Kingsville, Texas – Five former Texas A&M-Kingsville basketball stars were honored among the top 75 basketball players and coaches from the Lone Star Conference’s first 75 years as the year-long anniversary celebration continues.
Former Javelina men’s coach Bill Carter along with players Kay Goodwin, Lorie Martinez, Hoegie Simmons and Ed Turner were honored by the conference.
The LSC, known to be the oldest collegiate athletic conference in the southwestern United States, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with a tribute to its outstanding teams and great sports personalities. An NCAA Division II conference with 15 member institutions in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas, the LSC was founded on April 25, 1931. The 1931-32 athletic seasons were the first for the league.
Bill Carter was the head coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville for six seasons (1991-97), compiling a 100-64 record. He led the Hogs to Lone Star Conference championships in 1991-92 and 1995-96, advancing to the NCAA Tournament both years.
He was the Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year in 1991-92, leading the Javelinas to an 18-12 record. In 1995-96, Carter led the Javelinas to 23 victories, the most wins in Texas A&M-Kingsville history.
He coached many great players including first team All-American DeRon Rutledge (1994-96). He also coached first team All-Lone Star Conference picks Michael Robins (1991-92), Michael Robbins (1991-92), and Rutledge (1994-96).
Carter came to Texas A&M-Kingsville from Cameron University and left to become head coach at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin, Missouri.
Carter is now the headmaster at the school, retiring from coaching after the 2005-06 season. He won his 500th game last winter. Coach Carter is a member of the Javelina Hall of Fame.
Kay Goodwin, a native of Brazoria, Texas, was a star center for the Javelinas from 1980-84. The six-foot center scored a then school record 1,678 points during her career, breaking the old school record by nearly 600 points.
She is the only Javelina women’s basketball player to earn Lone Star Conference most valuable player honors, winning the award in 1982-83. That season she averaged 16.1 points and 13.2 rebounds per game, leading the Javelinas to a 21-9 record and a to the school’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. She also earned first team All-LSC honors and was a second team All-America pick. As a sophomore she set a school record and finished third in the nation in rebounding by averaging 15.3 rebounds per game. As a senior Goodwin averaged a career-best 20.1 points per game while leading the LSC in rebounding at 12.2 boards per game.
Goodwin was an outstanding all-around athlete at West Columbia High School, averaging 25 points and 17 rebounds per game as a senior, earning all-district honors in volleyball and was district champion in the long jump and 200-meter dash. She is a member of the Javelina Hall of Fame.
Martinez came to Texas A&M-Kingsville out of Corpus Christi Incarnate Word High School and left as the Javelina’s all-time leading scorer and the NCAA Division II national record for most three-point goals in a career with 385.
A three-time All-State pick in high school, Martinez was named to the Freshmen All-America team after averaging 18.1 points per game in 1997-98 and setting a Lone Star Conference records by making 104 3-point field goals and averaging four made 3-point field goals per game. During her four seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Javelinas posted a combined record of 79-35 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament her junior (1999-2000) and senior seasons (2000-01). She averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game her junior season while making 95 3-point field goals. The Javelinas swept three games in the LSC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for just the second time in school history and the first time since 1983.
As a senior she averaged 13.6 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game while making 97 3-point field goals. The Javelinas had their best season ever, posting a 27-7 record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, defeating Southwest Baptist and Emporia State in the NCAA South Central Regionals hosted in Kingsville. She is a member of both the Javelina Hall of Fame and Hispanic National Hall of Fame.
Hoegie Simmons of Tucson, Ariz., lit up the Javelina scoreboard for two seasons, scoring 1,389 points (1972-74). The 5-foot-7 guard came to Texas A&I after two star-studded seasons at Glendale Community College.
He led the Lone Star Conference in scoring in his first season, averaging 25.1 points per game. He hit nearly 50 percent of his shots from the floor that season (.496) and broke five Lone Star Conference records that season including most field goals made with 279.
How good was the LSC that season? Even though he earned NAIA All-America honors, Simmons managed to only make second team all-league that season, beat out by such players as fellow Javelina Jeff Wildenburg and future NBA star James Lister of Sam Houston State.
As a senior he averaged a league-leading and school record 29.3 points per game, scored a school record 762 points and scored a school record 52 points in one game against East Texas State. He also had 51 points against Howard Payne that same season. He averaged 29.3 points per game as a senior, making 313 field goals and 136 of 171 free throws. Simmons was again denied first team all-league honors, but again was an NAIA All-America selection. Simmons was an All-America pick as a senior at Tucson High School.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., the 6-foot-7 Ed Turner was a three-time All-America selection and the Lone Star Conference MVP in back to back seasons (1978-79, 1979-80).
Turner became the third leading scorer in Javelina history with 1,668 points and averaged a school record 27.4 points per game in 1979-80, earning first team NAIA All-America honors. Turner also averaged 12.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game that season while shooting 57% from the floor. He was only of only 10 players to earn first team All-America honors that season along with future NBA star Rick Mahorn. Turner was a second team NAIA All-America pick in his sophomore (1978-79) and senior (1980-81) seasons.
He is the only player in Javelina history to earn All-America honors three times. Turner was also the MVP of the 1980 Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament after scoring 80 points and grabbing 42 rebounds in three games.
Turner is still the school record holder for most rebounds in a single season, grabbing 346 in his sophomore season in 1978-79, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 40 points against Southwest Texas State in 1980.
Turner came to Texas A&I after earning All-America honors his freshman season at Indian River Junior College. Turner was the 22nd player taken in the 1981 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, but suffered a career-ending foot injury before reporting to training camp.
Turner was a graduate of East High School in Buffalo.
