Girls Basketball Tournament Honors Clemons' Legacy

When presenting a grand vision, all the seemingly insignificant details matter.

Over the course of the three-day Willie Clemons Girls Holiday Basketball Classic, Southeast High head coach John Harder and athletic director Paul Maechtle will find themselves taking on such menial tasks as setting up the concession stand, taking tickets, sweeping the floors and taking out the garbage. Maechtle may also be drafted to work the scoreboard and game clock.

With 16 teams taking the court on Monday for the first day of the seventh annual event, it will be the first of two consecutive 16-hour days for Harder and Maechtle. They will catch a break when a four-game slate, which consists of third-place games in the Sunrise and Sunset divisions and the two divisional championship games, gets underway at 1:30 p.m. at the school's Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium.

The day-to-day tasks of being an educator can be daunting and overwhelming enough to dissuade anyone from volunteering their time over the holidays. However, the time is well spent for Harder and Maechtle as they honor their friend and tournament namesake.

"Willie Clemons was my best friend at the high school," said Harder, a Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Famer who has led his program to two state championships and 17 district championships. "He was our first black educator at Southeast, breaking that color barrier. With the energy of the black community and the makeup of my team, I thought it was only natural that the tournament be named after him."

Clemons, who passed away in April 2004, spent 20 years of a three-decade career with the School Board of Manatee County at Southeast High School. In addition to serving as the school's athletic trainer, Clemons -- the former Palmetto Youth Center director and coach of a semi-professional football team known as the Palmetto Trojans -- was an assistant football coach with Maechtle on former Southeast head coach Woody Woodward's staff, as well as coach of the freshman baseball team.

"Even though he never did much with the basketball program, (Clemons) was there for me," Harder said. "I moved from Chicago (in 1983). I was somewhat lonely those first couple of years and needing someone bring me into the black community. He did that, and I've always been grateful for that. (The tournament) is a way to pay him back."

The tournament began as an eight-team event in 2004 before evolving into 16-team tournament, split into two different brackets, one year later. According to Harder, the tournament currently has a waiting list for entrants.

"It has gotten stronger every year," Harder said.

Riverview and Lakewood Ranch will tip off in the first of Monday's eight tournament games at 9am. The rest of the Sunrise Division is comprised of Palmetto, North Port, Braden River, Venice, Lakeland Kathleen and New Port Richey Mitchell.

Defending Class 3A state champion Tampa Catholic will play Lemon Bay in the first of four consecutive Sunset Division games on Monday at 3pm. Manatee will face 2010 Class 6A-Region 3 runner-up Jupiter at 4:30pm, Southeast will take on Dunedin at 6pm, and the first day will conclude with 7:30pm matchup between Charlotte and Seminole.

WILLIE CLEMONS GIRLS HOLIDAY BASKETBALL CLASSIC

At Southeast High's Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium

SUNRISE DIVISION

Monday's games

Game 1 - Lakewood Ranch vs. Riverview, 9am

Game 2 - Palmetto vs. North Port, 10:30am

Game 3 - Braden River vs. Venice, noon

Game 4 - Lakeland Kathleen vs. Mitchell, 1:30pm

Tuesday's games

Game 9 - Lakewood Ranch-Riverview loser vs. Palmetto-North Port loser, 9am

Game 10 - Braden River-Venice loser vs. Kathleen-Mitchell loser, 10:30am

Game 13 - Lakewood Ranch-Riverview winner vs. Palmetto-North Port winner, 3pm

Game 14 - Braden River-Venice winner vs. Kathleen-Mitchell winner, 4:30pm

Wednesday's games

Third place - Game 13 loser vs. Game 14 loser, 1:30pm

Championship - Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 4:30pm

SUNSET DIVISION

Monday's games

Game 5 - Tampa Catholic vs. Lemon Bay, 3pm

Game 6 - Manatee vs. Jupiter, 4:30pm

Game 7 - Southeast vs. Dunedin, 6pm

Game 8 - Charlotte vs. Seminole, 7:30pm

Tuesday's games

Game 11 - Tampa Catholic-Lemon Bay loser vs. Manatee-Jupiter loser, noon

Game 12 - Southeast-Dunedin loser vs. Charlotte-Seminole loser, 1:30pm

Game 15 - Tampa Catholic-Lemon Bay winner vs. Manatee-Jupiter winner, 6pm

Game 16 - Southeast-Dunedin winner vs. Charlotte-Seminole winner, 7:30pm

Wednesday's games

Third place - Game 15 loser vs. Game 16 winner, 3pm

Championship - Game 15 winner vs. Game 16 winner, 6pm