GREENSBORO SPORTS COUNCIL AWARDS BILL LEE SCHOLARSHIPS TO FOUR GREENSBORO STUDENTS
For immediate release. Dec. 13, 2016
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Greensboro high school seniors were awarded the Bill Lee Scholarship during the news conference to announce seeding and first-round pairings for the 41st annual HAECO Invitational, the Greensboro Sports Council announced today. The Council has awarded these $2,000 scholarships during its annual high school basketball tournament since 2001. The 41st annual HAECO Invitational is set for Dec. 26-28, 2016 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center. .
The Bill Lee Scholarship is awarded to four HAECO Invitational participants each year. All eight participating schools are invited to nominate student athletes for the Bill Lee Scholarship; winners are the most qualified applicants regardless of which participating school they represent. Including the 2016 winners who are listed alphabetically below, 65 student athletes have won the Bill Lee Scholarship since the program’s inception.
Northern Guilford High School’s Jarrett Boyd carries a 4.0 unweighted grade-point average. He is a Junior Marshal, an AP Scholar and a North Carolina Scholar. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Beta Club. He is a four-year letterman in basketball and a team captain this year. He volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America, Food Assistance, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, the NCCJ and Habitat for Humanity. He hopes to attend Morehouse College, Duke University or Georgia Tech and is considering a career in biomedical engineering or nuclear engineering.
Samantha Furlough also represents Northern Guilford High School. She carries a 4.05 four-year cumulative grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a three-time Mid-State 3A Academic All-Conference team member in basketball and soccer. She is active in Young Life, the Embracing Leadership & Diversity in Athletics Club, Northern Going Global, Reading Buddies and serves as a Service Learning Ambassador. She volunteers at Camp Carefree, Lil Nighthawk Camp, Jones Elementary School, People and Paws for Hope and serves as a Salvation Army bell ringer. Furlough hopes to attend NC State University, East Carolina or Appalachian State and is considering a career as a nurse, a nurse anesthetist or an Ophthalmologist. Her mother, Kim, is the Northern Guilford Lady Nighthawks coach.
Pearce Landry is a senior at Greensboro Day School where his grade-point average is 100 out of 100. He is a member of the Cum Laude Society, the National Honor Society and an AP Scholar with Honors. Landry made the Headmaster’s List in each of the last four years including 2016. In addition to basketball, Landry is the captain of the Bengal golf team and a two-year member of the student council. He volunteers at the Out of the Garden Project, Backpack Beginnings, Service through Sports Club, Hoops for the Hungry and Service through Church. He hopes to attend Princeton University, the University of Virginia or the University of North Carolina and is considering a career in either business or finance. His father, Pearce, played in the HAECO Invitational when attending Page High School.
Matthew Rakes represents Northwest Guilford High School and is a three-time varsity basketball letterman. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Science Olympiad, an AP Scholar with Distinction, a Junior Marshal and a National Merit-Commended Student. Rakes is a former winner of the Academic Achievement Award in both French and biology. He volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, Second Harvest Food Bank, Teens with Heart, Operation NW Pride, the Vikings Basketball Booster Club and the Rising Stars Basketball Camp. He hopes to attend NC State University, Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech and is considering a career in chemical engineering.
The winners will receive their formal awards on December 28 during a special ceremony between the HAECO Invitational championship games.
Bill Lee was a Greensboro native and resident who was a major supporter of local sports. He was deeply involved with Greensboro’s minor league baseball efforts, basketball and golf. The Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship was established by the Greensboro Sports Council following Lee’s death in 2001. Recipients are nominated by the schools participating in the HAECO Invitational each year, and the Greensboro Sports Council awards the scholarships. Each nomination is considered with the following criteria: 40% academic, 40% athletic and 20% civic.
The HAECO Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the HAECO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council. For more information, please visit www.HAECOInvitational.com and follow the event on Twitter: @HAECOinvit.