4pm . Coleman, in his second season as Memorial's coach, has as good an understanding as anyone of how to blend Port Arthur's past and present. The court has a new overlay on the existing court, all new equipment with new hoops and rims and, next year, swings, picnic tables and benches will be installed. We can go anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world. / 48.93472N 10.97444E / 48.93472; 10.97444. We had 16 players and every single one of them played.. In 95, when they were playing, they were just kids. We can adapt, we can thrive and were going to win, he said. Instead, "Port Arthur" will be the only words written across the players' chest. Former Lincoln players showed up in droves on Saturday, each with their own memory to share. The Speaking Ice Cheers to You Beautification Project began in 2020 with the company choosing three towns across the U.S. needing some care and revitalization. Pappenheim. He was about 4 or 5 years old playing basketball with older youth., He started playing at 2 years old at the YMCA, said Lofton Sr. He has always said he wanted to play pro ball and be the best to come out of Port Arthur, so hes on his way. Sidney Keal remembers sitting on his grandmothers porch with Stephen Jackson that summer after the 1994 loss. Home 12-3. Trying to get to the March Madness and be the best team at Louisiana Tech., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), TxDOT: State Highway 73 lane closure for Wednesday detailed, First responders spend hours Wednesday battling area residential fire, Family shares memories of late Veteran killed in water slide incident, Learn how Emerys Carpet & Fine Flooring has kept upgrading floors for 40-plus years. Published 12:34 am Friday, August 20, 2021. The Ponies, ranked No. Availability. That was what motivated Keal, Hardie, Jackson and the rest of the Bees when they started preparing for the next year. 3PT % 30.6 . Coach: Kenneth Coleman He plans to make the four-hour drive to San Antonio to watch the Titans go for the school's first state title. Trinity Valley CC Athletics Away 0-9. Birthday: Aug. 14, 2002 Hometown: Port Arthur, Texas High school: Port Arthur Memorial High School in Port Arthur, Texas Find out three more things about LA Tech men's basketball. Likes. "This is basically the same team we had last year, so to see this turnaround is special," Lewis said. The goal was state though, and that excellence that you strive for every year is really important, because our standard was so much higher than everybody else.. Contact him at MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Port Arthur, Texas lamarpa.edu Joined July 2011. For a proud basketball program like Port Arthur Memorial, district championships are the standard. Robinson was born in Beaumont, while Johnson was a Galveston native. Pct..474. The buzz is coming from outside the city, too. Port Arthur Memorial High School students, faculty and staff lined the halls Wednesday morning as the Titans boys basketball team followed the pep band and Flames while marching to the school bus before leaving campus and heading to the UIL state tournament in San Antonio. Port Arthur Memorial's boys basketball team won a district title after missing the playoffs in the last two seasons. That bus ride home felt a lot better in 1995 than it did the year before. Learn how coaches and fans can participate. Sports is in his blood, said mother Gina Lofton. Hes received a proclamation from the City, recognition from the school district, and on Thursday was honored by the Port Arthur Rotary Club. It means a lot that we were the last Lincoln High School championship team. He played college basketball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Her oldest son ran track at Houston-Tillotson, her older daughter played basketball at Southern University in Baton Rogue. Port Arthur lays claim to nine state basketball titles, the last one won by Lincoln High School in 1995. Her dad ran track in college, and her siblings all played basketball. 2021-2022 Seahawks Men's Basketball Roster - Lamar State College Port Taco and Margarita Festival planned for July 15, Take note of this Interstate 10 ramp closure. Streak Lost 1. Helpful Links. Lincoln's last title team recalls glory, ready for - Port Arthur News The Titans received a video message on Sunday from Stephen Jackson, who starred on the 1995 Lincoln state title team before going on to a 14-year NBA career. Were going to win, And he said it with so much dry confidence and believability that kids believed him. Port Arthur Proud important for basketball star Kenneth Lofton Jr One of the things Im inspired to do now is share, share those attributes, those skills those lessons that I was taught growing up in these times and growing up in the city that I hope to share with other people, Babineaux said. Johnson fought until he was 61, and died in 1946. 12pm . I want to be just like them and put on for Port Arthur the things they do for the city and for others.. 11am . Published 12:34 am Friday, August 20, 2021 (Monique Batson/The News), People from Port Arthur: Jamaal Charles, Elandon (Roberts), Stephen Jackson, he said when asked about his sports heroes. The basketball court is . Port Arthur basketball back in spotlight - Beaumont Enterprise Senior Ke'Andre Jones headlines the frontcourt, while seniors Maurion Edwards and Jordan Casmore lead the backcourt. Port Arthur Proud important for basketball star Kenneth Lofton Jr. & his family. Seven of the Titans' loss came against teams that have won 20 games or more. Lewis hopes the Titans are just getting started. They'll face Friendswood on Tuesday in the first round, much like they did in 2020 the last time Port Arthur made the playoffs. Jackson would go on to a championship career in the NBA and now hosts a Showtime Sports podcast called All the Smoke. New social media platform Threads debuts Thursday, what is it? 75 vs Trinity Valley Community College. As a kid you sometimes dont know the magnitude of your championship. Photo made Saturday, October 30, 2021 They just wanted redemption, said Andre Boutte, Lincolns coach from 1989-97. He went on to become the first ever mens basketball coach at Lamar State College Port Arthur. "Their record does not indicate the type of team they are," Lewis said of Friendswood. Frank Robinson, a 14-time MLB All-Star who became the leagues first Black manager, was inducted in the sports hall of fame. "We had 16 straight wins in 2020, and before that we won 26 straight