The Hard-A-Way
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On a night early in February, a player for the Atlanta Hawks scored a career high 33 points in a game against the Houston Rockets.
That’s impressive enough as it is, but consider this as well: 23 of those points came in the fourth quarter, and helped Atlanta erase a 20 point deficit to secure a come from behind win. Now that’s the kind of game that makes people take notice. Tim Hardaway Jr. turned some heads earlier this month.
It was a kind of breakout game, though in reality it wasn’t so surprising to anyone who has been paying attention to the Hawks this season. Hardaway has been so crucial for Atlanta throughout this campaign.
He has managed to be a consistent force on a team that has struggled to stay consistent as a unit. He did have his struggles in December, but if slumps truly are contagious then he merely caught what every other player on the team had that month. Excusing that outlier, Hardaway has improved across the board.
The Hawks have kept Hardaway’s usage static for the most part the entire season and his efficiency has gone up along with his shooting numbers. He currently has the best offensive rating on the team for anyone who receives regular playing time. He is currently second on the team in overall net rating.
The real testament to his usefulness, however, comes from looking at the team stats with and without him. When Hardaway is in the game, the Hawks have outscored their opponents by 143 points; when he’s off the court, Atlanta has been outscored by 171 points.
It’s a compelling story of a player finally leveling out. Hardaway’s tenure with Atlanta has been an up and down one, to say the least. In fact, no one on the roster has had the kind of career turbulence that Hardaway has experienced as a Hawk
Atlanta famously (infamously?) acquired Hardaway in a three-team trade that cost them their first round pick at the 2015 NBA Draft. The deal brought jeers from across the internet and outrage from the Hawks fanbase. That only escalated when Hardaway opened the 2016 season on the inactive list and eventually found himself playing in the D-League.
He deserves a lot of credit for shutting out the noise and putting his head down and going to work on his game. The talent has always been there for Hardaway but he needed to learn that there was much more to the game than accumulating numbers.
Hardaway earned a spot in the rotation during the second half of 2016 although a groin injury in the final regular season game pretty much prevented him from having any impact in the playoffs. This season got off to a rocky start when he opened the preseason with a 3 for 30 shooting stretch. However, he battled through that and has seen his role continue to grow as the season progressed.
The trade can still be debated especially when you factor in that Hardaway will hit restricted free agency this summer while a draft pick would be under team control for a couple more seasons. Still, credit Hardaway for making the situation into where it is a debate worth having.
His breakout this season may be comparable to winning the lottery for Hardaway this summer. The NBA has placed a premium on wing players and Hardaway will likely be looking at a significant raise.
Due to his restricted status, the Hawks will have the ability to match any offer that Hardaway receives from another team. Whether it is with Atlanta or another team, Hardaway has earned it.
Pirates Signing Day
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Coming off of a disappointing 5-5 last place region finish, the Brunswick High Pirates had 7 players sign Letter of Intents to further their education and football careers.
D’Ante Demery- University of Georgia: The 4-star recruit signed with the UGA’s top 5 class. The 320-pound offensive tackle is part of the best OL group ever assembled in UGA recruiting circles and whether Demery gets on the field as a freshman will be determined. This kid has a chance to be in the NFL in 3-4 years.
Shawn Smith- University of Virginia: Great pickup by UVA. Smith is fast and a great athlete and could be a good WR at the college level. I think Smith is a pretty good DB and could land there. Virginia has a great athlete in their program. Smith might possibly return some kicks as well. He will bulk up quickly in a college strength and conditioning program.
Danijah Gammage- Mercer University: Mercer got a great football player. Gammage is a hitter and has great ball skills. I think Gammage has the potential to develop into an NFL caliber player while he is in college. He reminds me a lot of Tracy Walker coming out of BHS. He will get bigger and stronger in Macon.
Deqwan Chapman- Albany State University: Chapman was a solid corner for BHS now he heads to a solid college football program and I think he will end up being at ASU. Good kid and a good player.
