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By Jim Wieners

For the last six or more years athletic teams at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, other than Track and Field, have been struggling to reach the .500 mark, or even finish above it.

This year the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams ended up finishing over.500, even though neither would be able to advance past NJCAA Division II (Two) Region XVI (16). Florissant Valley Men finish 14-13 and it was the first winning season for head coach Jamel Richardson, who completed his sixth year as head coach of the Fury. The nickname was changed from Norsemen to Fury two years ago by a student vote according to Women’s head coach Joe McKenna and his team, formerly the Nosewomen, finished 19-12 marking the first winning season in a long time if not ever and was Division II, Region XVI runner up.

Both teams were loaded with freshmen and junior colleges only have two-year players. During the regional tournaments played two-three weeks ago the Fury men had seven freshmen and three sophomores while the Fury women had seven freshmen and only one sophomore.

“I’m so proud of the guys,” said Richardson March 5 after the season ending loss at SLCC-Meramec, 70-60. “They were not the most talented but they bought into the team concept. I’m optimistic. I have a lot to look forward to (next season).”

David Tanksley (McCluer) one or the three Fury sophomore men, averaged 18.5 points per game, averaged 8.2 rebounds per game and had 60 steals. Freshman Ranaldo Overton (Omaha, Neb., Northwest) had `15 blocks, made over 50 percent of his field goals and averaged over 9.1 rebounds per game. Freshman Michael Nunley (Riverview Gardens) has 58 assists, Freshman Clyde Jeffers (Ladue Horton Watkins) averages 10.5 points per game and made over 45 percent of his shots from three-point range while freshman Braden Tewolde (Bayless) made 21 out of 26 free throws for 80.8 percent.

The women on the other hand had less depth than the men did but both teams were athletic. The women “were very athletic,” said McKenna but knows he needs more players so he has a list of high school players on his office board and was out recruiting last Saturday at Hannibal and Farmington High Schools during Class Three Girls State Quarterfinals. Three weeks ago, Feb. 26, at Florissant Valley the Fury women won their first ever Division II, Region XVI game, 64-45 over North Central Missouri College, but lost in the regional final the next day, Feb. 27, to Penn Valley, 85-62.

Freshman Chelsea Johnson (Soldan International Studies) scored nearly 16 points per game, had 3.3 steals per game and shot nearly 50 percent of her shots from the floor. Freshman Gwen Williams (Fort Zumwalt West) scored nearly 15 points per game, mad3 103 out of 124 free throws (83.1 percent) had over three steals per game and made nearly 30 percent of her shots from three-point range. Freshman Shammara Muhammad (University City) had over eight rebounds per game and had 22 blocks, Freshman Jessica Woodard (Northwestern) had under nine rebounds per game and the Fury women’s only sophomore, Kristina Zivkov (Serbia) hit 22 out of 25 free throws (88 percent).

Johnson and Williams are among the top 50 scorers nationwide, according to McKenna. “It’s a special group of kids,” said McKenna, and a “dedicated group of coaches,” including assistant Jon Moss.

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