2014 gwinnett county prep hoops preview

Gwinnett Daily Post •Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014 • gwinnettprepsports.com@gdpsports #GwinnettHoops

GWINNETT COUNTY PREP HOOPS PREVIEW

Team breakdowns and schedules of Gwinnett’s high school basketball teams

2 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014 • gwinnettprepsports.com

insideArcher .......................................................................................Pg. 4Berkmar ....................................................................................Pg. 5Brookwood ...............................................................................Pg. 6Buford .......................................................................................Pg. 7Central Gwinnett ......................................................................Pg. 8Collins Hill ................................................................................Pg. 9Dacula .....................................................................................Pg. 10Duluth ..................................................................................... Pg. 11Greater Atlanta Christian ......................................................Pg. 12Grayson ..................................................................................Pg. 13Hebron ....................................................................................Pg. 14Lanier ......................................................................................Pg. 15Meadowcreek .........................................................................Pg. 16Mill Creek ................................................................................Pg. 17Mountain View ........................................................................Pg. 18Norcross .................................................................................Pg. 19North Gwinnett .......................................................................Pg. 20Parkview .................................................................................Pg. 21Peachtree Ridge.....................................................................Pg. 22Providence .............................................................................Pg. 23Shiloh ......................................................................................Pg. 24

South Gwinnett ......................................................................Pg. 25Wesleyan ................................................................................Pg. 26

GAC’s head coach Eddie Martin is interviewed by Mark Harmon after winning last sea-son’s Class AA state championship. (File photo)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014 3 •gwinnettprepsports.com


archer

TIGERSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Tim Watkins2013-14 RECORD: 10-16RETURNING REGULARS:Kwei Lartey, 6-4, Sr.Aleem Ford, 6-7, Sr.Darrion Taylor, 5-9, Jr.Isaiah Daugherty, 5-11, Sr.Bryon Andrews, 6-4, Jr.Rhiann Mann, 6-5, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Cedric Walker, 6-3, Sr.Marcelus Bryan, 6-3, Sr.Amori Atkinson, 6-3, Jr.Shariff Barthelus, 6-3, Sr.Antoine Joe, 5-11, Jr.OUTLOOK: The Tigers are coming off a rebuilding sea-son, necessitated when all five starters graduated off a 2012-13 team that went 22-8. They fell back to 10-16 last season with a young lineup, but still remained competitive. Those young players also gained valu-able experience for what is expected to be a much more successful 2014-15 season. Leading scorer Kwei Lartey (15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds) is among the returning contributors, as is another double-figure scorer Darrion Taylor (10.9 points, 3.7 assists). Aleem Ford (6.8 points, 3.3 re-bounds), Isaiah Daugherty, Bryon Andrews and Rhiann

Mann also were in the rota-tion last season.WORTH NOTING: Head coach Tim Watkins also ex-

pects solid play from Cedric Walter, Marcelus Bryan, Amori Atkinson and Shariff Barthelus. … Watkins, also

the Tigers’ athletic director, is the only boys basketball coach in school history. … Before last season, Archer went 40-16 over its previous two seasons.FAST FACT: After staying close to home last season around Christmas, the boys will head to Pensacola, Fla., for its holiday tournament this year.

GIRLSCOACH: Ryan Lesniak2013-14 RECORD: 29-4RETURNING REGULARS:Madison Newby, 5-7, Sr.Amber Skidgel, 6-1, Sr.Autumn Newby, 6-2, Soph.Linsey Marchese, 6-3, Soph.Cii Cii Marseille, 6-0, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Asia McCoy, 5-10, Fr.Tatiana Wayne, 5-5, Sr.Tia Shorter, 5-8, Soph.OUTLOOK: Archer took its program to a higher level with a breakout 2013-14 season that ended with a state championship game loss to loaded McEachern. The Tigers won difficult Region 8-AAAAAA last season, no easy feat with Parkview in the region, and aim to repeat that this season. With seven of the

top nine players in the rota-tion back, hopes are very high. Georgia State commit Madison Newby (11 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 steals) is still the team leader. Fel-low senior Amber Skidgel (12 points, 4 rebounds, 41 percent from 3-point range) is a Georgia commitment. Seniors Tatiana Wayne and Cii Cii Marseille also return, along with highly touted sophomores Autumn Newby (12.7 points, 8.8 rebounds) and Linsey Marchese (8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds).WORTH NOTING: Madi-son Newby’s scoring went down last season — she averaged 18.5 points as a sophomore — because the talent surrounding her increased. She was able to spread the ball around more with her passing while sharing the scoring load. … Autumn Newby is ranked as the No. 7 player nation-ally and No. 2 forward in the Class of 2017 by ESPN.FAST FACT: A tough schedule will include non-region matchups with Mountain View, Carrollton and Jefferson Davis (Ala.), as well as a trip to the Na-ples (Fla.) Holiday Shootout after Christmas.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 18 Mountain ViewNov. 22 River RidgeNov. 24 Crisp CountyNov. 29 On the Radar Classic (Boys)Dec. 2 ShilohDec. 5 Central GwinnettDec. 9 at BrookwoodDec. 12 GraysonDec. 13 at South Gwin-nettDec. 19 War Eagle ClassicDec. 29, 31 Naples Holiday Shootout (Girls)Dec. 29, 31 Pensacola, Fla. Tournament (Boys)Jan. 3 at CarrolltonJan. 6 at ParkviewJan. 9 at BerkmarJan. 13 DaculaJan. 16 at ShilohJan. 17 Jefferson Davis in Krossover Classic at Archer (Girls)Jan. 20 BrookwoodJan. 23 at GraysonJan. 24 at Central GwinnettJan. 27 South GwinnettJan. 30 ParkviewJan. 31 BerkmarFeb. 6 at Dacula

Archer’s Tatiana Wayne


berkmar

PATRIOTSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Greg Phillips2013-2014 RECORD: 24-7RETURNING REGULARS:Al Durham, 6-2, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Lane Foster, 5-11, Jr.Josh Culver, 6-9, Sr.Josh Faulkner, 5-11, Sr.Viktor Jelici, 6-6, Sr.OUTLOOK: Berkmar made the state tournament in each of Greg Phillips’ first five seasons as coach, reaching the Elite Eight the past three years. The Patriots suffered significant graduation losses, but still should contend for a third recent region title after winning last season. Leading the returnees is sophomore Al Durham, who started all season as a freshman and had some big games. Junior Lane Foster will also be counted on to play a major role as Berkmar replaces four senior starters. Josh Culver, a 6-foot-9 senior, has grown two inches and takes over in the middle for 6-foot-10 Tim Rowe, a four-year starter. Culver should get help inside from 6-foot-6 senior Viktor Jelici, who missed last season after knee surgery.WORTH NOTING: Two of Berkmar’s departed seniors will play in col-lege this season. Jonathan Sanks signed with Georgia Southern and Kiair Crouch with Lander University. Both averaged in double figures last year. … Rowe, who led the Patriots in scoring and rebounding while blocking nearly four shots per game,

elected to attend prep school for a year and is at Mt. Zion in Baltimore. … Berkmar lost to Norcross in the Elite Eight for the second straight year, falling 49-45 at home last season. … In addition to the loss of five seniors, guard Joseph Gordon transferred to Duluth.FAST FACT: Berkmar will open the season Nov. 21 against defending national champion Montverde, which is hosting a two-day Florida-Georgia Challenge near Orlando. The Pa-triots will be the host for the Nike/BMASP Holiday Tournament again this year. Last season, Berkmar won

the event. It will be played Dec. 27, 29-30 this year.

GIRLSCOACH: Brian Turner2013-2014 RECORD: 7-17RETURNING REGULARS:Jirah Simpkins, 5-6, Jr.Jasmine Fleetwood, 5-6, Jr.Jessica Fleetwood, 5-6, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Hylan Clayton, 5-7, Jr.Clara Lawton, 5-8, Jr.Tia Lowery, 5-6, Jr.Jasia Paraoan, 5-4, Soph.Destiny Shumate, 5-10, Jr.

OUTLOOK: Brian Turner takes over as coach from Tina Smosny-McGriff and hopes to build the Patriots back into contenders for the state tour-nament. Berkmar has a promising junior class, led by point guard Jirah Simpkins, and will play an up-tempo game. Turner knows it won’t be easy competing right away in Region 8-AAAAAA and is well aware of Gwinnett County as a girls basketball hotbed. “Any type of coach wants to be where the best competition is and that’s Gwinnett,” he said. Turner spent the past seven seasons as boys coach at East Jackson. He was at Elbert County for six seasons before East Jackson opened, coaching girls for four years and boys for two. He said he was interested in returning to coaching girls again in part because he has three young daughters.WORTH NOTING: Turner is Berk-mar’s sixth coach in nine years. … He was on a state championship team at Madison County in 1988, then played four seasons at Piedmont College. … After not going to the state tourna-ment since 1976, the Patriots went five straight years before failing to qualify the past three years. … Berk-mar reached the Sweet 16 in 2008.FAST FACT: Berkmar will compete in three tournaments this season, start-ing with the Barrow Tip-Off at Winder-Barrow on Nov. 22 and 24. The other tournaments are the Holiday Hoops-giving at Holy Innocents’ on Nov. 28-29 and the Ram Christmas Classic at Grayson on Dec. 27, 29-30.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 21-22 Fla-Ga. Challenge at Montverde (boys)Nov. 22, 24 Barrow Tip-Off at Winder (girls)Nov. 28-29 Hoopsgiving at Holy Innocents’ (girls)Nov. 29 Pebblebrook at St. Francis (boys)Dec. 2 at CentralDec. 5 at SouthDec. 6 BrookwoodDec. 9 at GraysonDec. 12 ParkviewDec. 13 Peachtree Ridge at GAC (boys), GAC at E. Hall (girls)Dec. 20 Hillgrove at Pope (boys), Allatoona at Cedar Shoals (girls)Dec. 27, 29-30 Nike/BMASP Tournament (boys), Ram Classic at Grayson (girls)Jan. 9 ArcherJan. 10 at DaculaJan. 13 at ShilohJan. 16 CentralJan. 20 GraysonJan. 23 at ParviewJan. 24 SouthJan. 27 at BrookwoodJan. 31 at ArcherFeb. 3 DaculaFeb. 6 Shiloh

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brookwood

BRONCOSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Daniel Bowles2013-14 RECORD: 12-14RETURNING REGULARS:Matthew Saavedra, 6-4, Sr.Kerwin Lee, 5-8, Sr.Rius Turner, 5-10, Sr.Trae Higginbotham, 5-11, Soph.Donald Parham, 5-9, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Da’Vonne Mills, 6-1, Jr.Amari Kelly, 6-6, Fr.Micah Kinsey, 6-0, Jr.Jordan Benjamin, 6-2, Jr.Sean Agnant, 6-1, Jr.OUTLOOK: Brookwood head coach Daniel Bowles has eight returning players with varsity experience, giving high hopes to a program that slipped to 12 wins last season after winning 16 in 2012-13. The season started promising with a 9-3 start, but a season-ending knee injury to Jordan Benjamin and set-backs to others (Rius Turner with a broken ankle, Clayton State signee Kendall Joseph to mononucleosis) delivered tough blows and sent the team staggering to the finish. Benjamin, who plays on top of the Broncos’ all-important press, averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds before his injury. He returns this season, as does Micah Kinsey, who will handle the point guard

duties full time. He aver-aged 7.3 points, 4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Matthew Saavedra gives Brookwood its main height. As usual, the Broncos plan to be up-tempo and rotate a

large group. “We’d like to play 10 or 12 (players a night), that’s the hope,” Bowles said.WORTH NOTING: The Broncos’ junior varsity team won last season’s region title, behind MVP Trae Hig-

ginbotham, and the ninth-grade team lost in the region championship game. … The program’s past two head boys basketball coaches are Brookwood grads, Bowles and Craig Witmer.FAST FACT: The Deep South Classic returns to Brookwood after a one-year hiatus, and the hosts open up with Johns Creek. The Bron-cos’ other tournament is early in the season at Archer.

