This article,
written by Brent Lansden,
appeared in the April
17, 2006 issue of the Beaver
Herald-Democrat
and is used here with permission.
Beaver’s Chuck Salisbury
Commits to Play for OPSU
by BRENT LANSDEN
The Beaver Herald-Democrat
The basketball career
for Beaver High School All-Stater Chuck Salisbury will continue
close to home.
Salisbury, a 6-1 point guard, signed a letter-of-intent
last week with Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell. During his junior
and senior years at Beaver, Salisbury helped lead the Dusters to a combined
52-4 record and back-to-back berths in the Class A State
Basketball Tournament.
"He is an immediate impact
player at the Division 2 level. He will be a major contributor," OPSU
head coach Curt Connor said. "When I say contributor, I mean
he will play over 25 minutes per game.
"The
biggest thing that impressed me was the whole culture in
Beaver. I went to the Duster Dome during the Texhoma game
in the playoffs. I think he is a product of the whole sports
culture and community. It stems from his family first.
From his family to the community, I was impressed was everything.
Beaver does a tremendous job bringing up the kids in school.
I am the benefit of that for the next four years."
Salisbury, who averaged 11 points and five assists per game
this past season, was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association
All-State team and will participate in the All-State game
on July 27 at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. He was also named
as the Co-MVP of the Panhandle Conference in 2006 and was
an honorable mention selection in the Daily Oklahoman.
Beaver High School coach
Brian Stalder called Salisbury the best defensive player he has ever
coached. Salisbury averaged nearly four steals per game
this past season for the Dusters.
"I have never seen anyone
as tenacious as him as an on-ball defender," Stalder said. "He
will pressure the ball and work extremely hard. I’ve
coached for 17 years and have never seen anyone as tenacious
as Chuck."
Getting a scholarship
to play basketball on the collegiate level is a dream-come-true
for Salisbury, Stalder said.
"I am excited for Chuck.
Playing college basketball has been a dream of his for many
years," Stalder said. "To do that on a full ride is exciting
for him and us. I haven’t had any ties to OPSU in a
long time. With Chuck there, I am sure we will have some
interest to go to some games. And that hasn’t happened
in a long time.
"If they want someone
to come in and run the show as a point guard, be tough-minded
and set the tone of how hard they are going to play, he will
make a great impact. He is a tough-minded kid and a great
leader. He is a traditional point guard who doesn’t
care what he does. He just wants his team to succeed, and
if that means he doesn’t get a shot all night that’s
fine with him."
Not only did Salisbury have success in
the gym, but he also received several gridiron honors during
the 2005-06 season. He was the District A-1 Most Valuable
Player, was named to the K101 Classic bowl, was on the Oklahoma
Coaches’ Association’s All-Star team and was
the KGYN Player of the Year.
The senior class president, Salisbury is also a member
of the National Honor Society and will graduate in May with
a GPA of over 3.6.
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