The skanner., May 15, 2013, Page 7, Image 7

Arts & Entertainment
Texas LoneStar Strikers Land in the Pacific Northwest
T
he International Basketball League is
expanding into the state of Texas with
the addition of the LoneStar Strikers,
a team located in The Woodlands Texas, a
city just North of Houston.
The Strikers will begin their schedule by
playing the Portland Chinooks on Friday,
May 17 at Eastmoreland Courts at 7 p.m.
and the Vancouver Volcanoes on Saturday,
May 18th at the Clark Community College
O’Connell Sports Center at 7 p.m. The
Portland Chinooks will then travel to Texas
to help the Strikers close out their first sea-
son with a pair of home games in The
Woodlands area in June.
Headed by former Western Oregon State
University basketball player, Glenn Shep-
herd, the Strikers was founded in 2012 to
help promote the development of basketball
players in Texas. Shepherd also plans to
build his own sports complex and arena in
the Woodlands/Shenandoah/Conroe area
that would aid in his goal of promoting
player development.
“I feel this is the best league for teams that
are strong in their organizational structure,
and can produce a high quality product,”
explained Shepherd. “I am looking forward
to working hard to help build the IBL up in
the Central time zone.”
In addition, the Strikers basketball opera-
tions staff offers a wealth of experience on
the court. The team’s General Manager is
Marcellus Wright, who played in college at
Oregon State University alongside NBA
All-Star and Seattle Sonic fan favorite Gary
Payton, and later went overseas to compete
professionally.
Head Coach Kenneth Henry, who played
college basketball for the University Of
Cincinnati, also played professional basket-
ball for 17 years, where he played in the
countries of Holland, Venezuela, Singapore
and the bulk of his career in Australia
(NBL). While in Australia, Kenneth played
for the Melbourne Tigers, and the Werribee
Devils where he won 5 championships.
Kenneth will bring a wealth of professional
knowledge to the organization, as well as
relationships with some of his former team
members that are now heads of the current
NBL in Australia. We are looking forward
to a strong and competitive team under his
program leadership. He has extensive bas-
ketball knowledge as well as a large list of
contacts connected to the NBA and profes-
sional basketball around the world.
The Strikers have also established a mentor
relationship with the NBA Development
League’s Austin Toros (Owned by the San
Antonio Spurs) with the Toros staff sharing
important operational guidance and advice
which is sure to aid the team in the future.
With a long term vision of growing the IBL
within the region, the Strikers will host pre-
and post-season tournaments for teams in
Texas and surrounding states to participate
in as the league looks to develop participa-
tion in LoneStar State.
www.IBL.com
www.lonestarstrikers.com
Jefferson High School Junior Garners Slot At Berklee Summer Music Program
F
or the past 27 years,
the Berklee College of
Music in Boston,
Mass., has hosted a five-
week Summer Performance
Program. Young musicians
from around the world vie
for the opportunity to partic-
ipate and only few are
chosen.
Tobias Kelly, a Jefferson
High junior and percussion-
ist, has been accepted to
attend the program this
summer.
Kelly, 17, received his
first drum set at age three.
Since then he has played for
elementary school and local
church bands. Jefferson
High School had been a per-
lege for Advanced Studies.
This change has meant
Kelly did not play at the
Church of God.
Kelly aspires to attend
Berklee upon graduating
To raise funds in support this amazing
opportunity, Kelly will be in concert on Saturday,
May 18, at 6 p.m., at the Maranatha Church
forming arts magnet for
years among Portland pub-
lic schools, but budget cuts
in recent years has shifted
its focus to the Middle Col-
high school. Yet, he did
drum for churches in the
northeast Portland commu-
nity, including his home
congregation, Maranatha
from Jefferson in 2014 to
pursue score writing, music
production with a goal of
opening a performing arts
high school.
Tobias Kelly
To raise funds in support
this amazing opportunity,
Kelly will be in concert on
Saturday, May 18, at 6 p.m.,
at the Maranatha Church,
located at 4222 NE 12th
Ave. The musical guests
will include Kelly as the
featured drummer, the
Maranatha Praise Band, the
Powerhouse COGIC Choir,
and
soloists
Delessa
McDuffy, Saeeda Wright
and Emanuel Henreid.
Tickets are $10 each and
are a donation. The church’s
doors open at 5 p.m. For
more information, call 503-
286-5042.
Your best source for
news stories and
videos online is
www.theskanner.com
May 15, 2013
The Portland Skanner Page 7