GIRLSCOACH: Mark Isenhour2013-14 RECORD: 2-24RETURNING REGULARS:Caitlin Cushenberry, 5-6, Sr.Maryka Zee, 5-8, Sr.N’dea Jones, 6-2, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Kirsten Clevelan, 5-10, Jr.Kamryn Tillman, 5-8, Jr.Avery Ray, 5-7, Jr.Nkemjo Okonkwo, 6-0, Soph.Sydney Tucker, 5-7, Sr.Amy Stinnett, 5-7, Sr.Erika Allen, 5-8, Soph.Tori McGhee, 5-8, Soph.Sydney Paylor, 5-5, Soph.OUTLOOK: It was a difficult 2013-14 season for the Broncos, who turn to Mark Isenhour as their new head coach. Isenhour, a 2000 Brookwood grad who played for legendary coach Eddie Martin, takes over a team

with promising young talent. Four sophomores — N’dea Jones, Erika Allen, Tori McGhee and Sydney Paylor — got playing experience last season. Seniors Caitlin Cush-enberry, Maryka Zee, Sydney Tucker and Amy Stinnett also will be relied upon on the court and with leadership.WORTH NOTING: Isenhour was previously the head women’s basketball coach at LaGrange College, tak-ing over as a 24-year-old in 2007. He had a 98-57 record at LaGrange from the 2007-08 to the 2012-13 seasons. … Isenhour’s brother is former Shiloh and Georgia Tech standout Michael Isenhour, who died after a fight with leukemia in 2002. … Scott Terry stepped down as Brookwood’s head girls coach earlier this year, ending a 13-year tenure that was second-longest among Gwinnett girls coaches. Before last season, Terry led the Broncos to eight straight state playoff berths.FAST FACT: The Broncos open with Lambert in the Deep South Classic, Brook-wood’s tournament that is back after a one-year hiatus. They also play in an early-season event at Archer on Nov. 22 and 24.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 15 at MariettaNov. 18 at Peachtree RidgeNov. 22 Crisp County at Ar-cher Thanksgiving ClassicNov. 24 Loganville at Ar-cher Thanksgiving Classic (Girls)Nov. 24 Salem at Archer Thanksgiving Classic (Boys)Dec. 2 GraysonDec. 5 at ParkviewDec. 6 at BerkmarDec. 9 ArcherDec. 12 DaculaDec. 13 ShilohDec. 19 DuluthDec. 27 Lambert in Deep South Classic (Girls)Dec. 27 Johns Creek in Deep South Classic (Boys)Dec. 29-30 Deep South ClassicJan. 3 at BufordJan. 6 at ShilohJan. 9 at Central GwinnettJan. 10 South GwinnettJan. 16 at GraysonJan. 20 at ArcherJan. 23 at DaculaJan. 24 ParkviewJan. 27 BerkmarJan. 31 Central GwinnettFeb. 3 at South Gwinnett

Brookwood’s Kerwin Lee


buford

WOLVESRegion 8-AAAA

BOYSCOACH: Allen Whitehart2013-14 RECORD: 27-6RETURNING REGULARS:Taylor Mills, 6-1, Sr.Keyton Gibson, 6-4, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Aaron Auer, 6-3, Sr.Devin Neal, 5-11, Sr.Sahil Patel, 6-7, Soph.Tre Hansborough, 6-4, Sr.Will Springer, 6-6, Jr.Kyrin Galloway, 6-8, Jr.Lamont Smith, 6-1, Fr.OUTLOOK: Buford will have a revamped lineup this season as it takes on a new region and new classifica-tion. A solid core returns from last season’s Class AAA runner-up team. Keyton Gibson, Taylor Mills, Aaron Auer and Devin Neal are seniors who have seen a lot of playoff basketball, while 6-7 sophomore Sahil Patel provides height. Tre Hans-borough, Will Springer and Kyrin Galloway all are 6-4 or taller as well. Lamont Smith is a promising freshman. Those players will offset the loss to D’Marcus Simonds, a highly touted junior who transferred to Gainesville. Simonds averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds and 5.7 assists last season.WORTH NOTING: An other-wise successful 2013-14

season ended painfully in Macon, where the Wolves lost 69-45 to Morgan County. They were doomed from the start, turning the ball over 10 times in the first quarter and falling behind 17-3. … Buford also reached

the 2011 state title game un-der head coach Allen White-hart, but lost in that trip to Greater Atlanta Christian. … Graduation took another big part of Buford’s state runner-up team, UConn signee Rakim Lubin, a 6-8,

245-pound power forward.FAST FACT: A challenging schedule includes Walton, Alpharetta and Hillcrest in the season-opening Jared Cook Classic at North Gwin-nett. Also ahead is a trip to the Bojangles Holiday Clas-sic in Spartanburg, S.C., home-and-home state finals rematches with Morgan County, a game with Laney in the Blue Collar Show-case and a home date with Milton.

GIRLSCOACH: Gene Durden2013-14 RECORD: 30-3RETURNING REGULARS:Camille Anderson, 5-9, Sr.Corey Staples, 5-9, Sr.Chandler Hall, 5-11, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Katy Bisges, 5-7, Sr.Lane Crawford, 5-6, Sr.Nyse Bruce, 5-6, Sr.Marissa Bruce, 5-8, Soph.Zikaya Wright, 5-11, Soph.Pamela Johnson, 5-4, Soph.Tory Ozment, 6-0, Fr.Jessica Nelson, 6-3, Fr.Tatum Shipes, 6-3, Fr.OUTLOOK: Buford, which finished as the Class AAA runner-up last season to St. Pius, steps up to AAAA and a new region this season. The hopes are still high as usual, with a strong cast

back this season. N.C. State-bound Camille Ander-son, last season’s Region 7-AAA player of the year, leads the way. She led the deep, balanced Wolves with a 13.8 scoring average last season. Teammate Corey Staples, a tough defender, averaged 8.9 points. Those two head up the experi-enced players, while some young players will have to fill key roles, particularly on the interior, where 6-5 Bree Horrocks was a graduation loss. Horrocks signed with Purdue.WORTH NOTING: In last year’s AAA title game, Bu-ford led 15-1 early and 15-3 after a quarter, only to suc-cumb to a St. Pius come-back. … The Wolves have their usual showdown with Wesleyan at home this sea-son on Dec. 12. … They will play in two tournaments, the first at Johns Creek to open the season. In late Decem-ber, they join the boys at the Bojangles Holiday Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.FAST FACT: Durden has led the Wolves to the state playoffs in each of his nine seasons as head coach. His record at Buford is a whopping 233-52, an 81.8 winning percentage.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22, 24-25 Johns Creek Thanksgiving Tournament (Girls)Nov. 22 Walton at Jared Cook Classic at North Gwinnett (Boys)Nov. 24 Alpharetta at Jared Cook Classic at North Gwinnett (Boys)Nov. 25 Hillcrest at Jared Cook Classic at North Gwinnett (Boys)Dec. 2 at CreekviewDec. 6 at Morgan CountyDec. 9 St. FrancisDec. 12 Wesleyan (Girls)Dec. 19 GainesvilleDec. 20 DuluthDec. 26-27, 29-30 Bojangles Holiday Classic at Spartanburg, S.C.Jan. 2 North GwinnettJan. 3 BrookwoodJan. 9 at North OconeeJan. 13 JohnsonJan. 16 at North HallJan. 17 at GainesvilleJan. 19 Laney in Blue Collar Showcase (Boys)Jan. 20 ChestateeJan. 23 Stephens CountyJan. 24 Morgan CountyJan. 27 at Monroe AreaJan. 30 Madison CountyJan. 31 Milton (Boys)Feb. 3 at Morrow (Girls)Feb. 6 at White County

Buford’s Camille Anderson


central gwinnett

BLACK KNIGHTSRegion 8-AAAAAA

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22 vs. Loganville at Archer Thanksgiving Tournament (Girls)Nov. 22 vs. Salem at Archer Thanksgiving Tournament (Boys)Nov. 24 vs. River Ridge at Archer Thanksgiving TournamentNov. 29 at Gwinnett/DeKalb Challenge (Boys)Dec. 2 BerkmarDec. 5 at ArcherDec. 6 Mill CreekDec. 9 ShilohDec. 13 at DaculaDec. 19 Peachtree RidgeDec. 27, 29-30 Bojan-gle’s Classic at Spar-tanburg, S.C.Jan. 3 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 6 at South GwinnettJan. 9 BrookwoodJan. 10 at GraysonJan. 13 at ParkviewJan. 16 at BerkmarJan. 20 at ShilohJan. 24 ArcherJan. 27 DaculaJan. 30 SouthJan. 31 at BrookwoodFeb. 3 GraysonFeb. 6 Parkview

BOYSCOACH: Branden Mayweather2013-14 RECORD: 14-11RETURNING REGULARS:Anthony Haskins, 6-8, Sr.Karon Jackson, 5-11, Sr.Tee-Zon Bullard, 5-11, Sr.Kameron Jiminez-Fox, 6-3, Sr.John Stafford, 6-3, Sr.Aaron Clifton, 6-6, Sr.Sam Westmoreland, 6-2, Sr.Azaviar Kufour, 6-1, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Kevin Stamps, 6-6, Jr.Jeremiah Buford, 6-4, Sr.Jaylin Hillery, 6-2, Soph.OUTLOOK: It’s often difficult to replace the production lost when a player like All-County wing Shaun Jones, who was one of Gwinnett’s top scorers at 19.7 points per game and was among Central’s team leaders in four other statistical categories, graduates.However, the Black Knights will rely on experience and size to compen-sate this season, and they have plenty of both.Karon Jackson (9.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 1.9 spg) was the team’s second-leading scorer last season and led Central in assists and steals, and will be back to set the tone at the point.Meanwhile, 6-8 Anthony Haskins (6.3 rpg, 2.7 bpg) should again be a force in the low post, and get should plenty of help from 6-6 re-turning senior Aaron Clifton and 6-6 junior Kevin Stamps, who showed

promise in limited varsity action as a sophomore last season.The addition of Archer transfer Jeremiah Buford will only add to a capable squad the coach Branden Mayweather says can go as many as 12 deep.WORTH NOTING: The Black Knights will face an ambitious non-region schedule this season that includes a home-and-home series with Region 7-AAAAAA foe Peachtree Ridge and a trip to the

Bojangles Bash in Columbia, S.C.FAST FACT: One area Central would probably like to change this season is doing a better job putting away close games sooner. The Black Knights played 13 games decided by six points or fewer last season, including six overtime games, posting a 7-6 record in them.

GIRLSCOACH: Tracey Tipton2013-14 RECORD: 18-9RETURNING REGULARS:Alexandra Frazier, 5-8, Sr.Briana McGee, 5-6, Sr.Keana Lee, 5-8, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Raegine Newkirk, 5-9, Sr.OUTLOOK: The most obvious fea-ture about this year’s Black Knights team is the return of All-County wing Alexandra Frazier.The East Carolina commit is not only Gwinnett County’s leading re-turning scorer (19.4 ppg), but also a Central team leader in just about every other statistical category.However, there is much more to the Black Knights than just Frazier.Two other starters return from last year’s Class AAAAAA state tournament team, including point guard Briana McGee, who is also a multi-threat after averaging 11.2 points, 1.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game a year ago, as well as fellow senior Keana Lee, who was a force on the glass last season by

pulling down seven rebounds per game despite being a little under-sized at 5-8.The biggest issue for the Black Knights this season, aside from the development of several newcomers and larger roles for others like Raegine Newkirk, may be avoiding injuries that plagued them, particularly Frazier, last season.WORTH NOTING: After a three-season hiatus, Tipton is back in the head coaching ranks this year.However, while she might not have been quite as visible as when she was leading Collins Hill to back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007 and coaching WNBA star Maya Moore, she has remained on the Gwinnett County basketball scene.In fact, she has spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Central under former coach Jason Adams, who moved on to Dacula last offseason, which should make for a seamless transition with the current Black Knights players and keep the team’s continuity and chemistry intact as the season begins.FAST FACT: In addition to being one of the county’s leading return-ing girls scorers, Frazier is also one of a very few players, perhaps the only one, in the top 10 among Gwinnett’s returning statistical lead-ers in points, rebounds (5.4 rpg), assists (2.8 apg), steals (3.5 spg) and blocked shots (0.7 bpg).

Central Gwinnett’s Karon Jackson

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collins hill

EAGLESRegion 7-AAAAAA

GIRLSCOACH: Cedric King2013-2014 RECORD: 11-15RETURNING REGULARS:Marissa Bayer, 6-2, Sr.Kyra Dixon, 6-0, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Victoria Oglesby, 5-6, Fr.Jada Rice, 6-3, Fr.OUTLOOK: With a new coach in Cedric King, the Eagles are hop-ing to display a new attitude this season.That begins with aggressive tempo on both ends of the court that King hopes will keep the team in attack mode from baseline to baseline.That may seem a little ambitious considering the lack of returning experience in the backcourt, espe-cially with ball handlers.However, King is hopeful newcom-ers like freshman Victoria Oglesby can grow up quickly and bring some poise to the floor.If that happens, the Eagles could take advantage of what appears to be their clear strength this sea-son — their size. Returning are 6-foot-2 senior Marissa Bayer, who is verbally committed to play col-lege ball at Wofford, as well as 6-0 junior Kyra Dixon, who already has several Division I scholarship offers after leading the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and finishing second on the team in rebounding (6.6 rpg) a year ago.Add in the addition of 6-3 freshman

Jada Rice, and the Eagles figure to be strong on the low block and the boards this season.WORTH NOTING: King not only has a strong history of success, taking a team to the state tourna-ment in six of his eight seasons as a head coach, but also of turning around a struggling team quickly.After taking over a team that won only five games the previous sea-son at Pope in 2006, he guided the Greyhounds to 19 wins and a berth in the Class AAAAA state tourna-

ment the following season.FAST FACT: As much success as Collins Hill has had, particularly in winning five state titles in seven seasons during the coaching ten-ures of Angie Hembree and Tracey Tipton and the All-American career of Maya Moore, it’s been a while since the Eagles have reached the postseason.The state title they won in the 2006-07 season marks the last time they made the state tournament, a drought they hope to end this season.

