GHSA, Girls Basketball

Fulton County Media Day (Girls)

Complete Video: http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/northview-high-school-johns-creek-ga/26883f8408

Cambridge
Head Coach: Lesley Broadwell
2015-16: 10-17 

Does winning a state championship in softball carry momentum over into basketball season: “Absolutely winning breeds winning. Audrey [Smith] was part of that softball team. We are cheering for all the teams at Cambridge and there has been some success in the Fall and are looking to keep moving forward in that direction.”

 

Creekside
Head Coach: Rontashala Williams
2015-16: 5-18

On playing in a difficult region: “I told them someone told me that we were picked to win the region this year so they are so psyched and hyped up, they really don’t know who’s on the other teams. They are just so excited.”

On freshman Sitra Newton: “I’m expecting great things out of her. She still has a lot of things she needs to build on, grown on, but she’s a leader already as a freshman and I’m excited to see her on the court and get in and help lead this team.”

 

Westlake
Head Coach: Hilda Hankerson
2015-16: 25-6 

Is a young Westlake team ready to live up to expectations as Preseason No. 5: “I really think they are especially in their heart. In their heart they are ready. Sometimes that doesn’t always manifest on the floor but sometimes it does. Since they are so young, I will find out real soon. I do believe that they are. We had a real good summer.”


Centennial
Head Coach: John Domville
2015-16: 12-17

What did your team learn from last year’s state playoff berth: “I think the biggest thing was getting those extra practices. I don’t think a lot of people expected us to go to state, we ended that game on a 17-0 run. That was a North Forsyth team that was kind of a skeleton in our closet so to speak. To tell you, those Forsyth schools were always tough for Centennial to beat. And playing a team like Norcross at Norcross, for them to see that environment and again to set the expectations that this is where we are supposed to be.”

 

Chattahoochee
Head Coach: Haaris Quraishy
2015-16: 12-17

On Alayna Ford, Sienna Gore and Marissa Gore: “Alayna has really worked on her game over the offseason. She had a good summer on the AAU circuit and really expanded her game to be able to go inside and outside. Sienna is a little bit of a throwback in the sense that she doesn’t play AAU, she’s in the gym all of the time. Her and her sister are together literally all of the time. They are great kids, they work hard and they are fun to coach.”

 

Johns Creek
Head Coach: Kirk Call
2015-16: 6-19

How to recreate the success he had at Parkview: “It’s very challenging. I’ll be the first to tell you we had a lot of great players at Parkview. The best thing about that group is they bought in. They played for each other. I’m a big proponent of that if you care more about the person next to you than yourself you’re going to be successful. Step 1 to getting that process done is understanding the fact that I’m not out here for myself, I’m out here for my teammates and as long as I’m focused on doing something for my teammate and making everyone else better, that comes back around and works for me when they are creating a play for me.”

 

Alpharetta
Head Coach: David Walden
2015-16: 7-18

What to expect from sophomore Croix Bethune: “I’m looking at her and [Gogo and Juju Maduka] as leaders for our younger kids and for the kids who had little experience last year. I’m hoping with some of the players we got coming up that we can take some of the pressure off her as well from last year, scoring-wise and sometimes ball handling-wise as well. Really for her, the plan is for her to lead by example.”

Croix Bethune

What did you learn your freshman year that you can use going forward: “Really working hard, but not going overboard and to save some of my energy. The seniors that just graduated, having them to help me last season and having these players to help me.”

 

North Springs
Head Coach: Tonique Frasier
2015-16: 11-10 

On this year’s game plan: “Our game plan is to go out and play their basketball that I teach the girls every night from fundamental basics to executing. That’s basically our game plan.”

 

Northview
Head Coach: Chris Yarbrough
2015-16: 16-13 

Is the team ready to handle the pressure of being ranked No. 10 in the state: “One of the things I stress to them with all the accolades; it’s still just on paper. We haven’t played a game yet. Preseason rankings don’t count, they don’t get us anywhere so we need to make sure that we can rise to expectations that people are setting for us. I think we snuck up on people the last couple of years with the way we played but now we have to embrace the target. People are going to be coming after us night in and night out and we have to rise to that level each night.”

