UAPB Coach Alonzo Hampton Inspires the Fordyce Lady Bugs
The Big Red Community Outreach Foundation Changes Lives in South Arkansas
The Fordyce Lady Bugs had a big weekend.
They beat the Rison Wildcats (50-31) Saturday night in the packed Stan Jones Court at Redbug Arena to become the 2A-South Regional champs.
On the eve of leaving for the 2A state basketball state tournament in Rector, they attended the Black History Month Gala at the Fordyce Civic Center. It was hosted by Roderick Rogers’ Big Red Community Outreach Foundation.
The Lady Bugs’ coach, Steven Barnett Jr., in his first year as the girls’ basketball coach, received the Game Changer Award.
Both Barnett and the Lady Bugs – as did the gala’s guests – heard inspiring words from the event’s main speaker – Alonzo Hampton, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s new head football coach.
Hampton, a Warren native, knows south Arkansas.
It makes a difference when you coach where you were raised. You know the culture, the traditions, the attitudes and the battles on and off the turf. Hampton gets the kids who play sports in this part of the state. He is on a mission to change their lives and the perception many have about Pine Bluff and UAPB. And Hampton also hopes to recruit some south Arkansas players.
“Obviously south Arkansas is loaded with players from small towns to big towns,” Hampton told me in an interview prior to the gala.
Hampton remembers his glory days as a Lumberjack, challenging Warren’s rivals like Fordyce and the Dollarway Cardinals.
“Fordyce has always motivated me,” he said. “We [the Lumberjacks] couldn’t beat them.”
He remembers competing against legendary athletes like the Pine Bluff Zebras’ Basil Shabazz. He understands the south Arkansas kids, in particular, may face a lot of hard knocks in their young lives, and, yes, they may have chips on their shoulders. That doesn’t mean don’t give them a chance. In fact, he’s ready for those kids to play at UAPB, a HBCU with a rich sports history.
Hidden talent in south Arkansas schools is often overlooked by recruiters. That’s not happening at UAPB this year. Hampton and eight UAPB coaches have visited every high school in the state – not just the big ones but the tiny ones, too, scouting for athletes.
“We are getting our name out there,” Hampton said. “Arkansas means a lot to me. I’d like to see athletes stay at home. We plan to seal the deal, restore the pride.”
That’s why Hampton drove the approximately 40 miles from Pine Bluff to Fordyce to speak at the Sunday night gala. He was asked. He accepted. He fired up the Ladybugs. He invited people to attend UAPB’s games and campus events, hoping to change people’s minds about Pine Bluff, a city (and my hometown) that gets an unfair perception by a lot of people.
Pine Bluff was a sports connector Sunday night.
Barnett grew up in Altheimer, a small town outside Pine Bluff, where he was a standout in Altheimer’s 2003 AA state basketball championship team. He played at Harding University in Searcy before becoming a coach. Most recently he coached the seventh- and eighth-grade boys at Pine Bluff’s Jack Robey Junior High. His son, Zae Barnett, is a senior at Pine Bluff High School where he plays football and basketball. The Zebras are the 5A South basketball champions and will play in the state tournament this week.
It's being held where? Pine Bluff.
While Pine Bluff gets a bum rap (unfairly, I say, but that’s a column for another day), Hampton gets it.
Encouragement can be lacking. Don’t let it be, Hampton says.
“Sometimes you need to encourage yourself,” he said at the gala. “Once you put your hands on the plow, don’t take your hands off of the plow.”
Other inspirational gems from Hampton included:
· Don’t take advice from someone who hasn’t been where you’ve gone.
· When days get tough, don’t allow trouble to change your life.
· Don’t be afraid to stand alone.
· Every “no” is a step closer to yes.
· Surround yourself with people smarter than you.
· Have an attitude of gratitude.
Ultimately, negativity isn’t allowed around Hampton.
“Don’t bring me problems, bring me some solutions,” Hampton said.
For Fordyce High School, the solution to a major problem facing the school was finding a girls basketball coach that could also teach science. The answer was Steven Barnett.
Steven Barnett and his Lady Bugs received the love on Sunday night at the event that was more like church than a dinner honoring Fordyce’s Black trailblazers and legends. God was definitely present in the room, and the offering plate was passed in the form on envelopes that went to a worthy cause — the Lady Bugs’ travel expenses for the week ahead.
This afternoon, the high school is hosting a “Rector or Bust” send-off for the Lady Bugs, their boy counterparts, the Redbugs (also headed for the state tournament), and the teams’ cheerleaders.
You can bet that Hampton, as he looks for solutions not problems in this part of the state, will be watching tournament results, taking notes and recruiting not just for football but for the university is now proud to call home.