Lee's Summit Basketball History

Basketball in Lee’s Summit has been played since at least 1903 when the Lee’s Summit Athletic Club competed in the Missouri Valley Athletic Club Conference the precursor to the Missouri Valley Conference which was founded in 1907. The Club played out of the Betterment of Ourselves Club which was renamed Memorial Hall in 1919 and donated to the American Legion to commemorate those who lost their lives during WWI. What is significant about this time period is that it serves not only as the foundation of sports but also sports success in Lee’s Summit. Between 1904 and 1908 the Lee’s Summit Athletic Club ‘Cagers’ won the conference each year defeating local colleges along the way. In both 1903 and 1904 James Naismith brought his Kansas Jayhawks to the B of O Club where they were defeated by the Lee’s Summit Athletic Club. The 1904 team was especially strong in not only defeating KU but also the Kansas City Athletic Club and Haskell Indian College. The stars on that team were Lee’s Summit High’s own Lee Garvin and Ernest Cooper, future stars at the University of Missouri. In remembering the games they point to the unique nature of the B of O court which had twelve foot ceilings and no out of bounds. In that sense the B of O Club Basket Ballers lived up to the early nickname given to basketball players across the country. Basketball success continued in the club through the 1920’s where they routinely competed in the National AAU championships in Kansas City. During its history the club not only competed in Basketball but also baseball, football, golf, and boxing. Memorial Hall continued to be used as a multipurpose building, even serving as Lee’s Summit’s first library until it burned to the ground during the Thompson’s Lumber fire of 1941. Arnold Hall currently sits on the site of the former club.The Club was also the center of early Lee’s Summit High athletics. The football and basketball teams practice on the grounds until City Park (now Harris Park) opened in 1918 and the Miller St Building opened in 1924. At this point the early history of Lee’s Summit High athletics is incomplete. The earliest record of the basketball teams is found in the December 1, 1915 KC Star. During that game both the boys and girls teams defeated Excelsior Springs at home. Both teams appear again a few weeks later in the star as they defeated Grain Valley on the Road. The first record of the football team is found in a photo taken outside of the B of O building in 1916. The lack of available yearbooks and inconsistent newspaper coverage has left wide gaps to be filled in. The first record of a championship for basketball appears in 1925 when the boy’s team led by Coach L.R. Leake won the

Jackson/Cass county conference defeating the likes of Grandview, Pleasant Hill, Raymore, Peculiar, and Independence. The feat was again accomplished again in 1926, 1928, and 1929. A complete record of basketball team doesn’t appear again until 1936 though it is clear that they moved to the Little Six Conference in 1930, joining Raytown, Pembroke Day, North Kansas City, Harrisonville, and Smithville. The move also provides the first record of an all-conference team with Clark Mitchell, Jack Carter and William Shires being voted first, second, and honorable mention in 1931 the team finishing third. The Lee’s Summit High Cagers won their first Little Six conference championship during the 1931-1932 season, led by Howard Ramsey and Kenneth Shawhan, both of whom went on to play on the Missouri freshman team the next year. It is believed that the head coach during this era was Coach Carl Oetting. The 1931-32 championship was the first Little Six Conference Championship in any sport. It is also important to note that it is with the move to the Little Six Conference that the Tiger mascot is first referenced in the February 15, 1931 Kansas City Star.