Ashlee Austin: “There’s a lot of new stuff: new region, new players but we are going to just keep playing our game and do what we can do.”

Shannon Titus: “We need to just have fun. I think when we are too hard on ourselves we make more mistakes and when we have fun we share the ball; we will be just fine and play our game.”

Maya Richards: “I think a lot of pressure, you can get wrapped up in the pressure so easily that when you’re actually playing, you just have to play basketball and not worry about your parents or school, you got to worry about playing the game and enjoy it.”

What changes in Year 2 after a successful freshman season:

Austin: “A lot more is expected of us this year now that we are older, we’ve had a season playing with them. A lot more is expected of us to contribute to the team and become those kinds of leaders that can lead everybody and create stuff for each other.”

Richards: “I think we’ve both improved from last year and we played AAU together so I think AAU has really helped us. AAU plus summer basketball, we’ve grown as people and players.”

On Shannon Titus’ role one the team and goal for her senior season:

Titus: “I think I just need to give it everything I have both offensively and defensively. I set a record [steals] but I can keep setting records and beat my own record. I guess I’m pretty hard on the younger players just to get them in track because they can goof off a little bit, just to help them and guide them on the right path.”

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Fulton County Media Day (Boys)

Complete Video: http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/northview-high-school-johns-creek-ga/26883f8408


Northview
Head Coach: Steven Bombard
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 8-18

Expectations for the season: “We are pretty excited about this season. We have a really good group of guys returning with varsity experience from last year. We’ve got potentially five guys that were not on last year’s varsity roster that will be on this year’s varsity roster highlighted by Justin Brown, who has some D-I looks already. So we are really excited about the possibilities of what the season can be for us.”

On Justin Brown’s return: “You can see a big difference just in practice. He is one of the most vocal players on the court and it’s a big difference from where he was two years ago when he was just a freshman and was kind of just feeling things out.”

Justin Brown

Back at Northview and ready to be a leader his junior season: “I think coming back here my junior year at Northview, I think we will have a pretty good team and I’m ready to be a leader and just lead my teammates to have a winning season. Coming back from Milton, we had a pretty strong team but I think this year my family and I thought it would be best to come back here where I’m comfortable.”

Alpharetta
Head Coach: Jason Dasigner
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 11-18

On the dirty work that Garrett Davis does: “There’s a reason why Garrett is sitting at this table right now because he’s everything we want our team to be. I didn’t really know what I was getting with Garrett until I saw him battle with a 6-7 guy in the fall league [FGCU-commit Brian Thomas] without me having to prompt him. He brings toughness, he brings defensive rebounding and offensive rebounding. We may not run a lot of set plays for Garrett, but he could average 8 to 10 points per game by just doing the little stuff.”

What type of dynamic Alpharetta’s football players will bring once they get on the court: “In the fall league they looked decent at times and at times not so decent. I think that our football guys will bring some toughness and a little more athleticism. But I’m interested to see how they respond. They’ve been playing football, they haven’t been with us. We’ve been trying to build this community and these guys get after it every single day in practice. We’re hoping those football guys bring a little beef to the table and some athleticism, but if they don’t fall in line with what we are trying to create, then they are going to be kind of on the outside looking in.”

 

Chattahoochee
Head Coach: Kacey Martin
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 12-14

Where 6-foot-5 sophomore post Grant Van Beveren fits in this year: “Grant is young, he’s a sophomore. But he’s got some height on him and he’s very patient in the post. You get a lot of post players that get the ball and they try and do things too fast. I think that’s that old school mentality that you were talking about. He’s going to catch it, kind of feel where the defense is and decide what move he is going to make and he’s got really good instincts in the post.”

 

Tri-Cities
Head Coach: Omari Forts
Region 5-AAAAAA
2015-16: 10-14

On playing in a tough deep region: “I think the four teams that advance out of our region will have an opportunity to make a lot of noise in the playoffs. But we try and get them to focus on the process. Focus on us internally. Focus on the process and not worry so much about things down the road that you can’t totally control.”

What style of play they look to implement: “Guys that have coached and played against us the last few years will tell you we run the Triangle Offense. We put a lot of defensive focus. If I said there’s one thing we hang our hat on is half court basketball, being able to execute in the half court sets because when you get to the playoffs a lot of teams are going to force you to play half court basketball.”

