Remember this name, USA: Barbara Mori

I want to share with you about a very beautiful and talented actress from South America who I think is going to become a major force in the United States once she does arrive here.

Her name is Barbara Mori.

She is 27 years old, a native of Uruguay who shot to fame last year with her portrayal of the lead role in the Televisa novela "Rubi", considered by many to be the best telenovela ever produced in that country since "Locura de Amor". Well I'm sure there has been some goodies between "Locura" and "Rubi" that has aired and won high praise south of the border.

Guys, when you take a look at this beautiful woman, you will be absolutely breathless. And get this: television and movie producers are after Barbara Mori in a big way too after "Rubi", including those here in the United States... most specifically the producers of "Rush Hour 3", which is set to begin production soon.

Barbara is doing some projects in Argentina right now, including one with Juan Soler, so we'll see if she decides to make the jump and test the waters here. I've never heard Barbara speak English, but I'm sure she does speak that language like others Mexican actresses and actors (Cesar Evora, Kate del Castillo, Laisha Wilkins, etc.)

In any event, keep your eyes out for Barbara Mori. I have a feeling that she is going to become a huge star here if she sets foot into this country.

Remembering a former Eldorado Sundevil

Friends, right after I posted my last message regarding Eldorado High School's 1985 State championship victory, I scrolled through some past news from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and read some very sad news about a young man who lived life to the fullest every day.

And I knew this young man for a short period of time too.

Duane Stephens, a 1988 grad of Eldorado High School who played basketball for the Sundevils under his father, Sherrill Stephens, passed away on Valentine's Day at the age of 34. I don't know how he died, and I would prefer not to know how he died.

Believe me, my jaw dropped when I read the news. Duane was a great guy, a wonderful person who lend his hand to everyone he knew; his friends, family, fellow classmates, and so on, and he was also very active in the issues that were the topic of discussion in the City of Las Vegas, regarding growth, water supply, better roads, and so on.

For me, I remember a bright and talented young man who was a very good basketball player for the Sundevils, playing for a talented and well-known basketball coach who won state championships. He got along with everyone, like I said before, and eventually went on to become an attorney in recent years.

I am going to say this and leave this issue alone: I want to pause to remember Duane, and offer my deepest condolences to Coach Stephens and the rest of his family. During my time at Eldorado, Sherrill was a father figure to me, a wonderful human being who absolutely DOES NOT deserve this. Duane was Coach Stephens' only son; he does have two daughters however and several grandchildren, including Duane's son John.

For those of you who went to Eldorado and has had Coach Stephens as a football coach, basketball coach, track and field coach, U.S. History teacher, dean of students, etc. I encourage you to offer your condolences to him as well, especially to those who had Duane as a classmate too.

Thanks for your time.

RD Classic Memory for March 2005

This one I'm sure is remembered by anyone who attended Eldorado High School in Las Vegas during 1985.

The Sundevils' basketball team, led by veteran Las Vegas football and basketball coach Sherrill Stephens, had its best basketball season in school history (which I think still stands to this day...I will research and see if there was a better team than 85). In any event, the Sundevils won the Sunrise Division championship (when there were just ten high schools), and qualified for the Southern Nevada basketball tournament.

Now this may sound a bit weird, but this is how the tournament was played 20 years ago. The final four teams of the tournament qualify for an automatic berth to the state basketball championships. Eldorado was among those teams to qualify. They did lose in a semi-final game to Clark (the memory is a bit fuzzy on which team beat them), but their season was not over.

Eldorado, Clark, Chaparral and I believe Bishop Gorman participated in the state basketball championship at the Las Vegas Convention Center, along with four other teams from Northern Nevada. All four Northern Nevada teams lost, and when the championship game came around, its combatants were two schools that opened at the same time; and plays a football game every year for the Merlin Olsen Cleat (in which Eldorado still possesses today).

Eldorado and Chaparral.

The Cowboys jumped to an early lead, but Eldorado came right back and at one point had a 10-point lead in the game. It was a close game nonetheless, and with about a minute to play in the game, the Sundevils still had a good double-digit lead, and it was known that the game was put in the refrigerator, as the late great Chick Hearn would say. Once the final buzzer sounded, the Convention Center went wild. Sherrill Stephens was in tears, as were some of the Sundevil cheerleaders. Eldorado won its first major sports championship with a 69 to 64 win over the Cowboys, on March 1, 1985.

I often wonder where all of the former Sundevil players are these days. Shawn Herman, the tallest one who could go across the floor and slam dunk anyone, went to Northern Arizona University after high school... I think Shawn could have done well with a Pac-10 school such as USC, UCLA or maybe Arizona State... but he went to NAU instead.

I do know that Coach Stephens, who is 68, is in Arizona now and is a principal of a high school out in Coolidge. I have great respect for Sherrill Stephens... he made winners out of everyone in any sport that he coached, and I will tell you this from first-hand experience: he was a true disciplinarian who expected the best out of anyone, talented or otherwise.

And to those of you who attend High School at Coolidge, I will say this: you have a very good principal in Coach Stephens (yes, I still call him Coach Stephens and always will). He is a very strict principal, but let me tell you one thing: he is approachable, and if you are ever in doubt about anything, he is always there to help.