He may be the namesake of two all-time sports greats, but Kobe Spurrier Manders has made a name for himself, not only on the athletic fields, but also in the classroom – and, already in the private sector. The son of Brian and Wendy Manders, the Ware County High senior was recently named the 2016 male recipient of the Mickey Rigsby Scholar Athlete Award by the Waycross -Ware County Sports Hall of Fame. But anyone who talks to the right-hander for more than five minutes soon discovers his natural aptitude for the business world.
“I want to be an entrepreneur and own my own business,” Manders says. “But I’m not a sit-in-the-office type guy. I want to put my hands on something.”
An up-and-coming sales representative, Manders works at Blount Parts and Equipment in Hoboken as part of the Work Based Learning program at WCHS.
“I’m a salesman,” he says proudly. “I answer the phone and sell parts. And I have closed deals worth several thousands of dollars.”
Manders has a close kinship with the company’s owners, Tim and Kim Blount. Their daughter Tera, an interior design major at the University of Georgia, is Manders’ longtime girlfriend.
“They are folks I look up to,” Manders says of the Blounts. “They are showing me the ropes and are like a second family. I am probably going to attend South Georgia State College, stay in the parts business, and get some core classes out of the way.”
In addition to his work experience, Manders also offers an impeccable academic resume. With a GPA above 3.9, he ranks comfortably in the top-10 of a class numbering around 260. His affiliations include Beta Club, National Honor Society, and the Waycross Bank & Trust Junior Board of Directors. A Georgia Merit Scholar, he was named Student of the Month by the Exchange Club of Waycross in February of this year and won the Gators’ Scholar-Athlete Award as a junior. He has completed AP courses in biology, psychology, U.S. history, and macroeconomics, and he has been dually enrolled in six other classes at South Georgia State College.
“Math is my favorite subject because it’s what I’m best; you’ve got to like what you are good at,” he says. “Throughout middle school, I was in regular math. Then I made a really good score on the CRCT in eighth grade and moved up to Honors math in ninth grade. Now I take college math.”
Voted Best All-Around from the WCHS class of 2016, Manders attends Southside Baptist Church. He is an active participant in his church’s youth group and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is also a Special Olympics volunteer.
“With me being an athlete, it’s just all about helping out some kids and providing my athletic skills to help them feel like they are a regular athlete in high school,” he says.
At 5’9” and 170 pounds, Manders has been a vital cog for the Gators over the past several years as an everyday shortstop and the team’s leadoff hitter. He broke into the starting lineup as a freshman at third base and was named All-Region (Honorable Mention). By the following year he was the team’s starting shortstop, where he has also been an All-Region selection.
“Kobe just has a presence about himself; if he ever missed a game due to illness or whatnot, the rest of my kids might be lost,” WCHS head coach Tony Yeomans says. “He’s the leader on the field and helps get people where they need to be. He is more of a leader by actions than by mouth, though. Kobe is such a good person, just a high-character kid.”
Also the Gators’ midweek starting pitcher, Manders sports a fastball that has topped out at 86 miles per hour and a repertoire that also features a curve and slider. He had fashioned a 3-2 record going into early April, a ledger that included complete-game victories over Coffee and Brunswick to keep his team in the hunt for the top seed in Region 3-AAAAA heading down the stretch. But it’s his prowess at the top of the order that makes Manders such a valuable commodity.
“Kobe’s average has been about .280, but his on-base percentage is .505. If he gets on base a couple of times a game, we usually win,” Coach Yeomans says. “Kobe started for me as a freshman five or six games into the season and he just never quit hitting, so I never took him out. He’s been in that leadoff spot ever since, and he’s been fun to watch.”
Manders adds: “I’m an on-base guy. My job is to get on base. That’s what I’m known for: getting hitting by a pitch or taking ball four. I like playing shortstop because it’s the headman of the diamond; he’s got all the superiority, and I like being in charge. I like pitching because you are in control, too. I’ve pitched a pretty good bit of games, and my defense has helped me out a lot this year. I’ve got tremendous confidence in my defense.”
When Manders pitches, his younger brother Jake – the team’s starting second baseman – shifts over to shortstop. The brothers have played together on travel teams for about 10 years with Jake playing up in age. Their trophy case includes a pair of GRPA championships.
“On the field and off the field we are a great tandem,” the elder says. “Against Pierce County this year, we were up 1-0 and had runners on first and third and we played back for the double play. The ball was hit to me and we turned a 6-4-3 double play. It was only in the fifth inning, but that was critical.”
Long-time travel ball coach Shuguy Grant is someone Manders credits for his success. Another is Gina Howell, a teacher at Memorial Drive Elementary School, who also serves as Youth Pastor at Southside Baptist Church.
“She has been with me since I was seven years old,” Manders says of Howell. “She has always been at my game and helped me whether it’s been baseball or academics.”
Howell, in return, offers this personal assessment of Manders: “From day one, Kobe has been a person of character. While attending Memorial Drive Elementary, I was able to personally witness his drive to always give 100 percent, not only on the athletic field, but also in the classroom. As a middle school and high school student, this same thing was said by Kobe’s teachers as well as coaches. One of the most important factors that Kobe has in his favor is his love of Christ. Hard working, dedicated, and God-fearing are three excellent traits to sum up Kobe’s character.”
Manders, in turn, says baseball is a key determiner of success achieved off the diamond.
“A big leaguer that gets a hit three times in 10 and is a hall-of-famer,” Manders says. “Baseball is such a great game because it’s like life. You are going to fail more than you win. You’ve always got to get up and make the next play.”
SE-AA-4.16-Manders
Academic Athlete /Southeast/May 2016
Kobe Manders
Making the Play
Ware County High School
Waycross, Georgia
Story by John DuPont
Photos by Jennifer Carter Johnson