BOYSCOACH: Ty Baumgardner2013-14 RECORD: 13-13RETURNING REGULARS:Devin Watson, 6-2, Sr.Daniel Roach, 6-5, Sr.Jalen Mitchell, 6-5, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Kai Lambert, 6-2, Jr.Max Clark, 5-11, Soph.J.D. Ozoh, 5-11, Soph.Des Howard, 5-10, Soph.OUTLOOK: Despite losing one of Gwinnett’s scoring leaders to grad-uation in Alabama freshman Devin Mitchell, the Eagles are looking to take a step forward this season.There is reason to believe those ambitions are quite realistic.For starters, first-year coach Baum-gardner is hoping to bring the win-ning atmosphere he cultivated at Olympic High School in Charlotte,

where he won 222 games and a North Carolina state championship in 10 seasons.He will have a solid nucleus return-ing to work with, led by a pair of returning double-figure scorers in Mitchell’s younger brother Jalen (10.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and fellow senior Devin Watson (10.5 ppg, 2.1 apt).The addition of transfer wing Kai Lambert, who averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game at Duluth last season, and a trio of talented sophomores only adds to the Eagles’ depth.WORTH NOTING: One of the trademarks of Baumgardner’s tenure at Olympic was his penchant for placing players at the next level after their high school careers.In all, 21 of his former players went on to play basketball on scholarship in college.Baumgardner, himself, also coached at the college level, serving as an assistant at Empo-ria (Kan.) State and Elon (N.C.) University before becoming a high school coach.FAST FACT: The Eagles will visit Columbia, S.C., for separate tournaments, beginning with the season-opening Lower Richland Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 24-25.They will then return to the South Carolina capital for the Bojangles Bash from Dec. 11-12.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22-24 or 25-29 at Jef-ferson Tip-Off Tournament (Girls)Nov. 24-25 at Lower Rich-land Thanksgiving Classic, Columbia, S.C. (Boys)Nov. 28 at Turkey Jam 2014 at Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Girls)Dec. 2 North SpringsDec. 5 Mill CreekDec. 6 at JeffersonDec. 9 at NorcrossDec. 11-12 at Bojangles Bash, Columbia, S.C. (Boys)Dec. 15 at North GwinnettDec. 19 at North SpringsDec. 20 Mtn. ViewDec. 27-30 at Pickens Co. Tournament, Jasper (Boys and Girls)Jan. 6 DuluthJan. 9 MeadowcreekJan. 13 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 16 at Mill CreekJan. 17 Centennial (Boys)Jan. 19 at MLK Showcase, Montgomery, Ala. (Girls)Jan. 20 NorcrossJan. 23 at Mtn. ViewJan. 24 Peachtree RidgeJan. 27 NorthJan. 30 at DuluthFeb. 3 at MeadowcreekFeb. 6 Peachtree Ridge

Collins Hill’s Devin Watson


dacula

FALCONSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Russ Triaga2013-14 RECORD: 19-11RETURNING REGULARS:Logan MacIntyre, 6-5, Sr.Keshawn Gibbs, 6-2, Sr.Kevon Tucker, 6-4, Jr.Derek St. Hilaire, 5-10, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Demari Edwards, 6-3, Jr.Gary Bishop, 6-0, Soph.Shayne Buckingham, 6-4, Fr.Aruscha Hunter, 6-3, Fr.OUTLOOK: A disappointing finish to last season moti-vates the Falcons, who went 19-11 but lost some tough ones down the stretch. “We have a certain sense that we didn’t finish what we started,” Dacula head coach Russ Triaga said. “There were several games where we left wins out there by not finishing games.” Despite having just two seniors — Logan Ma-cIntyre and Keshawn Gibbs — the Falcons have the experience to turn some of those close matchups in their favor. Kevon Tucker, a junior, leads the way. He averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds, earning first-team all-county last season. He also sports more than a dozen top offers. “Tucker’s as good a player as I’ll ever coach,” Triaga said.WORTH NOTING: Gibbs is a

major catalyst at point guard, particularly with his ability to

get to the basket. An offsea-son of work has only made

him better. “I’ve never seen a kid work so hard,” Triaga said of Gibbs. … Tucker is closing in on the 1,000-point mark after just two high school seasons. … Dacula, which has made state the last three

seasons, has reached 19 wins the past two seasons, so hitting the 20-win mark would be a nice milestone.FAST FACT: Dacula hopes to get early season tests in the Tabo’s Tipoff Classic in Jef-ferson. Its other tournament is a road trip to the Sunshine Classic in Florida.

GIRLSCOACH: Jason Adams2013-14 RECORD: 16-9RETURNING REGULARS:Faustine Aifuwa, 6-5, Jr.Jonnae Johnson, 5-9, Jr.Star Toomey, 6-2, Sr.Sabrina Seiber, 5-9, Jr.Angel Strickland, 5-7, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Kayla West, 5-7, Soph.Alyssa Criscolo, 5-6, Fr.Kandy Brown, 6-1, Soph.Alaina Bock, 6-1, Soph.OUTLOOK: Jason Adams returns to his alma mater as the Falcons’ new head girls coach, replacing Lori Fisher (now the head coach at Hebron). He inherits a team he knows well, having played Dacula regularly in his previous job as Central Gwinnett’s girls coach. He inherits a team that fared well in 2013-14, but fell one game short of the state tournament The player getting the most

attention is 6-5 junior post Faustine Aifuwa, whose big offer list includes her top four of Kentucky, Florida State, LSU and Georgia. Paired with 6-2 senior Star Toomey, also a college prospect, it makes for a strong interior. WORTH NOTING: Dacula turned the corner last sea-son, improving to 16 wins after going 8-18 in 2012-13. … Adams said the transition to his old high school has gone smoothly. “It’s good be-ing home,” he said. “The girls have really embraced me. It’s been a good thing. I think the girls are really hungry. They want to be pushed. They want discipline, so I’ve tried to hold them accountable. It’s been a little adjustment get-ting used to the tempo. The tempo of practices is a lot dif-ferent, but they’ve been good adjusting to it.” … Adams led Central Gwinnett to four state playoff appearances in his eight seasons as head girls coach.FAST FACT: Like the boys team, the girls also head to Jefferson for the early-season Tabo’s Tipoff Classic. But they head to a different post-Christmas tournament, the Carolina Classic in Charles-ton, S.C.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 18 at MeadowcreekNov. 22, 24, 29 Tabo’s Tipoff Classic at JeffersonDec. 5 at ShilohDec. 9 South GwinnettDec. 12 at BrookwoodDec. 13 Central GwinnettDec. 19 MeadowcreekDec. 27, 29-30 Carolina Classic at Charleston, S.C. (Girls)Dec. 27, 29-30 Sunshine Classic at Daytona, Fla. (Boys)Jan. 3 at Mill CreekJan. 6 at GraysonJan. 9 at ParkviewJan. 10 BerkmarJan. 13 at ArcherJan. 20 at South GwinnettJan. 23 BrookwoodJan. 24 ShilohJan. 27 at Central Gwin-nettJan. 30 GraysonJan. 31 ParkviewFeb. 3 at BerkmarFeb. 6 Archer

Dacula’s Star Toomey


duluth

WILDCATSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Eddie Hood2013-14 RECORD: 17-13RETURNING REGULARS:Anthony Showell, 6-2, Jr.Obinna Ofodile, 6-7, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:A.J. Cheeseman, 6-5, Jr.K.J. Jefferies, 6-2, Sr.Javis Diaz, 6-3, Jr.Jalen Hodges, 6-3, Soph.Joe Gordon, 5-10, Sr.Robert Hill, 6-8, Jr.OUTLOOK: After a special season that included their first state tourna-ment berth in 15 years, the Wildcats look for an encore performance this season.And despite the loss of last year’s big two of Eric Hamilton and Zaynah Robinson to graduation, plus Kai Lambert to a transfer to Collins Hill, there do appear to be more than enough components for a compa-rable run this year.To start with, the return of one of the county’s top shot blockers in Obinna Ofodile (3.6 bpg, 6.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and team assists leader Anthony Showell (3.2 apt, 10.5 ppg) should make for a solid nucleus, along with fellow junior A.J. Cheeseman.And the addition of Berkmar transfer Joe Gordon and 6-8 junior Robert Hill, who sat out last year after moving in from out of state midway through the season, plus larger varsity roles for others like Ja-vis Diaz and Jalen Hodges, should give the Wildcats plenty of balance

and depth.WORTH NOTING: Corresponding with the success and confidence from last season and the talent level of this year’s team, the Duluth schedule will be quite ambitious.In addition to the normal rigorous Region 7-AAAAAA slate, the Wild-cats’ non-region schedule includes games against defending Class A (Private) state champion St. Francis, defending AAA state runner-up Buford and AAAAAA state tourna-ment participant Tri-Cities, plus an appearance at Brookwood’s Deep South Classic, which boasts a field that includes A (Private) semifinalist

Athens Christian.FAST FACT: Last year’s 17-13 record marked the first time the Wildcats have posted back-to-back winning seasons since the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. A third straight winning seasons will mark the first time Duluth has accom-plished that feat since the early 1990s. … The Wildcats are also attempting to post back-to-back state tournament appearances for the first time since 1985-86, when they went to the semifinals and first round respectively under legendary coach, and current GAC assistant, Joe Marelle.

GIRLSCOACH: Charlie Parker2013-14 RECORD: 18-12RETURNING REGULARS:Bree Dixon, 5-11, Soph.Endia Banks, 5-9, Soph.Lea Petit, 6-0, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Meredith Lawrence, 5-5, Sr.Deja Mitchell, 6-0, Soph.Alexis Allen, 5-5, Sr.Ly’Ricka Holloman, 5-5, Jr.OUTLOOK: The Wildcats were extremely young last season, yet still managed to not only post their fourth straight state tournament ap-pearance, but also advance to the round of 16.Now with Parker assuming the coaching reins from Chad Pittman, who left to coach the boys team at Chestatee High School in Hall

County, this season could be even bigger still despite the departure of last year’s starting frontcourt in 6-foot-3 TCU signee Katie Powell and Alyah McGriff, who combined to average more than 26 points, 13 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots.Last season’s trio of fabulous fresh-men, Dixon, Mitchell and Banks, are now seasoned veterans despite still being only sophomores, while Petit also got valuable experience in the low post and figures to be even stronger in this her senior season.The Wildcats’ depth should also get a boost with the addition of Nor-cross transfer Holloman.WORTH NOTING: After serving as an assistant for boys teams at Berkmar and Etowah and men’s teams at Southern Polytechnic State and Kennesaw State, this season will not only mark the first season as a head coach for the 32-year-old Parker, but also his first season coaching a girls team.FAST FACT: The Wildcats made the postseason the past three seasons under Pittman. If they make it this season, it will match the longest such streak in school history. Dulu-th’s girls made the state tournament four straight seasons in Classes B and C under coach Louis Grizzle from 1966-67 to 1969-70, including two state runner-up finishes. … The Wildcats are also trying to make the postseason for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, missing only in 2009-10 during that time.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 15 Girls vs. Hiram, Boys vs. Griffin in Verizon Hoops for the Cure Classic at St. FrancisNov. 22, 24, 25 at North Forsyth Tip-Off TournamentNov. 28 Tri-Cities at Atlanta Hard-wood Classic (Boys)Nov. 29 St. Francis at On The Radar Invitational at St. Francis (Boys)Dec. 3 Mill CreekDec. 5 Mtn. ViewDec. 6 CentennialDec. 9 at Peachtree RidgeDec. 12 at North GwinnettDec. 19 at BrookwoodDec. 20 at BufordDec. 27, 29, 30 at Wolverine Winter Classic at West Forsyth (Girls)Dec. 27, 29, 30 at Deep South Classic at Brookwood (Boys)Jan. 3 Miller Grove at Sweet South Classic at Morgan Co. (Girls)Jan. 6 at Collins HillJan. 9 at NorcrossJan. 13 MeadowcreekJan. 16 at Mtn. ViewJan. 20 Peachtree RidgeJan. 23 NorthJan. 27 at Mill CreekJan. 30 Collins HillFeb. 3 NorcrossFeb. 6 at Meadowcreek

Duluth’s Obinna Ofodile

222136-1

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gac

SPARTANSRegion 6-AA

BOYSCOACH: Eddie Martin2013-2014 RECORD: 32-0RETURNING REGULARS:Cam Boyd, 6-1, Sr.Eric Jamison, 6-5, Sr.Garrett Covington, 6-4, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCHJacob Hoffman, 6-3, Jr.Charles Botchway, 5-11, Jr.Anthony Carter, 6-1, Jr.Brian Coffey, 6-0, Soph.Charlie O’Briant, 6-6, Soph.OUTLOOK: The Spartans, coming off back-to-back state titles, take a 50-game winning streak into the season. Isaiah Wilkins is now at the University of Virginia, though, and this team will have to forge its own identity as it makes an attempt at a three-peat. It certainly won’t be easy, but GAC has a Class AA dynasty going after winning four titles in Ed-die Martin’s six seasons as coach. Talent remains and the Spartans will be at least heavy Region 6-AA favorites again. Senior Cam Boyd and junior Garrett Covington each averaged around 10 points per game last season, with Boyd sup-plying a deadly outside shot. Boyd, the son of former girls coach Cal Boyd, has committed to Lee Univer-sity, while fellow senior Eric Jamison is headed to Gardner-Webb. The Spartans added two promising sophomores when point guard Brian Coffey and 6-foot-6 Charlie O’Briant transferred from Wesleyan. Anthony Carter, a junior, is a transfer in from

Peachtree Ridge.WORTH NOTING: GAC defeated Calhoun 58-55 in the Class AA title game at Macon last March. Calhoun is in Class AAA now. … Martin is 174-18 in his six seasons with the Spartans. … Prior to coming to GAC, the veteran coach won three consecutive state titles in the largest class with Norcross. … GAC plays in the 141 Preview at Norcross on Thursday and Saturday to open the season, then has games in the Jared Cook Classic at North Gwin-

nett on Nov. 24-25 against Peachtree Ridge and Allatoona, respectively.FAST FACT: Wilkins was the Georgia Player of the Year last sea-son, duplicating the feat of former Spartan Malcolm Brogdon, now his teammate at Virginia. Wilkins aver-aged 18.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior.

