Jim Webb Played For Kentucky State Basketball Champion In 1952

The Cuba Cubs won the Kentucky state basketball championship in 1952.

Seventy years ago, Cuba High School in Kentucky did something few small schools have ever accomplished. They brought down a giant.

This small school, with around 120 students, sent a team of 10 players to the State Basketball Tournament and took on Louisville Manual, a school of around 1,800. And they did it just like in the movie Hoosiers . . . they slew Goliath, 58-52 to win the state championship.

A member of that team was Jim Webb, an Effingham resident, a retired Effingham teacher. Webb recently went back to Cuba, Kentucky where Graves County High School, honored the 70th anniversary of the Cuba Cubs winning the Kentucky State Basketball Tournament in 1952.

There are now only three members of that team remaining. Jim Webb and Jim Brown, both players, and Manager Bob McClain.

Cuba, Kentucky was a small town and Jim Webb was born to parents Clifton and Lottie Webb. His father was a farmer and a teamster and Jim grew up helping on the farm raising tobacco.

“We didn’t live close together,” said Webb about his teammates. “We all lived about six, seven, or eight miles apart. I kinda caught onto basketball watching the older boys play and got interested. I wanted to emulate the older boys. We played organized ball in the seventh-grade at school but we played only intramural. In the eighth-grade, we played against several schools in the area.

“All we had was baseball and basketball at Cuba High School because we were a small school.. I believe we had an enrollment of about 120 when I graduated. Back then they only had four cheerleaders.”

Coach Jack Story started with his eighth-graders, giving them a dream to win the state championship.

“We saw some films of the Harlem Globetrotters and tried to emulate what they did,” said Webb. “Later on in our junior year, we started using their warmup like a four-man weave off the post. Mainly we used their warmup and we started playing their theme song. We did a few things during the game.”

The Globetrotters inspired the boys and they began to hone their skills.

“The Globetrotters found out about us somehow or another,” said Webb. “They invited us to see them play in St. Louis. We got to meet them. They treated us really well.”

The Cubs averaged 70 points a game.

“We did a lot of shooting and rebounding,” said Webb. “We played more open and with not much set offense. Basic stuff like screen and roll, give and go. Get the man down the floor. Shoot around the perimeter and rebound hard.”Webb talked about Coach Story.

“He was also our principal. He was a big guy at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds. He was a strict disciplinarian. He taught fundamentals real well. No patterns. He came to coach when I was a seventh-grader. We got runnerup at State my junior year and my senior year we won State. Then he left and went on to Mayfield until he retired. He died kinda young in his 50’s of a brain tumor.”

Jim Webb looks over the display honoring his 1952 Cuba Cubs basketball team.

During Webb’s senior year, the team went 40-4 and had to go through three teams before competing in the State title game. The Cubs defeated Corbin 60-53, Henry Clay 61-47, and Hindman 44-42 before facing Manual.

“There wasn’t any limit on the number of games we played,” said Webb. “We were ranked No. 1 and were invited to all the big tournaments around. We traveled a whole lot.

We also played in shootouts in Tennessee and  Kentucky.”

When the Cubs advanced to the State Tournament championship, the whole state was watching.

“It was a big deal,” said Webb, who was one of the five starters for the Cubs. He played forward. “The whole county and the whole state were excited because we were small and in the finals. We played Louisville Manuel and they had 1,800 students.”

After the Cubs had won the tournament they were given a parade.

“We had a big parade with convertibles. I think the motorcade was about 12 miles long around Kentucky Lake. We toured all the way through the country and towns. Both years as a matter of fact.”Webb has passed along some basketball skills to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren although he says, “My great-grandchildren’s dad David was a pretty good athlete, better than average basketball player. I think a lot of that came from he and Angie, their mom who also played high school basketball.”

David Wolfe’s children are Grant, Landon, Parker, Garrett, and Averie. All played or are currently playing basketball at Effingham. His boys hold first, fourth and fifth places in all-time scoring at EHS.

Casey Walk’s children are Reese, Karli, and Mason. Reese played basketball at St Anthony, Karli is in track at St. A. and Mason played basketball at Sigel St. Michael.

Ryan’s children are Lane and Kamy. Lane played seventh-grade basketball at North Clay (Louisville).

Webb returned to Kentucky for a dedication as seven high schools have been dedicating hallways and common areas to teams and Cuba was one of them.

“We also were celebrating the 70th anniversary of us winning the State championship,” said Webb. “It was a special time.”

Other members of the Cuba Cubs, now all deceased, were Paul Simpson, Raymond McClure, Bill Pollock, Charles Floyd, Harold Roberts, Joe Warren, Howard Crittenden and Ted Bradley.

Jim Webb points to himself when he played for the Cuba Cubs.

Jim Webb sits with the championship and second-place trophies.

Members of Jim Webb's family went to Cuba, Kentucky with him for the 70th Anniversary Celebration.