Take 10: South Atlanta boys, Redan girls top metro Atlanta final basketball power rankings
Miller Grove and Tucker are a couple of boys teams Take 10 files under "Me Likey." (Jason Getz / AJC)
The nets have been cut. The jerseys packed away. The hot dogs thrown in the freezer until next season. Basketball season is officially done. The champions have been crowned, but we know that’s not good enough for you.
We’ve examined the best boys and girls metro-Atlanta teams. It wasn’t easy or always fair. But we here at Take 10 Headquarters did what we could to ignore early tournament exits and consider the season as a whole.
Here are the metro Atlanta power rankings for the 10 best boys and girls teams this season:
10. Blessed Trinity (boys)/Mays (girls): The Titans fell short of a state title against Dublin but finished the season 26-7. The Raiders were a powerhouse in Class AAAA, only losing to Fayette County and Northwest Whitfield.
9. Whitefield Academy (boys)/Campbell (girls): Tyrone Johnson earned a long-awaited state championship after losing the crown in 2006 and 2007. We’d like to see Brandon Reed against some of the elite teams in the city. Campbell put together a great season and finished 25-6.
8. Tucker (boys)/Westlake (girls): The Tigers were very close to earning state titles in football and boys basketball, but that ended thanks to Miller Grove. The Lions didn’t lose a game in the state of Georgia until their final one in the Elite Eight.
7. Columbia (boys)/Marietta (girls): Freshman Jordan Price and junior JerShon Cobb will make for a talented group again next season. Running into South Atlanta made finding their second straight state title a problem. Ken Sprague’s Marietta team made a great run to reach the state title game in Class AAAAA. They’re solid against anyone with Telia McCall in the middle.
6. Westlake (boys)/Wesleyan (girls): Marcus Thornton and the Lions ran into a hot Wheeler team, but they were one of the best squads in the city all year. Wesleyan won like its 47th girls basketball state title. Maybe it was six.
5. Norcross (boys)/Fayette County (girls): Be proud of your year, Lady Tigers. Despite the loss in the Class AAAA final, you’ll be back with Anma Onyeuku next season. We’re giving Norcross a pass for having met the eventual state champ so early.
4. Milton (boys)/Buford (girls): The future is incredibly bright for the Eagles. Between Julian Royal, Shannon Scott and Dai-Jon Park, they’ll hang with anyone for the next two years. The Wolves are also set for years to come with freshman Andraya Carter.
3. Miller Grove (boys)/Parkview (girls): The Wolverines work quick for being such a young program. Mfon Udofia and Stephen Hill were incredible. The Lady Panthers were oh-so-close to a Class AAAAA finals appearance, but we think they could handle most teams in the state č outside of Redan.
2. Wheeler (boys)/Southwest DeKalb (girls): Forgive us for overlooking Kathy Richie-Walton’s team. They are legit and slowly got better throughout the season despite losing three starters off last year’s title team. The Wildcats are simply incredible. We also enjoyed the play of point guard Phil Taylor and look forward to seeing him again next year.
1. South Atlanta (boys)/Redan (girls): This decision was based on taking Derrick Favors over Wheeler’s combo of Ari Stewart and Richard Howell. Sorry, guys, Favors just has NBA written all over him. The Lady Raiders finished undefeated at 27-0 for the school’s first basketball state title.
Go on. Take Ten. Who were the best teams in the area this season? Who did we miss? Should we have bumped someone? Let us know.
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104 comments Add your comment
David
March 19th, 2009
12:04 pm
Where are the Marist girls. They beat SW DeKalb twice by 18 points both times and beat Buford. There only loss was to Fayette County. The teams listed 6 through 10 weren’t close to the caliber of the Lady War Eagles.
BBfan
March 19th, 2009
12:50 pm
Where did they end up in the playoffs? They beat Buford in double-overtime but it was in the beginning of the season.
fayette fan
March 19th, 2009
1:06 pm
what about fayette county boys team? Can they get some love too?
SouthFultonMom
March 19th, 2009
1:34 pm
GO WESTLAKE!!!! WE ARE SOOOOOOOO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ernest
March 19th, 2009
1:43 pm
I agree with David, the Marist girls deserve some love. They were the only team in the state of Georgia to defeat SW DeKalb this year. I believe they could easily defeat Mays.
