Lovett Gaither's young career, in overtime, finally downed Woodbridge 72-65 at University Hall.  Exactly 14 weeks after leading Bethel High School to the state Group AAA football championship and saying he wanted to do the same thing in basketball, Allen Iverson teamed with backcourt partner Tony Rutland to do just that Saturday night.  Iverson and Rutland combined for 58 points, and both produced crucial plays in the final 1:27 to ensure a 77-71 Bruins victory against pesky John Marshall of Richmond with 3,100 looking on at University Hall.  Bethel (28-3) capped the most successf  ALLEN IVERSON, 6-1, Jr., Bethel. Maybe the nation's best high school point guard, the first team Parade All-American led the Bruins to their first state, Eastern Region and Peninsula District titles. He averaged 31.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. He scored 948 points, breaking a 20-year-old state record held by Moses Malone of Petersburg High. He is at the top of the list when players having the complete package of skills are discussed. He has explosive qu  The more people dislike the news, the more they tend to criticize the news media. The case that made all-star athlete Allen Iverson a convicted felon also made the Daily Press part of the story, and raised questions about the newspaper's role in the controversy.  We were accused of making his basketball and football accomplishments so famous that he was prosecuted just for being a celebrity. We were accused of racial bias and inaccurate reporting. We were targeted as villains in the angry  Supporters of Allen Iverson and three other blacks convicted of mob violence will hold a protest march through downtown Hampton today  Prosecutors have dropped a misdemeanor charge accusing Allen Iverson of using abusive language during the bowling alley brawl that netted three felony convictions against the high school all-American basketball player.  "Common sense finally prevailed, at some point," said James Ellenson, Iverson's attorney.  POLICE INVESTIGATE IVERSON FLIER ORIGIN  HAMPTON - Hampton police are investigating the origins of a flier that threatens the lives of jailed athlete Allen Iverson and one of his chief supporters.  Joyce Hobson, one of the leaders in an effort to release Iverson, said police told her Oct. 8 that she and the high school basketball star were the targets of the threat. She said she hasn't seen the poster but was told by two police officers who interviewed her that it included pictures of he  The state appeals court has rejected All-American athlete Allen Iverson's bid to be granted bond while appealing his conviction on three felony charges, Iverson's attorney said.  A story on Allen Iverson in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated contains so many errors that a local prosecutor has rifled off a six-page letter to the magazine, listing some - but not all - of the mistakes.  "It is surprising that a magazine of national prominence and with a respectable reputation would display such a complete and utter disregard for the truth, and, in fact, would report blatant falsehoods," wrote Colleen Killilea, the assistant commonwealth's attorney who prosecuted  Gov. Doug Wilder's decision to grant conditional clemency to Allen Iverson is troubling for several reasons. Above all else, we are not convinced that Iverson will benefit from the governor's act. Will Iverson treat his release from the Newport News City Farm for what it is - a chance to straighten out his life - or will he perceive it as some sort of victory over "the system"?  Supporters of Iverson will rejoice, but those who believe Iverson was treated appropriately by the criminal jus  Janet Bailey walked into the Bethel High gymnasium Thursday afternoon with tears in her eyes, sending shivers through her husband, the school's basketball coach. Janet's parents are elderly, and Mike Bailey feared the worst.  ``She knows not to interrupt practice,'' Bailey said, ``so I didn't know whether to give her the dickens or not. ... I saw tears in her eyes and I became very concerned. Then I saw her smile, and I became very confused.''  1. Allen Iverson, right, hailed as the country's finest high school athlete, went to jail Sept. 8 for his role in a brawl at a Hampton bowling alley. Prosecutors claimed that Iverson started the fight and hit a woman over the head with a chair, but the defense contended that the fight began after Iverson was the object of a racial slur. Local black residents were outraged at the sentences handed down for Iverson and two other black te  Allen Iverson, nationally recognized for his basketball skills and legal troubles, plans to enroll at Georgetown University in August, his lawyers and the school said Thursday.  Iverson, the former Bethel High School All-American, signed on April 19 a national letter of intent to accept an athletic scholarship to the prestigious Jesuit school in Washington D.C. The scholarship, Iverson's athletic eligibility, and perhaps his admission to Georgetown, hinge on Iverson meeting National Colleg  A change in his furlough from jail has allowed Allen Iverson to return to competitive basketball on a summer league team organized by Georgetown University, the school that signed him to an athletic scholarship.  Iverson, the former Bethel High School All-American, scored 40 points in his debut Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Kenner League's postseason tournament in Washington, D.C., league director Eddie Saah said. Iverson's team, comprised of several incoming Georgetown recruits		Author -----   Source -------   Return to Articles