H-S Athlete of the Week: Calvin Winfrey III, Uniontown
Name: Calvin Winfrey III
School: Uniontown
Class: Senior
Sport: Basketball
Winfrey’s week: The senior guard scored a game-high 26 points in Uniontown’s 81-53 victory at Latrobe last Tuesday to surpass 1,000 points in his career.
Winfrey entered the game needing 13, and he went over the mark with a layup early in the third quarter for 1,001 career points. He is the 20th player in the history of the Red Raiders’ boys basketball program to score 1,000 career points.
“I score a lot more points on driving to the hoop than taking jump shots, so it was probably fitting that I scored on a layup,” Winfrey said. “It was great to get the mark and do it against a good team.”
When a player reaches 1,000 points in their career, it is customary to stop the game and honor that player, but the Wildcats went right back up the court on a fastbreak after Winfrey scored.
The game was eventually stopped and Winfrey’s accomplishment was recognized, but he will receive the hometown treatment when Uniontown hosts McKeesport on Jan. 3.
“I was told that they were going to stop the game, and I knew I had it because the points of each player were up on the scoreboard in front of the players, but they just took the ball and ran after I scored,” Winfrey said. “It didn’t mean too much because they did stop the game, and there will be a big celebration when we play our next home game.”
Winfrey had 15 points roughly 36 hours later in Kissimmee, Fla., as Uniontown defeated Milken Community School (Los Angeles, Calif.) in the first round of the KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament on Thursday morning at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center.
The Red Raiders topped a WPIAL school in McGuffey the next day to advance to the championship against Mainland (Daytona Beach, Fla.). Winfrey scored 16 against the Highlanders and 20 against Mainland in a 70-67 setback for the championship.
Uniontown had won the last two KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament titles.
“Our coach is one of the best in watching film, so we knew what to expect against every team we played in Florida,” Winfrey said. “We wanted to make a statement against McGuffey since they are in the WPIAL, and we didn’t want anyone thinking we had lost a step. “Mainland was a very good team and they were fast paced. They are a big 6A school, but we had a good game.”
Winfrey has moved up to No. 17 on the career-scoring list at Uniontown with 1,064 points.
Two-sport star: Winfrey is being lauded for his basketball accolades, but he also plays football, and has been recruited by Fairmont State in West Virginia to play wide receiver.
“I have been playing both sports all my life, but I did grow up with a basketball in my hands,” Winfrey said. “My dad played basketball and I was always playing with my cousin (Notorious Grooms), who has been right there with me since Day 1. I really consider myself just an athlete. Not really a basketball or football player. I will play wherever I can that helps my family the most.”
Brains and brawn: Winfrey is a member of the National Honor Society and carries a 4.0 grade point average, but most of his life is consumed by sports.
“If I don’t keep up with my school work, I won’t be able to play sports, so my parents are always on me about that,” Winfrey said. “However, once I am done with my homework, I am either playing or watching sports. I would also like to get into coaching once my playing career is over. It would be great to do it back home and give back to the community.”