Top teams and players from the 1990s -- Part I

The 1990s was a tremendous era for high school basketball in southeast Missouri. So much so, that I have to split the decade into two -- the early 1990s and the late 1990s.

For my money the early 1990s produced some of the best teams and best players in my memory. Maybe it is because I was in high school during most of this time but in the five-year span there were 10 state champions from the area and four of them went through the season undefeated. Here are my top five teams from 1990-1994 in chronological order.

Charleston (1989-1990)
Probably the best team of the five, this team was outstanding as shown by their 33-0 record. Led by future University of Missouri standout Lamont Frazier and coached by Lennies McFerren, Charleston won their fourth state title in five years. After getting through a tough district, the Bluejays hammered Festus 76-33 in a sectional game, only allowing seven made shots from the field. Charleston then rolled through Lutheran South 68-39 before meeting up with St. Joe Benton in their toughest game of the playoffs. In the tight semifinal game, Charleston and St. Joe Benton were tied 39-39 late in the game when the Bluejays went on an 11-0 run to get the win. In the contest, the Bluejays were true to their regular season form forcing 27 turnovers, harassing St. Joe Benton at every turn. They then rolled past Soldan 67-47 to claim the 3A state championship and finish with an undefeated season.

Scott County Central (1990-1991)
The Braves had won six-straight Class 1A state titles heading into 1990-1991 and were coming off a one-loss season, that only blemish being to the aforementioned Charleston Bluejays. After that loss, Scott Central rattled off 21 wins in-a-row in 1990 and then finished the 1991 season at 33-0, giving them a 54-game winning streak. Scott Central rolled in the regional before struggling with Ellington in the sectional. The Braves slipped past the Whippets 56-50, ending the game on an 11-2 run. In the quarterfinals, the Braves beat Macks Creek 100-73 with Marcus Timmons scoring 34 points and Mark Mosley scoring 31. Scott Central blasted New Bloomfield in the semifinals, and then defeated Greenwood 56-48 in the finals, using only five players. Timmons led the way with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks while Mosley poured in 18.

Portageville (1990-1991)
The Bulldogs won their first of four-straight 2A state titles in 1991, finishing the season with an undefeated 31-0 record. Led by all-staters Elijah Holloman and Steve Garmon along with future all-stater Jamie Booker, the Bulldogs narrowly missed making the semifinals in 1990, losing 63-61 to Cardinal Ritter. Portageville was a team on a mission the following season and after blitzing Bernie in the sectionals, Portageville earned their revenge over Cardinal Ritter, knocking off the Lions 78-69 behind 21 points from both Booker and Thomas Holloman. A 57-47 win over Forsyth in the semifinals put the Bulldogs in their first state championship game. There they wore down Bishop Hogan, earning a 73-51 win behind 21 points from Garmon, giving coach Jim Bidewell the first of his five state championships.

Charleston (1991-1992)
The 1991-1992 Charleston team is the best defensive team I have ever seen with my own eyes. Teams often struggled to make passes, let alone get off shots. After a down year by Charleston standards in 1990-91, the Bluejays returned to their usual dominance by getting through a difficult 3A district. Charleston featured a balanced offense led by all state point guard Carlos McCauley and all state center Iric Farmer. The Bluejays were never really challenged in the playoffs, with their closest game being an 18-point win over Troy in the semifinals 49-31. They only allowed an average of 32 points in the playoffs, capped by an unbelievable championship game where their defense suffocated Eldon. Charleston won the game 43-19, allowing the lowest score in a championship game since 1939 when the sport was much different. The championship was coach Lennies McFerren's seventh and the eighth for the school.

Portageville (1992-1993)
The Bulldogs had won the previous two state championships but the 1992-93 team was maybe the best in school history. Led by Jamie Booker and sophomore point guard Antonio Sykes along with Joe Thomas and LaKeith Noel, Portageville featured an explosive offense and stifling defense and rolled through most of their opponents. With the exception of a two-point early season win over Hayti, Portageville's toughest tests of the season came against Bernie. Beating Bernie 73-70 in the finals of the Bloomfield Christmas Tournament, the two met again in the district championship in front of a packed crowd at Bloomfield. Portageville jumped out to a 16-2 lead but Bernie battled back and the game went to the wire. A Booker dunk at the buzzer gave Portageville a 76-72 win and their fifth-straight district title. Portageville wasn't challenged at all in the playoffs, with their closest game being a 22-point walk-through in the finals over Brookfield. Portageville won by an average of 24 points in the playoffs and were so dominant that Bernie finished number two in the state rankings at the end of the season.

