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VIDEO: Liberty Legends face off during Jordan McRae charity weekend

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Liberty County High School alumni returned to their alma mater Saturday, June 25, to compete in the Liberty County Legends basketball game.

Players were divided into two teams, Black vs. Blue, and featured former Panther athletes Jordan McRae, Rion Brown, Richard LeCounte, Raekwon McMillan and Davion Mitchell. McRae and Brown currently play professional basketball, Mitchell plays in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, and McMillan (New England Patriots) and LeCounte (Cleveland Browns) play in the NFL.

Also competing were Zeek Coleman, Kaneetha Gordon, Lamar Richardson, Jordan “Bird” Johnson, Dana King, Rikki Jones, Nicole Tazewell, Seandre Lee, Jarell Crawford, Preston Frazier, Desire’ Curry, Jessie Fleming, Freddy McSwain, Marcus Singletary, Gary Guyton and Candice Bryant.

The action was fast and furious, as both teams played a heart-stopping game that could’ve gone either way, but Team Blue ultimately came out on top, with a final score of 55-51.

In addition to the action on the court, a few Liberty County High School alumni were recognized for their efforts off the court.

First, Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy presented McRae with a Servant Leadership Award in recognition of his commitment and dedicated service to the Liberty County community.

“The fact that I can be recognized — that is an honor for me,” McRae said.

McRae’s wife, Candice, was also at the event and spoke of how proud she is of her husband and his achievements.

“He’s a very hard worker, and he loves to try to give back to all the kids in the community,” she said. “He works very hard every day, and I watch him day in and day out.”

She also talked about their two sons and the impact their dad has had on them.

“They both look up to the big, older guys, and they’re into sports,” she said. “It’s good to keep these guys around us as positive influences on our children.”

South Georgia Elite then recognized Ashley Danielle for her work with McRae’s AAU program as well as her own, the ABC Sports Foundation.

“I’ve been in sports for 14 years, doing different things,” she said. “I’ve just realized the impact that these players have in the communities and on the kids.”

Danielle made the decision to go the nonprofit route and help other athletes that want to do more but don’t know exactly how.

“The hope is to get as many players who are passionate about something that I can help them with,” she said. “To scale it and make it where everyone has access to being able to give back.”

“We are a small community, but we are blessed,” McRae said. “We have a lot of guys here who have done amazing things. We just want to keep inspiring the next generation.”

During halftime, the crowd paid their respects to the late Liberty County High School football coach Kirk Warner, who passed away June 16 after battling an aggressive form of cancer.

On Saturday night, McRae went on to host the second annual Spades Tournament, where more funds were raised for his charity and for the Warner family.

Courier editor Patty Leon contributed to this story.

Liberty County alumni game
Liberty County High School alumni returned to their alma mater Saturday, June 25, to compete in the Liberty County Legends basketball game, featuring many former Panthers, including current professional athletes Jordan McRae, Rion Brown, Richard LeCounte, Raekwon McMillan and Davion Mitchell. Photo by Lewis Levine