GHSA, Girls Basketball, Player Feature

Adversity can’t hold back Sequoyah’s Alyssa Cagle

There have been two aspects synonymous with Sequoyah Lady Chiefs basketball over the past three, now going on four years; wins and Alyssa Cagle. It could be argued that winning and Alyssa Cagle could go hand-in-hand with each other, something that Coach Derrick DeWitt would not argue.

“She is definitely an anchor; an insurance policy and she exemplifies what Sequoyah basketball is all about,” said DeWitt of Cagle of who is first in her class and on pace to become valedictorian of the 2018 Sequoyah graduating class.

While Cagle has strived both on the hardwood and in the classroom over her first three years, it has not come without adversity.

“The first week in January I broke my nose in a game against Harrison,” explained Cagle. “I had surgery a couple days later and then I came back from the surgery about a week later and wore a mask. Then my second game back, I tore my ACL on January 21st against Cherokee.”

The Lady Chiefs would lose to rival Cherokee 52-49 and see a 14-5 start to the year finish 5-5 over the last 10 games of the season including a three-game losing streak capped by a 59-51 loss in the first round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs at Winder-Barrow while Cagle was forced to watch from the sidelines with her team-best 12.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game unable to make a difference.

“I was MVP of my team, so me going down was a huge thing for my team. I’ve always been that kind of person that leads by example so it was hard to provide that guidance for the team, whatever they needed, when I couldn’t physically be on the court,” said Cagle of how difficult it was to watch a promising season derail by injuries. “It was just hard watching them. It just kind of hits home.”

One day after surgery

It was also especially tough for DeWitt, who has helped groom Cagle from Day 1 when he thrusted her into a starting role and has seen her blossom into one of the best pound-for-pound point guards in Georgia.

“As a supporter and a believer of her talent as a fan, I was just sad to see her go down late in the year like that,” said DeWitt. “I was sad for her because when she broke her nose, she wanted to stay in the game and she was like ‘no, I’m finishing this game’ and I was like you can’t, your nose is bent. She’s just a warrior, she doesn’t want anything to get in her way. She doesn’t want to let her teammates down. She is very motivated to get to the next level.”

A first-round loss for Cagle’s Lady Chiefs was a first in three years. As a freshman, Cagle helped Sequoyah to an Elite Eight berth where they lost on a buzzer beater to Stephenson, 55-53, a game in which Cagle dropped in 12 points and five assists. In 2015-16 as a sophomore, the Lady Chiefs took a step further and advanced to the Final Four where they ran out of energy and fell to Southwest DeKalb 55-47. Both Stephenson and Southwest DeKalb went on to win the state championship after clearing the Sequoyah hurdle.

Culture Changer

Since Cagle has joined the Sequoyah varsity roster, the Lady Chiefs are 71-21. She has been on the forefront along with Coach DeWitt of the renaissance of Sequoyah basketball, a girls program which won the state title in Georgia’s largest classification back in 1994 & 1996.

With still a final year of eligibility remaining, Cagle hasn’t wasted anytime in getting her body ready to be able to write the final chapter of her storied career.

“Typically, with any ACL injury, it’s going to take you a full-year to be where you were before you had the injury. Right now, I’m four months post-surgery. I couldn’t be doing anymore to prepare for the season. I’m going to come back at nine months, which a lot of people do,” told Cagle of her daily progress.

“To prepare for that, I work out about five to six days a week with a trainer in Sandy Springs, at a place called Exercise Bioenergetics. It’s a huge two and a half hour full-body work out. I’ll probably do this for the next year until I go off to college, even after I begin playing again.”

Cagle will begin practicing again in September, but won’t be at full speed until the nine-month mark.

16 weeks after surgery
Silver Linings

Once Cagle returns to the floor, she will be surrounded by familiar faces as Sequoyah graduates just one senior from their 19-10 roster. With the Lady Chiefs’ primary ballhandler on the sidelines for the final 10 games of the season, it gave the rest of the team a chance to step up and benefit from their newfound roles.

