TRC inducts five into Athletic Hall of Fame

The Three Rivers College Athletic Hall of Fame added two of its most legendary basketball players, a former baseball coach, one of the college's most outstanding volleyball players of the mid-1990s and the longtime “Voice of the Raiders” to its membership Friday evening.

Sunday Adebayo, Dave Jarvis, Moon McCrary, Wilbur Thornton and Laverne (Turner) Starks were inducted into TRC's Athletic Hall of Fame in a sold-out ceremony at the Westwood Center, within walking distance of the college campus.

Adebayo is one of the best-known athletes to ever take the court at Three Rivers, finishing his TRC career with 1,180 points and 706 rebounds in 76 games from 1993-95. At the time of his induction, he was still the leading rebounder in Three Rivers men’s basketball history and ninth overall in scoring. He averaged 19 points and 10.3 rebounds as a sophomore and was named Region XVI Player of the Year and an all-Midwest Community College Athletic Conference selection.

In an unforgettable performance, he led the Raiders with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and seven dunks in the 1995 Region XVI Championship. The Raiders went on to finish fifth in the NJCAA tournament after finishing second in 1994.

Adebayo played his junior and fifth-year seasons at the University of Arkansas, and his senior season at the University of Memphis. He especially thanked former head coach Gene Bess and his mother — both of whom were in attendance — plus several of his former classmates and teammates in attendance.

“Coach, you have no idea what impact you had on my life,” Adebayo said. “Thank you. Coach Bess and Brian (Bess), thank you.”

Meanwhile, Jarvis coached the baseball team from 1985-93 and was a three-time MCCAC Coach of the Year during his nine years leading the Three Rivers baseball team and was the 1984 women’s basketball MCCAC Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Raiders to an 18-14 record.

He had a 324-152 career record as head baseball coach at Three Rivers, highlighted by a No. 4 NJCAA poll ranking in 1992. The Raiders won Region XVI championships in 1990 and 1992, and Jarvis was named Region XVI Coach of the Year in both seasons.

“For me, this is coming home,” Jarvis said. “Three Rivers is home. … Because this is home, this is one of the greatest honors I could have received in my 43 years of coaching.”

In addition, Jarvis also played baseball for the Raiders from 1978-80 as a catcher, then was a starting catcher and team captain at Arkansas State University and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at Arkansas State University.

Jarvis accepted an assistant coaching job with Murray State University in 1993 and the head coaching job at Belmont University in 1998, where he won more than 1,000 games with two NCAA Tournament selections.

Another Raiders basketball legend, McCrary was a leader during Three Rivers’ first national championship basketball run in 1979 and later was drafted in the fifth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns.

The Memphis native led the Raiders in scoring during both seasons at Three Rivers, averaging 17 points as a freshman and 18.1 as a sophomore. He also led the team his sophomore season with 6.8 rebounds per game and 205 total free throws.

“I want to thank Coach Bess for coming to Memphis to get me,” McCrary said. “I remember him coming there in a station wagon. … He brought me here and we ran a few times in Bacon Park, but it was okay. He was a great coach. I want to thank my teammates. … We couldn't have done this stuff without them.”

At the time of his induction, McCrary was third all-time in scoring at Three Rivers with 1,402 points. He was a two-time all-Region XVI and all-MCCAC selection and was named an All-American as a sophomore after the Raiders finished fifth in the national tournament in 1980.

After graduating from Three Rivers, McCrary was the Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year at the University of Missouri. He pursued a career in law enforcement and eventually retired as the Columbia Chief of Police.

For nearly a quarter of a century, Thornton gave his time to Three Rivers athletics as the “Voice of the Raiders,” becoming a Raider institution along the way. He volunteered his time announcing games on the radio, allowing the Booster Club to sell ads and turn an expense into a fundraiser.

Thornton, who died in November 2015, took vacation time from his job with the U.S. Postal Service to travel with the team on long road trips, and closed out important wins with his signature phrase, “How sweet it is.” After a Saturday night game, he would sign off with, “See you in church in the morning.”

The Raiders won 613 games with Thornton on the mic from 1990-2014. For years after his death, his name remained on the broadcast chair at the Bess Activity Center.

“When you live in a small town, you don’t have all that many people that will volunteer their time,” Thornton said in a 2006 interview. “You do it because of the pride you have in your community.”

Starks, who died last winter after a battle with cancer, was a two-time all-Region XVI selection and an all-MCCAC selection in 1995-96. At the time of her induction, she was first all-time in single-season kills for Three Rivers volleyball and second all-time in career kills.

Starks' former coach, Jack Childress, said she was the best volleyball player in Three Rivers history.

“Thank you Three Rivers for honoring my mom,” Tanisea Starks, her daughter, said. “Thank you Coach Jack and (assistant) coach Christa (DuPont). … I know if she was here today, she'd be smiling. She'd be going around joking and laughing with everybody.”

Turner was a two-sport athlete at Three Rivers and called her sister Marlana a teammate in both volleyball and basketball during Turner’s sophomore year.

Turner excelled academically as the salutatorian at South Pemiscot High School and graduated from Three Rivers in 1997. She then transferred to Williams Baptist College and graduated in 2000.

She later returned to school while working full-time and raising two daughters —Tanisea and Tamiya Starks — and earned her master of business administration degree in 2010 from William Woods University.

The Hall of Fame ceremony is part of the college's alumni reunion festivities, which wrap up Saturday with the Three Rivers men’s and women’s basketball teams taking on Moberly Area in a pair of key Region XVI contests. The women playing at 5 p.m. and the men play at 7 p.m., with Friday's inductees being honored at halftime of the women’s game. In addition, TRC graduates and former students will receive free admission for these games.