Over the last two years, Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson likely has signed more players than probably any other college coach in the country. When Jackson’s Hornets hit the floor for an exhibition game tonight against Georgia Southwestern, he’ll have 20 players suited up and ready to go.
He’s got four or five guards and more forwards than the average NBA squad. He’s got returning stars and incoming scorers. He’s got guys who can knock down the long-range shots, some who can slice their way to the basket in any situation and others who can find an open teammate anywhere on the floor.
But all anyone wants to talk about is the one guy who can’t do any of that stuff — “Chief,” the Hornets’ 7-foot-1 transfer center.
Or, if you prefer to use his given name, Grienntys Kickingstallionsims.
“People talking about me like they are just makes me want to work harder,” he said. “I don’t pay much attention to their expectations, because I have my own. But it does make me want it more.”
His teammates, in the meantime, are enjoying the anonymity that’s resulted from the “Chief Show.”
“It’s crazy the way they’re talking about him,” senior forward Joel Bosh said. “You walk around and sometimes that’s all anyone talks about. That’s all you hear. I get a ton of questions about Chief all the time. I think it’s really helped the rest of us stay focused and work on what we need to work on.”
But tonight, Chief(Kickingstallionsims) and the rest of the Hornets will have to hit the floor in front of the ASU fans. There’ll be no more secrets, no more unknowns. *****by Josh Moon Gannett.com, we’ll have more on the ‘Chief’ tommorrow*****