Tag Archives: Riverwood

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Impressions from the Georgia Cup Finals

HoopSeen hosted its final installment of the Georgia Cup series this past weekend. As always, present and future standouts of the GHSA were on display. With summer team camps getting under way, players will begin to transition back into their respective school’s system of play but will be bringing with them an invaluable measure of experience from earlier in the offseason.

Two high school teams took to the Georgia Cup Finals as Riverwood (29-2) and Dacula (19-7) both began their 2016-17 journeys without some of their best players in school history. Riverwood, who set a school record in wins last year and made a trip to the Elite Eight, gave us a first look at life after Kohl Roberts (GCSU). Dacula flaunted its new-look lineup without Kevon Tucker (Wofford) and Derek St. Hilaire (Gordon State).

Riverwood went 2-2 this weekend while Dacula finished 5-0, rolling to the championship. The Raiders lost to Dacula 63-45 in the semifinals. Rising seniors Elijah Jenkins, Charnchai Chantha and Amir Smith played well in the backcourt, but they didn’t have enough fire power to contend with Dacula after jumping out to an early lead. Riverwood was among the state’s leaders in points allowed last season, relying on a stingy defense, but the Raiders’ bugaboo has always been can they score enough? When Jenkins and Chantha are hot from deep, they are a tough duo to stop, but if they aren’t hitting, Riverwood is susceptible to offensive lulls. Springy 6-foot-6 senior forward Josh Brown along with the play of rising juniors Christian Sutton, Lamin Williams and 6-foot-6 and still growing Nassir Mohammed will determine how well the Raiders cope with the loss of such an important senior class.

Dacula Falcons Taking Flight

Dacula escapes one of the toughest regions in the state and will be one of only two Gwinnett County schools (Lanier) in Region 8-AAAAAA, avoiding the state’s highest classification as well. With such a young group, growing pains could be an issue early on in the season, but the harmonious syncing of the backcourt could offset the loss of the school’s leading scorer (Kevon Tucker).

Sophomore Mekhail Bethea, junior Arusha Hunter and senior Justin Goodson create a backcourt that compliments each other well. Bethea earned more playing time as the season went on last year and will be inserted into a starting role from Game 1 his sophomore season. Bethea was masterful in Dacula’s 80-63 win over Active Elite for the 17U Georgia Cup Finals championship. He finished with 22 points, three assists and four steals. Bethea will need to get stronger, but he already has great composure with the ball in his hands and can create open shots for teammates when diving the lane.

Hunter poured in 19 points in the second half and netted a game-high 23. He was an X-Factor with his ability to knock down threes (3) and attack the boards (8). Hunter even added three assists from his small forward position.  Goodson didn’t get much burn as a junior, but the streaky three-point shooter looks poised for a breakout senior season along with senior Gary Bishop after a strong summer and a few transfers helping open the way. Goodson banged home four deep balls and scored 21 points in the championship.

Once again, the Falcons won’t have much elite size with their tallest player standing 6-foot-4 last season, but that player, Shayne Buckingham, returns for his junior season. Buckingham has seen varsity playing time since he was a freshman and is continuing to gain confidence in his game and become more and more of a consistent contributor. He scored 24 points in a win over Sports Academy South. If Buckingham can run the floor, rebound well and play with a high-motor, he can improve vastly on his 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Other Standouts

Lambert won’t have big men Connor Mannion (Navy) and Ross Morkem (North Georgia), but they should have more than enough to be a team that opponents don’t want to face. Andrew Melms will be running the show again at point guard and will enter the 2016-17 season as one of the state’s most underrated tenacious point guards. Musa Thompson enters his senior year as well. Thompson looked impressive with Melms in the Atlanta Warriors backcourt. Thompson has good length at 6-foot-4 and is a fluid athlete that can stretch defenses. Rising juniors Austin Deckard, Damon Stoudamire and Jordan McIlwain all provide depth along a talented backcourt.

BJ Millard, a recent Dunwoody graduate that averaged 16 points and 7.9 rebounds his senior season, played well for the Atlanta Warriors. The 6-foot-5 forward’s work at Dunwoody might have gone unnoticed by those outside of the region, but he is a good player that works hard in the paint.

Shamar Barrett put up big numbers his senior season at Grovetown (17.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.1 spg, 2.0 bpg) and is nearing a college decision. Barrett has been a stalwart for Sports Academy South, pitching in 26 points in a loss to Dacula this past weekend.

Keep an eye on Discovery High School. The second-year program returns an interesting cast of talent highlighted by guard DJ Young, 6-foot-5 forward Jaden Stanley and 6-foot-7 forward Kalu Ezikpe, who is only a rising junior. Travis McDaniel also joins the fold as an assistant after coaching at Lanier.

GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Primer: No. 6 Holy Innocents’ at Riverwood

2A No. 6 Holy Innocents’ at 5A Riverwood

Separated by less than a mile, heated rival Holy Innocents’ (24-6) makes the walk over to Riverwood (20-9) to tip-off the 2015-16 regular season. In last season’s early meeting, Holy Innocents’ came away with a 63-48 win at home, but three of the four leading scorers from that team are now gone from the Golden Bears’ roster. Sam Asbury (12 points) and Ashton Meertins (11 points) both have graduated while Travis Anderson (14 points) has transferred to East Jackson for his sophomore campaign. Luckily for Coach Terry Kelly, senior big man Brent Duncan and junior wing Cole Smith are back.

Brent Duncan isn't afraid to fly | AJC
Brent Duncan isn’t afraid to fly | AJC

Smith can be lethal from beyond the arc while Duncan does his work inside. Smith chipped in 11 points last year while Duncan, a 6-foot-7 high-flying forward with offers from Navy and UMBC, battled for nine points and eight rebounds.

The difference last year proved to be at the foul line where the Golden Bears sank 20-of-27 while the Raiders were limited to 7-of-11.

Kohl Roberts is a monster on the glass
Kohl Roberts is a monster on the glass

The key for success not only tonight but for the season, will be for Coach Buck Jenkins to find consistent play around Riverwood big man Kohl Roberts. The 6-foot-7 power forward certified himself as one of the best rebounders in the state last season, averaging 14.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. He scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Holy Innocents’ and added five steals.

Senior guard Elijah Johnson will be asked to score a little more with the graduation of second leading scorer Jordan Renfro. Johnson scored 8.1 points per game in 2014-15, but was held to 1-of-7 shooting with three points against the Bears.

Key Matchup: Two of the state’s best kept secrets inside will tussle one last time in the low post. Kohl Roberts of Riverwood is an old-school post player that gets the job done with his body, but can also leak out and lead the fast break. Holy Innocents’ Brent Duncan is a high-flyer that can change the momentum of a game with his thunderous dunks. Whoever wins the battle inside will give their team a great chance to win, but it will be up to rest of the team to take it to the finish line.

X-Factors: Holy Innocents’ junior forward Jules Erving will take on a bigger role this year after showing flashes as a sophomore. The athletic 6-foot-5 big man is related to a certain NBA Hall of Famer, but I’ll let you guess who that is. His activity around the rim could spell problems for Riverwood. The Raiders’ Elijah Jenkins brings an outside threat that will be sorely needed after the graduation of Jordan Renfro. Jenkins, a junior, finished second on the team in three-pointers made, but will need to improve upon his 30 percent clip.