“I think my absence is going to better us in the long run. For the past three years, I have been the sole ballhandler. There are no other ballhandlers on our team. So without me, a lot of the girls have stepped up, which next year that will definitely pay off because we will have more ballhandlers with more experience being alone without me out there. Whenever I return, hopefully we’ll be a better team than we were last year.”

Next Level

As the days get shorter and shorter until Cagle’s return to the floor for her senior season, as does her time to pick up scholarship offers and decide what to do with her life after her time in Hickory Flat is complete.

“It’s been difficult now that I hurt my knee. A lot of coaches want to see me play again, but the schools I am talking to right now are Wofford, Jacksonville State, Stony Brook, Stetson, Samford, Georgia College, and Georgia State.

“I’m interested in anywhere,” continued Cagle. “I definitely want to play basketball in college.”

On June 15, Georgia College offered Cagle a full-ride.

With an immaculate academic background, a strong work ethic and desire to be the best, DeWitt believes Cagle will find the right fit in college.

“If you want a floor general, someone who knows the situation, knows how to call the right play, how to finish late in the shot clock, how to find the hot hand, a player who doesn’t get tired, that’s a student of the game and is a quality character; she’s not a gamble on any level,” expressed DeWitt. “She can thrive in Division II or Division I, she’s all about her academics and athletics and she’s focused on having basketball be her gateway.

“Being probably our valedictorian, she’s going to have the run of the mill as far as what school she wants to attend. Is she a gamble? No. She’s very coachable. She’ll do what’s best for the team, she’s selfless and she’s a leader by example.”

GHSA, Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Johns Creek Girls Team Camp Day 2

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

I had the pleasure of visiting Johns Creek High School for the second day of their team camp. I got a look at some of the teams that I missed out on yesterday, including the host team, North Gwinnett, Alpharetta, and Brookwood, who made their first appearance at the camp.

Alpharetta was matched up with the Buford Wolves, who I profiled yesterday, in their first game of the afternoon. Losing only one senior and coming off of a 17-8 overall record last year, the Raiders will be young but confident in the upcoming GHSA season. From what I saw Thursday, they’ll rely heavily on the three-headed monster of Juju and Gogo Maduka, and Kendall Phillips. The Maduka sisters, both long and lanky with incredible reach, are rising seniors, while Phillips, who has no shortage of length herself, will be a junior. Juju, on several occasions, grabbed boards that seemed out of reach and put them back up for easy scores. Gogo exercised more of her mid-range game both vs Buford and Brookwood. She took a couple of nice pullups, able to rise up over smaller defenders. Coach David Walden certainly has some players with potential to work with.

Brookwood is adapting to life after N’dea Jones as the standout forward transitions to Texas A&M to further her basketball career. Kiera Adams played some point/forward for the Broncos in their matchup with Alpharetta. Obviously the most aggressive player on the floor for Brookwood, Adams will be a rising junior looking to attack the basket and get to the line. Malia Grace and Hannah Farr are two sophomore posts who are pretty good at finishing around the rim. Grace at 6’1” got her hands on a ton of rebounds and when she wasn’t able to put a shot up, kicked it back out for an extra possession. I’m interested to see how the Broncos adjust to their new lineup.

Despite only seeing six wins last year, Head Coach Amanda Heil and North Gwinnett are optimistic about the process of getting better. Sydnee Jackson brought high energy for the Bulldogs, attacking and handling the ball very well. North was without Alanni Brown, daughter of NBA star Dee Brown, and sister of Lexie Brown, the Duke guard who helped build the program up before graduating in 2013. With quite a few young players, Coach Heil is focused on getting the program back to where it was just a few years ago.

Johns Creek’s Markeima Lancaster, a 5’8” SF, could not be stopped in the Gladiators matchup with North Gwinnett. Johns Creek ran a four-out, one-in offense that put Lancaster in the best position for her to succeed. Markeilla Lancaster, Markeima’s sister, also performed well. A post presence and vocal leader for the Gladiators, Markeilla cleaned up any offensive boards and hit a few short jumpers. Coach Kirk Call will look to make some noise in 6A Region 7.

Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Johns Creek Girls Team Camp

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Johns Creek hosted a camp Wednesday afternoon in which seven other teams including Buford, Northview, Alpharetta, and Lambert all participated. The camp was strictly held for the purpose of getting reps according to Johns Creek Head Coach Kirk Call. For that reason, scores were not kept and the scrimmages consisted of each team getting 10-minute segments of offense, half-court only.

In my most anticipated matchup of the afternoon, the Buford Wolves and Northview Titans were pitted against each other in a battle of 27+ win teams. The two juggernauts definitely came to play. Northview started with their 10-minute offensive stint first. The Titans had it going early, executing effectively and getting quality possessions. The starting five has a tangible chemistry about them that is a joy to watch. The group is led by senior guard Megan Cistulli, who showed proved to be the vocal presence on the court.

Ashlee Austin

Northview has a solid tandem of 2019 prospects on their hands as well. Ashlee Austin, fresh off her first D1 offer from Ole Miss, shot the ball especially well from deep on Wednesday. Offensive rebounds were there for the 6’1 PF as well as she looks to build on her game.

Maya Richards

Maya Richards, Austin’s fellow junior post presence, also had a strong outing. Richards, the bigger and stronger of the two, had her way with just about anyone in her vicinity. A killer drop step got her to the bucket more times than not.

Rounding out the Titan starting five were Asjah Inniss, an aggressive PG who had about as many assists and as she had threes (and she hit several). Another young guard, Eden Sample, found her stroke from deep as well.

Buford was without its star player Tory Ozment who was out for precautionary reasons, but Coach Gene Durden wasn’t worried about her absence at all. Said Durden, “We know what Tory can do…we want to see about some of the others.”

The others certainly showed what they were made of against a very solid Northview team. A player that I was personally impressed with was young Tate Walters, the Wolves’ sophomore point guard. For the most part, Buford ran a drive and kick offense and on several occasions, Coach Durden had them spread the floor so that Walters could go to work. She did just that, and on several defenders. Her ability to break down defenders and get to the cup was phenomenal. At 5’7” Walters has the vision to see open teammates who drop to the block after she penetrates. It’ll be exciting to see how she progresses in the Buford girls basketball program.

Rising senior Jessica Nelson had the task of guarding Northview’s talented post players. She put as much presence on them as they put on her. Nelson arguably had the best post moves I saw all day.

The Lambert Longhorns looked good coming off of a 26-3 season. The Longhorns were one of the few teams to get up and down the court in their scrimmage with Northview. Senior posts Sidney Chase and Jaleah Greene were a fun duo to watch take on the Northview Titans. M.E. Craven, a long SF, had quite a few nice finishes at the rim to help the Longhorns’ scoring.

Coach David Walden of Alpharetta and Coach Amanda Heil of North Gwinnett brought their respective teams to Johns Creek for some summer work. Both fairly young teams got up and down the floor in hopes of getting some good reps. Coach Heil is entering her first year as the head coach of the Bulldogs, replacing Bryan Sellers who she had previously been an assistant coach for.

Analysis, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Georgia Tech camp Team Reviews Part 2

By Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14)

Gainesville

I was able to see the Gainesville squad at both Georgia State early on Friday and then at Georgia Tech on Saturday and Sunday. Although they were without KJ Buffen, the team was still impressive and showed why they were an Elite 8 team this past season. I loved the game of Xavier Bledson, a big guard with terrific passing ability. Bledson also absorbs contact easily when he drives inside, displayed confidence shooting from the outside this weekend, and plays with an edge about him.

To go along with Bledson, the Rosser twins (Jarred and Jarrel) really used their length and athleticism well on defense, in transition, and on the offensive glass. Bailey Minor is another key player for the Red Elephants. Minor provides toughness and a nice inside-out game for the team at the forward spot with good touch around the basket and a smooth shot from deep. When all 4 of these guys get going and fulfill their roles, Gainesville is a tough team to stop. Expect Gainesville to be a contender for a state championship once again with their surplus of versatile weapons.