I mentioned this on an earlier blog, look for the Redan and SW DeKalb girls to possibly repeat next year. Also look for them to possibly schedule to play one another next season. Coach Richey-Walton NEVER shies away from scheduling tough competition.
what
March 19th, 2009
1:44 pm
This poll makes no sense. At first glance, it looks like it is entirely dependent on the play-offs and takes none of the regular season into consideration. Then, out of nowhere, Norcross boys are ranked 5th while someone like Centennial is not ranked. Centennial beat Wheeler once and lost once, while Norcross simply lost to them. Region 6-AAAAA showed they were the best in the tournament with Wheeler and Milton, so I do not know how you can not put the regular season 6-AAAAA champion (undefeated in region) in these rankings while Norcross is in them.
D
March 19th, 2009
2:10 pm
I thought this was TEAM ranking, not PLAYER rankings. Wheeler would kill South Atlanta. I call a foul on this.
TRU
March 19th, 2009
3:14 pm
To D
You out your mind if you think Wheeler would kill South Atlanta!!! South Atlanta is good but its just amazing what that ONE MAN FAVORS can do for your team….so I hope this poll is based on which team would win regardless if it’d be a one man show!
Now the thing about that South Atlanta team is whether Andre Malone shows up….they’d win with D. Favors alone, but if Malone plays well its a wrap…..that’d beat Wheeler by 10 with everyone else having a bad game besides STIX but with Malone playing his game….SA would do Wheeler like they did Centennial…..BRAKES!!!!
Often Disappointed Never Surprised
March 19th, 2009
3:18 pm
Once again, the Jonesboro High School Girls basketbal team is slighted. Our girls were 30-2 and reached the state semi-finals. Only 2 points separated Fayette County and The Lady Cardinals in the end (43-41). Not to mention the defensive gem that was demonstrated in the second half. Fayette was held to 12 points for the entire second half. Go figure! No, Go Lady Cardinals!
David
March 19th, 2009
3:34 pm
To base the final rankings on the how the playoffs went is ridiculous as BBfan suggests. The fact is Marist beat Buford (Buford’s only loss). Buford by the way beat Wesleyan by 21. Marist was the last team to beat SW DeKalb (region championship by 18 at the end of the season). To not include Marist because of a loss in the playoffs to the then #1 in the state seems unfair.
Noneya
March 19th, 2009
3:53 pm
I agree Often…Jonesboro Girls were a solid team but I don’t see who they would knock off this list maybe Campbell. Georgia should adopt a two class basketball system!!! All schools over 900, all schools under.
Iron Mike
March 19th, 2009
4:04 pm
HAHA!!! You put BT on the list of the best 10 teams in the state. Thats laughable. They didnt win their region tournament. They lost to GAC 3 times and were not nearly as competitive against Dublin as GAC was in their final 4 loss to Dublin. GAC lost by 14 but was tied at the half and down 5 to start the 4th. BT was down 15 at the half and was never really in the game. Brackets determined that game. The real championship was GAC and Dublin in the semis. BT wouldnt be ranked in the top 10 in the state in 5A yet somehow they make the top 10 in all classifications. The AJC shouldnt even try to cover basketball because you see VERY few games and have no idea whats going on. One of the top 3 states in the country for high school basketball gets possibly the worst coverage in the country.
Tucker boys lost tons of games but got hot at the right time and that makes them the 8th best overall team?
Id take Miller Grove over South Atlanta and Wheeler. And I would take Wheeler over South Atlanta. Miller Grove had the best balance of inside and outside scoring in the state.
Please make a new list thats somewhat or legit or stop trying.
foxdog
March 19th, 2009
4:17 pm
There are not 5 girls teams in America better than Wesleyan much less metro Atlanta!
Ryan
March 19th, 2009
5:56 pm
There are more teams in this state better than these metro area teams. Also more readers across the state as well. How about a statewide top ten. That will show who the true good teams are. I would put Dublin boys and Carrollton girls up against anyone in the metro area in any classification.
Really?
March 19th, 2009
6:03 pm
wow how could you but BT over GAC? GAC beat them 3 times! i totally agree with Iron Mike. Blessed Trinity came out of an easier bracket and got destroyed by Dublin in the championship. At least GAC was competitive for 3 quarters in the semis.
