WCDS senior Forde passes 1,000-point mark

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 11, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Jamal Forde doesn't consider himself a scorer on the basketball court.

But he achieved -- by his account -- an unexpected moment in Wayne Country Day history. A 3-pointer against Freedom Christian pushed the senior past 1,000 points for his career.

Due to the intensity of the game, play wasn't disrupted to recognize his feat. Forde, instead, was honored before the next Chargers' next home contest against Pope John Paul II Catholic HS.

"Honestly, I didn't even know I had scored 1,000 points," said the modest Forde. "When they announced it at the PJP game, I was surprised. I don't really keep track of my stats or anything like that. I just kind of go out there and play basketball, and do whatever coach needs me to do for us to win."

Forde has 1,032 points for his career.

"We did a really good job of keeping it a secret," WCDS head coach David Flowers said. "He said he didn't want to know anything about it, but we've been tracking it all year long to make sure he got it. He deserves it. He's a great kid, good leader (and) he can shoot it.

"You love seeing kids like that get the recognition that he's getting."

It's been fun for Forde.

However, his role change -- along with his teammates -- changed about a month into the season when two starters were benched with injuries. DJ Waters missed considerable court time with an ankle injury, while freshman Jamal King broke his left hand.

Their absences forced the Chargers (14-14 overall) to become a more defensive-minded team on the court.

A new addition, Cole Atwood, took some of the scoring burden off of Forde, whose average jumped at least three points to 16 per game.

"After that, we knew everybody was going to have to step up and play a lot harder," Forde said of the King and Waters injuries. "Those were our top two scorers. Everybody had to play defense and rebound. Their minutes went up and everybody had to play hard coming off the bench. It changed the way we approached practice."

Wayne Country Day looks to snap a two-game skid against archrival Greenfield in semifinal-round play of the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A/2-A Conference tournament semifinals Friday. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.

The Knights won their previous meeting, 77-76.

Flowers devised a non-conference schedule that challenged his team throughout the season. The Chargers battled against programs that feature Division-I calibre players who have gained attention from recruiters across the country. Forde relishes stepping onto the court and seeing some of the best players the independent ranks can offer -- even Greenfield with sophomore phenom Coby White.

"I love playing against the type of teams and players we play against because they're so tough (and) every night we have to play hard for us to get a win," Forde said. "You see how athletic and smart they are with the ball in their hands. You have to step up to the challenge. (And) it's great playing against these types of players because it's only going to make us better when it comes down to state tournament time."

WCDS reached the elite eight a year ago.

Flowers said that Forde is getting looks from several in-state universities, but isn't sure what his future holds. He's thrilled to have a team player on the court who has stepped into a different role and become the leader -- along with fellow senior Tony Townsend -- that the Chargers needed in a crucial period of their season.

"Our record doesn't show near what we are as a team," said Flowers, whose squad is 3-6 over its past nine games. "I know we've lost a lot of close games, but we were in them and I think that's going to make a difference."