In a sports writer’s career there are certain athletes they cover who are special talents.

Tuesday morning I had the honor and pleasure of covering Rodney Glenn, one of those athletes, as he signed a basketball scholarship with Phoenix City Alabama’s Chattahoochee Valley Community College Pirates.

A first-team All-Region 1AAAA guard and post player on coach Rickey McCullough’s Bainbridge High School Bearcats basketball team, and a first-team All-Region 1AAAA defensive back and wide receiver on coach Ed Pilcher’s Bearcats footall team, he was outstanding in both sports.

In basketball he led the Bearcats to a 23-4 regular season record, the Region 1-AAAA South Sub-Region championship, and a berth in the second round of the State Class AAAA Tournament.

In football, he led the Bearcats to an 8-2 regular season record, a 5-2 Region 1-AAAA mark and a third place Region 1-AAAA finish.

One his most memorable and exciting plays for the Bearcats football team came in the regular-season-ending game against the Thomas County Central High School Yellow Jackets at Centennial Field.

He outleaped a Yellow Jackets defender in the left corner of the end zone to pull in a pass from quarterback Quincy Fortson and give the Bearcats a 27-24 overtime victory, to nail down third place in Region 1-AAAA and drop the Yellow Jackets to fourth place.

His game-winning shots during the Bearcats basketball season were numerous.
Other outstanding multiplesport Bainbridge High School athletes I have had the pleasure of covering through the years include Benny Anthony and Kirby Smart.

Anthony, a basketball center and football tight end, was the only Bearcats athlete I covered who earned first-team All-State honors in both basketball and football.

Benny went on to play basketball and football with the Auburn University Tigers.

After college, he had a successful professional basketball career in New Zealand.

Kirby Smart, the current defensive coordinator with coach Nick Saban’s reigning national champion University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, was outstanding with the Bearcats football, basketball and baseball teams.

Smart went on to earn All Southeastern Conference player and academic honors with the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Congratulations to Rodney. I was privileged to cover his outstanding Bainbridge High School athletic career and I look forward to following his basketball career at Chattahoochee Valley.

Joe Crine is the sports editor at The Post-Searchlight. You can email him at joe.crine@thepostsearchlight.com.