North Atlanta

The Warriors only had 7 players available for most of Saturday but that did not stop them from being one of the most active and energetic teams at the camp. North Atlanta has gained a big-time addition in Messiah Thompson, who went to NAHS his freshmen year before transferring to Pebblebrook for his sophomore season. Thompson is a shifty guard with quick handles and solid overall scoring ability for his size. He also plays feisty defense and gets out in transition whenever possible; his pace set the tone for the North Atlanta team and the others followed suit.

The Warriors were missing one of their leading scorers from last season, Dominic Ham, but 2019’s Josh Johnson and Andrew Robinson stepped up in his absence. Johnson and Robinson have similar games on the wing for North Atlanta. They both have good athleticism and strength that they use to attack the basket and rebound for this under-sized Warriors team. Johnson may have an edge in scoring between the two right now, but they will both give nice boosts to this team because of their activity and toughness. It would help if a few other players emerge for the Warriors as most teams will try to key in on Thompson, who will be the go-to guy. It will be interesting to see how this team develops before the winter.

Holy Spirit Prep

The reigning GISA state champion came to GT without 3 main players and faced some of the bigger GHSA teams in attendance. Although it’s just summer league, HSP proved that they can hold their own against these teams, which some have doubted. The Cougars got a huge pickup with Anthony Edwards, a 2020 guard who is one of the leading scorers on the 16U UAA circuit. Edwards has good size at 6’5” and everything looks effortless for him on offense where he dominates opponents with an impressive combination of athleticism, power, and touch.

The Cougars have another stud in 2018 Kamani Johnson, a 6’8” forward who has been on the rise since coming to Georgia. Johnson displays a lot of versatility for his size; he can post-up effectively, slash from the wing, and push the ball himself in transition. If Johnson continues to develop as an outside shooter, it will be scary.

2019 guard Kye Jeremiah will also be a key contributor for HSP this year. Holy Spirit is trying to mold Jeremiah into a PG, which could be a good spot for him with his size and strength. If you combine Jeremiah’s attacking ability with more experience and instincts at the point position, he could be a very nice prospect. Pairing these 3 with George Maslennikov and Miles Wallace (both out this weekend) will form a core group that will spell trouble for any GISA team.

Dacula

Leading returning scorer Arusha Hunter was dominant for the Falcons throughout the weekend, as expected. Hunter had a full offensive skill-set on display at Tech, highlighted by his ability to draw contact on drives and get to the free-throw line at will. With one of their main guys in Mekhail Bethea being hampered by injury, other players also stepped up for the Falcons.

I was intrigued most by Quincy Ademokoya and Reggie Horton for Dacula. Ademokoya created some buzz by moving in from Illinois and showed he will be a nice piece on the team. After a rough game against North Atlanta on Saturday, Ademokoya responded with a strong game on Sunday. At 6’6”, he hit multiple corner 3’s and used his length to rebound and slash from the wing for finishes at the basket. Horton may lack size but the guard was not afraid to go inside amongst bigger players. Horton exhibited some very impressive athleticism when he attacked by elevating, hanging, and adjusting for difficult layups multiple times. Dacula has firepower on the perimeter that will be a problem for opponents this upcoming season.

Tri-Cities

The Bulldogs have 3 players with excellent scoring ability in Damarcus Johnson, Eli Lawrence, and Jonathan Young. Johnson runs the point for TC and while he is lethal from outside, he also knows when to mix it up inside to create for himself and his teammates. Lawrence has good size on the wing for the Bulldogs and is efficient with his scoring opportunities. The smooth lefty has a quick release off the catch and also utilizes mid-range shots off the bounce where he elevates for easy looks.

Young is a new member of the team and caught the attention of many during the weekend with his play. Young comes in to form a dangerous backcourt duo alongside Johnson, he has good shooting ability and showed that he can put it on the floor and penetrate as well.

Zach Morgan is another player to keep an eye on for the Bulldogs team. Morgan is a forward with a strong, athletic frame that provides toughness and rebounding for TC. He also was not afraid to put the ball on the deck himself and if he can become another viable scoring option for the team, that would be huge. With their current weapons, Tri-Cities will not have any problem putting up points this season.

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