[Not a valid template]KFAA: How was Coach Drew able to prepare this squad that was loaded with so many good players?
Jarvis: “Coach Drew gave us the guidance and freedom we needed to be relaxed on the court. Any player that was open had the green light to shoot. We believed that no team would beat us if we played team ball. Coach Drew’s practices would consist of us getting the ball down court without dribbling and it carried over into each game, as we found the open man for the shot.”
KFAA: What’s was the difference to you between the two championship teams?
Jarvis: “The 1974 team just went out and played hard every night. The 74 season was everyone’s first time starting, so it took a while to smooth things over. Our starters were Michael Stanton, Craig Riggins, Karl Godine, the late Carl Byrd, and I. There were no selfish players on our team, and we kept one another accountable.”
KFAA: Tell me about the 1974 season and your role on that team.
Jarvis: “We won our first 5 games before losing to a red hot shooting Sterling High in the Rosenberg Tournament. We then won the next 6 games before losing to Clear Lake in their tournament finals… which was a real heartbreaker. After that loss, it was time for a gut check. Well… the rest is history because that happened to be the last game we lost during our high school career, and was the start of the 78 game win streak.”
KFAA: Talk about the 1975 team and how you’ll was able to stay focus?
Jarvis: “The 1975 team’s expectations were very high because of the previous year, but we never thought about the state championship from 1974. This was a new season and we took it one game at a time. I was captain of the 1975 team, so Coach Drew explained to me my role as a leader was to always give 100% in practice… which would set the tone for us moving forward. We would run our press after made baskets, which was our bread and butter. Most teams only had one maybe two ball handlers, so we would force a lot of turnovers that lead to extra baskets for us. Teams would try to press us with no success because we had good ball handlers, and we didn’t dribble to break presses. We pass the ball before the press could rotate. Plus, we had Madison Lane the most unselfish player on our squad handling and distributing the ball.”
KFAA: Karl Godine, who went from junior varsity as a sophomore to All-State first team as a junior, was quite an accomplishment in such a short span.
Jarvis: “The year of Junior Varsity really helped Karl come into his own as a player. More so, the summer he spent tutoring under former Kashmere standout Ephraim Griffin. He worked with Karl increasing his ability to use the left hand and explained to Karl how it would take his overall game to the next level.”
KFAA: What was the game plan for 7 foot All-American, Bill Cartwright?
Jarvis: “My job was to play him man on man, and do my best of keeping him from getting the ball down low. I did a lot fronting him and moving my feet, so he would have a hard time posting me up. We had so much scoring power that one man wasn’t going to beat us. We frustrated him and neutralized his ability to score the ball. He ended the game with 14 points.”
KFAA: Reflect back on the team accomplishments and the individual’s honors in 1975.
Jarvis: “Looking back on the 78 game win streak, the back to back state championships, and finishing the year #1 in the nation was really great for us. Durinag our journey, we never got caught up in the hype. We just took it one game at a time, and the end results were tribute to our hard work and dedication to our craft. We thank God for blessing us with the talent to accomplish what we did and finish the year undefeated at 46-0. This past March was the 40th anniversary of our 1974 state title.”
*Houston Post, Houston Chronicle, Dr. Wilbanks and Harold Ratliff contribute to article