Wiley Golden- Tusculum College: Golden will take his talents to the prestigious private college in Greeneville, Tennessee. Golden is an excellent student and has great hands at the TE position. Golden’s academic accomplishments are stellar and he is a pretty good football player on top of it. I’m very proud of this young man.
Jabori Williams- Hutchinson Community College: You can’t teach size and at 6’4 330 pounds Williams is huge. I expect him to contribute right away and bigger things will happen for this young man in a couple of years. He is just learning how to play OL.
Brandon McMaster- University of Georgia (Preferred Walk-On): What if this young man did not battle injuries his entire senior year? He goes to UGA as a PWO because this kid has a 3.5 GPA and has already graduated and is the example of opportunities that come around to folks who get it done in the classroom. This kid is a great football player and it would no surprise me one bit if he does not end contributing in Athens. UGA got a steal here.
BHS has talent and has kids that get it done in the classroom. The future is bright for the Pirates as they could sign 10 or more players next February with the huge senior class returning.
But for the seven that signed on signing day, as a Pirate alum I just want to thank you for all of the blood, sweat, and tears you shed to lay the foundation for future Pirates. Thank you and as always Pirate Pride!
Top Dawg Class
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College football’s National Signing Day has come and gone yet again.
While it was the usual suspects with the highest class rankings in Alabama and Ohio State, the Georgia Bulldogs closed with the third ranked class.
Coach Kirby Smart’s first full recruiting class ended as the highest ranked class since the composite rankings have been in use. Let’s take a look at the pieces coming to Athens to play Between the Hedges.
On the offensive side of the ball the focus was on the offensive line. Coach Smart and offensive line coach Sam Pittman went to work, scoured the country and brought in six offensive linemen in this class.
It is quite a varied group with one common theme—they are big; included in the group are pound Isaiah Wilson from Brooklyn, New York, junior college D’Marcus Hayes, teammates Netori Johnson and Justin Schaffer out of Cedar Grove, Andrew Thomas, who was the best lineman at the Under Armour All American game, and of course Brunswick’s own, D’Antne Demery.
The man who will look to challenge returning starting quarterback, Jacob Eason, will be Jake Fromm from Houston County. Fromm was originally committed to Alabama last year, but once Smart was made the top Dawg, Fromm became a high priority.
Joining Fromm in the backfield, will be DeAndre Swift, a big time playmaking running back from Pennsylvania. Bulldog offensive coordinator, Jim Cheney showed his excitement about Swift, “I can’t wait to get him in here this summer and see what he can do.”
One area of major need was at the wide receiver spot, and Georgia brought in four that should possibly play right away in Jeremiah Holloman, Matt Landers, and Mark Webb. Webb coincidentally is also from Pennsylvania and is cousins with Swift. One other receiver in this class, Trey Blount, may be looking at a redshirt season.
Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, the primary focus was to get bigger and faster in the secondary. Mission accomplished. Liberty County’s Richard LeCounte was the leader of this recruiting class and is an electric playmaker in the defensive backfield. DeAngelo Gibbs is the do everything player from Grayson and the top player in the state of Georgia. Tray Bishop played quarterback at Terrell County but will be a big physical cornerback in college. William Poole is a true cover corner and could thrive in the Smart/Tucker system.
The big surprise of signing day was the addition of corners who are big and fast in Ameer Speed, out of Jacksonville; he stands 6’3” 200 pounds but has legit 4.5 speed. Eric Stokes is a 6’ corner from Covington, Georgia, who also just so happens to be the fastest guy in Georgia. Latavious Brini is a 6’2” corner out of Hialeah, Florida, who was previously committed to Georgia last season but ended up back in the fold when it came down to signing day.
The linebacker group will get reinforced with the additions of inside linebackers, Monty Rice and Vidalia’s Nate McBride. Rice is the most-game ready player right now, and McBride is a freakish athlete. On the outside, Robert Beal, Walter Grant, and UGA legacy Jaden Hunter will provide athleticism from the edge.
