GHSA Basketball

HoopSeen Atlanta Jam Takeaways P. 1

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Talent from across the southeast arrived in Fulton and Gwinnett County to showcase their skills, but of course I had my eyes on current and future GHSA standouts. I tried to stay cognizant of all the Georgia talent in the tournament while still doing my duty of covering the entire event. I managed to takeaway a few things from this weekend’s Atlanta Jam.

Metro Atlanta is in Good Hands

The 17U Atlanta All-Stars won the 17U Black Division Championship and has a talented roster led by head coach Ben Miller. Miller stays on his guys and puts them in the best position to succeed. Last year’s roster featured the likes of Cameron Cox (Navy), Connor Mannion (Navy), Patrick Zeck (Gardner-Webb), Zack Kaminsky (Penn), Ross Morkem (North Georgia), Devon Brewer (Alcorn State) and Kerney Lane, who is expected to make a college decision soon.

This year’s team is loaded with familiar names: Evan Cole (South Forsyth), Chapin Rierson (Calhoun), Javon Greene (Henry County), Damion Rosser (Henry County), William Tate (Henry County), Charlie O’Briant (GAC), Colby Leifson (North Gwinnett), Will Crumly (North Cobb Christian) and Seth Brown (Henry County).

The quartet of Henry County players has a chance to make some major noise in Region 4-AAAA next season. Coach Vincent Rosser is sitting on a goldmine. After a 15-11 season in a brutal region that was terrorized by Jonesboro, the Cardinals are now in AAAAAA. Key guards Javon Greene and Damion Rosser return as an electrifying duo, but two transfers from a year ago that were ruled ineligible finally have the green light for their senior season with the GHSA no longer able to interfere. William “Kovi” Tate, a 6-5 forward, was at school this season along with the ultra-athletic 6-2 Seth Brown. Add these two to the mix and Coach Rosser has a versatile and explosive core.

Tate is a strong athlete inside that showed up big time at the HoopSeen Spring Preview. When his motor is running, he is a terror inside. Brown let loose with a big time slam this weekend and showed what he can add in the open court to an already potent backcourt.

Evan Cole might have been the most impressive player I saw for the All-Stars. The 6-8 forward has a chance to blow his recruitment up with his sneaky athleticism and defensive prowess. Cole lost out to Atlanta All-Stars alum Connor Mannion for Forsyth County Player of the Year, but the award seems to be all but his this upcoming season after averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as a junior. Plays like this are what solidify him as a quickly rising D-I prospect.

Shooting and toughness are always coveted in the college ranks and the All-Stars have both in Colby Leifson and Chapin Rierson. Leifson, the lone senior on the roster, is a knock down shooter at 6-4. He averaged 16.8 points per game his final season as a Bulldog. When he got his feet set this weekend, it was usually nothing but net. And what about Rierson? At Calhoun all he has done is win, going 75-8 over his first three seasons. The gritty forward played with a busted mouth, literally. He nearly had his front teeth knocked out and had to glue them in to play this weekend.

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Georgia’s best unsigned big nearing a decision

Kohl Roberts of Riverwood High School is nearing a college decision. The 6-8 double-double machine averaged 16.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 3.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game his senior season while leading the Raiders to a school-record 29-2 season and a trip to the Elite Eight.

Known for his incredibly strong hands, grabbing every rebound in his vicinity, Roberts is a hard worker in the paint and high motor player. He can be a workhorse on the glass right away much like a Reggie Evans type, using his strength and knowledge of angles instead of out leaping opponents.

Roberts is visiting Florida A&M today who has already offered. Georgia College, High Point and Lincoln Memorial remain on his list of schools to visit. Last Friday he visited Miami (OH) and Mercer this Sunday.

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Sources: Grady to vacate 10 wins; Region Championship

The Grady Knights will be levied penalties for playing with an ineligible player sources told Sandy’s Spiel this weekend. Grady, who finished with a school record 28 wins, won the Region 6-AAAA championship and advanced to the Final Four, is set to vacate all wins since January 26 including their first region championship since 1993 which would drop the Knights’ record from 28-4 to 18-14. Head Coach Brian Weeden was named Sandy’s Spiel Class AAAA Coach of the Year and Grady was named AAAA’s Most Improved Team, improving from a 14-15 record a season ago.

