The Write Call -
For many years, especially during the 1970s and '80s. Port Elgin became famous for its development of dozens of outstanding basketball players - becoming known as a form of "basketball mill."
Among that crop of budding stars was a young man by the name of Kevin Wood, who recalls the secrets of the success of the village as it made a name for itself by winning a series of provincial championships against towns and cities many times its size and even performed admirably at the national level.
"The catalyst and man totally responsible for all our success was the late Henry Davis," says Wood. "When other kids were outside playing during recess, we were in the gym learning how to play the game properly. Perhaps we would be working on our foul shooting or how to play some pressure defense or how to set up a zone. We also went at it during our noon lunch break and thus had an edge on many other teams that practiced less often. We were in great condition and often could outlast our opponents."
Wood says it was in Grade 4 when his family moved from St, John to Port Elgin and immediately Davis called on him to join the development program at the school. This was no doubt due to his height advantage - he played through high school at 6'2" and was always among the taller boys on the team.
"I had never played basketball before," he says, but with the mentoring and coaching of Davis, he made the mini team his first year, competing in a league with teams from Sackville, Amherst and River Hebert. Teammates that year were people who moved up through the system and included Jim Banks, Mike Walton, Jeff Parsons, Steve Davis, Steve Haley and Brent Wall, among others.
It was an unbelievable season as "the little team that could" not only won the Wes-Cum championship but advanced to the New Brunswick title by whipping squads from Chatham and Fredericton before dumping Hampton for the crown. During this period Wood was a scorer, averaging about 15 points a game.
Now if a provincial title wasn't enough for a bunch of 12-year-olds, the next step took them to St. Lambert, Que., for a 15-team international tournament in which they ended in sixth place with a 3-1 record. They dropped their final contest to the Halifax Y, the team that traditionally dominated basketball in the region. He said Port Elgin played the Halifax team six times that season, losing five times.
Following the St. Lambert tournament in 1978, Wood was named to the All-Canadian mini team, a milestone and highlight of his career.
It was a move up to the Bantam level for two years during which time Wood was a big part of the winning tradition. In 1980 they won the provincial crown and travelled to Pierrefonds, Que., where they ended in the runner-up spot with another 3-l record.
After Bantam it was decided to enter Port Elgin in the junior high league and the team placed second in the province while the same players registered for midget and also placed second.
The boys from Port Elgin - many from the original mini squad - suited up with the Tantramar Titans and helped local players like Ian MacDonald, Peter Hess and Colin MacLean to the NB high school championship in 1982 with veteran Mark Bohan at the helm. The following year they fell to the powehouse from Sussex in overtime. Sussex went on to capture one of several championships.
After high school, a few of the Port Elgin alumni continued to compete and Wood joined Amherst in the Petitcodiac Valley League, teaming up with the amazing Andy Kranak, who had earned All-Canadian honors in 1965 as a member of the champion Acadia Axemen team under coach Stu Aberdeen. They lost in the finals and later the boys returned home to compete at the intermediate level for a few years.
These days, Kevin Wood and friends like Jeff Kay, Peter Hess, Jeff Parsons and Don McCormack compete in the masters division.
Success in sports - he was also a softball and slo-pitch player - has carried over into his private life. He met and married Pam Bowser and they have a son, Ross 11, and daughter Jillian, 6, who are into sports. This has resulted in Wood returning to coach his son in basketball and daughter in soccer.
Wood says he anticipates a continuation of a flow of fine players out of Port Elgin as Christoph Becker has picked up the torch left by the passing of Henry Davis and has the program running smoothly. But he recalls that Davis not only had a major impact on him as a ball player but at least that much impact on his life in general. Wood has spent his working life as a lead power line technician with NB Power and currently resides in Sackville.
Any advice for young people these days who may be more addicted to computers and other entertainment items?
"Get involved in a variety of activities as it is in this way a person develops friendships that last a lifetime and create a positive influence on each individual."