While the defensive line group isn’t big in numbers, Malik Herring and Devonte Wyatt will provide depth in the rotation. The defensive line wasn’t quite as high of a priority given the number of big time defensive linemen that were brought to Athens in last season’s recruiting class.
When Kirby Smart became the head coach at Georgia he immediately noted where the Bulldogs needed to address to improve, “It is a line of scrimmage league, everybody knows that everybody said it, it’s critical to our success and I think that’s an area we got to improve. We’ve got to get bigger people if we want to be successful at Georgia, and we got to get more depth within the people we have.”
This class, along with last year, will go a long way toward getting Georgia on the right path to compete for championships.
North Carolina Running Away With ACC
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At the beginning of the season there were basically two expectations I had for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The first one was that I figured due to a lot of the experience they had coming back they would be able to start the season off on a hot streak and be one of the better teams in the country.
The second thing was that as the season progressed, and really once the conference schedule started, they would begin to regress back to the mean a little bit. For the most part the first expectation took place. I’m still waiting on the second.
(Before I go any further, I do realize what I’m about to say will sound odd considering that Carolina just got Nancy Kerrigan’d by the Hurricanes down in Coral Gables. However, I do think their loss to Miami was more along the lines of them just having a bad game as opposed to it being an indication of what to expect for the remainder of their season.)
I’ll admit that predicting a fast start to the season wasn’t exactly an example of me going out on a limb. Even though Carolina lost Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson off last year’s team, they still returned 6 juniors and seniors that played major minutes last season.
Those guys are used to playing together so while teams that rely heavily on incoming freshman are building chemistry during those first few months, the Tar Heels were ahead of the game.
The fact they have been this successful, this far into the season, has honestly surprised me. There’s a reason why they have so many upperclassmen playing valuable minutes- none of those guys are/were talented enough to have been high draft picks had they left early.
That’s not to say they’re college’s version of Jackie Moon and the Flint Michigan Tropics from Semi-Pro, but there are probably 8-10 teams that are more talented than the ‘Heels.
As much as it pains me to say, Carolina has been the best team in the ACC, up to this point. I have idea if Joel Berry II has switched to a vegan diet and is having kombucha put into his body intravenously, or if he’s sold his soul to devil, but whatever he’s done to evolve into the player he has become has worked. Anyone who tells you they predicted his game to excel to this level is lying.
You can insert whatever diet joke you want about Kennedy Meeks (maybe he’s on the vegan diet?), but to equate his success this season solely on his weight loss would be doing him a disservice. To drop enough pounds that you could form an entirely new human is one thing, but to take advantage of that new-found freedom to move on the court is something Meeks deserves a lot of credit for doing.
Combine the seasons those two men are having with the emergence of Isaiah Hicks, Kenny Williams, and Theo Pinson, as well as the maturation of Justin Jackson, and you can see why they are poised for a deep tournament run.
Plus, I know Roy gets a lot of crap from his fan base and those on the outside- deservedly so in some cases- but those guys I just mentioned aren’t developing on their own.
On paper, their remaining schedule looks tough. You could even argue in most games they will be the lesser talented of the two teams. But, as Carolina has proven all year, the better team is always the most talented.
Impact Of Braves Signing Kurt Suzuki
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite rumors to the likes of Wilson Ramos and Matt Wieters throughout the end of the season and into the offseason, the Braves never signed a game-changing catcher for 2017.
That doesn’t mean they did nothing to bolster their backstop depth chart, however: instead they picked up veteran Kurt Suzuki to combat Tyler Flowers to playing time. Catching was certainly something the Braves needed to look at after 2016, but did they do enough to improve?
Flowers turned out to be a solid pickup for Atlanta, eventually taking over the position full time from AJ Pierzynski, whose resigning turned out to be not nearly as beneficial. Not that you could blame John Coppolella and company, really: AJ was coming off one of the biggest years of his career, he just fell off faster and harder than anyone might have suspected.
However, once his playing time diminished and Flowers and backup Anthony Recker took the reins, the Braves’ offensive numbers at catcher rose to the point of respectability. That being said, Flowers played well over his career highs in 2016 and – at the age of 31 – a step backwards is more likely than a continuation.
