T R Robinson High School - Excalibur Yearbook (Tampa, FL)

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Cogers finish fourth, bow to Ponthers in tournoment Fast breaks, good rebounding and balanced scoring were all characteristics of the 1973 Knight basketball team. Under the leadership of Coach Herman Valdes, the Knights rolled up a 14-7 regular-season record. lt was a year of ups and downs for the Knights. Sometimes they were bril- liant, as in the 104-62 defeat of Leto, the 82-63 win over Conference leader Plant, and the 83-80 defeat of Hills- borough. But at times the team did not perform well. Two close losses to the Chamberlain Chiefs, two to Brandon, and the 67-60 loss to winless King were among the low points of the year. Valdes' Knights, who led the Western Conference in team scoring, included five players averaging in double figures. Forward Otis Rogers led the team with a 19.1 points - per - game average. Much-improved forward Rob- ert Williams averaged 14.7, while guard Teddy Brown had an average of 13.6. Franklin Williams scored 12.3 points per game, Sophomore Herb Allen scored 12.5 points per game in the nine games he participated in. Allen, a play- er Coach Valdes expects to become extremely valuable in the future, was ineligible for over half the season. On Jan- uary 19, he dressed out for the first time, but he did not see action. He played against Jesuit on the following night. It was ruled that even though the first semester was over, he was still ineligible. As a result, Robinson was forced to forfeit both games. The district tournament took place February 22-24 at Robinson's new gymnasium. The Knights were entered as the fourth seed. Robinson faced Jefferson on opening night and defeated them 58-50 with center Franklin Williams leading with his 15 points. The next evening, Robinson played first seed Plant for a berth in the finals, but the Knights fell in a 68-63 thriller that ended the 1973 season for basketball. Player photos furnished by Student Council decorated the new gymnasium. 244 I Basketball Starting forward Robert Williams blocks a shot under the boards. Coach Valdes screams, Defense!

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Felix Cruz watches the offense. Protected by offensive linemen, Chris Lucas looks for open receivers. Driving for yardage, Ronnie Coker tries to score before being tackled. JV FOOTBALL R.H.S. Opponent 14 Plant City 12 18 King 0 26 Leto 15 18 Brandon 6 O Plant 8 12 Chamberlain 0 JV Football! 243

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Ted Brown slides between King's Bud Merrel and Jimmy Fisher to score. All-Conference cager Otis Rodgers brings down a rebound at Plant. Basketball is on the way up at Robinson. Our 14-7 record and the Junior Var- sity team's Conference championship illustrate this. - Coach Herman Valdes i ,gi .. .5 Coaches Valdes and Smith stop the action for a quick team conference. Basketball l 245