Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

March 10, 2008

Making History in Norcross and Duluth

   Norcross and Duluth keep making history and we love it!!!

   It has been 68 years since a big school Boys Basketball team in Georgia has secured the State Championship three years in a row. 

   In March 2008 at the Gwinnett Arena, the Norcross High School 2008 AAAAA Boys Basketball team made history, created a lasting legacy, and became Three-Peat State Champion

   Also, it has been 38 years (dating back to 1970) since the AAAAA Girls Basketball team from Duluth High School earned entry to the State Championship Tournament.

   Congratulations to Norcross Coach Eddie Martin, his outstanding coaching staff, and the remarkable Blue Devils team members for achieving a feat that many said could not be achieved.

   The feat? Winning the AAAAA Boys Basketball State Championship three years in a row—2006, 2007, and 2008.

   The last time a Boys Basketball team in Georgia won three consecutive State Championships was between 1938 and 1940 when Lanier of Macon won three straight big school titles.

   The Gwinnett Arena was the site of the Three-Peat Finals between Norcross and Wheeler. The location allowed both teams to play close to home rather than to venture to other parts of the Sate.

   As a student of sports history, I spent the past week-end reading every account of the final game of the 2008 Boys Basketball AAAAA State Championship game that I could find. 

   The cliffhanger between Defending Champ Norcross High School and archrival Wheeler High School of neighboring Cobb County was by every account one for the books.

   Community leaders, merchants, store-owners, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, employers, family members, teachers, students, neighbors, and countless others are proud of the student-athletes at Norcross High School—and of Norcross High School itself.

   They are proud of the Norcross High School State Championship team’s athletic and academic achievements.

   They are proud of Coach Martin and his staff’s great ability to bring out the best in each of the players.

   They are proud of Norcross High School Principal Jonathan Patterson and Athletics Director Kurt Barton’s leadership of the 2700-member Norcross High School student body. They are proud of the students’ demonstrating team pride, sportsmanship, and community support for the 2008 Three-Peat Champions.

   Congratulations, also, to another District III team that made history during the 2008 State Championship series at the Gwinnett Arena—the Duluth High School Girls AAAAA Lady Wildcat Basketball team. 

   This outstanding group of student-athletes won the right to their first State Tournament in 32 years under the leadership of Coach Jeremy Huckaby and Duluth Principal Pat Blenke.

   As several community supporters reminded me, in 1976—the last time that Duluth’s Lady Wildcat Basketball Team played in the State Championships—the girls’ team played half-court basketball, each player was limited to two dribbles, and each team had six players.

   Fast forward to March 2008 at the Gwinnett Arena. There we find the Duluth Lady Wildcats making history by playing Redan High School from DeKalb County in the Class AAAAA 2008 Girls Basketball Semi-Final Game. 

   Although they did not advance to the finals, the Lady Wildcats played well and show great promise for the 2008-09 State Championship competition. All five starters on the 2008 Class AAAAA Lady Wildcat team will return for next year’s season.

   The entire Duluth community—faculty, staff, parents, community leaders, students, merchants, business owners, patrons, and many others—rallied around the leadership of Coach Huckaby, his other coaches, and his talented team of Lady Wildcats. 

   As the District III School Board member, I am enthusiastic and overjoyed about the success that Norcross High School has had with its Class AAAAA Boys Basketball program—especially its 2008 Three-Peat State Championship Team.

   I am also excited and proud of the achievements of the 2008 Duluth High School Lady Wildcats Class AAAAA Girls Basketball team.

   We look forward to the 2008 State Champion Class AAAAA Boys Basketball team, Coach Eddie Martin, Coach Kurt Barton, and the other team coaches, parents, and supporters coming to an upcoming monthly meeting of the Gwinnett County Board of Education so that we might appropriately recognize the team’s accomplishments and its legacy to our community.

   In future years, we look forward to the Duluth Lady Wildcat Class AAAAA Girls Basketball team earning a State Championship berth and joining the Norcross Class AAAAA Boys Basketball team as it continues to make history and secures many future State Championships. 

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