WheelerFan
March 19th, 2009
6:43 pm
its not hard to put up big numbers like favors does when your playing teams that dont have players taller than 6′3 like westover…wheeler beats south atlanta no question, one man team would not beat 2 ACC players and phil taylor, not to mention jerome with the way he played the last half of the year….and for god sakes, enough with the centennial nonsense, they are another 1 man team, they beat wheeler by 4 pts in december, when they met with a region title at stake they got run outta the gym, so stop harping on a december win when the knights couldnt hold wheelers’s jock when it mattered
Mr. Top Hat
March 19th, 2009
6:48 pm
You can’t base rankings, you base them on teams. Sure Derrick Favors, but he is there team. Now, Wheeler has much better guard play than SA and Wheeler has been playing zone so well that Favors wouldn’t be as affetive. And defensively, Favors cannot guard both Stewart and Howell especially cause they can both shoot the 3 ball. Base your rankings on teams not players
TRU
March 19th, 2009
7:17 pm
Well dang Wheeler fans….what is it????? Do ya’ll not want give anyone else credit….or is it that South Atlanta is ranked over Wheeler???
And ya’ll swear SA is a one man team…..honestly have you taken a look at the South Atlanta program and records?????????? They have not won the BIG ONE til this year, but they not no trash program!!! Look at the record BEFORE FAVORS….matter of fact this team is probably not the best SA team ever…Vincent Banks senior season team would probably beat this team…..and I still remember them playing in the championship game of 2003 at Georgia Tech right before Wheeler played Jonesboro……even tho South Atlanta loss that game, they was better than Wheeler then…..Steak Shapiro, Dominique Wilkins, and the other commentators agreed that SA was the better team in the state…..EVEN with the loss!!!
Its hard to see a “HOOD” school get some credit….it took having the BEST player in America to do so…..I bet Wheeler enjoyed stealing J. J. Hickson from Cleveland AVE(South Atanta school distict).
I wish ya’ll could arrange an outside game so these boys can settle it on the court…..SA is the BEST this year…..can we have atleast one year…….GOSH!!!!! lol
Glen
March 19th, 2009
7:42 pm
Miller Grove is the best team. They have better guard play then both S Atl and Wheeler. Plus they have the deepest bench and tremendous size with 3 guys they can throw at you that are 6′8″. Howell is soft and would get dominated by Favors if they played, Howell would rather try to be a guard then actually going in the post and being physical, he had a horrible post-season.
Blessed Trinity should be no where close to this list, where the heck is Dublin they beat them. Centennial and Walton would beat half the teams on this list.
soufgamale
March 19th, 2009
9:38 pm
South Atlanta vs. Wheeler or Miller Grove will be a toss up. For the person who commented that Favors only put’s up big numbers against smaller players, they must not have followed South Atlanta for very long. They play a national schedule just as Wheeler does and they beat some quality teams and only lost to Oak Hill by less than 10. If Malone shows up and Nick Watkins takes care of the ball, South Atlanta is scary good. Otherwise, they tend to be just the Derrick Favors show. They’ll need a complete team game to beat Wheeler or Miller Grove.
TRU
March 19th, 2009
10:53 pm
Whoever said Favors only puts up big numbers against small schools must not no where Favors gets his number 1 ranking from……well its sure not South Atlanta…..better take a look at who he plays against in the summer!!!
And I can respect Soufgamale saying it’ll be a toss up and I agree that it’ll take contribution from Malone as well as Favors to win against those two…..with them both playing well it’ll be no contest….with just Favors it will be a tough one as it was against Columbia. But I think we can agree that FAVORS has NEVER been stopped on this HS level…..he can only stop himself.
On the Oak Hill game……South Atlanta had a commanding lead most of the game then the 6′9″ 290Lbs Keith “Tiny” Gallon decides he wants to hit a unprecedented SIX 3 pointers to have a end of game comeback against SA in last minutes!
Knights Fan
March 19th, 2009
11:41 pm
Centennial has to be in this list. They were 5-2 against 5 of the teams in your top 10 as follows: Beat Whitefield Academy, Tucker, Milton twice, 1-1 against Wheeler and lost to Miller Grove.
