Emptying out a notebook on a number of different subjects I've been meaning to opine on lately.
• It's not any big secret that former Arkansas Razorback basketball standout Jaylin Williams has ties to Siloam Springs.
His mother, Linda, is a teacher at Siloam Springs High School and stepdad, Jeff Williams, is the district's athletics director.
That brings a whole new level of closeness when it comes to following athletes in college.
Jaylin, a former Fort Smith Northside superstar, had a fabulous two seasons with the Razorbacks men's basketball team, including back-t0-back trips to the Elite 8.
Now he's going to get a chance to play at the highest level in the world, as he was drafted last week by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His local connection here had tons of people following with interest and I imagine that will be the case with the Thunder as well. Congrats to Jaylin! Thunder Up!
• There's nothing like small school football.
I got to visit this past week with head coaches Warren Kirk at Kansas (Okla.) and Austin Martin at Colcord (Okla.). You'll see the story of Colcord's new lockers and flooring in today's paper.
Both the Comets and Hornets seem to be having terrific summers.
Kansas recently competed in the Stateline Shootout 7-on-7 Tournament here in Siloam Springs. The Comets won a handful of games, including beating Bentonville West in pool play.
I got to see a couple of their games and there are some good looking athletes over on the Kansas side.
The Comets begin preseason practice on Aug. 8.
The Hornets are buzzing with optimism as well with new lockers and new flooring in the fieldhouse. You can see the pride that comes with such things that a lot of schools simply take for granted.
By the way, the annual Battle of South Delaware County will be Thursday, Sept. 1, at Kansas, as the Comets look to end Colcord's eight-game winning streak.
• We move into the second and final week of the Arkansas Activities Association dead period this week.
That means not much is going on in terms of Siloam Springs sports.
But come Monday, July 11, things will start to get going quickly.
Cross country will start ramping up their practices to get ready for the upcoming season. High school golf and tennis also will be honing in on the start of the 2022 seasons in August. Siloam Springs volleyball's practices will intensity along with team camps, including their annual trip to Branson.
And Panther football returns to work as well. Enjoy the break folks, rest up, hydrate and get ready to gear up for a busy fall 2022 season.
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.