[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3927-3928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO THE SOLDAN HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS, WINNERS OF THE MISSOURI 
         CLASS 4 STATE TITLE FOR BASKETBALL AND STATE CHAMPIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2012

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Missouri's own 
Class 4 State Basketball Champions, the Soldan High School Tigers.
  Soldan High School's convincing 55-42 victory over Springfield 
Hillcrest at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia was the culmination of

[[Page 3928]]

three years hard work and dedication, resulting in the Tiger's first 
state championship in basketball in 31 years. Under the leadership of 
Head Coach Justin Tatum, the Tigers defeated some of the best teams in 
the nation, outscoring their playoff opponents by an unbelievable 
average of 24 points a game.
  The men of the Soldan High School Tigers are more than merely 
teammates, they are a band of brothers. Many of the Tigers have played 
on the same teams since grade school, their recent victory a fitting 
reward for years of dedication to both each other and the sport of 
basketball. Especially for Soldan's nine-man senior class of Devin 
Booker, Aaron Diamini, Kawan Griffin, Randy Holmes, Paul McRoberts, 
Jibreel Muhammad, Partice Sanders, Elva Shelton, and Rashad Simmons, 
the season, and their high school careers, ended exactly how they hoped 
they would.
  Mr. Speaker, Coach Tatum and the men of the Soldan High School Tigers 
are true examples of character and sportsmanship, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in honoring their remarkable achievement.

                          ____________________