Bee Shabazz
March 20th, 2009
12:36 am
Knights fan don’t forget Centennial got destroyed by those mighty SOUTH ATLANTA HORNETS!They did not belong on the same floor the with the best team in the state. ZONE 3 ATLANTA CITY BOYS!
Bee Shabazz
March 20th, 2009
1:15 am
Knights fan don’t forget that Centennial got destroyed by those MIGHTY SOUTH ATLANTA HORNETS. Centennial didn’t belong on the same court as S.ATL. Congratulations to those ZONE 3 ATLANTA CITY BOYZ! One of the best teams to ever come out of the state of Georgia!
giaster smithe
March 20th, 2009
1:59 am
I thought this said TEAM rankings. Let me show u how u consider the best teams………….. Take Udofia off Miller Grove’s TEAM and Howell off of Wheeler’s TEAM and both of those schools still have good TEAMS that compete for a title. Take Favors off South Atlanta’s TEAM and they dont even make the playoffs. Favors is great for player rankings but this said best TEAM rankings. Miller Grove drug S. Atlanta, Centennial, Marist, Tucker, Westlake, and 3 national ranked teams by double digits because they can play effectively 10 TEAMATES. Find TEAM in the Websters. Wheeler or Miller Grove. Im sick of S. Atlanta’s one man show being called a team.
giaster smithe
March 20th, 2009
2:06 am
One more thought. When i think Miller Grove’s Team, I think names like Mfon Udofia, Steven Hill, Tony Parker, Donte Williams, and Joe Caldwell. All D1 Players and household names. When i think Wheeler, i think Ari, Richard, Taj, Phil, and a host of other possible d1 talent. I bet u cant even name the starting lineup for S. Atlanta outside of Favors. Maybe Malone who is an average player without Favors being double teamed. Wake up AJC. Favors is good. Not the team.
south atlanta Fan
March 20th, 2009
4:41 am
We must have to go through this a thousand time that MIller Grove game Against South Atlanta was a WARM GAME THAT DIDNT COUNT and if Miller Grove would have never lost to LAKESIDE then i will put them at number 1 in the STate. IF south atlanta was a one man show then somebody would have beat them in the playoff with a good game plan.
TRU
March 20th, 2009
6:54 am
LOL @ the South Atlanta one man-team thing!
I’m just gonna chalk it up everyone saying that doesnt know South Atlanta basketball!!!!
They dont know South Atlanta is the best team out of Atlanta Public Schools the last 10 years!
They dont know South Atlanta has won the Atlanta Public Schools tournament the last 8 years including over 2-time AAAA State Champ MAYS(SA just couldnt win the BIG game)
They dont know South Atlanta had the states longest 5-Game home court winning streak for 5-years up til 2005 and thats including Wheeler, Norcross, etc.
They dont know South Atlanta has had the best JV basketball program for the last 10 years as well including a undefeated season and JV championship this year!
And they REALLY dont know Vincent Banks(former Mr. GA basketball)…..his team probably would beat this SA team but nevertheless…I’m glad of Favors because atleast they got “SOME” credit this year FINALLY!!!!!
(SO I GUESS FAVOR’S HAS BEEN PLAYING FOR SA THE LAST 10 YEARS UH LOL!)
Now South Atlanta’s program is NOT on the level of Wheeler’s….and probably will never be because they are not some recruiting power house(and ANDRE MALONE WAS NOT RECRUITED to SA). But they are a good program so can the HATING stop please!
And on Miller Grove….yea that Lakeside loss hurt bad…..but I saw the scrimmage game between MG and SA and I saw SA play during the regular season and saw a different team on the court….I guess it was like preseason football. If someone says Miller Grove is better i can respect their opinion but not Wheeler(THIS YEAR).
Tucker Fan
March 20th, 2009
8:16 am
Bless Trinity could not hold water with Tucker or any other team in Reagion 6. This is the strongest region in the state that is why the champion has come out of this region the last 4 years. Team means a unit playing together to get the best of your ability and if you look at the Tucker line up you can see they got the best out of their ability to make them one of the better teams in the Atlanta area.