GIRLSCOACH: Lady Hardmon Grooms2013-2014 RECORD: 22-7RETURNING REGULARS:Brenna Miller, 5-10, Jr.Lexi Mann, 6-0, Soph.Clarke Permenter, 5-9, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Gabby Adams, 5-10, Sr.Caria Reynolds, 5-11, Fr.Robyn Benton, 5-8, Fr.Caeden Price, 5-7, Fr.Grace Jafojo, 5-6, Jr.OUTLOOK: Led by four-year regulars Brianna Cummings and Syndi Means, the Spartans gave eventual state champion Kendrick a scare in the Elite Eight last season before losing 65-62 in Columbus. Now Cummings is at George Washington and Means at Mercer as GAC rebuilds under new coach Lady Hardmon Grooms, the former University of Georgia standout and WNBA player. Three starters return from coach Cal Boyd’s final team, but Cummings and Means will be sorely missed. Cummings, the Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the

Year, averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Means contributed nearly 13 points and more than five assists. There is only one senior on the team this season and the most experienced players are juniors Brenna Miller and Clarke Permenter, and sophomore Lexi Mann. Three promising freshmen will be counted on for contributions. “We’re very young, but we’ll be competitive,” Grooms said. “I’m excited about what we’re building.”WORTH NOTING: Boyd’s team qualified for the state playoffs in each of his five seasons, reaching the Final Four twice and the champi-onship game during his second year. He had a record of 114-35 with the Spartans before stepping down after last season. … Grooms coached at Arlington Christian in Fairburn the past seven years, turning the school into a GISA power. She won four consecutive GISA titles from 2009-2012 and reached the Final Four the past two seasons. … In addition to her high school coaching, she also was an assistant with the New York Liberty of the WNBA.FAST FACT: Grooms, then Hard-mon, was a two-time All-SEC choice at Georgia in the early 1990s. She finished her career among the school’s top 10 in career scoring, assists and steals, and was named an SEC Legend in 2010. Grooms played eight seasons in the WNBA with Utah and Sacramento, and 13 years internationally.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 13 Johns Creek at Norcross (boys)Nov. 15 Washington at Norcross (boys)Nov. 22, 24-25 at N. Forsyth tourney (girls)Nov. 24 Peachtree Ridge at North (boys)Nov. 25 Allatoona at North (boys)Dec. 4 Holy Innocents’Dec. 9 PaceDec. 12 HapevilleDec. 13 McIntosh (boys), Berkmar at E. Hall (girls)Dec. 19 at HughesDec. 29, 30-31 at Wal-nut Grove tourneyJan. 6 at WesleyanJan. 9 at KIPPJan. 13 at BEST (boys)Jan. 16 at Holy Inno-cents’Jan. 19 Greenforest at Peachtree Ridge (boys)Jan. 20 at PaceJan. 23 at HapevilleJan. 24 Huntsville Lee at Norcross (boys)Jan. 27 WesleyanJan. 30 KIPPFeb. 3 LovettFeb. 6 BEST (boys)

GAC’s Cam Boyd


grayson

RAMSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Geoffrey Pierce2013-14 RECORD: 22-7RETURNING REGULARS:Austin Dukes, 5-10, Jr.Trevian Sconiers, 6-4, Jr.Alphonso Willis, 6-1, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Hafeez Anifowoshe, 6-4, Jr.Germell Jenkins, 6-1, Sr.Julian Oshiyemi, 6-3, Sr.Kyle Putts, 6-4, Soph.Desmond Davis, 5-9, Sr.OUTLOOK: The bad news is that the Rams will have to replace all five starters off a team that earned the first state tournament berth in school history last year, including double-figure scor-ers Marquise Lanier, Austin Morris and Jordan Dilwood, plus rebounding machine Marquise Bumpas.The good news is that sev-eral of the returning players also got plenty of experi-ence, and winning experi-ence at that.Point guard Austin Dukes (8.1 ppg, 3.0 apt, 1.5 spy) and fellow juniors Trevian Sconiers (4.5 rpg, 0.9 bpg) and Al-phonso Willis will be particu-larly be counted on to provide leadership as a younger group of Rams get acclimated to the varsity game.WORTH NOTING: One change fans will definitely

notice is that with sharp-shooters like Morris and Lanier gone, Grayson will rely less on the 3-point shot this season.That means that others like Sconiers and Hafeez Anifowoshe will have to step up their game in the low post and on the boards, while the Rams will also try to com-

pensate by tightening up their defense, which was already solid, with the Rams giving up an average of just 49.4 points per game last season.FAST FACT: In addition to earning their first postsea-son berth in program history last season, the Rams have shown steady improvement under Pierce’s direction,

jumping from five wins to 13 in his first season as coach in 2012-13 and nine more wins to 22 last season.

GIRLSCOACH: Tony Watkins2013-14 RECORD: 10-16RETURNING REGULARS:Imani Conner, 5-4, Jr.Shakara Burton, 5-7, Sr.Nykel Floyd, 5-6, Sr.Emari Crenshaw, 5-9, Jr.Jessica Ewing, 5-11, Jr.Courtney Deckard, 5-8, Sr.Michelle Akolade, 5-7, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Inaya Moore, 5-6, Sr.Kendra Hutchinson, 5-4, Fr.Jessica Simpson, 6-0, Jr.OUTLOOK: The Rams got a taste of success last season by improving to 10 wins, and look to take a further step forward with Tony Watkins taking over as head coach.One of the trademarks of Watkins’ teams throughout his more than 30 years in coaching has been his will-ingness to utilize his team’s depth to the maximum.And with as many as seven different players who ap-peared in the starting lineup at one time or another last season returning, as well as senior wing Inaya Moore back after sitting out last season with a knee injury,

that should be the case again this season.Among the experienced group returning include the team’s second-leading scorer from last year (Sha-kara Burton at 8.1 ppg), the leading rebounder and shot blocker (Jessica Ewing, 6.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg) and two of the top defensive players in Burton (3.9 spg) and Imani Connor (2.5 spg).With as much depth, and as little size — Ewing and junior Jessica Simpson are the only players 5-foot-11 or taller — as the Rams have, expect them to be aggres-sive from one end of the court to the other, another Watkins trademark.WORTH NOTING: Despite dropping 10 of their last 12 games last season, the Rams’ 10 wins marked the first time they had reached double dig-its in wins in five seasons. The next goal is to try for winning season, which last occurred in the 2004-05 campaign.FAST FACT: Watkins, who returns to Gwinnett after spending last season as head girls coach at Lambert High School just across the county line in Forsyth County, is not only one of Gwinnett’s winningest coaches, but also one of the state’s winningest

coaches. The 57-year-old has a combined 602-270 record in 32 years as a head coach with girls teams at North Gwinnett, Parkview and Lambert and boys teams at Shiloh, Lanier and Woodward Academy.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22 at MeadowcreekNov. 24 EastsideNov. 28 Towers in Lou Wil-liams Thanksgiving Class at South GwinnettNov. 29 Boys vs. Carver-Atlanta, Girls vs. Lakeside-DeKalb in Lou Williams Thanksgiving Classic at SouthDec. 2 at BrookwoodDec. 6 MeadowcreekDec. 9 BerkmarDec. 12 at ArcherDec. 13 ParkviewDec. 20 at EastsideDec. 27 Banneker in Ram Classic at GraysonDec. 29-30 Ram Classic at GraysonJan. 6 DaculaJan. 9 ShilohJan. 10 at CentralJan. 13 at SouthJan. 16 BrookwoodJan. 17 at ShilohJan. 20 at BerkmarJan. 23 ArcherJan. 27 at ParkviewJan. 30 at DaculaFeb. 3 CentralFeb. 6 South

Grayson’s Trevian Sconiers

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hebron

LIONSRegion 8-A

BOYSCOACH: Will Cantrell2013-14 RECORD: 16-13RETURNING REGULARS:Cory Johnson, 6-1, Sr.Jackson Welch, 5-10, Sr.Stephen Rogers, 6-1, Sr.Connor Holliday, 6-1, Jr.John Dussling, 6-2, Jr.Shane Smith, 6-1, Jr.Thomas Swift, 6-1, Jr.Luke Crawford, 6-5, Jr.OUTLOOK: Will Cantrell enters his fifth season as head coach coming off a record-setting 2013-14 season that saw the Lions set a school record with 16 wins and reach the Sweet 16 of the state tournament. “Our main core of guys are back, so we’re excited,” Cantrell said. The returnees include one of the county’s top returning scorers in guard Cory Johnson, who averaged 15.8 points and 5 assists last season. He’s joined by two other senior guards, Jackson Welch and Stephen Rogers. Junior Luke Crawford, easily the team’s biggest player at 6-5, averaged 10.4 points in a breakout sophomore sea-son. Fellow juniors Thomas Swift, Connor Holliday, John Dussling and Shane Smith also will be important con-tributors.

WORTH NOTING: Cantrell takes pride in Hebron’s stellar program, especially in how it was built. “All of our guys

have come through our pro-gram,” he said. “They’ve been with us through the middle school ranks. They’ve been

on our sixth grade, seventh grade and eighth grade teams, on our JV and now on our varsity. That’s how all our kids are. They know what it takes to be a part of our program.” … Cantrell, a Providence Christian grad, led Hebron to its first-ever state tournament appearance in 2011-12.FAST FACT: Hebron, like many small schools, share athletes with other sports. The boys basketball team features three members of the school’s football team — Crawford, Dussling and Holliday.

GIRLSCOACH: Lori Fisher2013-14 RECORD: 13-10RETURNING REGULARS:Brooke Davis, 5-10, Sr.Lexi Kent, 5-11, Sr.Hannah Lentz, 5-6, Sr.Jozie Lewis, 5-11, Sr.Ramey Morrow, 5-7, Sr.Tatum Williams, 5-7, Sr.Madison Cagel, 5-7, Jr.Yarimel Ramirez, 5-6, Jr.OUTLOOK: New head coach Lori Fisher inherits a veteran team with senior leader-ship, which fuels hopes for a successful season. “I’m real excited,” Fisher said. “We’ve got six seniors who have

played together. They have the maturity and leadership that’s already in place. I’m ex-cited to work with them.” A big boost will come from Brooke Davis, who missed last sea-son after knee surgery. Davis has the ability to score inside and out, providing an outside assist to one of the team’s top shooters, Hannah Lentz. Lexi Kent and Jozie Lewis, both seniors, are important players on the interior.WORTH NOTING: Hebron’s upperclass players are on their third head coach in Fish-er. Merideth Drake stepped in as the head coach last season after the late resigna-tion of previous head coach Bryan Bartley, who took a job at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md. Fisher was Dacula’s head girls coach last season, but liked the move to Hebron because her three children — an eighth-grader, a sixth-grader and a fourth-grader — were enrolled at the Dacula private school.FAST FACT: The Lions have a prominent past in girls basketball, reaching the state playoffs from 2005-08 under previous head coach Betsy Hensley. They also made one Final Four appearance.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 18 at King’s RidgeNov. 22 Wesleyan (Boys)Nov. 25 Monroe AreaDec. 2 at Wesleyan (Boys)Dec. 6 ProvidenceDec. 9 Tallulah Falls (Girls)Dec. 12 King’s RidgeDec. 13 at Athens AcademyDec. 19 PinecrestDec. 20 Winder-BarrowDec. 23 at Monroe AreaDec. 27, 29-30 at East Jackson Holiday BashJan. 3 at Mt. PisgahJan. 10 Athens Chris-tianJan. 13 at CommerceJan. 16 at Towns CountyJan. 20 LakeviewJan. 23 at Tallulah Falls (Girls)Jan. 24 at George WaltonJan. 27 CommerceJan. 31 at Prince AvenueFeb. 3 Towns CountyFeb. 6 at Lakeview

Hebron’s Cory Johnson


BOYSCOACH: Jeremy Huckaby2013-14 RECORD: 12-13RETURNING REGULARS:Juwuan Jones, 6-2, Soph.Derrick Brown, 6-5, Jr.Zay Melvin, 6-1, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:A.J. Holmes, 6-1, Jr.Tyler Taylor, 6-3, Soph.Adrian Martin, 6-2, Fr.Chris Parks, 6-5, Fr.OUTLOOK: Youth will be the buzzword for the Longhorns after losing a large senior class, including their top three leaders in nearly every statistical category in Simon Shafack, Paul Webb and Peyton Smith, who are now all playing in college.The good news is that if coach Jeremy Huckaby and his staff can be patient, help is on the way.Derrick Brown made signifi-cant contributions in the low post last year, averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, he is definitely a presence in the lane on both ends of the court.But the Longhorns will have to wait until the Lanier football team’s playoff run is done before he can contrib-ute this year.The same will be true for Jones and several other in-

dividuals who will be playing both varsity sports.That means a group of tal-ented youngsters, including a pair of promising freshman in Adrian Martin and Chris

Parks, are going to be asked to grow up fairly quickly, es-pecially with the Longhorns stepping up to Class AAAAA this year.WORTH NOTING: Both

Martin and Parks were both named to On The Radar Hoops Report’s watch list af-ter their performances at the Georgia Challenge show-case event in early October.FAST FACT: The Longhorns will stay relatively close to

home with their non-region schedule this season, with tournament appearances at North Oconee and East Jackson, plus a showcase game against Jefferson played at Chestatee High School in Hall County, a road game at North Hall and a home game against Chatta-hoochee among the slate.

