Varsity Basketball Team: Kneeling: Team Managers: L. Meredith, B. Meredith. Row 2: E. Hubbard, C.Cooper, D. McDonald, S. Clark, T. Long, V. Williams, J. Monegain, E. Sims, E. Ashford, R. McDonald, C. Young. Row 3: L. Chatman, T. Shaw, T. Fair, J. Thompson, J. Simon, L. Cleveland, R. Wilson, G. Rivers, C. Watson, K. Bell , Coach G. Whittenberg, Coach D. Maaske
Pirate basketball in 1980 was proud to feature the talented Glenn Rivers, shown here at the line.
Soaring past defenders, Glenn “Doc” Rivers makes it look easy at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament in 1980.
CHANGING THE NATION: Glenn “Doc” Rivers delivers a slam dunk at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament in 1980.
Proviso East Pirate Glenn Rivers was known for his great attitude, offensive play and hard work. In 1980, the Pirates boasted their third consecutive West Suburban Conference title. Their team included Rivers, the All-America, All-State and All-Area guard who was named the #1 recruit in Illinois and #1 guard in the nation, according to the Proviso East Yearbook, the Provi.
Glenn “Doc” Rivers, who was born and raised in Maywood, where his father was a police officer, would go on to play for Marquette University before signing with the Atlanta Hawks. His playing career would include the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and finally the San Antonio Spurs. His coaching career went from the Orlando Magic to the Boston Celtics, which he led to the 2008 championships, to his current position as the coach for the Clippers.
Rivers was asked last week to comment on the Jacob Black shooting. His response is as follows: “What stands out to me is just watching the Republican convention, viewing this fear. All you hear is Donald Trump, and all of them talking about fear. We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that were denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung. We’ve been shot. All you do is keep hearing about fear.
It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back. It’s really sad.”
