NORCROSS, GA – Part 2 of some “Unsung” Guys from the OTR Tipoff Classic By: Keith Agran Boogie Morgan | 6-0 | PG | Lanier | 2024 The move of CJ Hyland to Grayson certainly put the ball in the hands of Morgan more and he’s always had gifts as a distributor and floor general, the scoring aspect of his overall contribution will be fascinating to watch as forwards Jayce Nathaniel and Osmar Garcia may do the lion’s share of bucket-getting night to night but Morgan more than his the ability to......
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NORCROSS, GA – Back at it was OTR and its crew for the annual OTR Tipoff Classic at Norcross HS, and the slate of 6 games produced some top performances. First with Part 1 of 2, Let’s dive a little deeper at guys who did the little things or emerged as key “Unsung” producers toward a successful season for their clubs. By: Keith Agran Mier Panoam | 6-3 | CG | Norcross | 2023 Far from just a “role” guy Panoam affects the game in so many ways, can be your primary......
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By: Keith Agran 3A A plethora of talent is back for SANDY CREEK, a program many have argued has underachieved the last few seasons, despite a finals appearance in ’20-21, and if you’re only metric is deep playoff runs and/or titles, I find the argument to be a bit harsh and incomplete. Consistently playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, and it jam-packed with non-region opponents in higher classifications, the Pats don’t shy away from high-level competition and have become a staple of superb defensive play and small school fight......
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By: Keith Agran A capsule look at 4A: TOP 4 CONTENDERS (ALPHABETICALLY): Baldwin, McDonough, Pace Academy, Westover NEXT 4: Lovett, Fayette County, Miller Grove, Westside-Macon SUMMARY BALDWIN has a mix of notable losses but also some steady returnees for a program that has a 4A title and Sweet 16 appearance under its belt over the last 2 seasons. Christian Baldwin’s move to prep school in Ohio hurts the most, but senior guards Rudolph Satcher and Isaiah Dennis are back to stabilize the backcourt while the Braves surely find new faces to fill key......
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By: Keith Agran A capsule look at 5A: TOP 4 CONTENDERS (ALPHABETICALLY): Eagle’s Landing, Hiram, Kell, Tri-Cities NEXT 4: Dutchtown, Mays, Tucker, Statesboro LURKING: Centennial, Chapel Hill, Creekside, Greenbrier, Lithonia, Maynard Jackson Eagle’s Landing (27-4 last year, lost to Tri-Cities in Final) KEY LOSSES: G AJ Barnes, G Jordan Fordyce, F Fabian Desilva Having won it all in ’20-21 over Tri-Cities only to have the Bulldogs take it back last year, the feeling down on the south side still has to be one of confidence with the kind of players who are back for......
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By: Keith Agran A capsule look at 6A: TOP 4 CONTENDERS (ALPHABETICALLY): Alexander, Grovetown, Jonesboro, Langston Hughes NEXT 4: Etowah, Lanier, St Pius, Marist LURKING: Alpharetta, Evans, Habersham Central, Paulding County, Sequoyah, Woodward Academy Alexander (24-5 last year, lost to Grovetown in Sweet 16) KEY LOSSES: G Zion Fruster, F Jah’Kim Payne, G Joffrey Nunnally, F Sean Ivory Losing the above four plus two other notable backcourt contributors would seem a tall hill to climb back to another 20+ win season, but ALX has proven itself to be more “reload” than rebuild in recent......
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By: Keith Agran A capsule look at 7A: TOP 4 CONTENDERS (ALPHABETICALLY): Grayson, McEachern, Norcross, Wheeler NEXT 4: Buford, Newton, Osborne, Pebblebrook LURKING: Berkmar, Carrollton, Denmark, Lowndes, North Gwinnett, South Gwinnett Grayson (20-9 last year, lost to Berkmar in Elite 8) KEY LOSSES: G Tyrese Elliott, F Chauncey Wiggins, G Caleb Blackwell A mere 2 possessions away from a Final 4 berth for what was a squad last year that had a bunch of talented young players in key roles, and now returns those key guys with some serious seasoning under their......
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ATLANTA, GA – I take just a little bit of pride in calling the Grovetown Warriors last year as the future 6A champions, that bold but not altogether ridiculous (at least to me) assertion that they were really good. A full room of ATL scouts and media at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic scoffed, siding more with traditional powers as their predictions, but Coach Darren Douglas and his supremely talented Warriors group took home the prize, and by the way, are nearly all back for another run again in 6A. 5A gains a......
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ATLANTA, GA – With transfer portal news making national headlines at the college level and impacting rosters in massive ways, the similar phenomenon of the high school transfer player certainly has become a notable topic around the state of Georgia as well. Movement of players has certainly picked up pace in recent years, and this year’s chase for every classification will potentially be impacted by one or more geography-changing hoopsters. Part 3 goes through the remaining classifications to pull a few more notable movers, using 3 Impact Levels, all with certainly some......
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ATLANTA, GA – I take just a little bit of pride in calling the Grovetown Warriors last year as the future 6A champions, that bold but not altogether ridiculous (at least to me) assertion that they were really good. A full room of ATL scouts and media at the Hawks-Naismith Holiday Classic scoffed, siding more with traditional powers as their predictions, but Coach Darren Douglas and his supremely talented Warriors group took home the prize, and by the way, are nearly all back for another run again in 6A. Outside of the......
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