GIRLSCOACH: David Palmer2013-14 RECORD: 10-13RETURNING REGULARS:Trezha Berryman, 5-5, Sr.Ashlan Leazar, 5-5, Jr.Taylor-Rose Gibson-Green, 5-10, Sr.Angela Reaz, 5-3, Soph.Briun Brown, 5-3, Jr.I’mon Washington, 6-0, Sr.Kierra Chandler, 5-8, Sr.OUTLOOK: The Longhorns will have to replace last year’s leading scorer with the graduation of Amber Cesair, but they will wel-come back four starters and several other contributors to what should be a well-seasoned squad.Leading the group of return-ers are the I’mon Washing-ton and Kierra Chandler, who proved themselves quite strong on the boards last season by combining to pull down about 12 rebounds per

game, along with defensive stalwart Trezha Berryman (3.3 spg).Taylor-Rose Gibson-Green also brings plenty of senior leadership to the table to a group that coach David Palmer says he admires for its toughness.WORTH NOTING: Like the Longhorn boys, the girls are stepping up in competition to Class AAAAA for the first time this season.They are also stepping into a particularly tough Region 8-AAAAA, which includes Sa-lem, a perennial powerhouse and a Class AAAAA state quarterfinalist from a year ago.FAST FACT: After getting off to a rocky start in their inaugural season of 2010-11, the Longhorns have been re-markably consistent the next three campaigns, winning 10, 9 and 10 games respectively.But with the experience returning to this year’s team, they are hopeful of posting a new school record for wins if all the pieces fall into place. … If they are to set that mile-stone, they will have to do so against a quirky schedule that includes a five-game homes-tand from Jan. 3-20, followed by a five-game road trip to close out the regular season from Jan. 23-Feb. 6.

lanier

LONGHORNSRegion 8-AAAAA

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22-25 at North Oconee TournamentDec. 2 LoganvilleDec. 5 at SalemDec. 9 Clarke CentralDec. 12 at HeritageDec. 15 ChattahoocheeDec. 19 Cedar ShoalsDec. 20 Providence Christian (Girls)vs. Jefferson at Ches-tatee (Boys)Dec. 27-30 at East Jackson TournamentJan. 2 at North HallJan. 3 Providence Christian (Girls)Jan. 6 GainesvilleJan. 13 ApalacheeJan. 16 Winder-BarrowJan. 20 Flowery BranchJan. 23 at GainevilleJan. 30 at ApalacheeJan. 31 at Mt. PisgahFeb. 3 at Winder-BarrowFeb. 6 at Flowery Branch

Lanier’s Taylor-Rose Gibson-Green


meadowcreek

MUSTANGSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Billy Davis2013-14 RECORD: 15-11RETURNING REGULARS:Adrian Hicks, 6-0, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Christopher Harding, 5-11, Sr.Terrell Davis, 6-3, Sr.DeAndre Smith, 6-4, Sr.Tyler Nelson, 6-3, Jr.Travontay Taylor, 6-3, Jr.Shadiah Toppin, 6-3, Jr.Miles Sells, 6-1, Jr.Michael Ball, 5-10, Jr.Gary Laidlaw, 6-0, Soph.Jawn Bishop, 6-4, Soph.OUTLOOK: Billy Davis has fielded a competitive team year in and year out despite some obstacles, like los-ing his share of transfers to other schools. Meadowcreek did well again last season, though it fell just short of a state playoff trip, and gradua-tion and transfers have given this team a different look. The lone returning player with experience is senior guard Adrian Hicks, a veteran who will be relied on heavily. Tra-vontay Taylor is another top returnee, coming back along with Christopher Harding, Terrell Davis, DeAndre Smith and Tyler Nelson. Shadiah Toppin also is a promising player. “We’re going to be young, but we’re going to be competitive,” Davis said.

“We’re athletic. We’re going to have some growing pains in the beginning. But by the time the playoffs come around, we’re going to be OK.”WORTH NOTING: Mead-owcreek made six straight state tournament trips from 2005-2010, the last five under Davis. Its best finish was a quarterfinal appearance in

2006. … Davis has one of the longest tenures going among Gwinnett head coaches — he took over the program prior to the 2005-06 season. He’s also led the Mustangs to the state tournament six times overall. … Promising 6-8 sophomore Rayshaun Hammonds, a key player last season as a freshman, has

transferred to Norcross.FAST FACT: The Mustangs’ only tournament this season is a post-Christmas trip to LaGrange. They also play in a one-day showcase Jan. 19 at Evans, the William Avery Invitational.

GIRLSCOACH: Michael House2013-14 RECORD: 1-25RETURNING REGULARS:Julissa Aguirre-Lara, 5-6, Sr.Kourtni Hill, 5-6, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Protij’ae Wells, 5-7, Soph.Kezyah Holliman, 5-6, Fr.Khadijah Williams, 6-0, Fr.OUTLOOK: New head coach Michael House, also the school’s athletic director, took over for Adrianne Flow-ers with hopes of reviving a program that has struggled mightily for the past decade. “We want to be as competi-tive as we can,” House said. “We want to be a strong defensive team and develop an offensive game.” With no returning point guard, senior guards Kourtni Hill and Julis-sa Aguirre-Lara will serve as the team’s primary ballhan-dlers. Hill, a solid shooter, is expected to carry the offen-sive load, while Aguirre-Lara is the team’s best on-ball defender. A strong freshman

class will provide an immedi-ate boost to the varsity and add some height with 6-foot post Khadijah Williams.WORTH NOTING: Though its recent history hasn’t produced much winning, Meadowcreek made the state tournament three straight times from 2001-03, highlight-ed by a 2002 state runner-up finish (to Collins Hill) in 2002. Those teams were coached by Michael Ireland. The Mustangs also made state tournament trips in the mid-1990s under Debbie Dees and Jeff Folkard. … House, a New York native, has a 131-65 record as a girls basketball coach in Georgia with stops at Morgan County, Jonesboro, Alpharetta and Druid Hills. … House was hired late, so he’s had to catch up after missing the summer typically spent working with his players. One positive is he brought his two assistant coaches from the previous six seasons along with him. … The overall program will be downsized as Meadowcreek won’t field a ninth-grade team this season, bumping its youngest play-ers up to the varsity and JV teams.FAST FACT: Like the boys, Meadowcreek won’t be too busy with its tournament

schedule this season. It only has one tournament on the schedule with a trip to Mon-roe Area after Christmas.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 18 DaculaNov. 22 GraysonNov. 25 at Clarke CentralDec. 2 at NewtonDec. 5 Peachtree RidgeDec. 6 at GraysonDec. 9 at Mill CreekDec. 12 NorcrossDec. 15 Mountain ViewDec. 19 at DaculaDec. 27, 29-30 at LaGrange Christmas Tournament (Boys)Dec. 27, 29-30 Monroe Christmas Tournament (Girls)Jan. 6 North GwinnettJan. 9 at Collins HillJan. 13 at DuluthJan. 16 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 17 Avery Invitational at EvansJan. 20 Mill CreekJan. 23 at NorcrossJan. 27 at Mountain ViewJan. 30 at NorthJan. 31 Clarke CentralFeb. 3 Collins HillFeb. 6 Duluth

Meadowcreek’s Adrian Hicks

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mill creek

HAWKSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Chad Rogers2013-14 RECORD: 7-18RETURNING REGULARS:Scotty Chadwick, 6-3, Sr.Davion Clark, 6-4, Sr.Ryan Dobbs, 5-11, Sr.Sha Powell, 5-11, Sr.Miles Riley, 6-0, Jr.Keetone Glover, 5-9, Jr.Christian Mancillas, 6-2, Soph.OUTLOOK: The 2013-14 season was disappointing by Mill Creek standards, not only missing the state playoffs but also limping to a 7-18 record. It was the second straight season of missing the playoffs, but it was a big drop-off from the previous season, when it went 16-10 and just missed the postseason. The goal is to turn things around to the form of 2010-11 and 2011-12, when the Hawks made back-to-back state playoff trips. “We’ve been working hard in the summer and getting in the right mindset with leadership, hard work and they’ve bought into it,” Mill Creek head coach Chad Rogers said. “I really like this group. We’ve got to be blue collar. We’ve got to be more aggressive. We’ve got to get back to getting turnovers in transition and getting some

easy baskets, so we’re going to turn it up a little bit more this season.” Rogers plans to press more and be more ag-gressive on both ends of the floor, both key factors in his team’s past successes.Scotty Chadwick and Davion Clark are key turning play-ers, though the Hawks lost only lost one player who was a continous starter. Clark played nine games last sea-son until undergoing knee

surgery.WORTH NOTING: Seniors Scotty Chadwick and Da-vion Clark will be two of the Hawks’ key players, as well as two of its tallest. Clark played in just nine games last season before knee surgery, so his return is a big boost. … In addition to those two, Ryan Dobbs, Sha Powell, Miles Riley, Keetone Glover and Christian Mancil-las also were starters at time

last season. Mill Creek lost just one regular starter off its 2013-14 team.FAST FACT: Mill Creek will play three tournaments this season, opening up with the Tabo’s Tipoff Classic at Jefferson. Then it will play events before and after Christmas at Carrollton and at West Forsyth.

GIRLSCOACH: Ashley Phillips2013-14 RECORD: 20-9RETURNING REGULARS:Meredith Schulte, 6-0, Sr.Madison Phillips, 5-9, Sr.Tatum Ragsdale, 6-1, Jr.Anna Parks, 5-5, Sr.Lauren Smith, 6-0, Sr.Aizha Ross, 5-6, Sr.OUTLOOK: Traditionally one of Gwinnett’s stronger programs, Mill Creek looks primed for another big season thanks to a veteran team. The bulk of the rotation is a solid senior class led by Meredith Schulte and Madi-son Phillips, the daughter of head coach Ashley Phillips. Anna Parks, Lauren Smith and Aizha Ross also are se-niors with experience. “We’re excited,” Ashley Phillips said. “We’ve got a big senior class that have been playing together for a long time. It’s going to be a fun year and

maybe emotional at times, with seven seniors, most who have played together since elementary school.” The team is expecting a breakout season, particularly in scoring, from junior Tatum Ragsdale.WORTH NOTING: Both Madison Phillips (8.7 ppg last season) and Schulte (14 ppg, 5.1 rpg) have commit-ted to college programs — Phillips to North Georgia and Schulte to Tulane. … The Hawks made at least the Sweet 16 of the state play-offs for seven straight sea-sons until missing the state playoffs in 2012-13. That included Final Four appear-ances in 2008 and 2011. … Phillips has a 207-89 record as the only girls coach in program history. Seven of his past nine teams have won at least 20 games. … Among the graduation losses off the 2013-14 team is point guard Shannon McCrosson.FAST FACT: Like the boys, Mill Creek’s girls will play in three tournaments. They join the boys at the two post-Christmas tournaments, but open up with three games at South Forsyth. During that event, the Hawks will face Douglass, Woodstock and event host South Forsyth.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22, 24, 29 Tabo’s Tipoff Classic at Jeffer-son (Boys)Nov. 24 Douglass at South Forsyth (Girls)Nov. 25 Woodstock at South Forsyth (Girls)Nov. 29 at South Forsyth (Girls)Dec. 3 at DuluthDec. 5 at Collins HillDec. 6 at Central Gwin-nettDec. 9 MeadowcreekDec. 12 Peachtree RidgeDec. 19 Chapel Hill at Carrollton Christmas TournamentDec. 20, 22 at Carrollton Christmas TournamentDec. 27, 29-30 West Forsyth Christmas Tour-namentJan. 3 DaculaJan. 6 NorcrossJan. 9 Mountain ViewJan. 13 North GwinnettJan. 16 Collins HillJan. 20 at MeadowcreekJan. 23 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 27 DuluthJan. 30 at NorcrossFeb. 3 at Mountain ViewFeb. 6 at North Gwinnett

Mill Creek’s Madison Phillips


mountain view

BEARSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: B.J. Roy2013-2014 RECORD: 3-23RETURNING REGULARS:Will Hartter, 6-1, Sr.Paul James, 6-3, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Trevor Ogle, 6-1, Sr.Nick Hayes, 6-0, Jr.Wes King, 6-0, Jr.Kevin Kayona, 6-3, Fr.Spencer Rodgers, 6-2, Fr.Jalen Hayes, 5-9, Fr.Miles Long, 5-9, Fr.Alex Wesig, 6-0, Fr.OUTLOOK: The Bears have struggled mightily to be competi-tive in one of the state’s toughest regions and the school’s sixth season will be more of the same. New coach B.J. Roy, though, is optimistic about the future as he brings five freshmen to the varsity this season. Two regulars return, with Will Hartter and Paul James offering senior leadership. The team’s growth will likely be dependent on the freshmen and there isn’t much size on the roster. “I think we’ve got a real good op-portunity to turn things around, but it’s not an overnight thing,” Roy said. After coaching Dacula for four seasons, Roy was an assistant at Central for a season before mov-ing over to Mountain View in that role last year.WORTH NOTING: Bob Perryman coached Mountain View for its first

two seasons, then Kyle Keefer led them for the past three years be-fore stepping down. … The Bears haven’t won more than five games in a season the past four years, going 1-24 in 2011-12. … Moun-tain View is one of the smallest schools in Class AAAAAA.FAST FACT: The Bears are in two tournaments this season. They will play at Jefferson before Thanks-giving and at East Jackson during

the Christmas break.