While a number of games are recorded between 1931 and 1935 it isn’t until 1936 that a complete season record is available for the each sports program. The 1936 Boy’s and Girl’s teams were coached by Jack Brown who led the teams to disappointing seasons in his one and only year as coach. The Boy’s finished 8-8 while the girls went winless. The next year ushered in the beginning of an early golden age of Lee’s Summit athletics with the arrival of Coach Charlie Childress. Childress was named the coach of the football, basketball, and track teams after finishing a hall of fame career at Warrensburg Teacher’s College. During his time in Warrensburg he starred in both track and basketball. During his three years as a varsity basketball player he led the team in scoring and was named first team all MIAA every year. As track star he won the 1933 KU relays, defeating US Olympian Buster Charles in dramatic fashion. Once he came to Lee’s Summit all his teams did is win. In 1937, his first year as coach his basketball team went 17-6 capturing the Little Six Conference. That title was the first of six consecutive titles the boy’s teams won and first of 9 he would win in 16 years as a boys’ basketball coach. His best team was the 1945-46 team that finished the year 34-1, with its only loss coming to eventual state champions St Louis University High in the quarterfinals of the State Tournament. The 1945-46 school year was arguably the best in school history as the football team went undefeated, the basketball team when 34-1, and the track team won the outdoor state title along with the first of 3 consecutive indoor state titles. The star of each all three teams was Forrest Griffith. He was the half back on the football team, leading scorer and first all-state basketball player, and two time individual state champ in track. He went on to have a stand out career at KU, leading the team in rushing during their 1948 Orange Bowl season before playing two seasons with the NY Giants. His recruitment to KU was controversial at the time as he had already enrolled at MU and listed on their football roster.

The next year the Basketball team returned to state, the track team won state, and the football team finish 8-2 and ranked 10th in the final state polls. When Coach Childress stepped down as boys basketball coach in 1952 he had amassed 320 wins, 9 conference titles, two trips to the state tournament, and a winning record in all 16 seasons. When combined with his record as the girls coach, Coach Childress won over 500 games, a number that eventually placed him in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Coach Childress served as athletic director and social studies teacher until his death in 1968. Because of the contributions to the district the LS R-7 School District named an award in his honor. Each year the top senior male athlete at the LSHS receives the Charlie Childress Award.

Replacing Coach Childress on the hardwood was not easy. Don Hartness took over in 1953 and led the team to its first losing season in almost 20 years. He followed that up with a second losing season in 1954 and was replaced by Coach Francis Titus. Coach Titus quickly returned the Tigers to their winning ways going 23 and 2 in his second year. 1956 was the first of Titus’s 9 conference titles and 7 twenty win seasons. Unfortunately, it was also his only district title in his 16 years as head coach. The lack of post season success was the only blight on what was truly a golden age of Tiger basketball. During Coach Titus’s era his teams won 278 games and lost only 123. Most remarkable during this era is the success the tigers had as they transitioned to the newly formed Kansas City Suburban Conference. The Suburban Conference was formed in 1959 by taking 8 teams from three surrounding affiliations. From the beginning the Tiger’s had success winning 7 of the first 10 championships, with a record of 156 and 41. Those Tiger teams featured numerous great players that helped bring Tiger basketball into the modern era. Jim Brockman Jr. scored 1571 points in his career becoming the second Tiger to reach the 1000 point plateau and currently sits second on the scoring list. He also became the first all-state player of the suburban conference era. Larry Lang was a threetime all conference player and leading rebounder in school history when his career ended. Rick Kreher scored 1178 points before continuing his career at Wichita State. It is also during this era that the Tigers began playing in the Field House. Ever since its completion in 1964 it has served as one of the best high school basketball venues in the state. This year the Tigers will celebrate 50 years of basketball in the Field House.

Coach Titus’s last conference title was in 1968, he followed it up with a losing season in 1969 and was fired as head coach shortly thereafter. The coach first charged with replacing Titus was Homer Drew. The same Homer Drew, who led Valparaiso University to 10 conference titles, 7 NCAA tournaments, and a Cinderella run to the sweet sixteen in 1998. His record at LSHS was 13 wins and 30 losses in his two seasons. He was followed by Tom Hewitt who lasted only 3 season after going 14 and 47. In 1975 a familiar name returned to lead the Tigers. Russ Childress, who played for Titus and sat on the bench with his father on many of his greatest teams took over and posted the first winning season for the Tigers in seven years. In his two years as head coach his teams went 28 and 21 and featured strong play from Mark Simcosky, John Dampier, and Steve Daney. When Russ Childress stepped down in 1976 to focus on coaching cross country and track he was replaced by the football coach Ed Matuszak who had success in year one but saw diminishing returns each year. At the end of the decade Lee’s Summit High School’s had endured its worst stretch in basketball history. Between 1969 and 1979 the Tigers had more coaches (4) than winning seasons (2). The 1970’s have proved to be the only losing decade for Tigers and the only decade in it’s over 100 years of playing basketball that they did not win a single conference or district title.