 

Creekside
Head Coach: Gregory Freeman
Region 5-AAAAAA
2015-16: 12-14

Outlook for the season: “We have a young team as far as varsity playing experience but we have some older guys. We are a team made up of a lot of juniors sprinkled in with a couple seniors. We are really just trying to gel at this point. We hope the way we practice translates to how we play…We have one rising junior named Tyson Jackson who is one of the top 10 players in the Class of 2018. What I like about the makeup of our team, is they feel like they have a lot to prove.”

 

Langston Hughes
Head Coach: Rory Welsh
Region 5-AAAAAA
2015-16: 11-14

Are the Panthers ready to live up to high expectations, entering the year ranked No. 3: “To be honest, I do. This crew has a lot of experience. When they were 10th graders, we won 21 games. We finished up as a three-seed in the toughest region in the state which was Region 3-AAAAAA. Last year we kind of dipped off a little bit for a variety of reasons. We lost seven games last year by three points or less so we had a tough time closing out some of those really really close games. I think it was a big learning experience for all of us, as coaches and as players.”

Lander Nolley II

What’s different from the Chicago game and the Atlanta game: “The speed is definitely different. The style, how the game flows, it’s all different from Georgia. I just have to make that adjustment to fit in…There’s definitely a lot more running; it’s faster [in Illinois].”

Khalil Cuffee

How to go out with a bang and win a state title his senior year along with Derrick Cook: “We just got to work hard. Bring that to practice every day. Don’t take any team lightly and just come out to win every night.”

 

Roswell
Head Coach: Ty Phillips
Region 4-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 10-16

 

Important football players that will join the basketball team later in the year: “The one kid we do expect to get with our varsity is Jayden Comma. He just gave his verbal to Maryland as a 6-3 receiver. He’s a great kid that’s been in our program since the sixth grade when he started Jr. Hornet basketball. He is just a great athlete. When he gets done with [football] practice, just the other day he came in the gym and was hanging out on the side and watching. Afterwards he was joking with the guys, part of that chemistry. One of the great things for us is when you have a really successful football program, it builds such a great school vibe and spirit and we just want to take that energy and that passion and that pride from being from Roswell and continue it into basketball season.”

 

Westlake
Head Coach: Darron Rogers
Region 2-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 27-4

Is the team ready to compete in the toughest region in GHSA history:

Chuma Okeke: “I’m really looking forward to it. There’s a lot of competition with a lot of transfers coming in. I think this year we are coming in as the underdog really just because we had some graduate. I think we are going to step up to what we have to do and I think we are going to win another championship.”

Jamie Lewis: “Same thing. We lost some valuable players from last year so this year we are really going to have to step up. I’m looking forward to it because it will improve our games individually and as a team.”

Danny Lewis: “We’ve been working really hard every day and we’ve really been buying in and we hope to see it pay off.”

Do you feel disrespected opening the season ranked No. 3 in the state behind two teams within your own region:

Danny: “Not really. We just need to prove it on the court.”

 

Banneker
Head Coach: Earlando Courtney
Region 6-AAAAA
2015-16: 5-21

On freshman Sean Hazel playing varsity: “The first practice, we brought him in and he secretly reminds me of Tim Duncan. His mannerisms and facial expression won’t change at all. Whether he blocks a shot or gets his shot blocked, makes a mistake or makes a great play, it is the exact same thing. So that level of calmness and maturity – even when he makes a mistake he doesn’t get down on himself or even if he does something great he doesn’t get overhyped – that and us being deficient in size and him being 6-foot-3, I was like ok, I needed him probably more than he needed me to tell you the truth.”

 

Centennial
Head Coach: Lorenzo Withrite
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 14-13

Jay Hothersall

On a playing well in a new region: “It’s wide open. There’s a lot of new teams. We played a couple of them over the fall and the summer. I think once we get the chemistry down, I think we have the talent.”

Craig Shannon

What is the key to the season: “Heart, just because we are probably going to be considered the underdog for most of the season. We just got to have heart, compete, hustle from tip off till the final seconds of the game.”

