Oct. 1, 2008 — St. Croix schools recently had a brush with basketball greatness when former ABA and NBA star Artis Gilmore, one of the best shooters in the game's history, visited the big island.
Gilmore came to St. Croix at the invitation of Orville James, president of the Elena Christian Jr. High School Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). James made sure the seven-footer had a full slate.
While on island, the "A-Train" — as Gilmore was called during his professional basketball career in the 1970s and '80s — made several stops at local schools and interacted with students, faculty and staff. He visited St. Croix Central High School, St. Croix Educational Complex, St. Croix Country Day School, the St. Patrick's School and the University of the Virgin Islands' St. Croix campus.
Gilmore played for the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, followed by stints with three NBA teams: the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics. He is one of the top 25 scorers in NBA history, and no one has ever topped his career average 59.9 field-goal percentage.
On St. Croix, Gilmore also visited the Legislature and was introduced to the public by Sen. Usie Richards, president of the V.I. Basketball Federation.
However, most of Gilmore's visit was concentrated at the Elena Christian Jr. High School, his primary host, where he was welcomed by Principal Carlos McGregor. At the junior high school he first addressed the student body the morning of Sept. 25, then returned later to talk to parents during their regular PTSA meeting. Gilmore shared some of the things he experienced growing up in the segregated south, and also spoke to parents about the importance of communication with their children.
Gilmore's visit to St. Croix was made possible by Bob Turnage, president of Islands Mechanical Contractor out of Jacksonville, Fla. The company is building the boiler unit at the V.I. Water and Power Authority on St. Croix.
The idea for the visit originated with a discussion by Turnage and Wallace Williams, former territorial librarian, who met Turnage on a flight to Chicago. During the conversation, Turnage told Wallace he was a friend of Gilmore's. On his return to the territory, Wallace relayed the information to Thomas, who took it from there.
The NBA legend, also an avid golfer, enjoyed a round of golf at the Buccaneer Golf Course while a guest at the hotel. He played 18 holes in the company of eight local golfers, a group organized by Thomas.
A reception hosted by Elizabeth Armstrong of the Buccaneer was held at the Mermaid Restaurant, where approximately 50 guests attended. After acknowledgments, Williams took the opportunity to recap Gilmore's visit and engage the special guest and the audience in a chat about basketball. He called on Richards to recap the times Gilmore played against the UVI team during his college days.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
