From a Ranger to Tornado, Bobbie Renee Blevins is living the life…
Published 11:41 pm Wednesday, October 9, 2019
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Photo Contributed Blevins was a successful coach at Unaka Elementary.
Photo Contributed Blevins in her playing days at Unaka High School where she reached the 1,000 point club as a junior.
Photo Contributed Blevins played four years for the Lady Tornado of King College.
Photo Contributed Bobbie Blevins playing at King College.
When Bobbie Renee Blevins was just over a year old she went to Unaka Elementary School to watch her sister play a basketball game.
After the game, that’s where she took her first steps, just after the game was over on the Unaka gym floor. She went on to play at Unaka Elementary and High School where she is a member of the thousand-point club.
In her younger days, she played three years and was a starter two years with the team that won nine straight district titles.
She was a point guard that averaged nearly 20-points a game along with five assists and several rebounds per game. As a sixth-grader, she earned the best offensive award.
Bobbie was a two-time All-Conference, All-District and All-Regional player. Her seventh-grade year, the baby Rangers went undefeated winning over thirty ball games for Coach Don Parkey.
She was a big part of Parkey’s run at Unaka that won 245 straight conference games without a loss.
In high school, Bobbie started all four years on the varsity and only played in five JV games in four years. She reached the 1000-point mark her junior season and finished at Unaka with 1497 points passing the number two leading scorer at Unaka, Marsha Taylor.
She is currently ranked second at Unaka behind Angie Peters who scored over 2,200 career points and went on to play basketball at Clemson.
“I guess you could say that no matter how far we live apart or how long we go without talking to one another, I know she is always there for me, no matter what,” said Heather Taylor Hirata.
Bobbie’s Freshman year she averaged over 12-points a game and was on the tip-off all-tournament team. She was also selected to the McDonald’s Classic All-Tournament team.
She nearly doubled that her senior season scoring 23-points per game. She was selected to the season, district, and regional all-tournament team and was Honorable Mention All-State.
“She was a huge role model and “big sister” to me and Heather and we always looked up to her. She was an amazing ballplayer and a better person” said former teammate Kelly Shelton.
Bobbie would leave Stoney Creek and head to Bristol where she attended King College. At King, she played all four years and started as a point guard for the Tornadoes as a freshman.
In her first season, she won the Coaches Appreciation Award and made Honorable Mention All-Freshman.
Her Sophomore year she started the year off right leading King with 22 points in the opening game of the season. She would go on to get a degree in Bain Elementary Education.
After college, Bobbie began coaching the Unaka Jr. High basketball team. In five years her team won four season and district championships. She started the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at Unaka.
“I always knew she would do great things on and off the court. To watch her play over the years and to finally see her live out a dream of playing college basketball,” said Tracy Blevins Wilson. ” I was so happy and proud of my baby sister.
“She always had a basketball in her hand, dribbling, shooting or practicing a new move for on the court. Her heart and drive for the game is the reason she improved every year. To say she loved the game would be an understatement. I know she’s my younger sister but, SHE IS MY HERO.”
Bobbie is currently teaching third-grade reading and science at Unaka Elementary where she is in her 13th year. She won a school-wide Teacher of the Year award as well as a district-wide Teacher of the Year award.
She has her bachelor’s, master’s, and education specialist degree and is currently working on her doctorate in school leadership.
Bobbie said, “I love teaching and making connections with small-town kids.”
She hopes to someday teach at the college level – she played basketball there and loves the feeling of being part of a college or university.
