Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 April 2004 — Page 3

FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2004

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A3

Ratliff wins close race for Mr. Basketball

By ERICKA P. THOMPSON Staff Wrltar Indiana’s new Mr. Basketball is a workaholic. He works on his game as well as his schoolwork, and he works hard to make those around him better. As the team’s captain, he says he respects his teammates and they in turn respect him. “You don’t want to take orders from someone who is always screaming, my teammates are just that, my teammates,” he said. “I don’t necessarily speak about things because I lead by example. Players see me taking off my hat and headphones when we enter a building and they’ll follow mv lead.” A.J. Ratliff, North Central High School, is the second consecutive Mr. Basketball from Marion County. Last year’s was Justin Cage, Pike High School. In a tight race that separated the top three candidates this year by

four points; Ratliff received 48 votes, A.J. Graves, White River Valley received 46 votes and James Hardy, Fort Wayne Elmhurst received 44 votes, Ratliff is happy he was the victor. “The talent level in Indiana is high and that is why I feel the race was close,” Ratliff said. “With Robert (Vaden) who was really the front runner departing and going to Maine set up a lot of other talented players to get recognized.” Ratliff added that he felt he won the award not only for his skills on the court, but also his character and his grades. Also his ability to deal with the media. “I think my personality and my work ethic set me part,” he said. “I’m straight up with people and I make you laugh. I give eye contact and I can hold a conversation. I’m also easy to talk to and I’m approachable. It comes natural to me.” Ratliff who is committed to

play college ball for Mike Davis at IU feels his work ethic will help him succeed in college as it did in high school. “My uncle started me with a workout and he made me get up everyday at six in the morning. I worked on my ball handlingskills, my jump shot, and my conditioning most of all. After a while I started to use that work ethic and apply it to my basketball skills," he said. “I would stay after practice and shoot more shots and I would ask my coach (Doug Mitchell) what I needed to do to get better and I would work on that. My workout is also hard in the weight room. At first I didn’t want to do it but after I started to see the results in the games I kept the workout going. I definitely plan to take it (workout plan) to IU with me.” North Central’s head basketball coach M itchell is ecstatic that Ratliff was crowned Mr. Basketball and agrees that his work ethic

U. of Ala. moves to admit to slavery ties

turned him into a better player. “He worked on his game the old fashioned way, which is working hard to get better,” Mitchell said. “He went out eveiyday and worked on his game by himself to improve and it definitely showed.” Mitchell also believes that Ratliff will excel at IU. “He’s a very coachable young man,” he said. “He’s long, he can jump, he can take it to the basket

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and he can guard people. I’m sure hell do great." Ratliff averaged 1.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Panthers this season and led to a 21-4 record. At the beginning of the season he didn’t think too much about Mr. Basketball. “I didn’t really think about it all because I don’t like to set personal goals for myself,” he said. “But later on when people started

to talk about it I thought it would be nice to be named Mr. Basketball. It's a great honor to be named alongside some of the other great players that were also named Mr. Basketball.” Other players who received double-digit votes were Indian Creek’s J.R. Angle (17) and Broad Ripple’s George Hill (16). Angle has signed to play at Iowa and Hill will play at IUPUI.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Acknowledging its historical ties to slavery, the University of Alabama will erect a marker near the graves of two slaves on the campus at Tuscaloosa, and place others on buildings where slaves once worked and lived, officials said. President Robert Witt said the university, founded in 1831, will also commission a history that includes the early contributions of minorities. And campus recruitment tours will mention campus sites linked to slavery and integration. Witt’s announcement came shortly before a ceremony planned by Black students to acknowledge two slaves buried in unmarked graves near an old campus cemetery. “It turned it into a celebration,” said graduate student Zenobia Harris. The faculty senate is set to vote on an apology to the descendants of slaves who were owned by faculty members or who worked on campus before the Civil War. While some on campus contend an apology for slavery would be an empty gesture, Witt disagreed. “I have no problem with it,” he said, provided an apology isn’t the end of efforts to make the university more open to

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minorities. “I think it is important to look back at the university’s history,” he said. “There is nothing to be gained and something to be lost if we shrink from doing that.” About 15 percent of Alabama’s 20,000 students

are members of a racial or ethnic minority, according to the university Web site. Alabama isn’t the only school reviewing its ties to slavery. Brown University in Providence, R.I., last month began a two-year inquiry into its links to the slave trade.

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