Cambridge
Head Coach: Chip Flemmer
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 6-20

Top areas of improvement: “We are going to work really on cutting down the number of points we are giving up each night. We got to get better on free throws and most importantly, we have to cut down on turnovers. We figured it out there were several games – probably eight to 12 games – that two or three possessions cost us, so the record didn’t look so pretty but it wasn’t like we were that far off from being a lot more successful.”

 

Johns Creek
Head Coach: Keenan Temple
Region 7-AAAAAA
2015-16: 24-5

On becoming a head coach again after multiple stops along the way: “I’ve been very fortunate because I coached in Indiana for 10 years then I came here and I coached with Eddie Martin and Scott Bracco, two future Hall of Famers. I’ve learned a lot about how to run a program. A lot about how to handle different situations.”

Coming off the best year in school history, how important is it to establish the program as a top dog in a new region: “It’s important for us and it’s going to play out. These kids have worked incredibly hard, this is probably one of the hardest working groups I’ve been around in years. We want to come out firing, ready to play. I think we are one of the top teams in the region but there’s a lot of talent in the region too. I think it’s a great chance for us, because I think our region games will prepare us for the state tournament and that’s our ultimate goal.”

What people can expect from sophomore guard Neil Ilenrey: “He is a 6-foot-1 linebacker point guard. He’s explosive. He can score form anywhere on the floor. The number one thing for anyone who doesn’t know him, he’s a great kid. He’s a teammate first. All the guys on the team love him. We love having him and he’s very coachable. He’s going to turn some heads.”

 

North Springs
Head Coach: Charles Parks
Region 6-AAAAA
2015-16: 6-18

How to rebuild the program and bring excitement like there was when Jon Burke played in 2010-11: “Just to try and mold these guys’ confidence. I think that’s something that we lack due to playing time together because they come from so many different places. New faces, new bodies and so forth. So just the confidence.”

 

Milton
Head Coach: Matt Kramer
Region 5-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 23-9

How to avoid ups and downs and to peak at the right time late in the season: “Our practices right now are better than they’ve been. That’s a product of me having been here for four years; this being my fourth year. When I got to Milton, we didn’t know how to practice. One of the reasons coaches that have been places for a long time that are having great success is because there’s a culture that has been built there and that culture sets the expectation for practice and sets the expectation for how kids are supposed to act on and off the floor. We’ve got all that right now. My expectation is that we will get better every day and when you’ve got great leadership like Alex [O’Connell], the culture has been set.”

On watching Alex O’Connell grow each year on and off the court: “It’s been amazing. The first time I ever walked in the building, I came from Ohio, I went to Milton the first day and I knew I had his brother Shawn and I’m looking down at the end of the hallway and I see big tall Shawn with the little skinny ninth grader and next to Shawn he looked more like a seventh grader. I knew I was coaching Shawn. I knew there was an Alex but I didn’t know anything about Alex. To see him grow from that skinny little ninth grader to a skinny 12th grader who’s now 6-foot-6, who can do the things he can do on the floor, it’s been something I will probably never see again. There was no way to project Alex being at Duke. That’s a self-made kid right there.”

On Brady O’Connell: “He’s a point-forward. Visualize a Jalen Rose type from the old days. Left handed just like that and he’s as good a passer as you’ll ever see. He sees the floor really well.”

Alex O’Connell

On how younger brother Brady’s game compares to his: “We are definitely similar size, length. He’s probably the same height as me now but he’s sort of a different player. He’s not as aggressive downhill but he has really good court vision up the court and in half court situations. He’s a little bit of a different player. I would say he’s leaning more towards being a combo guard.”

Christian Wright

How would you describe your game: “I’m a big strong guard. I like to get the ball going down the court. I lock up; I play good defense and I can shoot the ball. I play downhill the whole game.”

 

Game Stories, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Gainesville press frustrates Miller Grove

 

No. 2 Gainesville 84, No. 2 Miller Grove 65

It didn’t take long for the 2016-17 GHSA season to give us a doozy of a matchup, albeit still just a scrimmage. Class AAAAAA Preseason No. 2 Gainesville hosted Class AAAAA No. 2 Miller Grove as the Wolverines took to the floor for the first time without familiar face and seven-time state championship winning coach Sharman White leading since the program’s inaugural season in 2005.

