Thomas Register and Travis Blanton have the dubious distinction of being basketball coaches involved in each of the East’s three losses in the Halifax All-Star Classic.
They’re hoping that trend changes on April 5.
Both were chosen to coach the East boys in the 10th annual game to be held at the Billy Harrison Field House on the campus of Gulf Coast State College. Blanton is 0-2 in the series pitting some of the best senior prep basketball talent from 11 Panhandle counties. Register, a former GC assistant men’s coach, is 0-1 in his previous attempt at a victory.
The East boys, selected by The News Herald’s sports department, are 6-3 against teams from the West, selected by the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach. The West won in 2006, ’08 and ’10 and the East has won the past three meetings.
Blanton, 47, entered this weekend in search of a District 1-4A title at Marianna. He’s guided the Bulldogs for 14 seasons and two Final Four appearances in 2008-09. He said he didn’t lose any sleep over his Halifax Classic defeats, but admitted it would be nice to record a win for bragging rights.
Blanton’s Halifax Classic debut came when the East had its only three-coach bench, as he joined Port St. Joe’s Derek Kurnitksy and Ponce de Leon’s Stacey Stafford in 2006. The West edged the East 99-95 that year in what was only one of two games where both teams scored 90 points or more. Blanton returned in 2008 and joined Rutherford’s Rhondie Ross in a 96-74 loss, which remains the largest margin of victory on the boys side.
Register becomes the first East coach to have been at two different high schools. He’s currently in his first season at Vernon after leading Graceville for two years before spending one at Wallace-Hanceville (Ala.) Community College. He paired with Franklin County’s Fred Drake in the 2010 Halifax Classic with the East falling 93-72, which was the second-largest margin of victory in the series.
East girls coaches will be selected and announced in the coming weeks. The first round of East boys and girls player selections also are on the horizon and the full 12-player rosters for the East and West will be released in early March.
Player nominations are being accepted. Area coaches in the East coverage area are asked to send player name, position, height, statistics and other pertinent information to Brad Milner at The News Herald via email at bmilner@pcnh.com or by calling 850-747-5065.
Halifax Media Group and its two Florida daily newspapers, The News Herald and the Northwest Florida Daily News, again are lead sponsors along with GCSC. Additional sponsorship is provided by the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Any individual or business with a desire to sponsor the event may contact GCSC Athletic Marketing Representative Teresa Beaver at 850-769-1551 ext. 2813 or Milner, News Herald Writer Jason Shoot (jshoot@pcnh.com; 850-747-5067) or Executive Sports Editor Pat McCann (pmccann@pcnh.com; 850-747-5068). The event accepts any and all levels of sponsorships, from monetary support to in-kind donations.