Tag Archives: GHSA Basketball

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

REPORT: Seven-time state champion Sharman White set to return to GHSA

According to 247Sports’ Ben Moore, after two seasons on the bench as an assistant coach at Georgia State, seven-time state champion Sharman White returns to GHSA basketball at Pace Academy.

White compiled a 264-47 record at Miller Grove, while adding multiple Coach of the Year accolades to his resume. He was named 2014 USA Today All-USA Coach of the Year after guiding Miller Grove to six-straight state championships. White concluded his stint at Miller Grove by beating Allatoona for the Class AAAAA State Championship in 2016, winning 50-48. White took his underdog Wolverines to the DICK’S National Tournament where they upset Findlay Prep 67-65 before falling to Oak Hill Academy 47-46.

Since White’s departure, Miller Grove has gone 43-17 with a 2017 Final Four appearance and a 67-64 loss in the Class AAAAA State Championship to Warner Robins this season. White is expected to join the Athletic Department at 2016 & 2017 state champion Pace Academy. The Knights won consecutive state titles under Coach Demetrius Smith, led by future NBA Lottery pick, Wendell Carter Jr. This past season, the Knights finished 17-12 with a 57-54 loss in the Sweet 16 at eventual state champ Greater Atlanta Christian.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball, Spielin' & Dealin' Podcast

Spielin’ & Dealin’ Ep. 51: Offseason notes + Power Rankings?

***SUBSCRIBE/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON iTUNES***
***FOLLOW/DOWNLOAD/LISTEN ON PODBEAN***

Atlanta Jam, GA Cup IV, Lake Point Classic recaps [1:40] 
Power ranking all classifications for playoffs? [11:24] 
Unified basketball champion? [18:53]
Class A-Public baseball ruling and amateurism in HS sports​ [26:30] 

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Analysis, GHSA Basketball

Summer Shootout notes Pt. 2

Cherokee County?

Jared Russo
Jared Russo

Cherokee County a basketball county? It hasn’t been one for a longgg time. That is changing however. The cavalry is on the way in the form of the 14U Deep South Blue Devils and 16U Cherokee Legacy. The Deep South Blue Devils executed to precision. A program that has racked up the wins, its exciting to see what they can do at the high school level next year. 2022 6-4 C Jared Russo (River Ridge) shined in a 67-62 win over Pro One Select White. The big man finished with 22 points, showing a soft touch around the basket and even knocking down a three. Russo never seemed rushed in the post and showed some nice finishes, including a turnaround jumper. He already is in the weight room preparing his body for the rigors of high school competition. He will need to crash the glass harder and become more of a two-way player. Russo will likely see major minutes as a freshman for River Ridge, a program that hasn’t sniffed .500 since Nick Masterson’s graduation in 2014.

6-3 F Caleb Richardson looked good off the bench for the Blue Devils, putting up 13 points and 5 rebounds as a skilled stretch-four. He knocked down two threes.

A lot of the talent in Cherokee County is starting to accumulate at Cherokee, where Class 7A Freshman of the Year Tai Owens and 6-foot-6 center Johnny Sweeney already reside. The Deep South Blue Devils are set to send 6-3 G Brandon Drummer and 6-1 G AJ Swann to the Warriors while 16U Cherokee Legacy already has 6-5 F Zack Vickers and nearly the rest of their entire roster in place. Drummer is a big guard that can make plays going downhill. He had 10 points, 6 assists and 3 steals against Pro One. Swann, a rising QB prospect, can hit the three-ball and competes on defense. He had 11 points. Vickers, a Region 4-AAAAAAA Second Team selection, posted 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a 78-67 win over HypeSouth.

Maybe the best rising freshman in the county is 5-11 SG DJ Potts-Heard. Potts-Heard played up this week with 16U Cherokee Legacy and didn’t disappoint, providing his trademark three-point shooting. He has dominated in his own 14U division, most notably going for 24 points in the Atlanta Jam championship. He is a smooth scorer that has a bright future. Potts-Heard is currently undecided as to where he will attend high school, with private schools already in the mix.