The Miller Grove machine piloted by Rasul Chester looked like it was ready to keep clicking, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead against the hosting Red Elephants behind two Jalen Mason threes. Gainesville got off to an inauspicious start, Kajuan Hale blowing a wide open layup off the tip and struggling with turnovers, but the Elephants quickly put the slow start behind them and began to gain their footing thanks to their potent junior class.

Jarred Rosser got Gainesville on the board at the 5:33 mark and Bailey Minor chipped in the first of four three-pointers on the night to steady Gainesville. Miller Grove stifled the Elephants early, altering shots at the rim. 6-foot-7 junior Kevin Paige swatted away six shots on the night and pitched in a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. A bucket along the baseline gave the Wolverines a 16-7 lead at the 1:30 mark of the first quarter, Miller Grove humming along.

Things changed.

Gainesville ratcheted up the pressure with their full court press and saw Miller Grove start to breakdown. The Wolverines were hampered with early foul trouble, 10 to 2 in the first quarter and Gainesville capitalized, closing the quarter down 18-16.

The length between Jarred Rosser, Jarrel Rosser and KJ Buffen disrupted Miller Grove. The Elephants consistently trapped the first pass and continued to harass the Wolverine ball handlers in the half court as well. The end result was a 31-to-5 Gainesville run that swung into a 38-21 advantage.

Hale started to assault the basket with his quickness. He scored seven points from the line in the second quarter while Minor punished Miller Grove for leaving him open in the corners, dropping in 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first half.

As the turnovers forced by the Gainesville press and the fouls continued to pile up, the flustered Wolverines unraveled, picking up two technical.

Senior Tae Hardy, an explosive scorer who will be counted on to pour in points, was held scoreless by Hale and the rest of the Gainesville defense before his first hoop at 2:16 in the second quarter, Miller Grove down 43-25.

Giving the Wolverines a pulse was Lorenzo Anderson. The junior guard tossed in seven of his team-high 18 points in the first half.

Traditionally a strong three-point shooting team, Miller Grove’s only deep balls came in the first minutes of the game via Mason as the likes of Hardy and George Wilson struggled to find the range. Miller Grove limped into the half down 48-27, Hardy unable to connect on a tough lay-in at the buzzer.

But as any proud program goes, the Wolverines didn’t go down without a fight in the second half. Gainesville led 52-29 with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter before Paige sparked life into the Wolverines. The big man met Buffen at the rim and rejected a dunk attempt, igniting the fast break. Hardy turned it into an And-1 and missed the free throw, but that was all the microwave needed to will his team back into the game.

Hardy went off, scoring 12 of his team-high 18 points in the frame. The Wolverines chipped away with an 18-to-7 run to bring the game to 59-47 with 50 seconds left, but Austin Long banked in a straight away three and Miller Grove picked up their fourth technical of the game.

Brent Kelly followed up a Mike White miss at the buzzer and all of a sudden, a once narrow 12-point game was ballooned back up to 67-49 entering the fourth.

My Take:

It’s only logical for Miller Grove to be a little down this year, but even after tonight’s performance I don’t think the Wolverines are a team to overlook. Joshua Jackmon should return by January after tearing an ACL in the offseason. His leadership from the bench was apparent tonight. Miller Grove would have loved to have the senior out there on the court. But even without the defensive ace, they played aggressive pressure defense with their guards in the half court early on, but once fouls became a problem and Gainesville was able to dictate tempo with their full court defense, everything changed. Tae Hardy was kept in check with two points in the first half. He tried to put on his cape in the third quarter, but too many turnovers and emotions for the entire team deterred their comeback. Miller Grove has talented guards, but aside from Hardy, the simple fact is they haven’t played big time meaningful minutes at the varsity level. This was a good test for them against a strong Gainesville team. The talent is there, but it will take time for the Wolverines to put it together. The lack of a lead guard that could clear out and break the press all by himself hurt Miller Grove. I’m not sure whether or not that’s a lack of expertise ball handling or just great Gainesville length on defense. The two bright spots throughout the night for Miller Grove were juniors Lorenzo Anderson and Kevin Paige. Anderson did a very nice job in the open floor and was able to finish at the cup. He looks like a guy that could emerge. He came off the bench and took a ton of minutes away from sophomore Maurice Harvey who hardly saw the floor after starting. Not positive whether it was foul trouble, injury or just getting lost in the shuffle, but Harvey didn’t tally a single stat when he was on the floor. Paige is a guy that has gotten better every time I’ve seen him. He didn’t play a whole lot down the stretch during Miller Grove’s state title run last year. I got my first glimpse at him over the summer and he has come a long way. Not just a big space eater anymore, Paige showed a great motor flying in for rebounds and turning back six shots on defense. His double-double was a pleasant surprise. Miller Grove doesn’t really run any set plays for him and let him get the ball off the glass. If he develops some post moves, he could be an interesting piece come his senior year.

