There are few people who understand how they are wired or driven and grow into being comfortable with the results of who they are. Some folks will perceive that point in life as arrogance while others have a different take on the subject.

Alyssa Ervin, Kris Richardson, and Tiffanie Moore are three people who stick out in Carroll County when I’m looking for cover. Yes, I also do not hide from my DNA and mental wiring but will happily acknowledge that the physical ship sailed many a moon ago.

The topic of role models is an important one, now more than ever. While plenty of people have a particular skill set that warrants appreciation, being comfortable in that role is a whole different world.

During the year plus that Kris and I were working on our basketball book, you could see early signs of Alyssa Ervin becoming at peace with being different than most. The years since have proven that to be the case, and I’m not sure that it would be a stretch for a second book on the journey.

Even during the lone season at Elon University, where the basketball side of life didn’t work out the way anyone hoped, Ervin adjusted by owning the classroom side of college while searching for a more comfortable fit on the court.

Now, we are looking forward to seeing the Furman University Paladins try to live up to the label of the team to beat in the Southern Conference. It’s always a fun write to cover her down there because she’s at ease with other’s expectations, in part because she has her own set of them.

Richardson, Marc Motley, Ed Robtison, and now Pierre Curtis at FU are four of the coaches who have guided Ervin since the day that Marion Harris discovered her and pointed her in the direction of Basketball. Yes, that part of the story will never get old – Marion Harris, Talent Scout.

Greg Bolen is another great example of someone who has grown into being a larger than life character, and I recently asked him the question, do you remember when it was that you first became comfortable with being Greg Bolen ?

Over the six years here, there have only been nine times that my path has crossed with the young lady that I like to call Christy’s Little Girl. Yes, I am aware that she now hovers over Mom in regards to her height, but that relationship is a HUGE part of their story.

I am aware that when I am writing about the exploits of our basketball phenomenon, I am competing with the likes of people who have ESPN by their name. I laugh at that in the same manner that Ervin herself would say, saying I ain’t afraid of nobody. How many people can say that they wrote a book about the journey of a group of local kiddos who captured not one but two state titles ?

The subject of Ervin comes up when I talk about just how right I can be when looking forward. After her junior year on The Hill, when everyone else was discussing the severe drop-off that was about to take place, I boldly predicted that Ervin would be able to take us back to the States. She did just that alongside Madison Lyons, Sarah Alderman, Katie Lam, and Half-Pint Harris.

Now, if you are going to point out your clarity, you must also show the other end of the spectrum. A few years ago, when the JMU football coach packed up and headed out to Indiana University, I called it the very definition of a money grab because nobody was going to win the Big Ten from Bloomington……

Now, back to the Fab Four and why it’s important to say THANK YOU to Alyssa.

Emma Leath is the first person that I met through The Hill, in which I had to remind myself that she wasn’t actually my daughter. Part of that came from getting to know her family as well as I did, and another part was the comparison to the pitching style of Greg Maddux. When you are smaller than most and want to be next level successful, you have to work harder with your brain.

The day that I realized that Emma would not be given the opportunity to pitch at the D1 level because of her size, it truly saddened me. To the point where I started to kick around ways for her to receive recognition her Senior year at Cavalier Park.

Ashlyn Newman broke the scoring record of Adrienne Harris McGuire ( the other one that I have to remind myself that she is the daughter of Shelia and Marion, not me). Miss Newman happened to scoop up the title of valedictorian on her way out of town.

Jabin Talley managed to rack up more victories on the Tennis court than any previous player, and Leath secured mote pitching victories, passing the record of Sydney Nester along the way.

Creating the campaign, one centered around four classmates, each reaching the pinnacle in their sport in the same year. It would boost the visibility of Leath, Newman, and Talley, but what could it possibly do for the All-Time scoring leader in the history of CCHS ?

The answer was zero or

When you are already on the center stage, why would you be willing to lend your spotlight to others? It takes being comfortable with who you are and where you are, and Kiddo has that covered. Tip of the cap to Jon and Christy on raising her and then sharing her in the manner that they have !

Who knows, maybe we will have a tenth exchange, and it will allow a Top Ten list. Until then, I will just continue telling the story from afar.