GIRLSCOACH: Jackie Lindquist2013-2014 RECORD: 21-8RETURNING REGULARS:Aneysa Williams, 5-5, Sr.D’Andre Pringle, 5-7, Sr.Iceis Walker, 5-5, Sr.Arianna Williams, 5-8, Sr.Jordan Stallworth, 6-2, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Keni Haynes, 5-5, Sr.Lilian Kennedy, 5-11, Fr.Jaron Stallworth, 6-0, Fr.Madison Maggerett, 5-8, Jr.OUTLOOK: Mountain View made the state tournament for the first time in 2013 and won a game last season, defeating Woodstock 46-43 before losing to Parkview 35-32 in the Elite Eight. This time the Bears want to take another step and are a contender for their first region title after finishing as regular-season runner-up last season. All five starters return and several key additions give Moun-tain View the depth that it had been lacking. Four of the return-ing starters are seniors and three averaged in double figures. Point guard Aneysa Williams averaged 12.5 points last season, while wings D’Andre Pringle and Iceis Walker scored 12.4 and 11 per game, respectively. Junior Jordan Stallworth, who is 6-foot-2, added 8.5 points per game, and senior

forward Arianna Williams led the team with an 8.5 rebounding average. Moving up from county middle school champion Twin Rivers to provide extra size inside are freshmen Lilian Kennedy and Jaron Stallworth, Jordan’s sister. The Bears are also counting on contributions from newcomer Keni Haynes, a senior guard. “We’ve worked hard to get to the top, but we’re not there yet,” coach Jackie Lindquist said.WORTH NOTING: Lindquist, entering her sixth season, is the only coach Mountain View has ever had. She was an assistant when Central won a state champi-onship in 2001. … The Bears had their first winning season when they went 18-10 two years ago, then topped that by winning 21 games last season. … One hurdle left for Mountain View is a first vic-tory over perennial region power Norcross.FAST FACT: Mountain View opens the season on Nov. 18 at Archer — Class AAAAAA state runner-up last season. That is part of a top pre-region schedule that includes the three-day Parkview Tip-Off Classic before Thanksgiving and a trip to Tennessee to play in the two-day Murfeesboro Shootout af-ter the holiday. Late in the season, the Bears play defending Class AAA champion St. Pius in a Jan. 24 showcase at Wesleyan.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 18 at ArcherNov. 21 Loganville (boys)Nov. 22, 24-25 TABO’s Tip-Off at Jefferson (boys)Nov. 22 Stephenson at Parkview (girls)Nov. 24 Woodland at Parkview (girls)Nov. 25 Shiloh at Parkview (girls)Nov. 28-29 at Murfeesboro (Tenn.) Shootout (girls)Dec. 5 at DuluthDec. 9 NorthDec. 15 at MeadowcreekDec. 20 at Collins HillDec. 22 at Loganville (boys)Dec. 27, 29-30 at W. Forsyth tour-ney (girls) at E. Jackson tourney (boys)Jan. 6 Peachtree RidgeJan. 9 at Mill CreekJan. 10 at Flowery Branch (boys)Jan. 13 at NorcrossJan. 16 DuluthJan. 17 Columbus at Archer (girls)Jan. 20 at NorthJan. 23 Collins HillJan. 24 St. Pius at Wesleyan (girls)Jan. 27 MeadowcreekJan. 30 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 31 at Flowery BranchFeb. 3 Mill CreekFeb. 6 Norcross

Mountain View’s Aneysa Williams


norcross

BLUE DEVILSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Jesse McMillian2013-14 RECORD: 25-7RETURNING REGULARS:Ricky Madison, 6-6, Sr.Tim Cameron, 6-3, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Devin Huffman, 6-1, Sr.Amir Butcher, 6-2, Jr.Chris Curlett, 6-0, Jr.Rayshaun Hammonds, 6-8, Soph.OUTLOOK: The Blue Devils fell to Tift County in the state semifinals last season, ending the school’s hopes of back-to-back champion-ships in both football and basket-ball. Nine seniors from last season signed to play either basketball or football in college, leaving this year’s team with an abundance of experi-ence to replace. But the Blue Devils still have plenty of talent and have two returning players with plenty of playing time to build around in seniors Ricky Madison and Tim Cameron. The 6-foot-5 Madison, who has committed to High Point, led Norcross in scoring last season at nearly 13 points per game and was a second-team All-County pick. Cameron is an explosive wing and Devin Huffman, a third senior, is a solid guard. The Blue Devils picked up a promising inside presence in Rayshuan Hammonds, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who transferred from Meadowcreek. He led his old team in rebounding as a freshman.WORTH NOTING: Norcross has made the state tournament 14

consecutive seasons, with five state championships. … The Blue Devils have two state titles in six years under McMillan, who has a 146-41 record. … Norcross, which prides itself on defense, couldn’t stop Georgia Tech recruit Tadric Jackson in state semifinals. The guard scored 35 points in Tift County’s 78-70 victory. … Madison had 23 points for Norcross, with 20 coming in the second half. … The Blue Devils will

play in the Next Level Hoops Festival in Nashville on Dec. 29-31.FAST FACT: In addition to the an-nual Hilton Invitational showcase on Jan. 24, the Blue Devils will host the 141 Preview on Thursday and next Saturday to start the season. Norcross will play Dutchtown on the first day and Johns Creek on the second, both at approximately 7:30 p.m. Greater Atlanta Christian, the defending Class AA state champion, will play Johns Creek on Thursday and Washington next Saturday, both at 6 p.m. GAC is coached by Eddie Martin, who led the Blue Devils to three state titles.

GIRLSCOACH: Angie Hembree2013-14 RECORD: 23-8RETURNING REGULARS:Allison Johnson, 6-0, Sr.Vash Perry, 5-7, Jr.Taylor Mason, 5-9, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Bena McCoy, 5-6, Sr.Nya Dawson, 5-4, Jr.Tylia Gillespie, 5-11, Soph.Madison Wells, 5-10, Sr.OUTLOOK:The Blue Devils had five seniors from last season go on to play either basketball or volleyball in col-lege, but talent remains. It just isn’t experienced talent, with none of the returnees having been a full-time starter a season ago. Taylor Mason, who started at times as a fresh-man, is listed as one of the top 25

sophomores in the nation by ESPN. Allison Johnson and Bena McCoy will offer leadership as seniors. Mc-Coy, who will take over for four-year starter Bri Williams at point guard, was hampered by a shoulder injury last season. She has committed to Prairie View. Johnson will pick up the rebounding slack for Sierra Butler, who signed with Georgia Southern, and will get help on the boards from sophomore Tylia Gillespie and senior Madison Wells, who was sidelined with concussions last season.WORTH NOTING: Norcross went 14-2 in 7-AAAAAA during the regular season and won the region champi-onship. But after three state titles in four years with Diamond DeShields leading the way, the Blue Devils were ousted in the Sweet 16 of the state tournament. … Coach Angie Hembree is 170-44 at Norcross. Her overall coaching record is 446-151 and she has five state titles, the first two at Collins Hill. She was an assistant at the University of Miami between her stints at Collins Hill and Norcross.FAST FACT: The Blue Devils, who are in two out-of-state tournaments, will again begin the season by host-ing the three-day Hilton Tip-Off Clas-sic. There are four games on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, then five games on Nov. 22. A spotlight game is Nor-cross against Tucker on Nov. 20. The Blue Devils’ trips are to Murfeesboro, Tenn., on Nov. 28-29 and to Char-lotte, N.C., after Christmas.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 13 Dutchtown (boys)Nov. 15 Johns Creek (boys)Nov. 19 Fayette Co. (girls)Nov. 20 Tucker (girls)Nov. 22 Salem (girls)Nov. 22, 24, 29 TABO’s Tip-Off at Jefferson (boys)Nov. 28-29 Turkey Jam at Murfeesboro, Tenn. (girls)Dec. 4 NorthDec. 6 at MaysDec. 9 Collins HillDec. 12 at MeadowcreekDec. 13 Wheeler (girls), Laney at GAC (boys)Dec. 15 at Peacthree RidgeDec. 20 Walton at Pope (boys)Dec. 27, 29-30 at Charlotte Shootout (girls)Dec. 29-31 Next Level Hoops at Nashville (boys)Jan. 6 at Mill CreekJan. 9 DuluthJan. 13 Mountain ViewJan. 16 at NorthJan. 17 Lowndes at Ar-cher (girls)Jan. 20 at Collins HillJan. 23 MeadowcreekJan. 24 Hilton InvitationalJan. 27 Peachtree RidgeJan. 30 Mill CreekFeb. 3 at DuluthFeb. 6 at Mountain View

Norcross’ Tim Cameron

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222140-1


north gwinnett

BULLDOGSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Zach Smith2013-2014 RECORD: 27-4RETURNING REGULARS:Kam Calhoun, 6-4, Sr.Malik Carter, 6-7, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Jack Stucke, 6-1, Sr.Jaye Stackhouse, 6-0, Sr.Dejan Tojcic, 6-6, Sr.Colby Leifson, 6-1, Jr.Adam James, 5-11, Soph.OUTLOOK: North, which reached the Elite Eight in the state tournament last season before losing 61-58 to Wheeler, took a blow when guard T.J. Howard decided to transfer to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. Howard was a first-team All-County choice, averaging 16.9 points and 3.5 assists as a junior as the Bulldogs won the region championship. He also had nearly three steals a game and shot 80 percent from the foul line. Without Howard, four-year starter Kam Calhoun will assume even more of a leadership role. The 6-foot-4 Calhoun and 6-foot-7 Malik Carter are the only returning starters. Both aver-aged double figures last sea-son, with Carter at 12.4 points and Calhoun at 10.2. Carter also grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game and Calhoun averaged 5.6. Fellow senior Jack Stucke

is a zone-buster as a 3-point specialist.WORTH NOTING: North made the state tournament three times in Smith’s first four years as coach, reaching the Elite Eight twice. … The Bull-dogs were upset in the quar-

terfinals of the 2013 region tournament by Meadowcreek on a 35-foot buzzer beater. … North has won 18, 21, 19 and 27 games under Smith, a former North assistant. … The Bulldogs will play in the presti-gious Arby’s Classic in Bristol,

Tenn., after Christmas.FAST FACT: The Jared Cook Classic will again be held before Thanksgiving and remains a boys-only show-case event over Nov. 22, 24-25. GAC, which has won four of the past five Class AA state championships, will play twice. The Spartans, unbeaten last season, face Peachtree Ridge on the second night and Allatoona in the final session. The an-nual event benefits Susan B. Komen for the Cure cancer research.

GIRLSCOACH: Bryan Sellers2013-2014 RECORD: 14-11RETURNING REGULARS:Alyssa Munlyn, 6-2, Sr.Jessica Belcher, 5-6, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Grace Rigsbee, 6-2, Soph.Emily Toomer, 5-8, Jr.Kathleen Wilson, 5-10, Jr.OUTLOOK: Injuries ruined North’s hopes a year ago as they missed the state tournament after reaching the Final Four the previous two seasons. Point guard Baylee Rexing tore her ACL in the first game, while post players Stephanie Amichia and Alyssa Munlyn each missed half the season. “Hopefully we can avoid the injury jinx this

season,” coach Bryan Sellers said. The 6-foot-2 Munlyn, who had an ankle injury a year ago, returns along with sophomore Jessica Belcher, a returning regular at guard. Belcher will have to take up some of the scoring slack for her sister Joshlyn, who led the team by averaging 15 points as a senior. Jessica led the team in steals and was second in assists last season. Munlyn, also a standout vol-leyball player, was second on the team in rebounding last season with 6.8 per game.WORTH NOTING: Sellers was 77-13 in his first three seasons as North lost in the semifinals of the 2012 state tournament and to fellow Region 7-AAAAAA member Norcross in the 2013 title game. … Lexie Brown and Peyton Whitted, the stars of those two teams, are playing at Maryland and Penn State, respectively. … North lost to Mill Creek 57-40 in the quar-terfinals of the region tourna-ment to end last season early.FAST FACT: North will stay close to home for its tourna-ment action this season. The Bulldogs will play in the Parkview Tip-Off Classic before Thanksgiving and the Ram Classic at Grayson after Christmas.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22 Nashville Sie-gel (boys), Heritage at Parkview (girls)Nov. 24 Lee Co. (boys), Harrison at Parkview (girls)Nov. 25 Whitefield (boys), Lambert at Parkview (girls)Dec. 4 at NorcrossDec. 6 Huntsville Lee at Wheeler (boys)Dec. 9 at Mtn. ViewDec. 12 DuluthDec. 13 Pope at GAC (boys),Dec. 15 Collins HillDec. 26-30 at Arby’s Classic (boys)Dec. 27-30 Ram Classic at Grayson (girls)Jan. 2 at BufordJan. 6 at MeadowcreekJan. 9 at Peachtree RidgeJan. 13 at Mill CreekJan. 16 NorcrossJan. 20 Mtn. ViewJan. 23 at DuluthJan. 24 Christ (N.C.) at Norcross (boys)Jan. 27 at Collins HillJan. 30 MeadowcreekFeb. 3 Peachtree RidgeFeb. 6 Mill Creek

North Gwinnett’s Kam Calhoun


parkview

PANTHERSRegion 8-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Nick Gast2013-2014 RECORD: 10-17RETURNING REGULARS:Malik Abraham, 6-3, Sr.Kedar Chambers, 6-5, Sr.Angel Thrower, 5-9, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Garrett Smith, 6-2, Sr.Gabe Williams, 5-11, Sr.Brian Edge, 5-11, Sr.Nasir Walker, 6-2, Jr.Tyler Fleetwood, 6-3, Jr.Stephen Moye, 6-5, Jr.OUTLOOK: Nick Gast is trying to rebuild Parkview’s program and the Panthers went from three victories to 10 in his first season a year ago. Senior guard Malik Abraham, who averaged 14 points last season after 11 points as a sophomore, returns for his third year as a starter. The cast around him shows promise, although the production of 6-foot-9 Parker Role, who graduated, will be missed. Role averaged 12.9 points and 9.9 rebounds as a senior. Abra-ham will be joined by two other seniors who are returning regulars – 6-foot-5 Kedar Chambers and Angel Thrower.WORTH NOTING: The Panthers have gone through six consecutive losing seasons, reaching double figures in victories just twice. … Parkview’s last winning season was in 2007-08, when it went 20-8. … Gast, who played at Valdosta

State and was an assistant coach with the Blazers, was the Panthers’ third coach in as many seasons last year. … Steve Richardson came out of a retirement to fill in for a season between Keenan Temple and Gast.FAST FACT: Boys action returns to the Parkview Tip-Off Classic after a year’s absence with an eight-team tournament bracket. Parkview will play Lassiter to conclude the first round on Nov. 22. Other teams are Cedar Shoals, South Cobb, Harrison, North

Springs, North Cobb and Forest Park. The semifinals are on Nov. 24 and the championship game on Nov. 25.

