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Wilson Native Leads Barton to NCAA Title Game

Mar 23, 2007

Wilson, N.C. — Local residents are proud of the Barton College Bulldogs and the Wilson native whose last-second heroics have gotten the team within one game of the NCAA Division II national basketball championship.

Senior point guard Anthony Atkinson got the Bulldogs into the Final Four with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Grand Valley (Mich.) State. His free throw with 1.5 seconds left in the semifinal game helped Barton beat Cal State San Bernardino.

Atkinson attended Greenfield School, a small K-12 school in Wilson, where faculty members said they knew he was destined for greatness.

"When he was probably in 10th grade, I said, 'Anthony, I have a feeling I'm probably going to be watching you on TV someday,'" guidance counselor Cindy Cash said.

"When you see him, you don't think of this big star. But when you watch him play, he just brings such a level of energy to the game," geometry teacher Beth Peters said.

Atkinson is one of three Greenfield graduates playing on the Barton team. They all return regularly to help with practice and mentor younger students.

"They've always been great students and good people around campus, and everybody kind of looks up to them around here," Greenfield senior Mac McKinney said.

"They are definitely our celebrities. We all have their autograph," Greenfield senior Betsy Peters said."We've all been pretty excited, especially to see (Atkinson) on TV, because it's really surreal. We're used to seeing him in the gym."

Rob Salter, Greenfield's basketball coach, drove a school activity bus to Springfield, Mass., so a group of local fans, including Atkinson's parents, could attend Saturday's championship game against Winona (Minn.) State. The 1 p.m. game will air on WRAL-TV.

Wilson fans said they are confident the hometown hero will bring home the title.

"He's a great influence on everybody at this school. He's a great role model," Greenfield eighth-grader Benjamin Farmer said.