Class of 2017
Almost everyone in the Capshaw community knew Uselton. The same could be said about his East Limestone basketball
teammates.
And when people saw them out, they wanted to talk about the season. State titles tend to have that effect.
Especially in small, close-knit communities.
The memory Uselton referenced is East Limestone’s 1990 state
championship season.
During that time, the Capshaw community had not experienced the massive housing boom created by the population overflow from Madison County.
East Limestone still was a relatively small school.
And basketball? Well, it was a huge deal.
During his tenure at East Limestone, hall of fame coach Jimmy Drake consistently fielded teams capable of competing for championships, and in that heyday, Usleton was one of the Indians’ brightest stars.
Uselton is being inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame with the 2017 class.
“Dewayne just had a natural knack for the game,” said Elkmont principal Bill Tribble, who was East Limestone’s point guard for the 1990 championship season.
“He loved basketball, and he was pretty dadgum good, too. You wanted Dewayne to touch the ball on most possessions, because when he did, good things usually happened.”
During the 1990 state title season, Uselton averaged 17 points per game, and he was a first-team all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He also was selected as The Decatur Daily’s basketball player of the year.
After graduating from East Limestone, Uselton played two seasons at Martin Methodist in Pulaski.
Even though Uselton’s playing days ended in Pulaski, his passion for basketball did not fade, and he eventually found himself back on the court — as a coach at his high school alma mater.
In 2007, Uselton was hired as East Limestone’s boys basketball coach. He coached the Indians for one season.
“Dewayne was one heck of a player,” former East Limestone coach Donnie Story said. “Coach Drake had some great teams and great players, and Dewayne was one of the best.”
Uselton said some of his best memories from high school are basketball related.
“I learned a lot about myself by playing for Coach Drake,” Uselton said. “That was a great time to be part of East Limestone’s basketball program. During that time, there was a lot of really good basketball being played in the area, and that made the games a whole lot of fun.
“We had some good times in those gyms. It was some of the best memories of my life.”