16U Update

Bryson Wooten
Bryson Wooten

HypeSouth battled with just five men this week. Their top two players came from the backcourt. 2020 6-2 CG Bryson Wooten (Jones County) stuffed the stat sheet. He collected 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a 52-46 win over BCB followed by going for 20 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a 78-67 loss to Cherokee Legacy after having to play the final 7:30 of the game with just four players. Wooten has a nice quick first step and explosion to the basket. He has a high motor and likes to put his finger prints all over games whether its defensively up top or creating offense on the other side. As good as Wooten was, his inability to finish drives haunted him this week. He missed at least five layups from point blank range that should have been finished. Call it fatigue or maybe just bad luck. Once he can convert those, Wooten has a chance to really pick up some steam. He averaged 6.9 points at Jones County as a sophomore and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him double that total next season.

2021 6-2 SG Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Westside-Macon) finished with 17 points and 20 points in the two games I saw, drilling 7 threes in the process. Reeves cashed in on his first offer yesterday, picking up a bid from Florida. When Reeves is hot, he can carry a team. When he’s not, he needs to find a way to still positively affect the game. The scouting report is already out on the freshman: Don’t let him get an open look from three. When teams start running him off the line, he must make them pay whether it be getting all the way to the basket for a layup or a floater or making the right drive-and-kick pass to the next open shooter. Defensively, Reeves has active hands that help him deflect passes and collect steals. It is easy to forget that he is only a freshman after already logging monster minutes with Westside-Macon and playing up this week. Having the lethal weapon of a three-point shot at his age is a major boon and once he gets stronger and more assertive on the dribble drive, Reeves will be in play as one of Middle Georgia’s brightest players.

Alphonso Meadows
Alphonso Meadows

16U Cherokee Legacy saw 5-11 PG Alphonso Meadows (Sprayberry) kick it into high gear against HypeSouth. Meadows played within the flow of the game and found the right spots to be aggressive. He finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with his 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He was strong with the dribble and orchestrated the Cherokee Legacy offense. He hit some tough shots in the paint and hit two three-pointers. Meadows’ game wasn’t overly flashy, but it got the job done.

GHSA, Girls Basketball, Girls Transfers

2018-19 GHSA Girls Basketball Transfer List

Here is a rundown of some transfers I have heard through the grapevine and a summary of what the additions mean. If you know of anymore or any that are incorrect, please shoot me a tweet @KyleSandy355, leave a comment or email [email protected]

Thanks!

Class AAAAAAA

SR Alea Spears – 5’6″ – (Mountain View to Brookwood)
JR Malia Grace – 6’2″ – (Brookwood to Grayson)
JR Jalyn Bell – 5’8″ – (Brookwood to Parkview)
SR Kennedy Powell – 5’10” – (St. Francis to Roswell)
SO Makala Torrence – 5’6″ – (South Gwinnett to Roswell)
SR Diamond Swift – 5’4” – (Newton to Rockdale County)

Class AAAAAA

SR Markiema Lancaster – 5’10” – (Johns Creek to Northview)
SR Meghan Schneller – 5’6” – (Christian Heritage to Dalton)
SR Kelsey Schneller – 5’6” – (Christian Heritage to Dalton)
SR Destiny Thomas – 6’3″ – (Tri-Cities to Forest Park)

Class AAAAA

Class AAAA

SO Logan Wiggins – 6’1″ – (North Forsyth to Chestatee)
JR Ansley Hall – 5’6″ – (Prince Avenue Christian to North Oconee)
SR Paris Mullins – 6’3″ – (Westlake to Henry County)

Class AAA

SR Maddie Thomas – 5’11” – (Banks County to Cherokee Bluff)
JR Madi Phillips – 6’1″ – (White County to Cherokee Bluff)
SR Brooklynn Talton – 5’7″ – (Westside-Macon to Central-Macon)
JR Antalazia Baker – 5’9″ – (Woodville-Tompkins to Johnson-Savannah)

Class AA

JR Heather Vaughan – 5’5″ – (Habersham Central to Banks County)
SO Atta Diop – 6’2″ – (SACA to KIPP Atlanta)
SR Jakiyah Parker – 5’8″ – (Richmond Academy to Josey)
JR Amani Jones – 5’6″ – (Cross Creek to Josey)

Class A

SR India Bellamy – 6’1” – (Dutchtown to ELCA)
SO Keslynn Oxendine – 5’7″ – (Woodland-Stockbridge to ELCA)
JR Taylor Greene – 5’7″ – (Taylor County to Marion County)
SO Ali Rumpel – 6’0″ – (Starr’s Mill to Athens Academy)
JR Alanni Brown – 5’9″ – (North Gwinnett to Wesleyan)
JR Savannah Samuel – 6’1″ – (River Ridge to St. Francis)
JR Eliza Snyder – 5’10” – (St. Francis to Lakeview Academy)
SR Jazmin Grayson – 5’7″ – (Oak Grove, MS to Woodville-Tompkins)

