EvilleSycamore
The All-MVC Level
We know this guy can beat the Shockers! Maybe not on the scoreboard but probably the most memorable game while i was at ISU and It was his Sycamore Highlight tape! Add that to 8 trips to Alabama State finals as a coach, bring back the big man! HA! Or at least somebody tell the womens program about his daughter!
Girls Basketball, Football
Lauderdale County's Makayla Liles continues family hoops tradition as Tigers chase state wins record
By Josh Bean | [email protected]
on January 15, 2015 1:51 PM, updated January 15, 2015 3:13 PM
CHASING HISTORY
ROGERSVILLE, Alabama – Lauderdale County senior Makayla Liles remembers tagging along to practice with her dad – then the girls coach at Hazlewood – even when she was barely big enough to dribble.
As Darin Liles guided Hazelewood to nine trips to Birmingham for the AHSAA state semifinals and the 1998 Class 1A state title, Makayla got a front-row seat for every bounce pass and blocked shot.
“I remember it perfectly and looking up to them so much,” Makayla said this week. “I thought, ‘Wow, one day, I want to be like them.’ I’m so grateful to be a player and be in their shoes now.”
Whatever dreams Liles harbored about her high school career, she’s definitely lived them.
The 6-foot-1 senior has been part of three straight Class 3A championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the Tigers have won 70 straight games entering Friday’s home game against Clements. Lauderdale County needs three more wins to the set the AHSAA girls record for consecutive wins and four to set the all-time state record of 73 in a row, held by A.G. Parrish.
For Makayla, she’s found success in the family business – basketball.
Darin Liles, her father, played on Hazlewood’s 1986 boys state championship team, won a Division II national championship at North Alabama in 1991, and enjoyed his successful run as Hazlewood’s girls coach.
Miranda Liles – Makayla’s older sister – starred at Brooks and played at Division I Evansville.
But Makayla has more championship rings than the rest of her family,
“Every chance we have, my dad and I, it’s always (talking) about basketball,” Makayla said. “He’s always asking me, ‘How’s the team?’ We talk a lot about that. We like to talk about his glory days.
“I’m so lucky. I’ve grown up with a great coach.”
There’s also synergy to the Hazlewood-Lauderdale County connection for the Liles family. Darin Liles’ based his coaching success largely on the use of a fullcourt press, which he learned from Lauderdale County girls coaching legend Larry Sinyard. Darin said he attended Rick Pitino’s clinic to learn the press, but couldn’t master its nuances.
So, he visited Sinyard and took notes.
“I ain’t smart enough to come up with something on my own,” Darin joked. “There’s no doubt that Larry Sinyard is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever in Alabama.”
Darin Liles has retired from coaching and now helps run Shoals Basketball Academy, which offers individual coaching. He said he occasionally talks strategy with Lauderdale County coach Brant Llewellyn, but tries to remain just another parent in the bleachers.
Today, he’s the one with a front row seat as his daughter chases her hoop dreams.
“I played on teams that won a bunch of games and I played with some of the greatest athletes in the state of Alabama, but I ain’t ever seen anyone who could win 70 in a row,” he said. “It’s really amazing to sit and watch. It’s been fun for me. … Just, wow.”
Girls Basketball, Football
Lauderdale County's Makayla Liles continues family hoops tradition as Tigers chase state wins record
By Josh Bean | [email protected]
on January 15, 2015 1:51 PM, updated January 15, 2015 3:13 PM
CHASING HISTORY
ROGERSVILLE, Alabama – Lauderdale County senior Makayla Liles remembers tagging along to practice with her dad – then the girls coach at Hazlewood – even when she was barely big enough to dribble.
As Darin Liles guided Hazelewood to nine trips to Birmingham for the AHSAA state semifinals and the 1998 Class 1A state title, Makayla got a front-row seat for every bounce pass and blocked shot.
“I remember it perfectly and looking up to them so much,” Makayla said this week. “I thought, ‘Wow, one day, I want to be like them.’ I’m so grateful to be a player and be in their shoes now.”
Whatever dreams Liles harbored about her high school career, she’s definitely lived them.
The 6-foot-1 senior has been part of three straight Class 3A championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and the Tigers have won 70 straight games entering Friday’s home game against Clements. Lauderdale County needs three more wins to the set the AHSAA girls record for consecutive wins and four to set the all-time state record of 73 in a row, held by A.G. Parrish.
For Makayla, she’s found success in the family business – basketball.
Darin Liles, her father, played on Hazlewood’s 1986 boys state championship team, won a Division II national championship at North Alabama in 1991, and enjoyed his successful run as Hazlewood’s girls coach.
Miranda Liles – Makayla’s older sister – starred at Brooks and played at Division I Evansville.
But Makayla has more championship rings than the rest of her family,
“Every chance we have, my dad and I, it’s always (talking) about basketball,” Makayla said. “He’s always asking me, ‘How’s the team?’ We talk a lot about that. We like to talk about his glory days.
“I’m so lucky. I’ve grown up with a great coach.”
There’s also synergy to the Hazlewood-Lauderdale County connection for the Liles family. Darin Liles’ based his coaching success largely on the use of a fullcourt press, which he learned from Lauderdale County girls coaching legend Larry Sinyard. Darin said he attended Rick Pitino’s clinic to learn the press, but couldn’t master its nuances.
So, he visited Sinyard and took notes.
“I ain’t smart enough to come up with something on my own,” Darin joked. “There’s no doubt that Larry Sinyard is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever in Alabama.”
Darin Liles has retired from coaching and now helps run Shoals Basketball Academy, which offers individual coaching. He said he occasionally talks strategy with Lauderdale County coach Brant Llewellyn, but tries to remain just another parent in the bleachers.
Today, he’s the one with a front row seat as his daughter chases her hoop dreams.
“I played on teams that won a bunch of games and I played with some of the greatest athletes in the state of Alabama, but I ain’t ever seen anyone who could win 70 in a row,” he said. “It’s really amazing to sit and watch. It’s been fun for me. … Just, wow.”
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