Lawrence Whitey Reath . . . Alamo Whiz Kid!
By Butch Dale Lawrence Whitey Reath • • One of the greatest shooters in Montgomery County basketball history was a blond-headed whiz kid from little Alamo High School . . . Lawrence Reath, Jr. . . . known to everyone as Whitey. When the county s leading scorer, Alamo s great Charlie Bowerman, graduated in 1957 and headed to Wabash College, Whitey took over right where Charlie left off. As a 5 11 forward on the Warrior team, Whitey led the county in scoring during both his junior and senior years. In 1957-58, the Alamo bomber poured through 440 points for a fine 23.1 average, and was named as the team s MVP. Many of you might recall that this was the year that Alamo almost knocked off the mighty Crawfordsville Athenian team during the Sectional tourney. The Athenians won the game in overtime 64 to 62 on a last second shot by Joe Krutzch . . . and subseque
Charlie Bowerman the Wizard of Alamo - The Paper of Montgomery County thepaper24-7.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thepaper24-7.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Which Ladoga Canner played in more varsity basketball games than any other hoopster? Yes, it was Bill Boone, who graduated in 1956 and played in 78 games during
Tom Bowerman . . . Coach of the Alamo Warriors
By Butch Dale Tom Bowerman • • One of the most respected coaches in Montgomery County basketball history was Tom Bowerman, who coached at Alamo and Waynetown a total of 27 years.
Tom was born in Alamo in 1913 and spent all of his life in Ripley Township. As a junior and senior he played basketball for Alamo High School, which had no gym at that time, forcing the team to practice and play all of their home games at Wallace. After graduating in 1932, Tom headed to Wabash College where he earned a Bachelor s degree in education, and subsequently returned to his hometown to teach social studies and coach. There he remained for the next 22 years.
Bill Greve . . . Montgomery County and Purdue All-Star
By Butch Dale Photo provided
Several colleges wanted Bill Greve, but he chose Purdue. • • Who would you guess had the highest single season scoring average in Montgomery County basketball history . . . Linden s Daryl Warren, Waveland s Mike Mitchell, Waynetown s Steve Pierce, Darlington s Terry Cain, Alamo s Charlie Bowerman or Whitey Reath? Well, all of these were high scorers, but the all-time SINGLE SEASON record goes to Waveland s Bill Greve, who is the only player to average over 30 points per game.
Bill Greve was a coach s dream come true. He could do it all . . . scoring, passing, rebounding and most importantly . . . winning. Bill told me he had a great start, as legendary coach Cliff Davis emphasized the basics. Bill stated that Cliff believed that second grade basketball was just as important as college basketball in teaching the fundament