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By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As March Madness fades even further in the rearview mirror and the NBA season winds down as it ramps up for the playoffs, the convergence of the two levels appears on the horizon: the NBA Draft.
Pro teams wait for the draft lottery to see where they’ll land while college players wait for the chance make the leap to the big time.
This year the draft features an embarrassment of riches; a wealth of young talent that could potentially chance the fortunes of any team that has been struggling. Impressively, a few of those game-changing talents all come from one place.
Any NCAA basketball team would be a threat if they could boast just one player who might get drafted in the top 10 of the NBA Draft. However, this past season saw the Duke Blue Devils boast THREE players that could be considered for high picks.
While the draft lottery has yet to come, the Atlanta Hawks can at least count on an early pick and therefore need to start looking at Duke’s Big 3 to see which of those players might be the best fit come draft time.
R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson are all leaving college behind and should all expect to hear their names called without much time passing in between when the draft happens later in the summer.
There isn’t much more to be said about Zion Williamson that hasn’t already been said by every sports show, paper, and fan, and if the Hawks do wind up with the number one pick in the draft, it’s a no-brainer to draft his game-changing talent.
Williamson’s star power might overwhelm some of the other young and talented players the Hawks have already enlisted but John Collins and Trae Young might see his presence as a challenge and up their own games.
There’s also the chance that pulling focus away from those two might help them grow and develop without as much pressure, since they’re essentially the focal point of the team’s future plans at the moment.
In short, Zion is the best player available, and the Hawks would surely love for him to suit up in Atlanta.
If they don’t end up with the first pick in the draft and assuming that Williamson goes first, there are still two Blue Devils options available – R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish.
Barrett would help the team with shot creation options, as Trae Young (and Taurean Prince, to a certain extent) is the only Hawk who seems to be able to make that happen right now.
Barrett sometimes tries for shots he doesn’t need to in an effort to win at all costs, but he could gain valuable experience handling the ball off the bench in Atlanta if he takes to Lloyd Pierce’s coaching style.
That leaves Cam Reddish.
Reddish, much more than either of his two eminently talented teammates, struggled quite heartily in his freshman season at Duke. The 19-year-old could never quite find his niche on the team, which should’ve been catch-and-shoot, three-and-D specialist, but Reddish could often be seen hurtling into traffic toward the paint, then getting called for an increasingly predictable offensive foul as defenders were sent flying as he careened into them wildly.
However, Reddish showed brilliant flashes throughout the year and made himself a legend at Duke with a pair of clutch baskets that won key games for them during the season.
He’s got enough raw, untapped potential that he will certainly get snatched up early in the draft and the Hawks might be the team that calls his name.
Terror Town 2019
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I think the word consistent in sports is not as valued as it should be.
On the state high school football scene, the Glynn Academy Red Terrors have been consistently good for the past five years.
Good to the point where the Terrors are enjoying their best football run in the program’s proud 106-year history. The reason for this consistency is Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Coach Hidalgo and talk Spring Football with him.
College recruiters were in and out of his office during that window, which means the Red Terrors will be very good again in 2019.
The Terrors had 130 kids out for spring, and Hidalgo likes what he sees so far. “The kids are competing hard, working hard, doing everything we ask of them, and we’re going to be a really good football team this fall”.
Glynn has won four straight region championships in football. High School Football is the program that stirs the drink for all sports in the Glynn County School System. Glynn will be the favorite to capture its 5th straight title this fall.
At QB Hidalgo speaks highly of TJ Lewis. At 6’4, Lewis is improving his mechanics and is looking good throwing the deep ball. Hidalgo also raved about Jayden Drayton, who looked good as a freshman in 2018.
The Red Terrors are very good at running back with the trio of Caden Hutchinson, Nolan Grant, and Alan Partin. Hidalgo says Grant is blessed with great foot speed, and called Hutchinson a tough kid with a mean streak that you want running between the tackles who also has good speed. Then you have Partin who is big and strong who can get the tough yard or lead block in the run game.
Glynn Academy is going to run the football. Period. End of story. If you are going to beat Glynn Academy then you will have to match their physicality.
At WR Hidalgo raved about the speed of the group and how they can separate from defenders. He thinks his skill people are as good as anyone in the region.
The Terrors return most of the offensive line from 2018. Look for Drez Wilcox to have a big season. Trevor Timmons, Jack Fendig, Nick Demarzo, and Nick Muchinson are the best returning offensive line in the region and one of the better units in all of Georgia.