On the bubble teams:
Scott County Central (1989-90)
Portageville (1991-92)
Jackson (1991-1992)
Poplar Bluff (1992-93)
Portageville (1993-94)
Sikeston (1993-94)

The players in the early 90s were just as good, if not better than the quality of the teams. For that, choosing players is extremely difficult. The list of players is so good, I am not even including Puxico's Brian Blackburn who averaged over 35 points per game his senior season and is the best shooter I have ever seen. Also on the outside looking in is Charleston's Carlos McCauley, who was an outstanding point guard that went on to play four seasons at Saint Louis University.

So here is my list and again, I am sure I am missing a few. In order to be included as a top player, the player has to have graduated between 1990-1994.

Anthony Beane (Bernie): Beane is the best high school point guard I have seen and that is saying a lot considering the quality of point guards this area has produced. He was quick as lightning with tremendous dribbling ability. He could shoot from anywhere and had great leaping ability but more importantly, he was clutch. I saw him hit two free throws with no time left to send a game into overtime against a very good Puxico team and that only carried over to his collegiate career. He helped Three Rivers win a national title, hitting the game-winning shot against Butler County, Kan., in the championship game and then went on to a successful career at Kansas State where his ability in the clutch was mentioned in Sports Illustrated.

Jamie Booker (Portageville): Booker was a fantastic player for the Bulldogs in the early 90s, graduating in 1993. He led Portageville to three state titles in his career, and was 87-5 from his sophomore season on, earning all-state as a junior and senior. Booker was not only a good offensive player, but was also a good defender who could leap out of the gym. That was on display in the state championship game in 1992 against Eugene when Booker jumped to block a last second shot, sending the game into overtime. Portageville eventually won the game 85-82. Booker went on to play at the University of Washington and later with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Corey Frazier (Charleston): Frazier graduated from Charleston in 1994 and was all state as a junior and senior while helping lead the Bluejays to a state title in his sophomore season. His junior and senior seasons were stopped short of state titles by St. Francis Borgia but that doesn't diminish his talent. Frazier was an outstanding defender who could score from anywhere on the floor. He was an elite high school athlete, earning a scholarship to Saint Louis University where he averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds a game over his career. As per his Charleston roots, Frazier led the Billikens in steals in 1995-96 while playing under Charlie Spoonhour.

Lamont Frazier (Charleston): Frazier was dominant during his time at Charleston that ended with an undefeated, state championship season in 1990. He was a two-time all-stater and was a part of three state championship teams. As a junior, he scored 42 of the Bluejays' 55 points in a state semifinal win over Berkeley 55-52. In the championship game he had 23 rebounds to outrebound the entire Marshfield team in a 54-49 win. As a senior he averaged 23 points per game in the playoffs while often being double and triple-teamed. He went on to have a stellar career at Mizzou where he also played football for one season.

Marcus Timmons (Scott County Central): Timmons was all-state three times and probably should have been all state as a freshman too. He won four state titles with Scott County Central, compiling a 130-3 record in his four years. The all-time leading scorer for the Braves, Timmons finished with 2,514 points with an 18.9 average in his career. He also grabbed 1,437 rebounds which is third in school history and a 10.8 rebound per game average. Timmons went on to star at Southern Illinois University before playing professionally in Australia.

On the bubble players:
Brian Blackburn, Puxico
Shawn Green, Bernie
Kenyatta Isable, Caruthersville
Carlos McCauley, Charleston
Mark Kiehne, Jackson
Mark Mosley, Scott County Central
Matt Pruitt, Dexter
Louis Shurn, Malden
Ray Stewart, Poplar Bluff
Matt Thurman, Twin Rivers