“They Made Good Great” tells story of 1969-70 Rebelettes State Championship

Published 3:00 pm Sunday, May 17, 2020

NASHVILLE, Ga. –– Fifty years ago, a group of girls from Berrien County marched through the high school basketball season with a perfect 30-0 season, capped by winning the state championship, and now a new book has been written to capture the memories and photos from their magical season.

They Made Good Great tells the story of the 1969-1970 Berrien High School Rebelettes who were coached by Stanley Simpson and claimed the first state championship of any for Berrien County. The book was written by Berrien County natives Jim Barber and Skeeter Parker.

“The 1969-1970 Berrien High School Rebelettes were my first heroes, and I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to co-author their story,” said Barber, who is also the author of Plowed Fields, a novel that explores life on a South Georgia tobacco farm in the 1960s. “It’s startling to consider that half a century has passed since the events recorded in the book occurred. The memory of it all seems closer somehow. We hope the story will evoke a glimmer of the excitement, drama and magic that captivated Berrien County when a group of high school girls made history and launched a legacy of excellence.”

Written from the perspective of the women they became, They Made Good Great uses interviews with the players, coaches, sportswriters and fans to tell the story. The book recounts the thrills, close calls, low points and enormous pressure the girls experienced as the wins piled up and the expectations mounted for their season.

The 1969-1970 season was the last where Georgia high school girls played a six-on-six game, with three forwards and three guards on both halves of the court. Five of Berrien’s six starters were named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s all-state team that year and two more player received honorable mention, a testament to the team’s strength and depth.

The story also includes an in-depth look at Simpson, the hard-driving, legendary coach who came to Berrien in 1961 when the school did not even have a home gymnasium. Simpson got a gym built and then built a program that yield two successive state titles for the Berrien girls in 1970 and the boys in 1971. He went on to coach at Middle Tennessee State University where his 1982 team scored a stunning upset over Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Throughout the 1960s, Simpson built the most consistently winning high school girls basketball program in South Georgia, but his teams always fell short at tournament time. The 1969-70 team broke the barrier and set a course that would see Berrien garner five more state championships over the next two decades.

“Growing up in the 1970s, I heard tales about Berrien’s basketball glory everywhere I went,” said Parker, a historian who has researched and compiled several books about the county’s sports history. “I am grateful to the many wonderful people who have worked so hard to preserve the history of our sports team.”

Hard cover copies of They Made Good Great are available through the author’s website, www.jimbarber.me. Digital and paperback editions can be ordered through Amazon.com. All proceeds will benefit the Berrien Historical Foundation.