Youth Voices Rising: My Grandpa Made WVU Basketball History Twice!

By True Phillips, Age 9

This story is part of Youth Voices Rising, a Black By God narrative-change project supported by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

During Black By God’s 24-hour Podcast-a-thon, I said what my next comic strip would be about. I told them it was going to be about my grandpa, Levi Phillips.

Today, November 13, is my grandpa’s birthday. He passed away, but I wanted to remember him by drawing something about his basketball history.

My grandpa played basketball at West Virginia University. I love basketball too!

On December 1, 1970, WVU played its first game in the new Coliseum against Colgate. My grandpa scored the first basket ever made there!

Then, exactly three years later, on December 1, 1973, he made history again!

He was part of WVU’s first all-Black starting five with Eartha Faust, Jerome Anderson, Warren Baker and Larry Carr.

I think it’s cool that he made history twice on the same date, three years apart.

I like drawing comics because I can tell stories about things that matter to me.

Being part of Black By God helps me share stories about my family and my community.

My grandpa isn’t here anymore, but his story is still here. Happy Birthday, Papaw!