Adding Suzuki shouldn’t necessarily be expected to make up for that offense. An All-Star a few years back, Suzuki has never been an offensive juggernaut during the past decade of his career and can’t be expected to start turning that around now. However, he’s a veteran player and alongside Flowers that gives the Braves an experienced catching option every night of the season.
That should make a difference on the other side of the ball more than anywhere. Flowers was known for his defensive acumen during his long stint with the White Sox, but had his struggles throwing out base stealers in 2016. Much like his bat returning back to his career numbers, the Braves should expect this to rectify itself as well.
Suzuki is a capable thrower and allowed only one passed ball in 797 innings last season. He too should be expected to ably play the position on defense.
Flowers and Suzuki are solid options to catch, even though they may not be the sexiest names to be playing backstop. I admit I was holding out hope for a Ramos signing, as I wasn’t too keen on Georgia Tech’s Wieters joining up. However, the Braves brass may have gone this route for a reason: not to block any of the several up and coming prospects.
This may come as a surprise, given than after Christian Bethancourt didn’t become the catcher of the future in Atlanta, it seemed like there were no options to fill the spot of the obvious next catching prospect. While it’s true that there is no one at Triple A knocking on the door of Atlanta, there are some bright lights a little further down the farm system.
Looking at some of the recent moves Coppolella has made to fill up the depth chart: in back to back years the Braves have used high draft picks on catching prospects like Lucas Herbert and Brett Cumberland. They’ve also acquired the likes of Kade Scivique and Ricardo Rodriguez through trades, and picked up the top catcher from the international draft with Abrahan Gutierrez.
These guys aren’t showing up in Atlanta soon, most likely you might start hearing their names in the minors this year and then they might make a case for a big-league job in 2018, but they are explanation enough for Coppy’s thought process on hiring Suzuki to work with Flowers this season.
All the Braves need is for one of those five guys to catch on and they’ve got themselves a bona-fide catching prospect. For now, however, Flowers and Suzuki should do fine.
Former Pirate Coach Maurice Freeman Helps After Storms
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last weekend as I was watching the news and the devastation that storms had taken lives and ruined the American Dreams for hundreds of families in South Georgia I started thinking how could my organization MAP International help those in need.
I have worked at MAP International for 23 years and I have traveled to over 30 countries globally as a representative of MAP and our organization has shipped over 6 billion dollars of medical supplies to those in need.
As I was following the events in South Georgia over the weekend, I got to thinking about how sports particularly High School football is woven into the fabric of unity of the small rural communities all over South Georgia.
On every Friday night in the fall a high school football game takes place in a small town like Adel, Georgia that brings these communities together in fellowship.
I read where a couple of people had lost their lives on Monday morning in the small town of Quitman, Georgia. The only connection I had in Quitman was a dear friend and former Brunswick High football Maurice Freeman who now leads a very successful football program at Brooks County.
Maurice Freeman is a good, godly man who was our football coach from 2002-2007 at BHS, who built a solid program at BHS before he was called back home to his hometown of Quitman where he led Brooks to a state title in 1994 as a young head coach.
Freeman and I became very good friends while he coached the Pirates. We helped start the Brunswick Quarterback Club; a football only booster club back in 2005. We fished together, shared meals, raised money in the Brunswick community. I hated to see him leave in 2008 but I understood and wished him well and we have stayed in contact ever since.
I texted Coach Freeman at 10AM on Monday morning and asked him if Quitman needed help, and he immediately responded back and said yes, but Adel needed it more. He was headed to Albany for a coaching clinic, but would connect me to some of his contacts in Adel.
I said that would be great, and within 15 minutes we had a plan in place to deliver relief hygiene supplies to Adel. We loaded the goods on my truck and by 1:30 that afternoon I met Coach Freeman in Adel and we off loaded the supplies at the drop off center in Adel. And best of all we were able to have about 30 minutes of time to visit and catch up on life.
