Anthony Witherspoon Sr. coached his son, Anthony Witherspoon Jr., at Clark Atlanta for two seasons.

For those who participate in sports on a higher level, the biggest adjustments are not just the ones made during competition but the adjustment to life after sports. Anthony Witherspoon Sr. has adjusted quite nicely and so has his son, Anthony Witherspoon Jr., with the opening of Spoon’s BBQ Restaurant and Sports Bar in College Park. 

After eating at Gates Bar-B-Q and Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, Mo., and introducing it to his father, Witherspoon Jr. saw the beginning of a family business. “If we could get this quality of barbecue here in Georgia and now in Miami, there is no doubt that this could be successful,” Witherspoon Jr. said. “The food industry is one that is always going to be stable — people got to eat. We just saw an opportunity and ran with it.” Before becoming the restaurant’s owner, Witherspoon Sr. spent more than 20 years coaching basketball at Grambling State, Fort Valley State and his alma mater, Clark Atlanta University. 

As far as Witherspoon Jr., the restaurant general manger, the 6-foot-5 swingman graduated from Banneker High in 2000 then went on to play under his father for two years at Clark Atlanta. “I had several D-I offers but being around basketball my whole life and understanding coach philosophies, I just felt that would be a good opportunity for me to come into college and automatically play,” Witherspoon Jr. said. “I felt like you can’t get better sitting on the bench regardless of how big the school is.” As a result of his decision, Witherspoon Jr. was named Freshman of the Year in the SIAC. After his sophomore year which would also be the end of his father’s tenure at CAU, Witherspoon Jr. would transfer to Georgia State and earn his degree. Then after giving basketball overseas a try in South America and Asia, Witherspoon Jr. decided it was time to prepare for the next phase of life. “I got a little older and saw my basketball career was coming to an end so I went back to school to get a masters in marketing,” said the 30-year-old Spoon’s general manager. 

Now, he and his father are once again on the same team but in the business world. Even though they have transitioned from basketball to barbecue, the Witherspoon’s are still involved with the sport. Witherspoon Sr. plans to continue helping student athletes via Leadership Prep Foundation Inc. a Non-profit Youth Leadership Development Organization he founded after retiring as a college Basketball Coach, while Witherspoon Jr. will lend his talent by helping student athletes develop their basketball skills via unique and intense training methods. The program is available for both boys and girls desiring to take their game and leadership skills to the “next level.” 

The Witherspoon’s also wish to make ‘Spoons Smokehouse BBQ’ exclusive not just because of its barbeque, but also for the eccentric way it teaches youth leadership skills via the Youth Sports Performance Training and Mentoring Programs they offer.

 For more information about Leadership Prep Foundation and the various sports and non-sports youth leadership development programs offered, visit www.leadershipprepfoundation.org.