Chase Gabriel has a big leg and carries on the long tradition of great Glynn FG kickers. He is a weapon.
At defensive line Jordan Swain, James Dyal, and Torrez Davis will lead a physical group with some of the offensive lineman mentioned above providing depth. Hidalgo calls this a good deep position group.
Glynn has some young talent at linebacker like Tywon Melvin, Ryan Seay, and Miles Smith ready to step up and contribute to a position group that has been very good over the past five seasons.
In the secondary, Byron Bacon is the leader on the back end. Bacon has good size and great speed and will play division one football. Hidalgo called Bacon a very good football player who has great leadership qualities.
JuJuan Floyd is a very fast corner who will also play some WR.
Hidalgo says the 2019 edition of Red Terror football will be exciting. Hidalgo also raves about his 2019 schedule and how it gets them peaking by the time region play comes around.
Glynn plays Valdosta in the preseason scrimmage, South Carolina power Fort Dorchester, Wayne, Ware, and Camden County by the first week of October. Hidalgo asked “who plays a tougher non region schedule than us?”
Glynn Academy doesn’t rebuild any longer they just reload. Red Terror Football is consistently good.
When a head coach of a successful program points out leadership, work ethic, and enthusiasm as team strengths then the rest of Region 2-AAAAAA better look out. Glynn will have the Red and White game on May 17th at Glynn County Stadium.
Special Breed
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College basketball teams can have the perception of their program altered more than any other sport, based off of a single recruit.
We’re still an entire football season away from the start of the college basketball season, but it’s not too early to talk about how important Anthony Edwards could be to Georgia basketball.
To say that UGA hasn’t been a popular destination for top level basketball talent is a bit like saying Winterfell isn’t a popular vacation destination for anyone with the last name Lannister.
Even though Georgia has done a decent job in the past of recruiting within the state, they have struggled when it comes to bringing in top level talent.
There have been a number of in-state recruits that listed Georgia, or Georgia Tech for that matter, as one of their final schools only to spurn them for another program. (Most of these recruits never seriously considered staying in state, but the consensus thought is that by listing them it would give the schools a little notoriety and maybe help with lesser recruits.)
As big a deal as it was to get a Top 5 recruit like Edwards to sign, it carries even more weight since he’s from Atlanta.
Let’s assume Edwards has an All-SEC type season and helps lead Georgia back to the NCAA Tournament- all expectations that normally follow a recruit ranked this high- it could open numerous opportunities for the Dawgs on the recruiting trails.
For one, Tom Crean would be able to use Edwards as a recent example of the program’s ability to showcase one and done talent while preparing them for the NBA.
More importantly, it will be much easier to entice some of the higher rated 4-star recruits to come to Athens. I highly doubt Georgia will be able to compete with schools like Duke and Kentucky on the recruiting trail, but if they can start landing the kids ranked in the 30-50 range consistently, you’ll start seeing a program making deep runs in the tournament.
North Carolina made it to back to back championships with those same second tiered players, and Virginia did this year, to an extent.
If Edwards happens to struggle this season and his draft stock falls, it will undoubtedly have a negative impact. Programs that bring in Top 10 recruit after Top 10 recruit can afford to miss on one every now and again. When you’ve only had one, it’s hard to recover if it doesn’t work out.
It’s kind of like dating; if you have a lot of good times, you’ll overlook the toilet seat being left up or the hour and a half it takes to get ready. If not, go ahead and leave one scoop of ice cream in the carton and see how that works out.
And look, I’m not saying that if Edwards doesn’t work out quite the way Georgia hopes that all is lost and they should just shut down the program and go home. More than likely things will continue to be status quo; a middle to lower level SEC team that considers making the tournament a huge win.
No matter where the program is five to six years from now fans will be able to look back and see how pivotal a role Edwards played. All it takes is one player to change the future of a program, for the good as well as the bad. After years of trying, Georgia finally has that player.
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch May 4
Leave It On the Field
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The University of Georgia is going to name the playing field at Sanford Stadium after long time head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley.
A ceremony has been planned for Georgia’s 2019 opening game on Sept. 7 against Murray State to dedicate Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium.
“I was very pleased for the family and pleased for all the ballplayers who have been so loyal and for all the friends and supporters,” Dooley told The Associated Press.
The plan, announced Thursday by University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and athletic director Greg McGarity, must be approved by the university and the board of regents, which is expected later this month.