Well, well, well. Gainesville has all the pieces you want to be considered a serious state championship contender in Class AAAAAA. Five players cracked double figures with two more on the verge. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Bailey Minor is a college basketball player. I cannot fathom how teams let him drift to the corner unguarded for open threes. Not only did Minor can four deep balls, he showed a nice baby hook in the lane and collected seven rebounds and three blocks. KJ Buffen, Jarred Rosser and Jarrel Rosser are long glasses of water. Jarrel played atop Coach Benjie Wood’s press and made it nearly impossible for the Miller Grove guards to get past him when he would double team with Kajuan Hale and others. The Rossers and Buffen play above the rim. Buffen showed an all-around floor game with a couple smooth glides to the basket. He picked up six rebounds and five assists in the win. Hale had a shaky start to the game but he picked it up once Gainesville’s defense started to translate into offense. He’s a quick guard that has good court vision. He alongside Xavier Bledson will be sure to dish out some highlight dimes this season. Mike White came off the bench and played with a wrapped hand. Once he’s healthy, he brings another strong wing athlete that can shoot it. Definitely can’t forget about the play of Austin Long. The epitome of a role player, Long did good things when he was on the floor and hit a huge three to stymie Miller Grove’s third quarter push.

 

Top Performers

Gainesville
Bailey Minor – 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks
Kajuan Hale – 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Jarrel Rosser – 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
KJ Buffen – 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block
Jarred Rosser – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Xavier Bledson – 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals
Austin Long – 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Miller Grove
Tae Hardy – 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals
Lorenzo Anderson – 18 points, 6 rebounds
Kevin Paige – 11 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks
Jalen Mason – 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

SportsCallAU National Signing Day Auburn Tigers Breakdown

Audio

I was a guest on SportsCallAuburn.com, breaking down Bruce Pearl and Auburn’s recent success in plucking talent away from the state of Georgia. Both Chuma Okeke (Westlake) and Davion Mitchell (Liberty County) signed on the dotted line yesterday, joining the likes of Jared Harper (Pebblebrook), Anfernee McLemore (Worth County), TJ Dunans (MLK) and Bryce Brown (Tucker) who are establishing themselves as mainstays over on The Plains.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Cherokee County Media Day

Etowah High School hosted Cherokee County Media Day on Tuesday morning. The boys went first for an hour followed by the girls. Much to my chagrin, I was only able to stick around for the boys portion of the event before having to hustle over to the office. Here’s some news and notes from my homeland.

 

Woodstock

Head Coach: Kingston Clark
Region 4-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 14-15 

How to become a perennial state playoff team in their new region: “We’ve been working out and conditioning. It’s going to be a tough task. We don’t have Wheeler to worry about any more, thank God for that. Milton’s gone, but it’s wide open. One through six, anybody can come up and win the region.”

What the Class of 2017 means to the program: “We have a great group of seniors. Tyreke [Johnson] was First Team All-Region last year, so he actually has something to prove. Brant [Hurter] signed with Georgia Tech already with a baseball scholarship. Cam [Crowe] has had several people looking at him so he has several offers on the table. They have a lot to prove. First and foremost, the very first thing I talked to them about when I walked into Woodstock’s gymnasium, there were no banners on the wall for boys basketball. So that is the number one goal, that those guys want to leave that legacy so they can come back and have something hanging on that wall they can say they played a part of.”