Out-of-GHSA

JR Kemia Ward – 6’1 – (McEachern to Holy Spirit Prep)

Class 7A

Alea Spears brings help at the guard position for Brookwood, coming in from Mountain View where she was a Region 6-AAAAAAA Second Team selection. The 5-foot-6 ball handler averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

6-foot-2 junior Malia Grace transfers from Brookwood to Grayson.  Grace is an imposing figure inside with a physical frame. She averaged 9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game with the Broncos.

2020 5-foot-8 point guard Jalyn Bell departs Brookwood for bitter rival Parkview. Bell, an athletic defensive specialist, will look to provide ball handler and some scoring in the backcourt for a Parkview team with a young and talented front court. As a sophomore, Bell averaged 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Class 6A

The addition of Second Team All-Region selection Markiema Lancaster from Johns Creek to reigning Region 7 champion and back-to-back state semifinalist Northview gives the Titans one of the best starting fives on paper in the classification. At 5-foot-10, Lancaster brings a much needed extra ball handler to the roster. A versatile piece with the length and quickness reminiscent to that of former Northview star and current Mercer Bear Shannon Titus, Lancaster can ignite her own fast breaks off the glass and will chip in defensively. Lancaster needs to keep her head up while dribbling. She can tend to have her eyes down when pushing the ball up the court, but once her focus is in front, she has a nice passing touch.

Class 5A

Class 4A

All-State point guard Ansley Hall heads to North Oconee after leading Prince Avenue to their best season in school history. The stat sheet stuffer provides the Titans with a dynamic ball handler that makes her teammates better.

Class 3A

New program Cherokee Bluff will look to build a tradition with the help of Maddie Thomas, a big time winner while at Banks County where she was an All-Region Honorable Mention selection. Thomas will provide outside shooting and length on defense for the Bears.

Brooklynn Talton makes the move from Westside to Central-Macon for her senior season. With the Seminoles, Talton was a rebounding machine, pulling down 11.6 per game. She also added 5.9 points and 2.4 steals per contest.

Class 2A

Heather Vaughan leaves Habersham Central for Banks County after averaging 15 points per game as a sophomore. The 5-foot-5 guard was Region 8-AAAAAA Honorable Mention. She also made the All-Region Tournament Team. She will provide shooting and ball handling for a Banks County team coming off a 25-win season.

Class 1A

India Bellamy returns to ELCA after spending a year at Dutchtown where she earned Class 5A All-State Second Team Honors after averaging 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3 steals per game. She now joins forces with international sensation Weronika Hipp, who averaged over 24 points per game as a freshman. The duo should become one of the best inside-out punches in the state and instantly boost ELCA into becoming a legit Final Four contender.

Taylor Greene provides some much needed outside shooting to Marion County. Greene should see good looks throughout the season as defenses key in on stopping the Eagles’ dominant post play.

Sophomore Ali Rumpel will provide a physical low block presence that can score around the rim and protect the paint at Athens Academy. Rumpel, 6-foot, was named Region 3-AAAAA Freshman of the Year at Starr’s Mill after averaging 10.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. She will pair up with fellow 2021 forward 5-foot-10 Rose Bone to form a strong, talented, bruising frontcourt.

Wesleyan’s annual reload starts with Alanni Brown of North Gwinnett. Brown, 5-foot-9, was a Region 6-AAAAAAA Honorable Mention selection her sophomore season after averaging 12 points per game.

After breaking out as a Class AAAAAA All-State star at her home school River Ridge, the well traveled 6-foot-1 junior Savannah Samuel bounces to her third school in three years joining St. Francis. Samuel averaged 20.1 points and 5.7 rebounds as a versatile inside-out wing. Samuel picked up a Virginia Tech offer in July but to keep her recruitment momentum she will now have to fit into a much different role at St. Francis.

Out-of-GHSA

The transfer market bites McEachern for once as 6-foot-1 post Kemia Ward transfers to Holy Spirit Prep. Ward will head to the GISA with freshman sister Kaela. Kemia reclasses to 2020 after seeing her season end short with an injury. Ward is a physical and athletic rim protector which will be sorely missed at McEachern.