Basketball: Gafford headlines All-Arkansas Preps team

Before Daniel Gafford became El Dorado's tallest basketball player, he was the school's tallest clarinet player.

At 6-foot-6, Gafford stood out when walking the junior high school halls. Some coaches took notice, and they asked him to give basketball a try.

"When I was in the sixth grade, there were a lot of people who wanted me to try out for the seventh-grade team," Gafford said. "I would have, but on the day of the tryouts, I forgot my shorts.

"I figured [the coaches] wouldn't think I was responsible enough to play basketball. When I realized I forgot my shorts, I went home instead of going to tryouts."

Gafford's absent-mindedness cost him a year of basketball, but it allowed his musical talents to flourish.

He started out on the clarinet, advanced to the bass clarinet and during the marching season, he was playing the bass drum.

While his musical talents grew, so did Gafford. Basketball again came calling.

"The coaches told me I could run circles around the other players," said Gafford, who has since grown to be 6-11. "I thought I was too clumsy."

The coaches were right and Gafford picked up the game quickly.

"Daniel soaks up things like a sponge," El Dorado coach Gary Simmons said. "You tell him once and he gets it right. And he's only going to get better and better."

Gafford led the Wildcats to a 6A-West Conference title, a 28-5 finish and the Class 6A state championship game. He averaged 17.4 points, 16.0 rebounds and 7.7 blocked shots per game. Gafford is the All-Arkansas Preps Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

"His timing is incredible," Simmons said. "And as he's gotten bigger and stronger, he's been putting up better numbers. He plays his best in big games."

While Simmons said Gafford is a quick learner, the player claims picking up the game was "a slow process."

"The first couple of days, I didn't think I'd ever get the hang of it," Gafford said. "I really didn't know sports at all."

Gafford was not the first in his family to experience such a slow sports start. His older brother, Cornelius Watson, played only one year of high school football but earned a scholarship to Southern Arkansas.

Simmons predicts Gafford will make an immediate impact for the Razorbacks.

"If nothing changes, he will play," Simmons said. "Barring injury and if he continues to keep the same work ethic, I don't think there's any way you can keep him off the floor."

Girls Player of the Year

Basketball and traveling just seem to go together for Christyn Williams.

Last year, Williams and her 17-and-under USA national team teammates played an exhibition game in France and in a tournament in Spain. This year, Williams' travel plans include possible trips to China in May and to Italy in July.

And that's just the international excursions. Her summer league team has plans to play in various locations across the country on almost every weekend.

"I like to travel, and I love basketball," Williams said. "It's the best of both worlds."

Williams, who is being recruited by almost every major college program in the country and averaged 26.0 points and 8.7 rebounds a game for Central Arkansas Christian this season, is the All-Arkansas Preps Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2017.

"She's probably the most prolific player we've ever had," CAC coach Steve Quattlebaum said. "And we've had some good ones."

Williams is also one of the most well-travelled players in the state. She spent more than two weeks in Europe last summer representing the U.S. in the world basketball championships.

"Every team we played was very fundamentally sound," Williams said. "But it was so different. We could literally say our plays out loud and the other team would have no idea what we were saying. And there was no trash-talking because no one could understand anybody else."

Except for the exhibition game in France, Williams started every game for the national team. She averaged 12.7 points a game, the second-highest on the team.

Williams and her teammates lost to Australia in the semifinals and had to settle for a bronze medal.

"I haven't won anything yet," Williams said. "We made it to the state championship game last year and lost in the finals. This year we didn't even get that far. And I really wanted the gold in Spain. We had something to prove, and it was disappointing we didn't win it."

CAC finished 29-5 this season but lost two games while Williams was out with an injured shoulder. She produced 45 percent of the Lady Mustangs' offense despite being the focal point of every opposing team.

"We were pretty good around her this season, but still, every night we needed her to play well for us to do well," Quattlebaum said. "That's a lot of pressure on a 16-year-old."