during our state championship season," Lewis said. [6][7] He was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week nine times, tied for the third-most in league history. Jackson, like Gamble, will be at the Alamodome today to support the Titans. I can remember this game like I played in it yesterday. [1] As a senior, he averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists per game, leading his team to a share of the 215A district title. This place is not a dead end, its a launch pad.. Men's Basketball. View Composite Calendar. . Thomas Jefferson High School was the last team to advance to the state tournament, in 2000. Overall 12-19. Im proud of him for his personality, his infectious positive outlook on things, she said. There was no one individual, Payne said. 3PT % 35.7 . Taco and Margarita Festival planned for July 15, Take note of this Interstate 10 ramp closure. Tweets & replies. A bust of Gamble sits inside whats now Lincoln Middle School, where he led the Bumblebees to so many wins during decades of coaching. Its a great feeling though. Kenneth Lofton Jr.: 3 facts on the LA Tech basketball forward RELATED: Lamar men's basketball earns important home win. Lincoln won eight of Port Arthur's nine state titles, including seven in a 15-year span in the 1980s and '90s. Carroll Broussard Port Arthur Jefferson Final HS Season: 1958 State Championships: 1957 Awards: Texas Basketball Hall of Fame, All-Tourney (2) College: Texas A&M . Here it was my second time coming back home with nothing, and we started that next day preparing for our next season with the rest of our teammates.. Kim Brent/The Enterprise, Legendary Port Arthur basketball coach James Gamble speaks during his induction into the Museum of the Gulf Coast's Sports Hall of Fame Saturday. I thank God for surrounding me with all these great people that have made this all possible.. The four-time state championship coach was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony full of friends, former players and even elected officials. Conf. Port Arthur native and former NFL player Jordan Babineaux was on hand for the festivities. Major League Baseball player and Beaumont native Frank Robinson and heavy weight boxer Jack Johnson, aka the "Galveston Giant," were also inducted at the ceremony. Former Memorial High School basketball player Kenneth Lofton Jr. is as proud of his hometown as he is the gold medal that now adorns his neck. Tournament Appearances: 1 (2018). Coach Gamble taught us that we were all a team. "Even when the schools changed, that never did.". He is still the only player to win MVP of both the National League (1961, Reds) and American League (1966, Orioles). He won a 5A state title in his sophomore season. College basketball top 50 transfer rankings: Alabama lands Grant Nelson 4 seed out of District 18-5A, but Lewis said the Titans aren't taking anything for granted. Men's Basketball. Major League Baseball player and Beaumont native Frank Robinson and heavy weight boxer Jack Johnson, aka the "Galveston Giant," were also inducted at the ceremony. 18 were here. Pct..531. "You know we're all about championships in Port Arthur," Jackson said. Return of James Gamble Classic highlights holiday hoops I dont think in Lincolns history since the 1980s that Lincoln went four years without either winning state or going to the state championship tournament, he said. However, entering this season, not all was well in Port Arthur. Contact Us. Gamble was inducted along with 14-time MLB all-star Frank Robinson, a Beaumont native, and former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, from Galveston. . Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas.A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is 90 mi (140 km) east of Houston.The largest oil refinery in the United States, the Motiva Refinery, is located in Port Arthur.. He was an All-Tournament Team selection. [13] On March 31, 2023, Lofton was awarded the NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award. The Pirates, though, came out strong in the second half, outscoring LSCPA 40-26 for the win. [9] He averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He led the 1998 Lincoln team to a 29-6 record that year. Photo made Saturday, October 30, 2021 [11] He made his NBA debut on October 22, 2022, scoring four points in a 13796 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The jerseys the Port Arthur Memorial Titans will wear when they take the floor today in the school's first boys basketball state semifinal appearance will make no reference to the school's name or mascot. Lofton was the first Louisiana Tech freshman to lead the team in rebounding since Paul Millsap in 200304. 758 Followers. As Dr. Brown said, with all your accolades of sports and athletics, the person you are is what were most proud of, he said. Coach: Kenneth Coleman Assistant Coach(es): Alden Lewis, Marquis Saveat, Antonio Cooper, Dwight Scypion, Jimmy George, Chris Castille Mascot: Titans Colors: Black, Red & Gray Tournament Appearances: 1 (2018) vs. Louisiana State University Eunice @ Port Arthur, TX: L, 74-57 Final Recap; Box Score : Port Arthur Tournament : Sat. He returned a year later and began what became arguably the best high school coaching career Southeast Texas has ever seen. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. On March 22, 2022, Lofton declared for the 2022 NBA draft. Its tough for Gamble to pick out specific moments from all that success. "We really take a lot of pride in Port Arthur," Chatman said. Chatman said there's been a buzz around town since the team won the regional tournament last weekend. Personal: Son of Janice Jones born Sept. 12. His grandfather, Gene "Rock" Duhon, was a track and field athlete at Southern University, where he was named to the Track Hall of Fame, and competed at United States Olympic Trials.[21]. The route began at the Jefferson City Shopping Center and ended. His goal as a little child was always to go to the NBA, so its exciting to see him fulfill his dream, she said. Beaumont man arrested after allegedly shooting through apartment, How a downtown Beaumont property owner is trying to make it work, Orange chef in first place in national cooking competition, Southeast Texas city spills 2.5 million gallons of sewage, What's that going to beon N. Fourth Street, Downtown Beaumont gets new upscale restaurant, Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox, Annual tournament a reminder of James Gambles accomplishments.