On Saturday, Jan. 4, the Cheltenham Lady Panthers held their first annual alumni game, an event that not only attracted a long list of alums but also raised money for Coaches versus Cancer.
By Mary Jane Souder
They’re a family, the Lady Panther family, and those who are part of that family insist there’s nothing quite like it.
“A lot of us have grown up together since elementary school,” said Stacey Smalls, a 1999 Cheltenham graduate. “We’ve known each other for 20-some years.
“This is like a sisterhood. Even coming in as a freshman and playing with Brandi Butler and Talia Wheeler and all those names - they took me in, and it’s been like that throughout the years. It’s awesome.”
Granted, few players anywhere have experienced the kind of success those who have been part of Cheltenham’s basketball program during Bob Schaefer’s 31 years at the helm have experienced.
After all, not many programs can boast of two state titles, two state runner-up finishes, four district crowns and 24 league titles in the last 26 years of his tenure.
But being a Lady Panther is about a whole lot more than winning basketball games.
“It’s amazing to come back,” said Morgan Banks, a 1999 graduate. “The love everyone has for each other, the team spirit everyone has, and even though there were plenty of people we didn’t know – it’s coming from that team background. This is where everything started. This is my foundation. It meant everything to come back and support Coaches vs. Cancer.”
The Lady Panthers held their first annual alumni game on Saturday, Jan 4, and the purpose of the event was twofold – to reunite the Lady Panther family and raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer.
For Tammy Frazier, playing for a cause was personal. The 2001 Cheltenham grad and member of the 2000 state championship team was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma in 2003 and had a recurrence in 2007. The recipient of a Coaches vs. Cancer Award in 2005, Frazier also lost her mother, grandmother and grandfather to the disease.
“When Mish (Horsey) e-mailed me and said she was thinking about doing this, I said, ‘Whatever you need me to do,’” Frazier said. “I was calling kids, I was here early to set up, I’m here for the clinic, and I’m going to help break it down.
“I’ve lost a lot of people, so it’s very personal to me. Any time anyone is about bringing awareness, I’m there. I’m absolutely for it.”
The event was the brainchild of Misha Horsey – the point guard on the 2007 state championship squad - and her father Michael Horsey.
“We had our Cheltenham Lady Panthers’ reunion about two years ago,” Horsey said. “I just wanted another way for us to reconnect and just keep the legacy alive.
“It’s such a successful program, and I thought what better way than an alumni game to bring it back. It was a great crowd, it was a successful event. I think people were just as excited as I am about the game. I think it worked out pretty good.”
A check for $1,000 was presented to Coaches vs. Cancer at halftime of the alumni game, and Horsey and the Lady Panthers led a youth clinic after the game.
“Obviously, it’s more fun just seeing everybody again,” Frazier said. “Everybody stays in contact. The best thing is bridging the gap between the new school Lady Panthers and the old school ones. To be on the same team with girls that played recently, that’s awesome.
“You can kind of relive the glory days. It only could end in typical fashion like a Cheltenham game would end – down to the buzzer.”
And come down to the buzzer it did. Stacey Smalls buried a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game, and with three seconds left, it was Smalls burying one-of two from the foul line to knot the score.
Appropriately, that’s how the game ended.
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Lynn Carroll, a 1997 grad who was a member of the 1996 district title team, has been the varsity coach at Souderton for the past 10 years. She still has strong ties to her alma mater.
“When I was in middle school, I was idolizing Dana Mills and Steph Hector, and I wanted to be like them,” Carroll said. “I was lucky enough to be a contributor to the program when I was here and play with people like Brandi Butler and Stacey Smalls.
“Even after you graduate - I came back every year to watch. I watched Laura Harper and CC Andrews. It’s been such a great program for so many years. For them to be doing this the first year and to see the numbers they got is awesome. It’s a tribute to the coaches and all the players that have come through. We talk a lot about Panther Pride, and that was very clear today. It’s something I would love to be able to see in my own program.”
Smalls, who went on to have a Hall of Fame career at Temple, acknowledged that there’s nothing quite like being a member of the Lady Panther family.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “There’s such a big history here. Coach (Schaefer) has been around for a long time, and he built the legacy. We have players here from 1984 to 2012.
“We have something special, and I think it’s important we keep that brand going. Mr. Horsey and Misha Horsey did a great job of pulling us all back together because we did have something special. Everyone knows Cheltenham basketball, and it’s important to keep that going and continue to keep the legacy alive and keep that network alive.”
“It was really great to see everybody,” said Antonia Gale, a 2005 grad. “We came in here, and it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like we’re starting the first day of practice.’”
And perhaps no one enjoyed the event more than the man who was there for 29 first days of practice and built the Lady Panther dynasty.
“Family is the word,” Schaefer said. “These are kids that we shared a lot of aches and pains, frustration and joy together.
“It was always team. That was one of the things they always learned as a Lady Panther – they were team players. We had girls saying ‘these people are like sisters to me,’ and it’s just been wonderful seeing them all. I haven’t seen some of them for at least 27 years, and here they are.
“It’s so nice to see what they’ve become. I was always a tough coach who believed in discipline and hard work, and this is the result. You see them coming back as such mature, successful adults, and that’s something I take great joy and pleasure in.”
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Ask any of the players what they remember most about their days as a Lady Panther, and the championships are almost an afterthought.
What exactly do they remember?
“My team,” Banks said. “Just being together and having that support and love – that was the main thing. I still hang out with them all the time.”
“The friendships,” said Shayla Johnson, a 2000 graduate. “I have known Morgan (Banks) since I was three, and I’m 31 now. Her son is like my nephew.
“Stacey (Smalls) is one of my closest friends, and to go down memory lane, it’s the little things we did at practice – we always made practice fun. Off the court, we always hung out, chilled and had a good time. I feel like that was why we were successful.”
Banks played on the 1999 district championship squad that advanced to the state title game. Johnson, who went on to play collegiate basketball at Rhode Island, scored the game-winning shot in Cheltenham’s state championship win in 2000.
For her part, Gale began following the Lady Panthers long before she set foot on the court to play for the team, and she was part of an underdog Cheltenham squad that advanced to the state title game. Her sister, Ashley, played a starring role on the 2007 state championship team. While Gale has fond memories of those state title runs, she admits it was more than just the games.
“Practicing in itself was fun,” said Gale, who played collegiate basketball at La Salle. “Still to this day, we remember the whole entire warm-up – chase layups, three-man weave. We still remember it.”
As alumni games go, this one was something special.
“It was so good to see everyone,” Johnson said. “To meet some of the older players that paved the way for people like myself and to meet the younger players as well.
“Yesterday we had our reception and shared our favorite moments. Just to get to know everybody and to see Schaef - this was a great idea. It was long overdue. What Schaef did here for the program is history, and he really paved the way for all of us to put Cheltenham on the map. This chance to pay homage to the program was a great idea, so a big shoutout to Misha.”
“I don’t know why we didn’t do this sooner,” Gale said. “Just to know Cheltenham basketball is still here and still going – it’s good to see.”
“This was a tremendous undertaking just communicating and getting the word out,” Schaefer said. “I commend them for it and appreciate the effort they put it.
“It turned out to be a phenomenal event, and I’m sure every year it will be bigger and better.”
For Horsey, it was gratifying to see it come together.
“Honestly, it’s a great thing,” she said. “I had the opportunity to see what it feels like to be part of a winning program. When I got to college, I appreciated it more.”
Plans are to make the alumni game an annual event with proceeds to go to Coaches vs. Cancer.
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