He said Williams has handled every situation "remarkably well."

"Nothing really fazes her," Quattlebaum said. "Nothing gets her rattled. She will get a little frustrated sometimes but unless you know her, you can't really tell it."

That frustration led to her injury. In a regional semifinal game against eStem, Williams suffered an injury will diving for a loose ball in the closing seconds of the first half.

She has narrowed her college choice to five programs -- Baylor, Tennessee, Notre Dame, UCLA and Connecticut.

Before she has to make that choice, Williams has two more major trips to complete. She hopes to represent the U.S. in a three-on-three tournament in China next month and to be on the 19-under national team when it competes in Italy.

"I'm going to put my passport to good use," Williams said.

"She's the most motivated kid I've ever seen," Quattlebaum said. "She has a plan, and she's focused on that plan. She knows what she wants, and she's going to outwork everybody to get what she wants."

Girls Newcomer of the Year

It was last spring when Fayetteville girls basketball coach Vic Rimmer grappled with the idea of moving an eighth-grader to the varsity level.

It was then that Rimmer evaluated Sasha Goforth in pickup games against varsity players to "double-check her skill level," against stiffer competition.

"That part was no question," Rimmer said. "Our only question was her being able to handle playing at our level for a full season, not just physically, but mentally ... was she mature enough?"

Many young players fail to regain their edge if they encounter early failure. Rimmer and his staff decided the 6-1 shooting guard should be eased into the senior high program as a freshman. The move paid off for as Goforth led the Lady Bulldogs to the Class 7A state championship and was named the All-Arkansas Preps Newcomer of the Year.

Rimmer remembers the exact moment when the decision to move Goforth up was affirmed. It was after the second game of the season, a 63-59 loss against Little Rock Central, and it was the first time she faced failure.

"I saw that look in her eyes," Rimmer said. "We had just gotten beat, and you could see that she changed her mode to, 'I want to do this,' and 'I know I can do this,' ... and she rolled right into that role of playing to win, so it was a good thing from the beginning."

Goforth led the Lady Bulldogs (30-2) with 13.1 points per game during the regular season which included a 14-0 mark in the 7A-West Conference.

"I remember my first start," she said. "Coach didn't tell me before the game or anything. He just started telling me who I was going to be matched up with right before the game. I was just really, really nervous, but it was great."

During this year's state tournament, Goforth averaged 16.3 points in three games. She was named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring 19 points to go along with 5 steals, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in the championship game over North Little Rock.

Boys Sophomore of the Year

Issac McBride embraces every role sent his way.

The Baptist Prep guard flourished when he was the Eagles' sixth man a year ago. This season, McBride started and set a school single-season scoring record.

"He's a true scorer," Baptist Prep coach Brian Ross said. "He can shoot from 30 feet in or he can drive to the basket and finish on contact. Scoring is his best attribute."

McBride, who averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals per game this season, is the All-Arkansas Preps Boys Sophomore of the Year.

He already has been a part of two state championship teams.

"Whatever role I get, coach Ross told me to just be myself," McBride said. "Whether I need to score or go defend, it doesn't matter. When I was coming off the bench as a freshman, I wanted to create a spark and make the team better. ... As a starter, it's my responsibility to take more of a load."

McBride finished with 707 points during his sophomore season, scoring 20 points in the Class 4A state championship game and earning state tournament MVP honors.

"It was just a blessing," McBride said. "Every season might not be your season, but you need to make the most of what you get. You always need to try your hardest."

A mild-mannered, humble young man, McBride's other interest include music. A bass singer, McBride joined the school's choir at the start of the school year.

"I started choir this year because I wanted to build confidence to [sing] in front of my peers," McBride said. "I'm always singing. I love music. Before games, I listen to music. In my spare time, I'm always listening to music. I may not be the best singer, but I love music and I like being around people who are musically talented."

Sports on 03/27/2017

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