This would not be the first time the Grady athletic program has been called into question. In 2013-14 the football team suited up 14 players that used fake addresses.

GHSA Basketball

DICK’s National Tournament: Miller Grove vs. Oak Hill Academy

No. 13 Miller Grove (31-2) vs. No. 3 Oak Hill (43-1)

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If Miller Grove is the premier basketball program in the state of Georgia, a true dynasty, then what does that make Oak Hill Academy? Mouth of Wilson, Virginia has become the heart of high school basketball. The Mecca of hoops is led by historic head coach Steve Smith who now has a record of 1,024-65. Not bad. This is the next tall task that stands in the way of Miller Grove in the DICK’s National Tournament after the Wolverines stunned third-seed Findlay Prep 67-65 on an Aaron Augustin floater with seconds left.

For the first time ever the Wolverines are pegged as the “Cinderella” story, something the Peach State is certainly not used to hearing. They will try to take a second big bite out of the Big Apple but it won’t be easy. Oak Hill features seven 4-star recruits and two 5-stars with six players signed to D-I schools and a junior that has already committed to Creighton.

Luckily for the Wolverines, Harry Giles the nation’s No. 2 ranked recruit is still recovering from an injury that has caused him to miss his entire senior season but that hasn’t stopped the Warriors from running up a 43-1 mark.

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oakhillhoops.com

Once again Miller Grove will be giving up size at every position. Lindell Wigginton (4-star) leads Oak Hill in scoring at 16.4 points per game as a 6-2 guard – the smallest player on the team. Mario Kegler (4-star Mississippi State) pours in 14.2 points, Ty-Shon Alexander (4-star Creighton) pitches in 13.8 while Braxton Key (4-star Alabama), Matt Coleman (5-star), Devontae Shuler (4-star) and Khadim Sy (3-star Virginia Tech) all score in double figures.

As solid as Oak Hill is up and down the roster, they can’t fall into a run-and-gun three-point shooting contest with the smaller Wolverines like Findlay Prep did. Miller Grove spread out the bigger Pilots and exploited their carelessness with the ball and lazy defensive rotations by getting two feet in the paint and dishing out to open shooters, or even tossing the ball over the zone on skip passes to the open man.

After being saddled with two quick fouls in the first quarter, Alterique Gilbert quickly put the Wolverines on his back and proved why he was a McDonald’s All-American scoring 20 points to go with his four assists. Colin Young netted 10 points and Raylon Richardson held his own before fouling out with 12 points and five rebounds. Tae Hardy provided a spark off the bench with eight points as well. Nearly half of Miller Grove’s 64 shots came from behind the arc as the Wolverines connected on 8-of-30 three-point attempts.

For once the Wolverines played the role of David to Findlay Prep’s Goliath. It wasn’t Augustin’s game-winning floater that was the stone cast by David, but it was the leadership and decision making of Head Coach Sharman White that proved to be the deathly difference. White outcoached Findlay Prep’s Andy Johnson who couldn’t figure out a way to get his 4 and 5-star players to focus on each possession, share the ball and play defense. He had to resort to playing a zone defense while Miller Grove comfortably settled for three-pointers, negating the Pilots’ size advantage. On the game winning final possession, the Red Sea parted for Augustin as he streaked to the cup.

Aaron Augustin | Photo by Ty Freeman
Aaron Augustin | Photo by Ty Freeman

Tonight on ESPN2 at 5 P.M., there will be no April Fools pranks pulled with Coach Steve Smith on the sidelines. The impeccable combination of great talent and great coaching is why Smith has won 94% of his games as coach of the Warriors.

The Wolverines will be up against it again but for some reason it’s tough to foresee Sharman White and Alterique Gilbert going quietly into the night as they play with house money.

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