Football in South Georgia teaches life lessons you use every single day of your life. Football teaches teamwork, unity, to strive for goals, and when your back is against the wall to fight like a mad dog to be successful.
The biggest most wonderful thing I saw was how the Cook County Football and other Athletic teams banded together as brothers and sisters to meet the needs of their own, and worked their tails off to help those in need. Brooks County and Cook County are rivals in sports, but you throw that out of the window when people are in need. I watched an entire county mobilize in a very short amount of time.
I was reminded of some great lessons through sports connections I have made in my life. Maurice Freeman and I were able to organize and complete a relief response in about three and a half hours because of our connection we made as part of the BHS football program many years ago.
From this day forward Brooks County will be my second favorite high school football team other than my Pirates.
I love you Maurice you are the best in my book.
Who Will Jaguars Take In NFL Draft
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the Jacksonville Jaguars were no where near the playoffs this season, they have continued to be in the news as they finally made the call to show Gus Bradley the door.
Now, Doug Marrone will take the helm of the Jaguars franchise. Marrone served as the interim coach toward the end of the 2016 season, and Shad Kahn saw enough to make the call to give him the head coaching job.
While, Marrone likely doesn’t excite the masses, what should get the fan base in an uproar is the upcoming draft. The Jaguars yet again have a top five selection in the upcoming draft and are poised to add a big-time difference maker to the roster. Who should that difference maker be? Let’s take a look at some potential options that the Jaguars should be considering.
Dalvin Cook is a major running back prospect from Florida State. Jacksonville has a dire need for play makers on offense. As well, if Blake Bortles is to ever become the quarterback that he was drafted to be, he must have someone he can simply turn and hand the ball off to that can take it to the house at any time.
It also wouldn’t hurt the season ticket sales bringing in the Florida native, and someone that played for a school that has a massive fan base built in Jacksonville already. As most should know by now, it doesn’t matter who is at quarterback or running back if they are behind an offensive line that is unable to take care of the line of scrimmage. This leads me to the next candidate that the Jacksonville front office should consider drafting, Cam Robinson.
Cam Robinson is the massive offensive tackle prospect out of the University of Alabama. Robinson has the prototypical build for an NFL tackle, and has been a three year starter in Tuscaloosa since his freshman season.
While he may not have quite the footwork to remain at left tackle, Robinson can move to right tackle and be the dominant piece along the Jacksonville offensive line. The biggest concern for Jacksonville, or any NFL franchise looking to select Cam Robinson, most likely will stem from off the field issues; before teams dole out millions of dollars to a rookie, they want to be as certain as possible of that player’s decision making.
If the Jaguars and their general manager, Dave Caldwell, feel comfortable in Robinson’s character and off the field choices, his on the field abilities could allow him to be a cornerstone for the franchise for the next decade or so.
Under former coach Gus Bradley, one thing that the Jaguars did do well was to draft good defensive talent. Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler the last two seasons have become stalwarts for the Jacksonville defense, especially the ultra talented Ramsey.
The Jaguars could fortify the secondary, by pairing Ramsey with another playmaker in Jamal Adams out of LSU. Adams shows a rare combination of physicality and ball skills that would help round out the Jacksonville secondary. The Jaguars will likely be allowing longtime safety, Johnathan Cyprien, to leave in free agency, so Adams would make a lot of sense for a myriad of reasons.
As you can see, the Jaguars have several ways that they can go in this year’s upcoming draft. Many feel like they have gone so defense heavy the last few years that a boost on the offensive side of the ball is necessary.
In particular, now that an offensive minded coach is in charge with Doug Marrone, the team needs to bring in some help for struggling quarterback Blake Bortles.
The best route that the Jaguars could take could end up trading down in the draft and accumulating more picks to boost the overall talent of the roster. It is much needed.
The Falcons Fly To Super Bowl
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is an episode of Scrubs where Dr. Cox sings to JD; “Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong…..You’re wrong….You’re wrong….You’re wrong.” I mention this for two reasons.
