Mickey D knows talent

Congratulations are in order to a pair of Union County's top athletes.
El Dorado's Whitney Frazier and Parkers Chapel's Savanna Langston were both, reportedly, named to the preliminary list of contenders for McDonald's Girls Basketball All-American.
Langston, a 6-2 post, was named second team All-Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette while Frazier, a 5-10 forward, was named third team All-Arkansas.
Both players have verbally committed to play basketball at Louisiana Tech.

Butler Didits

So, about 20 or so years ago, a young sports writer named Rick Butler gave me an ultimatum.
"If you send me to cover girls basketball, I will not go to the game. I'll just stay in the office and take call-ins."
That's what he told me when we were discussing assignments that season.
Rather than force Rick to cover girls sports, I split the assignments with me taking girls and letting him handle all the boys sports. It's been that way ever since at the News-Times.
Fast forward to Monday and here's the same Rick Butler - a little heavier and perhaps a lot wiser. I say wiser because he has become a tennis dad ... to his daughter.
Rick and April's 10th grade daughter Arielle won two matches Monday and is now in the semifinals of the 6A State Tennis Tournament.
Rick Butler, who at one time wouldn't go to a girls game if you paid him, suddenly is heavily involved in girls sports. He travels across the state and region watching girls tennis. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
He still refuses to watch the WNBA, though. But, I haven't lost faith in him. He has an even younger daughter named Addison. If she falls in love with basketball, I'm might personally take his picture when he takes her to a WNBA event.
That is, if I can keep the camera from shaking from me laughing so hard.