Morehead said Dooley’s impact on the university carried beyond athletics.
“Coach Dooley’s many contributions to this university can be seen across campus, from Georgia athletics, where he achieved unrivaled success, to the learning environment, where today many academic programs and initiatives bear his name,” Morehead said in a statement. “The university community will continue to benefit from his service and dedication for generations to come.”
Personally, this is great news for long time Georgia fans. Coach Dooley was and is Georgia football to me. I attended Vince Dooley football camps as a youth and had some of the best times of my life with friendships I still cherish to this day.
Coach Dooley’s brand of football, which was the power run game, solid defense, and exceptional special teams is the brand Kirby Smart brought back to the program when he was hired in 2016 and you know those results over the past couple of years.
Dooley went 201-77-10 in his 25 years as head coach of UGA. That included 6 SEC Titles and the 1980 National Championship.
Coach Dooley is one of the top 5 coaches in SEC History, and the greatest head coach in UGA football history.
Once Dooley arrived at UGA in 1964 he did two things that made him the legend he is in Athens and that was he owned the Florida and Georgia Tech series.
The Yellow Jackets still haven’t recovered from the dominating Dooley years, and Florida was beaten in Dooley fashion over the past two seasons under Kirby Smart to the point to where their head coach takes veiled shots at UGA in the press consistently nowadays.
I still have UF friends that suffer from the “Vince Dooley Effect” to this day and I have one friend that still deals with that trauma by taking shots at UGA fans on social just this past week. Vince “The Gator Slayer” Dooley was 17-7-1 against those Gators in Jacksonville.
Eventually Sanford Stadium is going to become Sanford-Dooley Stadium, but this is a great first step.
I’m going to get chills when Notre Dame runs out onto Dooley Field this upcoming September.
And yes, long time Gators, it has been 39 years and counting since the last National Championship, but the Vince Dooley effect still controls you.
Coach Dooley is now 86 years old, and is a treasured person in our great state. He will always be my first and most cherished memory of Georgia Football.
Southern Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2019 NFL Draft is in the books.
Some teams drafted well and others made some head scratching decisions. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South and rate each teams draft.
Atlanta Falcons: Picks: Boston College OG Chris Lindstrom; Washington OT Kaleb McGary; Ohio State CB Kendall Sheffield; Charleston DE John Cominsky; Pittsburgh RB Qadree Ollison; Washington CB Jordan Miller; Louisiana-Monroe WR Marcus Green
With the 14th pick, guard Chris Lindstrom was selected. The offensive line needs to improve but Lindstrom was rated as a late first round pick at best. Then they traded the second and third round picks to get the 31st pick. The Falcons selected tackle Kaleb McGary.
He was not going to be selected in the first round. If Atlanta wanted him, they could have waited. The trade up value was not good and McGary has issues handling edge-rush speed. The strength of this draft was defense, especially in rounds 2 and 3. Atlanta missed on adding impact players on defense. Grade: C
Carolina Panthers: Picks: Florida State DE Brian Burns; Mississippi OT Greg Little; West Virginia QB Will Grier; Alabama DE Christian Miller; Florida RB Jordan Scarlett; South Carolina OT Dennis Daley; Georgia WR Terry Godwin
Burns was a great pick. He should make an impact rushing the passer immediately and he can develop his game over the next few years.
Daley and Godwin were good value picks in Rounds 6 and 7. They also doubled up on pass rushers by selecting Christian Miller. Grade: B+
New Orleans Saints: Picks: Texas A&M C Erik McCoy; Florida S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson; Rutgers S Saquan Hampton; Notre Dame TE Alize Mack; Idaho LB Kaden Elliss
Erik McCoy was a great pick for the Saints. He has Day 1 talent mixed with intelligence, toughness and competitiveness. New Orleans needs him to protect an aging Drew Brees.
Safety Gardner-Johnson was a good pick as well, addressing a position of need. The first two picks were good but I’m not sold on the rest of the players they selected. Alize Mack was rated as a top recruit going to Notre Dame. He never played like it in college. The Saints need to win now so they don’t have the luxury to develop these players. Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Picks: LSU LB Devin White; Central Michigan DB Sean Bunting; Auburn CB Jamel Dean; Kentucky S Mike Edwards; Iowa OLB Anthony Nelson; Utah K Matt Gay; Bowling Green WR Scott Miller; Missouri DT Terry Beckner Jr.