Fortunately in 1980, Fred Turner, a future MBCA and GKCBCA Hall of Famer arrived from O’Hara to lead the Tigers. In his 5 years as head coach his teams had 4 winning seasons and won a district title in 1982 and conference title in 1983. The district title was the first since 1956 and first conference title since 1968. Coach Turner’s run also coincided with another familiar name in Tiger basketball history, Jeff Brockman. Jeff was the son of former Tiger great Jim Brockman Jr. and finished as a three time all conference and two time all-state player. During his four years on varsity he scored 1937 points breaking his father’s scoring record, a record he still holds today. His 1937 currently rank third all-time in the conference behind only the University of Missouri and Blue Springs great Jon Sundvold and William Chrisman’s Justin Clark. Coach Turner’s teams won 57% of their games and signified the return of Lee’s Summit basketball to the area. Besides Jeff Brockman the teams featured many great players including Brian Humphrey, Buddy Watson, and Dalton Vann. In 1985 Glen McDonald, another future MBCA and GKCBCA Hall of Famer, was brought in after an outstanding run at Hickman Mills ushering in another golden age of basketball at LSHS.

Coach McDonald’s team took the foundation laid by Coach Turner’s team and quickly built upon it. In his eleven years as head coach his teams went 205 and 97, winning 5 conference titles and 3 district titles. The best team of this era was the 1988 team led by all-staters Mike Patterson and Tim Connors and future Kansas star Patrick Richie. The 88 team went 30-1 losing in the state championship to St. Louis Vashon, the highest finish in LSHS history. It is during this era the many of the scoring and defensive records for the program were set. Despite the success of the program during Coach McDonald’s tenure he was fired in 1995.

Coach McDonald’s firing and the opening of Lee’s Summit North High School led to a transitional period for the basketball program. The coach charged with leading the Tiger’s during this period was Keith Miller. Coach Miller brought excitement and a new style of play referred to as “Miller Time” from Mexico, Missouri where he led the Bulldogs to back to back final fours and a state championship. Despite early challenges Coach Miller returned the Tiger’s to their winning ways in 1998 and taking them to a district championship game for the first time in 5 years. Between 1998 and 2002 coach Miller’s teams averaged 17 wins and won 3 conference titles and 1 district title. This era of basketball was led by Robbie and Jeff Graves. Robbie , a point guard, was a 3 time all conference player, an all-state player, and 1000 point scorer. When he graduated in 1998 and moved on to UMKC he ranked 3rd in scoring and 1st in steals. Jeff Graves was a two time all conference player and all-state player in 2000 who’s 289 rebounds during the 2000 season rank first all time. Jeff started for two years at Kansas and played professionally both in the United States and Europe. Coach Miller continued as the coach for the Tiger’s through the 2013 season making his 18 years the longest served by a boys basketball coach at LSHS. Through the years, his teams won 224 games, 5 conference titles, and 1 district title.

Beginning in the 2013-14 season Blake Little, a 1998 Lee's Summit High School graduate, took over the reigns of the Tiger Basketball program. This new era has been marked by some extremely talented players. Drew Lock, a Simone Winner in Football and DiRenna Finalist in basketball in 2015, finished his career as the second all time scorer, first all time rebounder and free throw maker in school history. He was a 2 time all state selection and a 3 time first team all conference player in his four years starting for the program. Drew was joined during three of his seasons by Blake Spellman who as 2016 graduate finished 5th all time in scoring in school history and became the first Tiger to win the DiRenna. Spellman who will continue his career at the The University of Northern Kentucky was a 3 time first team all conference player and part of the 2016 class that featured Nick Larkin, Oliver Edwards, Isiah Sears, and Marquawn Wilson. This class has proven to be one of the most successful in school history in winning back to back conference titles, 3 consecutive district titles, and placing fourth in state with 29-2 record. Their exciting style of play is best described at GBABC.

Through the over 100 years of basketball played at Lee’s Summit High school the team has won over 1500 games, 36 conference titles, 14 districts, and has made 4 trips to the state tournament, with 2 final fours.