GIRLSCOACH: Kirk Call2013-2014 RECORD: 27-4RETURNING REGULARS:Vicki Harris, 6-3, Sr.Makenna Pouengue, 5-9, Sr.Raven Johnson, 5-11, Jr.Dominique Leonidas, 5-6, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Bernice McGriff, 5-9, Sr.Kristin Telford, 5-6, Sr.Kristi Derouen, 6-0, Jr.Khari Jernigan, 6-2, Jr.Autumn Sizemore, 5-8, Jr.OUTLOOK: Parkview’s season came to an earlier end than the Panthers had hoped when they lost 53-50 at South Forsyth in the Elite Eight a year ago as the War Eagles couldn’t miss from the foul line. All except one player returns and the Panthers should again challenge state runner-up Archer for region honors and be one of the top teams in the state. Coach Kirk Call’s team is led by 6-foot-3 Vicki Harris, who has committed to play for Rutgers. She is a major presence defensively and on the boards while supplying scoring un-derneath. Other key returnees are senior Makenna Pouengue, who has committed to Texas Southern, and juniors Raven Johnson and

Dominique Leonidas. Johnson was second in scoring a season ago with a 10.4 average and Leonidas led with three assists per game. Genesis Perrymond, now at South Alabama, led the balanced scoring at 11 per game last year, but missed much of the regular season with a shoulder injury.WORTH NOTING: Parkview, which won the state championship in 2003 under coach Mike McCoy, has made the state tournament six consecutive seasons. … The Pan-thers went into the state tourna-ment unbeaten in 2012 and 2013 with Tony Watkins as coach, but were upset in the opening round the first time and lost to even-tual state champ Norcross in the Sweet 16 the second. … Call was an assistant under McCoy when Parkview won the state title and returned to replace Watkins after coaching at Locust Grove.FAST FACT: The Parkview Tip-Off Classic will be a three-day basket-ball marathon this year. While the boys play a traditional eight-team tournament, the girls’ part of the event will be a showcase for many of the top teams in the state. The highlight will be Parkview play-ing defending Class AAAAAA state champion McEachern in the finale on Nov. 25. Other top teams include Wesleyan, Mountain View, North Cobb, Hillgrove, Forest Park, Douglas County and Stephenson.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 15 Walnut Grove at SW DeKalb (boys)Nov. 22 N. Cobb (girls), Las-siter (boys)Nov. 24 Douglas Co. (girls), TBA (boys)Nov. 25 McEachern (girls), TBA (boys)Nov. 29 at Loganville (boys)Dec. 2 SouthDec. 5 BrookwoodDec. 9 Whitewater (boys)Dec. 12 at BerkmarDec. 13 at GraysonDec. 18-22 at Nike Tour-nament of Champions in Arizona (girls)Dec. 26-30 at WB Invitation-al in Washington, D.C. (girls)Dec. 27-30 at Walnut Grove Classic (boys)Jan. 6 ArcherJan. 9 DaculaJan. 10 at ShilohJan. 13 CentralJan. 16 at SouthJan. 23 BerkmarJan. 24 at BrookwoodJan. 27 GraysonJan. 30 at ArcherJan. 31 at DaculaFeb. 3 ShilohFeb. 6 at Central

Parkview’s Vicki Harris

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peachtree ridge

LIONSRegion 7-AAAAAA

BOYSCOACH: Keith Arrington2013-2014 RECORD: 12-17RETURNING REGULARS:Aaron Augustin, 6-0, Jr.Milz Tatum, 5-11, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Jay Estime, 6-4, Soph.Isaiah Starks, 6-4, Sr.Connor Heyward, 6-0, Soph.Brandon Hopson, 6-0, Jr.OUTLOOK: Peachtree Ridge took a hit when promising 6-foot-7 junior Romello White transferred to IMG Acad-emy in Florida. Coach Keith Arrington, though, has had players come and go before and always made the best of each situation. “We hope it will be like a couple of years ago after C.J. Blackwell left and we surprised people,” Ar-rington said. Leading the way will be junior Aaron Augustin, one of the top point guards in the state. A starter since his freshman season, he aver-aged 16.8 points and 4.1 as-sists last season. Peachtree Ridge, though, was left without a lot of height with the loss of White and the gradua-tion of 6-foot-8 Amir Warnock, who averaged a team-best 8.6 rebounds. “We’ll be small, but we’ve got talent,” Arrington said. The Lions suffered a rare losing season a year ago against an ultra-tough

schedule, but still made the state tournament for the ninth consecutive year.WORTH NOTING: The Lions were the fourth seed from

Region 7-AAAAAA in the state tournament last year and lost to Wheeler 85-54 in the first round. … The last six of the trips to state have come under

Arrington. The best finish was in 2013, when the Lions lost in the Elite Eight to Wheeler. … Arrington has more than 600 career victories. He came to Peachtree Ridge from John-son in Savannah.

FAST FACT: Peachtree Ridge will be the site of Blue Collar Basketball’s MLK Classic on Jan. 19, playing Pebblebrook at approximately 7 p.m. in one of the featured games. The Lions will also play in the BCB Classic showcase at Greater Atlanta Christian on Dec. 13, facing Berkmar at approxi-mately 3 p.m.

GIRLSCOACH: James Clanahan2013-2014 RECORD: 11-14RETURNING REGULARS:Justina Young, 5-5, Sr.Marisa Bowman, 5-9, Jr.Danielle Richardson, 5-9, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Kamilla Jones, 5-7, Soph.Blake Davis, 5-6, Jr.Mecca Clarke, 6-0, Sr.D’Angela Brooks, 5-10, Jr.Quinnay Summers, 5-5, Soph.Ivie Cameron, 5-5, Soph.Maya Fitzgerald, 5-7, Jr.Lola Sewo, 5-8, Jr.OUTLOOK: Peachtree Ridge returns three starters, but must replace leading scorer Lorrie Cruse. She led the team is scoring (16.4) and rebounding (6.5) last season and was a second-team All-County choice. Returning is junior Marisa Bowman, who was second in scoring at 12 points per game and

also averaged two steals. Also back are seniors Justina Young and Danielle Rich-ardson. Young averaged six points and a team-best three assists last season. The Lions don’t have a lot of height, so they will again have to be fast and scrappy. “It’s never easy in our region, so we know what it takes,” coach James Clanahan said. “I don’t think there is a tougher region in the nation.”WORTH NOTING: This is Clanahan’s sixth season as coach after taking over for Shana White. He was 14-13 his first season and 14-12 in 2011-2012. … A highlight for the Lions last season was finishing second in Hixon’s Wildcat Invitational Christmas Tournament in Tennessee. … This year, Peacthree Ridge will stay home to play in the revived Deep South Classic at Brookwood after Christ-mas. … During the Thanks-giving break, the Lions will take part in the TABO’s Tip-Off at Jefferson.FAST FACT: With the tough-ness of Region 7-AAAAAA, Peachtree Ridge has made the state tournament just twice, going in 2007 and 2008. The Lions advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2008 after their only tournament victory.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 19 BrookwoodNov. 22, 24, 29 TABO’s Tip-Off at Jefferson (girls)Nov. 24 GAC at North (boys)Nov. 25 Lee Co. at North (boys)Dec. 2 East Hall (girls)Dec. 5 at MeadowcreekDec. 6 ShilohDec. 9 DuluthDec. 12 at Mill CreekDec. 13 Berkmar at GAC (boys)Dec. 15 NorcrossDec. 19 at CentralDec. 27, 28, 30 Dorman Classic in Spartanburg (boys), Deep South at Brookwood (girls)Jan. 3 CentralJan. 6 at MeadowcreekJan. 9 NorthJan. 13 Collins HillJan. 16 MeadowcreekJan. 19 PebblebrookJan. 20 at DuluthJan. 23 Mill CreekJan. 27 at NorcrossJan. 30 Mtn. ViewFeb. 3 at NorthFeb. 6 at Collins Hill

Peachtree Ridge’s Aaron Augustin


providence

STORMRegion 8-A

COACH: Norman Brown2013-14 RECORD: 13-13RETURNING REGULARS:Steven Kleinschmidt, 6-5, Sr.Nicholas Allen, 6-6, Sr.Jeremy Hardnett, 5-10, Jr.Duncan Gotfredson, 5-11, Sr.Bobby Rodgers, 6-4, Jr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Jackson Winskie, 6-5, Sr.Micah Lawler, 6-4, Sr.Drew Kindig, 5-9, Sr.Elijah Carlson, 5-10, Jr.Alex Timm, 6-4, Jr.Garrett Whitlock, 6-5, Sr.Kyle Lewis, 6-3, Jr.OUTLOOK: There is plenty of talent and experience returning from last year’s Class A (Private) state tournament team — nine players in all, including seven seniors.Among that experience is the Storm’s leading scorer and rebounder from last year in Steven Kleinschmidt (11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and their most durable player in Dun-can Gotfredson (10.3 ppg 1.6 spg, led team in minutes played).If the Storm are to take the next step this season and not only challenge for the region title and a return to the postseason, and then make a run once there, it

will be team effort.They have the components to be able to play about any game, with enough good size to handle a half-court game and plenty

of perimeter sharpshoot-ers — from Gotfredson and reserves Bobby Rodgers and Elijah Carlson to even several frontcourt players like Kleinschmidt and Micah

Lawler— to bust zones.But the biggest improve-ment may come from the Storm’s ability in their help defense, which Brown hopes will spark an added dimension of a transition game this season.WORTH NOTING: The Storm’s versatility will be aided by several multi-sport athletes at Providence. Among the more notable such multi-sport standouts include Jeremy Hardnett, who has starred for the school’s first varsity football team this fall, Alex Timm, the starting goalie for the Storm’s soccer team, and baseball standouts Kleinschmidt, Jackson Winskie (who has signed to play college ball at Young Harris) and Garrett Whitlock (an Alabama-Birmingham signee).FAST FACT: While the Storm’s size is not neces-sarily overwhelming, they do have a lot of consistent size, with no fewer than eight players on the team’s roster standing between 6-foot-3 and 6-6.

GIRLSCOACH: Brad Roby2013-14 RECORD: 5-19

RETURNING REGULARS:Laura Per-Lee, 5-8, Sr.Megan Lee, 5-6, Jr.OUTLOOK: While depth is a strength for the Provi-dence boys team, it will be an area of concern for the Storm girls in 2014-15.Losses to graduation, other move outs, plus commit-ments by players to other sports may limit to Storm to roughly 10 players this season, so conditioning and wise use of fouls will be a must this season.The Storm will be able to count on the depth of a pair of returning players, however.Laura Per-Lee will be able to provide a solid defensive presence on the boards and a scoring threat in the low block despite being a bit undersized at 5-8.Meanwhile, the Storm will count on Megan Lee to provide ball-handling stabil-ity and a scoring spark from the perimeter.FAST FACT: Providence will be looking to bounce back after last year’s disap-pointing 5-19 record. It was just the second time in the past nine seasons the Storm failed to reach double digits in wins.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 7 W.D. MohammedNov. 11 at King’s RidgeNov. 14 at Whitefield Academy (Girls)Nov. 15 Landmark Christian (Boys)Nov. 18 Mt. VernonNov. 21 at Pinecrest AcademyNov. 22 at GallowayNov. 25 Wesleyan (Boys)Dec. 2 Whitefield Academy (Girls)Dec. 5 Twiggs CountyDec. 6 at Hebron ChristianDec. 12 at Lakeview AcademyDec. 13 at Tallulah FallsDec. 19 King’s RidgeDec. 20 Lanier (Girls)Dec. 27, 29, 30 at George Walton Academy Christmas Tournament (Boys)Jan. 3 at Lanier (Girls)Jan. 6 George Walton Acad.Jan. 10 CommerceJan. 13 at Prince Ave. ChristianJan. 16 at Athens AcademyJan. 20 Athens ChristianJan. 23 at George Walton AcademyJan. 24 Towns Co.Jan. 27 Prince Ave. ChristianJan. 30 Mt. PisgahFeb. 3 Athens AcademyFeb. 6 at Athens Christian

Providence Christian’s Jeremy Hardnett

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BOYSCOACH: Kim Rivers2013-14 RECORD: 19-11RETURNING REGULARS:Josh Okogie, 6-4, Jr.Kareem Brewton, 6-2, Sr.Malik Chandler, 5-10, Jr.Dejon Waters, 6-1, Jr.Cedric Guillaume, 6-5, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Shamarie McLeod, 6-5, Fr.OUTLOOK: The Generals were just a missed free throw here and there and a matter of seconds away from mov-ing into the Class AAAAAA state quarterfinals, and per-haps beyond, a year ago.And while a few pieces of that talented team are gone, two very important starters on that team do return in the form of first-team All-County wing Josh Okogie, who is the county’s leading return-ing scorer after averaging 19 points per game, and senior guard Kareem Brewton, who was not far behind at 16 points per game. That pair also combined to pull down 11 rebounds per game.Perhaps the most important question Shiloh faces this season is who will replace graduated point guard and floor leader Elliott Strickland, though the Generals should have a pretty good answer in Malik Chandler, who stepped up his game as his role

increased during his sopho-more season a year ago.One constant that should remain the same for the Generals is their attack-style, full-court trapping defense, which was very effective most of the season.And Cedric Guillaume be-ing given a larger role this season, plus the addition of youngster Shama-rie McLeod, the Generals should have some added size that may make that de-fense even tighter this year.WORTH NOTING: Okogie and Brewton are becom-ing more and more popular among college recruiters. Though just a junior, Okogie already has scholarship offers from Mercer, East Carolina,

Alabama-Birmingham and George Mason, though larger programs like Georgia, Geor-gia Tech and Florida are also beginning to show interest.Brewton, meanwhile, has at-tracted interest from Georgia State, Georgia Southern, LSU and Georgia.FAST FACT: Last year’s state tournament appear-ance was the third in as many seasons for the Gen-erals, matching the school’s longest such streak from 2004-05 to 2006-07, with the first appearance coming under current Grayson girls coach Tony Watkins and the final two under Don Einolf.A postseason berth this year would not only set a new record, but also give Shiloh

five appearances in the last six years under Rivers.