Devin White is a great pick. I expect him to be a Pro Bowler for the next decade. He has great closing speed and athleticism.
Jamal Dean is a questionable pick because of his injury history. He was medically disqualified to play football by Ohio State due to his suffering multiple knee injuries in high school. He sat out 2015, transferring from Columbus to Auburn, which cleared him to play.
Dean suffered yet another knee injury in preseason 2016 camp, which sidelined him for the year.
The Bucs ignored the offensive and defensive lines for some reason. They also drafted a second kicker in four years. Grade: C-
Teeing It Up For SEC Crown
By: Rich Styles
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC golf teams converged to Sea Island Resort for the 18th consecutive year to play their golf championship.
They played three days of individual and team play, then after elimination of sex teams, the remaining eight teams competed in match play. The results were surprising.
Auburn as a team smoked the other teams and led the team competition to get into the match play as the #1 seed. Auburn won by 16 shots. They shot -24 while the second-place team, Vanderbilt, shot -8.
Then followed in order by Texas A&M, +3, Kentucky +3, Georgia +6, Tennessee +6, Arkansas +15, South Carolina +16, LSU +17, Ole Miss +22, Missouri +35, Florida +35, Mississippi +38 and Alabama +42. The top 8 teams after Friday’s round advance to match play. The other teams went home.
Individual honors went to Auburn’s Jovan Rebula who beat his own mate, Graysen Huff in a playoff. Many of the past individuals who have won are now on either the PGA Tour or Web.com Tour.
Past champions include Michael Thompson (Alabama), Bobby Wyatt (Alabama), Lee McCoy (Georgia), Billy Horschel (Florida), Patton Kizzire (Auburn) and Justin Thomas (Alabama).
Several current PGA Tour players including Keith Mitchell (Georgia) and Thompson walked the par-70 Seaside course to watch their college teams.
On Friday, Seaside showed its teeth with strong winds that resulted in the 14 teams shooting a combined 214 over-par for the day. To play even par with the wind conditions was considered by many as playing under par.
To be able to play even in those conditions was nothing short of patience and determination. Many of these college golfers were being watched by their parents, friends and family and by sports agencies and club manufacturers who would like certain handpicked players to play their brand.
The crowds were about 300-400 people winding their way around the scenic course that hosts the RSM Classic in November.
Over the weekend, the top 8 teams played match play with one team being eliminated each round. That brought #1 seeded Auburn against #7 seed Arkansas on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
The crowds watched some great golf and like many sports, where you finish in the standings sometimes does not matter. Arkansas, which was 39 strokes apart from Auburn as a team, beat them 3.5-1.5. Quite an accomplishment for a team that was not picked to win this tournament.
Yet, as a team, they won. Julian Perico, the only Razorback to win all three of his match play contests, was tied with Grayson Huff through 17 holes.
Perico struck his tee shot like it was out of a cannon, while his playing partner had to play out of the fairway bunker. Bottom line, Perico won with a par and Arkansas was on their way to the SEC Golf Championship.
The SEC is known for football but now must be known for golf. All 14 schools received NCAA bids in 2018. Probably most will for 2019. Since 2013, the SEC has been represented in the NCAA championship match play every year.
The SEC Men’s Golf has won 3 National Championships in the last 6 years; 7 SEC teams ranked in the top 25, 8 Arnold Palmer Cup team members in 2018, most by any conference; 9 PGA Tour winners in the 2017-2018 season and 5 Major PGA Tour wins since 2000 including 2 Masters…Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. Watson went to UGA and so did Reed however, Reed left UGA.
Great golf under some difficult conditions and greater golf over the match play earns the SEC Golf Championship to Arkansas.
New Dirty Birds
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is a magical time. It is both a beginning and an ending.
One door shuts on the college career of young and hungry hopefuls, while the door to their professional career opens wide.
It’s a time of hope for fans as well, as they look for their favorite team to draft the players that will turn them around or help them take the next step.
People will debate until they are blue in the face which college player should be drafted at what point in the draft, or who is the best fit for what team and who will be the player that falls the farthest. The point is everyone has an opinion about the NFL Draft and that includes Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, apparently.
Word is that Ryan sent a text message to the Falcons’ General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, thanking him for drafting offensive linemen with both their first and their second picks in the Draft. That says something profound about how badly Ryan needed protection after season that saw him get hit third-most in the league and sacked eighth-most.