 

Cherokee

Head Coach: Roger Kvam
Region 4-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 12-14 

On the importance of Phil Cirillo and the senior class: “Phil’s been on the varsity for three years so has Eli [Mayberry] and Jack Carroll, who’s been on for four years, so we have a lot of experience. Jack was on the team as a freshman and actually started. I count on all three of those guys for leadership. Phil is very talented, he can do a lot of different things and play a lot of different positions. We kind of use him like a Queen in chess to do a lot of different things. I feel like we underachieved last year. We were not good on defense and we were kind of selfish on offense and I think we addressed that this summer a little bit.”

 

Etowah

Head Coach: Allen Whitehart
Region 4-AAAAAAA
2015-16: 14-14 

How to shape a new winning culture at Etowah: “First and foremost we came in with hard work immediately in the weight room. Most of the kids haven’t really lifted before. I feel like if you can go in there and push through barriers and kind of get a little strain going you can find out about yourself and that translates right over to the floor. We talked about everything being first class. You’ve got to look the part as well as be the part. I was fortunate enough while I was at Buford High School to be around phenomenal coaches: Gene Durden, Jess Simpson, Tony Wolfe and took a little bit from them. I was smart enough to steal a little bit and take some of that with me.”

On Kam Hickey: “He is going to be playing a 3/4 position for us. He’s going to be really counted on to be a mismatch for us for what we do offensively.”

On Lewis Simonson: “He did not play last year but he is going to be counted on as one of our leaders and someone who can knock down shots.”

On Julian Baldwin & Adrian Cohen: “Julian has a chance to have a great year. We really worked hard with his consistency, getting him stronger. His understanding of the game has really come around a lot. I feel like if he continues to improve at the rate he’s improving he will have a chance to have a phenomenal year. Another kid with a chance for a breakout year is Adrian Cohen. Adrian had a phenomenal fall and phenomenal summer on the [AAU] circuit. Again, consistency is something we are preaching with him as well. He has games when he looks like a really high level player. If those four can have consistency, they can really help us go.”

 

Sequoyah

Head Coach: Allen Carden
Region 6-AAAAAA
2015-16: 20-9 

How to build an identity with a young and inexperienced group: “We’ve talked about that from Day 1 in the weight room – our culture is going to be hard work. We are going to identify with being a strong defensive team. We are going to play smart fundamental basketball. We are going to act the right way and do the right things. As much as I talk about defensive rebounding, everybody knows you still have to put the ball in the hole so you’ve got to be strong skill-wise. But identity, we are always going to hang our hat on playing defense.”

 

Creekview

Head Coach: Casey Gramling
Region 6-AAAAAA
2015-16: 16-10 

How to become a state playoff team year-in and year-out: “That’s the million dollar question. Of course we want to be there and we do have some good pieces this year and we are trying to make a couple culture changes. One of the things we did was my team didn’t participate in a fall league this year. Now the kids are playing 100 games a year and those 25 games they play for their school just represented other games. We are trying to bring it back to where when they put on a Creekview uniform it means something to them.”

On the continuing emergence of KJ Jenkins: “KJ is a junior point guard, incredibly talented. He will be a third-year varsity player and he’s always had that mentality since he was a younger kid on the team. We are working on with him building that leadership role because this is his team and he’s the point guard. It’s a work in progress and he is doing really well in his new role. The kid can score, he’s smooth. He’s got a great shot, he can defend. We’ve had more college coaches in my gym in the last two months than we’ve had in my last two years I’ve been here. They are coming to watch KJ, they are coming to watch Chandler [Wright] and Weber [Sandlin].”

 

River Ridge

Head Coach: Ben Farist
Region 6-AAAAAA
2015-16: 8-18 

How to be patient with a young program and find a way to establish itself in a tough region: “I think a lot of it is not only now what we are doing, but investing in our junior program and realizing that they are the future of what we have but coaching who we have now. We aren’t getting any transfers in or anything crazy like that. So control what we can control. Working hard in the weight room to build athletes that we have currently in our program and making the offense more conducive to what we are good at.”

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