Delph helps key victory

Micah Delph may not have his best shooting effort in the Arkansas Wings' 69-53 victory over Texas Elite in a 15-under division game Saturday, but he played vital role.

Delph, who is currently a ninth- grader at Bob Courtway, finished 1 of 7 from the field for a total of three points in the AAU Old School Showcase at the Farris Center. The most important statistics in the eyes of the Wings' longtime coach Ron Crawford were his eight assists and five rebounds. Defensively, he matched up with Elite's point guard and sometimes he rotated off on the shooting guard. Delph forced five turnovers and controlled the game.

"I thought he had a great game because if we don't have Micah Delph then we don't get up 20 and be able to fight back," Crawford said. "Some of these guys have played high school basketball. The thing about Micah Delph he's just in junior high and he hasn't seen talent like what was out here. He really brings the Marvin Delph mentality to the floor. But, probably the most important thing is that he is a wonderful kid."

Delph has been juggling track season with AAU basketball. His Wings have played in two other tournaments beside the Old School Super Regional.

"It's great experience for me," Delph said. "This is the type of competition that I'll be playing against next year. This will get me ready for next season too."

Playing and excelling at each of the three sports that he has participated in for Conway Blue has Delph pondering about a decision to narrow it down for his first year of high school.

"It'll more than likely be basketball," Delph said, referring to his sport of choice. "I still like football, but I don't know I might play football. I'm not really sure yet. Basketball is quicker than football. You have to be able to think and react quicker."

Delph said that his father, Marvin Delph, has taught him everything about basketball, including the values both on and off the court.

"The main thing that I told him was to have fun," said Marvin Delph, who was one of the triplets that played at the University of Arkansas. "I told him to enjoy it because it's not something that's going to last forever. I told him to work hard and try to excel in whatever that he's trying to do. If he does that, then he'll never have any regrets and he'll be able to look back on his career with fond memories."