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FOOTBALL Booker High School records a 20-18 victory over Braden River High. PAGE 16A

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HIGH

MOMENTS OF THE WEEK

Riverview High golfer Jeremy Perna shot a combined 140 to win the boys 13-15 division of a Florida Junior Golf Tour event Sept. 28, at Sara Bay Country Club.

Sarasota senior Lauren Hochstetler recorded two aces, 11 kills and 10 digs to lead the Lady Sailors to a 3-0 victory over Cardinal Mooney Sept. 25.

Cardinal Mooney runner Grace Casagrande crossed the finish line in 18 minutes, 14.40 seconds to finish fourth in the Girls Race of Champions at the flrunners. com Invitational 14 Sept. 28.

Zack Summerall finished sixth and Adam Bradtmueller finished ninth to lead the Sarasota boys cross-country team to a 10th place overall finish in the Boys Race of Champions at the flrunners.com Invitational 14 Sept. 28.

The Sarasota Christian volleyball team defeated Windermere and Mourning to finish 2-3 in the Orlando Volleyball Academy tournament Sept. 27 and Sept. 28.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013

basketball by Jen Blanco | Sports Editor

GIVING BACK

Former NBA player Marcus Liberty will begin a four-week basketball clinic for children, ages 6 to 14, in November.

SARASOTA — He couldn’t shoot. He couldn’t dribble. He had yet to come into his prime. And the NBA was certainly the furthest thing from his mind. At 12 years old, MarBY THE cus Liberty could barely make a jump shot. He NUMBERS had little interest in the 6 — The minigame, and it showed. mum number But, from the moof hours Liberty ment he first picked up spent practicing a basketball, Liberty after picking up vowed to get better. basketball when Over time, Liberty dehe was 12 years veloped into one of the old. premier players in his class. But it didn’t hap— The number 4 pen overnight. of seasons Liberty “I wasn’t that good spent playing in when I started playing,” the NBA. Liberty says. “I contin2001 — The ued to work hard, and year Liberty offithen I started to love it.” cially retired from Now the Sarasota resprofessional basident and former NBA ketball. player is hoping to instill that same work ethic in 1,942 — The today’s up-and-coming number of points players through a fourLiberty scored week clinic and a winter while playing in the NBA. basketball league at the Sarasota YMCA’s Frank G. Berlin Sr. and Evalyn Sadlier Jones branches. During the clinic, which begins Nov. 9, Liberty will teach players about skill building and proper technique for shooting, ball handling and defense. Following the 90-minute skill session, players will spend the remaining time scrimmaging against one another. The eight-week Liberty Edge Winter Basketball League will begin Jan. 11. Players will practice once a week and then play games every Saturday. The league also is need of additional volunteer coaches. The goal is to introduce children to the game of basketball while helping them develop and realize their true potential. In addition to the clinic and winter basketball league, Liberty also gives private lessons throughout the area, hosts summer basketball camps and attends motivational speaking engagements. “I teach dedication,” Liberty says. “You have to have determination and a desire to want to get better. It’s hard for kids to really see it. That’s just the era that we live in. “I’m an NBA guy who played at the highest level, and if I can give you a little something you can work on, then you can become good, too. But you have to keep working hard on your own to become great.” A native of Chicago, Liberty started playing basketball at the urging of his father, Edgar Liberty. Liberty would spend anywhere from six to eight hours a day practicing outside by himself and with his father and two older brothers. Liberty went on to play at the University of Illinois, where he helped lead the Illini to a berth in the 1989 NCAA Final Four. But it wasn’t until Liberty was getting ready to graduate that the thought of playing in the NBA crossed his mind.

Courtesy photo

Marcus Liberty played for the Denver Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons in four NBA seasons. “I really loved the game,” Liberty says. “I would’ve played for free. There’s just something about picking up a basketball and going out and playing.” Liberty was drafted in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He played for the Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons in four NBA seasons. He went on to play overseas before eventually retiring from the game in 2001. There was a time about five years ago when Liberty missed playing the game and thought about what it would be like to return. But the time passed, and Liberty began focusing his attention on helping area youth. Liberty moved about a year ago to Sarasota with his girlfriend, Christine Page, and reached out to the YMCA about forming a youth basketball league. “Now I’m at peace with where I am,” Liberty says. “I still go to the games, and I like to be involved. My goal now is to help youth and teenagers to get better and develop them. “I’m really big on teaching,” Liberty says. “Kids need to understand the game of basketball the way I was taught. I wasn’t good when I first started, but I continued to work on it.” For more information on Liberty and the Liberty Edge Winter Basketball League, visit www.marcusliberty.com or www.thesarasotay. org. Contact Jen Blanco at jblanco@yourobserver. com.

IF YOU GO

Liberty Edge Winter Basketball League Date: Eight-week session beginning Jan. 11; one practice a week with games on Saturdays Location: The Frank G. Berlin and Evalyn Sadlier Jones branches of the Sarasota YMCA Ages: 6-16 Cost: $60 for members; $95 for non-members Contact: Sarasota YMCA Sports Director Kevin Curtis at 955-8194, Ext. 139

Four-Week Clinic Date: Nov. 9, 16, 23 and Dec. 7 Ages: 6-14 Location: Frank G. Berlin branch (ages 6 to 9) and Evalyn Sadlier Jones branch (ages 10 to 14) Cost: $60 for members and $80 for nonmembers (ages 6 to 9); $80 for members and $100 for non-members (ages 10 to 14) Contact: Sarasota YMCA Sports Director Kevin Curtis at 955-8194, Ext. 139