First off, I try to take any opportunity I can to throw in a Scrubs reference. Second, and most importantly, that whole sequence may as well have been directed at me and just about every single prediction I’ve had for the Falcons throughout the year.
Before the season started I figured the Falcons would be lucky to finish the year at 9-7, and I certainly didn’t expect them to sniff the playoffs. I was wrong.
I wrote an entire story about Matt Ryan and whether or not he was worthy of being the number three pick in the draft. I’ve always thought he was a good quarterback, but I didn’t believe that he would be able to lead a team to the Super Bowl. Little off on that one, wouldn’t you say?
I had a little to zero confidence that Atlanta’s backfield would have any type of positive impact on their offense. Nobody’s going to mistake Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman for elite running backs, but both are much better than I’ve given them credit for, and they are perfect for this particular system.
I patiently waited for the Ryan/Shanahan relationship to quietly, or not so quietly, implode. It never happened.
I knew Dan Quinn would have the defense playing better, but I assumed they would just continue to be an afterthought. I halfway expected them to be detrimental to the Falcons over the course of the season. Granted they’re not the ‘86 Bears, but they are anything but an afterthought.
Even though I thought this year’s team was better than last years, I just knew that 4-1 start wasn’t going to last. After the Falcons dropped their next two games I almost wrote about that very thing. After winning 9 of their 11 remaining games since that time, I’m glad I kept my mouth shut.
Even after being wrong on all those things I just listed, and having a much greater appreciation for what Atlanta had accomplished this year, I still picked them to lose to Green Bay. I don’t think they’d be able to pull it off. It’s a good thing I don’t gamble.
In fact, the only time this year I’ve actually been right about the Falcons was their playoff game against Seattle. And truth be told, my picking Atlanta had more to do with my lack of confidence in the Seahawks than it did the Falcons.
Putting all my horrible prognostications aside, I’m happy for Atlanta. Participating in the Super Bowl is always a huge deal, but when you look at this franchise over the last two decades, this trip is all that much sweeter.
There was the blowout loss to the Broncos in ‘99. The rise and complete collapse of Michael Vick. Multiple seasons of mediocrity and underachieving. And lest we forget- and I don’t think I need to delve any deeper than these two words- Bobby Petrino.
Regardless of the outcome on February 5th, this season has been a success for Atlanta. They have surpassed basically everyone’s expectations and are more than deserving of being the NFC representative.
If you happen to be wondering, or even care, who I’m picking to win the big game, let me ask you this: After everything I’ve just written, do you really want me to start rooting for the Falcons now?
How Good Will Sean Pender Be?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
New Pirate head coach Sean Pender has met with his new players and current assistant coaches’ at BHS. The meeting in the words of one of the top returning players was he connects with players, and they loved his plan for the upcoming season, and he knows what he is talking about.
Pender met with the entire team and then met only with the returning seniors for next season. By my count Pender will have seven starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, and seven returning on defense from a talented 5-5 team that underachieved in 2016.
I was fortunate enough to sit down to dinner with him, Athletic Director Steve Waters, Jerry Mancil, Keith Reddings and myself. Pender’s football IQ is off the charts. The man flat out knows the X’s and O’s side of the game of football.
He talked about certain looks a defense will give you and then the amazing part was how they can run 3-4 different plays based on the look. Pender’s offense will create a lot of nightmares in this region in 2017.
Pirate fans can you picture top rated safety Sharrod Frazier in special packages on offense running speed sweeps with 4.48 speed? Not saying this will happen at all, but with anything new comes excitement.
Can you see Jaylen Jackson at WR wreaking havoc on an opposing defense? Can you see DJ Whitfield touching the ball 10-12 times a game on offense? Can you picture RB Shaq Robinson being involved in the passing game? Then once everyone is spread out in space watching Ben McCloud destroy the middle of a defense running between the tackles.
On defense can you see Kam Futch at 225 pounds making 12-15 stops a game with Frazier playing a hybrid LB/S spot drilling an opposing QB?