Those offensive linemen were Chris Lindstrom at 14 and Kaleb McGary, whom the Falcons traded up for to draft 31st overall.
Lindstrom is a guard from Boston College and McGary played right tackle at Washington, though he could also be moved to guard.
Lindstrom was not likely the 14th best player in the Draft, but the Falcons made a statement by drafting him and by trading their 2nd and 3rd round picks in order to get McGary in the first round. The O-line is going to be better this year come hell or high water.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Falcons signed two offensive guards during the offseason in Jamon Brown and James Carpenter.
It seemed fairly likely that those two would be starting for Atlanta come September, but with these two draft picks it now seems like a competition for those positions will be on. These are choices that potentially improve the team by leaps and bounds.
After missing the 2nd and 3rd rounds, the Falcons picked up cornerback Kendall Sheffield from Ohio State. Sheffield’s game is his speed and will play an important role for the team, if his pectoral injury doesn’t plague him the way it plagued Desmond Trufant.
Dimitroff then took John Cominsky, a Defensive End from Charleston, for his second pick in the 4th round. He’s got size and versatility, and his presence could keep the likes of Vic Beasley, Jr. and Takk McKinley on their toes and motivated.
Round 5 saw the Falcons draft a running back from Pittsburgh by the name of Qadree Ollison. Ollison is a big dude and should be capable of brining power to the short-yardage game of the Falcons, serving as a nice compliment to Devonta Freeman.
Atlanta’s second pick of the 5th round was another corner: Jordan Miller – also of Washington. Their second at that position of the draft, Miller will add depth to the secondary and join another former Washing player in Trufant there.
For Round 6, the Falcons branched out and took a wide receiver: UL Monroe’s Marcus Green. Green isn’t going to supplant Julio Jones, but he may be counted upon to make both kickoff and punt returns. He has the potential to provide some explosive returns and provides competition with free agent signing Kenjon Barner for the role.
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch April 27
Vicious Jaguar
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Joshua (Josh) Allen is now a Jacksonville Jaguar.
The 2018 SEC Defensive Player of The year will now set up shop in the River City and wreak havoc on AFC South quarterbacks for the next decade.
Allen played his college football at the University of Kentucky and led Kentucky to its first 10-win season since 1977.
Here are Allen’s 2018 career highlights and awards to date:
2018 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
Unanimous 2018 First Team All American
Chuck Bednarik Award 2018
Lott Trophy 2018
Nagurski Trophy 2018
First Team All SEC 2018
Allen is proof that recruiting rankings and stars don’t mean anything, as one highly thought of recruiting service had Allen rated as a two-star prospect coming out of high school in New Jersey.
Jacksonville didn’t think he would there at 7. They thought he would go at 3 or 4 or 5. I absolutely love this pick. Their identity is that defense. The Jags needed an edge rusher, and Allen fell to them and they took him.
Thank you to the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants for making this happen.
Allen was a star in the best football conference in the land, where he registered 17 sacks, 51 total pressures, and 28 hurries in 2018.
He finished his career with 31.5 sacks at UK and is the all-time sack leader there. Allen declared for the NFL draft after his junior season.
Allen is listed at 6’5 and 260 pounds, and is very quick. He is equipped to be one of those special speed edge rushers that keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night.
When it comes to pass coverage, he can drop into coverage with ease and is fluid in the hips, and moves like a safety. That will be a huge plus for a Jaguar defense that took a step back in 2018. Even with the addition of Nick Foles at QB this organization’s identity is defense. Now, with the addition of Allen, the Jaguar pass rush may get back to the standard it set during the 2017 season.
Allen runs a 4.6 40 Yard dash and looks to be another Pro Bowl caliber player on a talented defense. He is a high character young man that will come in, roll up his sleeves and go to work immediately. He is a Tom Coughlin type of player that eventually will take over leadership in that locker room.
I view this selection as a culture builder in Jacksonville. Allen is a winner and a producer and talks with his shoulder pads.
As I was watching the first round unfold, I could not believe Allen didn’t go to Raiders at 4 or the Giants at 6. And when the Giants went QB at 6 I said wow Josh Allen is going to be a Jaguar.
They say the NFL is an offensive league now, but do you remember the 13-3 Super Bowl contest that just concluded? The Patriots shut down the high-powered Rams offense and held them to 3 points.
Josh Allen was the absolute best pick the Jaguars could have made. The Jaguars got the biggest steal in the first round.
Draft Grade: A+