GIRLSCOACH: Regina Tate2013-14 RECORD: 8-16RETURNING REGULARS:Uche Ibebunjo, 6-0, Sr.Racquel Cranston, 5-11, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Imani Minor, 5-3, Soph.Bria Cade, 5-10, Soph.Christina Little, 5-5, Fr.OUTLOOK: The Generals took a large step forward last season, improving six wins from the previous campaign.Yet, in some ways, there is a feeling among the players that the team still under-achieved.Enter first-year coach Regina Tate, who inherits a roster that has a solid blend of returning talent and a promising young crop of underclassmen.Leading the former category are five seniors, including last year’s returning scorer in Racquel Cranston (12.4 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 spg) and leading rebounder and shot blocker in Uche Ibebunjo (6.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg).Meanwhile, sophomores Imani Minor and Bria Cade bring plenty of talent and some winning experience after helping lead the Shiloh freshman team that went

9-1 and won the Region 8-AAAAAA championship last season.And with the Generals hav-ing not made the postseason since 2009, they will figure to play with a little bit of a chip on their collective shoulder this year.WORTH NOTING: Tate, a for-mer high school and college standout at Shaw and Georgia Tech respectively, is used to success, and hopes to bring that winning attitude to Shiloh.In her seven seasons while coaching at Pace Academy, her teams never missed the state tournament.FAST FACT: The Gener-als’ schedule will be quite challenging, including no fewer than 11 games against teams that played in their respective classifications state tournament a year ago, including eight against teams that advanced to the Sweet 16 or further.In fact, the first four games of the season will be against postseason participants, starting with games against Northside-Warner Robins, Hillgrove and Mountain View in Parkview’s pre-Thanks-giving showcase Nov. 22-25 and the Region 8-AAAAAA opener at defending Class AAAAAA state runner-up Archer.

shiloh

GENERALSRegion 8-AAAAAA

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 22 vs. Northside-Warner Robins at Parkview Showcase (Girls)Nov. 24 vs. Hillgrove at Parkview Tipoff (Girls)Nov. 25 vs. Mountain View at Parkview Show-case (Girls)Nov. 28-29 Atlanta Hard-wood Classic at North Atlanta (Boys)Dec. 2 at ArcherDec. 5 DaculaDec. 6 at Peachtree Ridge (Boys)Dec. 9 at CentralDec. 12 at SouthDec. 13 at BrookwoodDec. 26, 27, 29 GCSU Tournament at Milled-geville (Boys)Dec. 29-30 at Grayson Rams Classic (Girls)Jan. 6 BrookwoodJan. 9 at GraysonJan. 10 ParkviewJan. 13 BerkmarJan. 16 ArcherJan. 17 GraysonJan. 20 CentralJan. 23 SouthJan. 24 at DaculaJan. 29-31 at Monteverde Academy Invitational in Orlando, Fla. (Boys)Feb. 3 at ParkviewFeb. 6 at BerkmarFeb. 9-14 Region tourney

Shiloh’s Josh Okogie

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BOYSCOACH: Jamal Basit2013-14 RECORD: 9-16RETURNING REGULARS:Roberto Gallinatt, 6-3, Sr.Josh McKeever, 6-1, Sr.Xavier Johnson, 6-4, Jr.Dallas Jackson, 6-2, Sr.Aaron Udell, 6-1, Sr.Chris Bennett, 6-0, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:D’onte Torrence, 6-1, Soph.OUTLOOK: The Comets certainly won’t be lacking in experience, with five seniors among their top six returning players.Chief among that group is last season’s leading scorer and rebounder in Roberto Gallinatt, who finished the season ranked eighth in Gwinnett in scoring at 17 points per game.He leads a group of seasoned senior guards that also in-cludes Josh McKeever, Aaron Udell and Chris Bennett.Add in promising sophomore D’onte Torrence and it’s not difficult to see where the Comets’ strength will lie this season.The biggest question mark may be whether South will be able to find enough strength and size in the paint to be able to deal with some of the more powerful front-

courts in Region 8-AAAAAA.WORTH NOTING: Just a matter of a few points could’ve made a major difference in the South’s season a year ago.The Comets dropped three region games by a combined eight points. Wins in those games could’ve pushed them to as high as a No. 4 seed in the region tourna-ment, which might have changed their draw in the tournament dramatically.On the other hand, South also won three region games by five points or less, so being able to close out close games late will likely be an area of focus this season.

GIRLSCOACH: Kidada Holtzclaw2013-14 RECORD: 16-12RETURNING REGULARS:Arielle Harvey, 6-0, Sr.Taylor Harris, 5-10, Sr.Asheika Alexander, 5-10, Jr.Alexis Lewis, 6-1, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Essence Jordan, 5-7, Jr.Xian Lopez, 5-11, Fr.Emani Walker, 5-6, Fr.OUTLOOK: After making it back to the state tournament in 2013-14 following a one-year hiatus, the Comets look to take a step even further this season.

And foes like defending state runner-up Archer and peren-nial powerhouse Parkview make Region 8-AAAAAA a tough battle each night.While having four returning starters, including seniors Arielle Harvey and Taylor Harris, is definitely important.However, the most important asset South may have this year that it didn’t have is added depth, with a talented young group that includes sophomore Alexis Lewis and freshmen Xian Lopez and Emani Walker.The Comets also will get a boost from some additional size to battle on the boards, with no fewer than five play-ers standing 5-foot-10 or taller.WORTH NOTING: The schedule is an ambitious one for both the Comets boys and girls teams, but particularly for the girls.In addition to the usual chal-lenging Region 8-AAAAAA slate, South also opens the season with three games in the Hilton Tip-Off Classic, taking on perennial state powerhouses Wesleyan and Milton, as well as 2013-14 Class A (Private) state tour-nament participant Greenfor-est Christian.

south gwinnett

COMETSRegion 8-AAAAAA

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 19 vs. Wesleyan in Hilton Tip-Off Classic at Norcross (Girls)Nov. 20 vs. Milton in Hilton Tip-Off Classic at Norcross (Girls)Nov. 22 vs. Greenforest Christian in Tip-Off Classic at Norcross (Girls)Nov. 28 Lou Williams Thanksgiving Classic at South: Girls vs. Lakeside-DeKalb; Boys vs. Carver-AtlantaNov. 29 Lou Williams Thanksgiving Classic: Girls vs. Clarkston; Boys vs. TowersDec. 2 at ParkviewDec. 5 BerkmarDec. 9 at DaculaDec. 12 ShilohDec. 13 ArcherDec. 19 at AlcovyDec. 20 at Pope (Boys)Dec. 29-31 Indian Classic at Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. Jan. 6 Central GwinnettJan. 9 at Fellowship Chris-tian (Boys)Jan. 10 at BrookwoodJan. 13 GraysonJan. 16 ParkviewJan. 17 at South Forsyth (Boys)Jan. 20 DaculaJan. 23 at ShilohJan. 24 at BerkmarJan. 27 at ArcherJan. 30 at CentralFeb. 3 BrookwoodFeb. 6 at Grayson

South Gwinnett’s Aaron Udell

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wesleyan

WOLVESRegion 6-AA

BOYSCOACH: Ryan Hodges2013-2014 RECORD: 5-20RETURNING REGULARS:Reggie Bynum, 5-9, Sr.Jaylen Clarke, 6-0, Sr.Christian Scott, 6-2, Sr.OTHERS TO WATCH:Brennan McDaniel, 6-5, Soph.Jason Morrison, 6-4, Jr.Harrison Cook, 5-11, Soph.Banks Ramsey, 6-4, Fr.Cedric Lynch, 6-2, Jr.OUTLOOK: Coach Ryan Hodges is trying to rebuild the Wesleyan boys program and the job wasn’t made easier when Brian Coffey and Charlie O’Briant – starters as freshmen — transferred to Greater Atlanta Christian. Coffey led the team in scoring while averaging 12 points and the 6-foot-6 O’Briant topped the rebounders at six per game. The Wolves do have three experienced seniors returning in Reggie Bynum, Jaylen Clarke and Christian Scott. Wesleyan, though, will again be outmanned in a region that features GAC, which has won four state titles in six years. The Wolves have struggled since mov-ing back up to Class AA as one of the smallest schools, winning just a total of 16 games in two seasons.WORTH NOTING: Wesleyan had made the state tournament 13 consecutive seasons before missing last year. … Hodges, in his third year, was an assistant at Marist for five years before coming

to Wesleyan. He had previously coached at Salem. … The Wolves will play a number of Class A teams in their non-region sched-ule, including Gwinnett opponents Providence Christian and Hebron Christian. … Wesleyan isn’t in ei-ther a Christmas or a Thanksgiving tournament.FAST FACT: The Wolves won state titles in 2008 and 2010 under for-mer coach Skip Matherly. The first came in Class AA – led by future college standouts Trey Thompkins and Tanner Smith — and the sec-ond in Class A. Matherly was 139-

41 in six seasons before resigning and becoming coach at Pepperell.

GIRLSCOACH: Jan Azar2013-2014 RECORD: 27-4RETURNING REGULARS:Nikki McDonald, 6-0, Sr.Lauren Frerking, 6-0, Sr.Mikayla Coombs, 5-11, Soph.OTHERS TO WATCH:Cairo Booker, 5-4, Jr.Taylor Casey, 5-5, Jr.Riley Casey, 5-5, Jr.Natalie Armstrong, 6-2, Soph.Noni Thompkins, 6-3, Soph.Amaya Register, 5-2, Fr.Sutton West, 5-11, Fr.OUTLOOK: Wesleyan’s record-tying streak of state titles came to an end after six seasons when the Wolves suffered a 69-58 loss to unbeaten Kendrick in the championship game last March in Macon. Coach Jan Azar’s team appears capable of starting a new streak, but the move of defending Class A private school champ Holy Innocents’ to Class AA and into Region 6 makes for a harder road. Wesleyan had just two seniors a year ago, and is deep and talented as usual. Nikki McDonald and volleyball standout Lauren Frerking provide senior leadership and the Wolves have one of the top-rated sophomores in the nation in Mikayla Coombs, who has already been offered by the University of Connecticut. Coombs was sec-ond on the team in scoring as a

freshman at 11.8 points per game. McDonald, who has committed to Elon, led in scoring (14.2 per game) and rebounding (7.3). The Wolves also return speedy junior guard Cairo Booker, who averaged 6.7 points and nearly three assists per game a year ago, and should get a boost inside from 6-foot-2 sopho-more Natalie Armstrong, former star Anne Marie Armstrong’s sister. Noni Thompkins, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, will miss the first half of the season after knee surgery. Wesleyan lost just two seniors for last year’s team, but sophomore guard Devyn Lowe transferred to Woodstock.WORTH NOTING: The Wolves had won a record 34 consecutive state tournament games before the loss to Kendrick in the 2014 title game. … Hart County also won six straight state titles, doing so from 1989-1994. … Wesleyan has 10 state championships in the past 14 years, with three runners-up finishes and one quarterfinal loss. … The 10 championships ties Taylor County for the most by a girls program in state history. … Frerking, whose sister Katie plays basketball at Auburn, has commit-ted to Georgia Tech for volleyball.FAST FACT: Azar, who started Wesleyan’s girls basketball pro-gram in 1997, has a career record of 436-80 leading the Wolves. The only losing season was Wesleyan’s first and the Wolves have won less than 26 games just two other times.

2014-15 SCHEDULENov. 19 South at Norcross (girls)Nov. 21 at Riverside (boys)Nov. 22 Hillgrove at Parkview (girls), at Hebron (boys)Nov. 24 Mays at Parkview (girls)Nov. 25 Forest Park at Parkview (girls), Providence (boys)Dec. 2 Hebron (boys)Dec. 5 at HapevilleDec. 9 KIPPDec. 12 at Buford (girls)Dec. 13 at Gainesville (girls) at BEST (boys)Dec. 19 at Woodward (girls), at Chestatee (boys)Dec. 20 Sparkman (Ala.) at Woodward (girls)Dec. 22 Athens Academy (boys)Dec. 29-31 WNC Classic in Asheville (girls)Jan. 3 LoganvilleJan. 6 GACJan. 8 LovettJan. 10 Holy Innocents’Jan. 13 at PaceJan. 16 HapevilleJan. 20 at KIPPJan. 24 Kell (girls), at Fellow-ship (boys)Jan. 27 at GACJan. 30 at LovettFeb. 3 at Holy Innocents’Feb. 6 Pace

Wesleyan’s Mikayla Coombs

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