Deedy making his mark at the next level
December 13, 2017
Johnson making big impact for Colonels
December 13, 2017
Folks down Bayou Lafourche remember vividly South Lafourche High School’s 1998 State Championship Basketball Team – a group which captivated and united the community, while making memories that will last a lifetime for the people in that area.
But what many don’t know is that a member of that team is still paying back his love for the game today – even while living thousands of miles away from home.
Ryan Guillory was a starting guard on that Tarpons team, which made three-straight Top 28’s, while winning the 1998 crown – the school’s only such championship in its history.
Today, Guillory is 37, but he’s never stopped playing.
He and his family live in Malaysia for his work and he’s competed on company teams and league teams that have given him the opportunity to play ball around the world, while making friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.
“I don’t want to stop playing as long as I can run,” Guillory said. “It’s the main activity I do to stay in shape. The condo I stay at has a basketball court outside, which is one of the reasons I picked it. You know, it’s amazing. There’s another American guy who lives here in Malaysia who is still playing at 74 years old, playing ball with kids more than 50 years younger than him. I hope that can be me one day.”
For Guillory, basketball has been a big part of his life and never has it been bigger than when he was a Tarpon on those title-winning teams of the late-1990s.
Guillory is a guard, and growing up, he was an accomplished scorer.
But with prized players like Clarence Moore, Ross Chouest, Beau O’Quinn and Jamar Jones, among others on the roster, Guillory’s primary role was to make open shots, distribute the ball and play tenacious defense.
He did exactly that in the 1998 Top 28, playing lock-down defensively against Salmen High School guard Chris Duhon (who later became a multi-year NBA veteran) in the State Semifinals. In the Championship Game against Slidell, he guarded future LSU guard Torris Bright, nagging and frustrating Bright enough to get him ejected from the game in the final minutes.
Guillory said the transition from scorer to distributor/defender was seamless because of the locker room the Tarpons had.
He said being part of those teams is something he’ll never forget.
South Lafourche routinely sold out games from 1996-99 – both home and away. Their home games drew so many fans that they’d sell tickets to fans to watch the game in the halls on big-screen TVs.
“It was one of those things that will always be one of the most memorable moments in life for all the players and coaches and parents,” Guillory said. “I’ll never forget the feeling when the horn sounded and this team from down the bayou officially won it all for the first time. … We had a lot of talent, but we were a team. Everyone knew their role. In other years, some of the guys could have scored or played a lot more, but we all did our piece and filled our roles and played unselfishly. … We were like family.”
To this day, the Tarpons own the record for most team assists in a Top 28 – a mark which gives validity to the selfless on-court nature of that team.
“We always played as a team,” former Tarpons coach Scott Bouzigard said earlier this year. “Our kids stuck together.”
But like all high school teams do, the players on the 1998 team eventually graduated, became adults and moved into adult life.
For Guillory, that meant a tour of the world through his work. He graduated LSU as a petroleum engineer. He worked for Chevron for 13 years and now is an employee for PETRONAS in Malaysia, where he’s worked for the past three years.
Guillory said he loves Louisiana, but he also likes his new home away from home.
On social media, Guillory often photographs himself bringing Cajun culture to his new land, cooking gumbos and other Louisiana treats – even while abroad.
“The food here is amazing,” Guillory said. “There’s lots of rice and spicy gravy dishes and great seafood.”
But for Guillory to truly be happy, there had to be a little basketball in the mix, too.
So he did research, first on Google Maps to try and find courts, gyms and other places to play.
“I could only find a few places to play pick up at some outdoor courts that were in pretty bad shape,” Guillory said. “I was playing mostly against young guys 18-20 years old.”
But over the past few years, he’s gotten more involved and active and has found more teams.
Guillory plays for a team in the Statsports League – a league which features some of the best players from around that area of the globe.
“The league is amazing,” Guillory said. “There are some great players from all over the world. They video all the games, keep stats and shot charts, take some professional in-game photos and everything. Honestly, I don’t know if any of the amateur leagues back home are that well-run.”
Guillory also competes for company-sponsored teams, which allow them the opportunity to compete against other office locations around the area.
Guillory said at 37, he naturally can’t jump quite as high as he once did. Because of his busy schedule, he also can’t practice as much as he did when he was a teen, which causes him to go to the basket more to try and set up shots in the paint.
But when the competitive juices start flowing, he said he can channel his inner kid again and compete like he’s done his whole life.
Guillory said a lot of the guys he plays against are 10-15 years younger than he us, but he takes pride in showing them that even an old dog can run with the pups every once in a while.
“I like to rebound it and push the ball up the court, if for no other reason than to make sure I get some good exercise in and also to show the younger guys that this older dude can still go,” Guillory said. “I still like try to play tough D and can get under players’ skins when needed. I’ve learned some tricks over the years and I just love the game. I want to play as long as I can.”
Follow Casey on Twitter for more.
https://twitter.com/casey_gisclair