Exciting times are upon us at Brunswick High School. Pender will get to work fulltime at BHS on February 1st. The off-season program will be implemented and the assistant coaches will be coached up on the offensive and defensive schemes. Pender will start rounding out his football staff as he meets with current assistants and other candidates for potential staff openings.
In 2017 per a new GHSA rule schools can have a spring football game with another opponent. That game is scheduled for May 19th at Glynn County Stadium with opponent to be determined for the Pirates. Between now and the start of Spring Football practice Pender his to get as much of his system in place as fast as he can.
This man drips passion as he talks football and that enthusiasm is contagious. He has a unique way of connecting with players, administration, alumni, and boosters that in just two days has created quite a buzz around the program. My phone has been blowing up with former alumni and players that I have not seen in years asking how to get involved with the program.
Times are exciting again as a buzz surrounds the BHS Football program. The Pirates open the season in August with a road game at Coffee. I bet the Coffee coaches are blowing up the Pierce County Hudl account now trying to watch as much film as they can to try to defend Brunswick.
I can hear the Coffee coaches now saying “How are we going to stop this with the athletes Brunswick has?” Yep that’s your problem 2017 opponents. We’ll meet you at the 50 on Friday Night’s for the coin flip.
Georgia Teams’ Road To March Madness
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are well into the college basketball conference schedule and that is when teams play their way into or out of March Madness.
At this point in time, there are a few schools who are virtually guaranteed a spot, but the interesting teams are the ones who are on the proverbial bubble.
The conferences of most interest in our area, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference have multiple teams involved in the tournament. Plus, the Sun Belt Conference will have at least one team with a chance to be the “Cinderella” of March.
There are a handful of teams in those conferences that are true blue bloods of the sport of college basketball, and several have played up to that reputation this season. Those would be North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky. Plus, we have schools in the state of Georgia vying for a spot among the field of 68.
The Tar Heels of North Carolina came up ever so close to a national championship last season, as they suffered a heartbreaker at the buzzer against the Villanova Wildcats.
North Carolina is positioning itself for yet another run to the Final Four. The Tar Heels may well have the deepest roster in the country, and legendary coach Roy Williams will rely on his team’s experience from last season to try and finish the deal this year.
A team that no one is really sure what kind of team they are right now, is the Duke Blue Devils. While there is no coach better, possibly ever, than Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his squad this season has appeared distracted, may be the best word to use.
This is a team that was predicted to win the ACC in the preseason, but has not been able to live up to such lofty expectations. Whether it is injuries, not only to players, but even to Coach Krzyzewski as he will be sidelined with back surgery; or the antics of hot tempered guard Grayson Allen, this season has been different for the Blue Devils.
Duke will be in the tournament, and have the talent as well as the pedigree to get things turned around. However, if they do not, it will be a quick out for them come March.
With Kentucky, the stalwart of the SEC, Coach John Calipari will yet again rely on a bevy of freshmen All-Americans to lead his Wildcats to a title. Kentucky likely has the highest ceiling of any team in the country, but when it comes to crunch time, can the freshmen handle that pressure? That has been the Cats downfall in previous years, great regular seasons, but fall short in the tournament.
In state, Georgia Southern may be the best shot for a tournament team from the Peach state. The Eagles of Coach Mark Byington have a great shot to win the Sun Belt. The difficulty comes in the conference tournament, it is an absolute must win situation. If the Eagles falter, then there will be no Cinderella opportunity.
Georgia and Georgia Tech may play in post season, but without SEC and ACC conference tournament wins it may prove a difficult task.
The Bulldogs have positioned themselves with the best chance for an at large bid with a solid resume, but they must keep winning. The Bulldogs do not really have a strong win, but the strength of their schedule is that they have “quality losses”, and that won’t get it done for March.
The Yellow Jackets, under first year coach Josh Pastner, need some big wins down the stretch to fortify their record. The Jackets most likely will receive an NIT bid to extend their season. However, that should be considered a solid season for what the Jackets had coming into the season.
As we just now are hitting the stretch run, college basketball will hold its share of upsets and buzzer beaters. The fun part is, we get to sit back and watch it all unfold!