TRU
March 20th, 2009
9:21 am
CORRECTION
South Atlanta had the state of Georgia’s longest home court winning streak for 5-years up til 2005 and thats including longer than Wheeler, Norcross, etc.
blue devil
March 20th, 2009
9:57 am
Norcross hasn’t lost at home since 2003.
TRU
March 20th, 2009
10:25 am
Yea Norcross may have the longest current streak….South Atlanta’s was broken in 2005 by Mays(eventual State Champs)
My point in stating that was to let it be known that South Atlanta didnt just become a progam when Derrick Favors arrived.
fayette fan
March 20th, 2009
11:07 am
again wheres the love for fayette county boys? miller grove beat everybody by double digits in the state playoffs except for fayette boys.
Columbia Alumni
March 20th, 2009
12:02 pm
Where are the columbia girls. they made a name for themselves by making it to the playoffs. them girls were very talented and will make another and deeper run next year. and dont forget they lost to the eventual state champs carrollton in the quarterfinals.
Miller Grove's #1 Fan
March 20th, 2009
2:11 pm
I see you failed to mention that Miller Grove beat South Atlanta and Centennial! Congratulations to “The Miller Grove Wolverines” Repeat
Big-Man
March 20th, 2009
3:55 pm
My only comment is that this list is terrible. Tucker fails to show up in the finals and gets rewarded in an All Class top 10? No comment.
South Atlanta Fan
March 20th, 2009
6:44 pm
millar grove’s #1 fan u might wanna check gasports.com and see what was the score when miller grove beat south atlanta and let me know what it was lol
MGHS Bball #1
March 20th, 2009
9:17 pm
LOL come on South Atlanta Fan, just because the game was not listed on Ga Sports doesn’t make it irrelevant! It was still A GAME and the stats are still out there….final score 70-61…S. ATL lost!!! Scrimmage, tournament, whatever….a game was played with 10 players on the court and plenty of fans in the stands including myself!
By the way, Favors stats in that game were as follows: 34 points, 20 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots…..don’t get me wrong, FAVORS is one of the top players in the country, but hmmm sounds like a one man team to me!
Let’s Go Wolverines!!!
giaster smithe
March 20th, 2009
11:00 pm
South Atlanta fan stop being in denial with the scrimmage excuse. Title the game what u want, they played and Favors played well but they lost 70-61 and Miller Grove missed 27 Free throws. Couldve won by 40+. Everyone played and the coaches coached. Game was November 13th to be exact. First game of the season was Nov. 18th. Would it make u feel beter if they had waited 5 days so u could have titled the game SEASON OPENER instead of SCRIMMAGE. lol. Ur funny. S. Atlanta lost. Quit making excuses.
MGHS Bball #1
March 21st, 2009
12:49 am
Thank you Giaster Smithe! Well said! I forgot about those missed free throws…..we could have really smashed S. Atl even more!
Is it me or are you guys missing HS basketball already?????
MGHS Bball #1
March 21st, 2009
1:06 am
By the way, don’t you think a Tournament of Champions would be nice? Justin Young suggested it on his blogspot Georgia Hoops. He suggests the individual State Champs play each other for an overall State Champ. However, since it’s 5 teams, would have to re-seed the playoff tournament to 32 teams.
Sounds like a good idea…..then we could see who TRULY is the #1 TEAM in the state of Georgia!
TRU
March 21st, 2009
1:12 am
Hold on hold Miller Grove people…..give me a honest opinion of why you think ya’ll are not getting national love or even instate love over SA??? Just curious…be honest!
Secondly….I’ll give it to ya’ll….ya’ll are one of the teams that Andre Malone would have to play his game as well for them to kill ya’ll…now I was at that game……and you didnt see South Atlanta play good ball(Malone didnt hit a shot)….you can enjoy winning that scrimmage all you want….I’m sure many people have seen Miller Grove AND SA play and its just funny that you dont even make the regional rankings.
It could be thay ya’ll were just about to be ranked, but then lost a game(Lakeside) u shouldnt have so that may have killed it for ya’ll. South Atlanta is good for losing a game it shouldnt lose but this year that didnt happen…there 3 losses were respected losses.
But ya’ll can have your lil scrimmage win…i dont care if it was played a day before the first REAL game of the season…..South Atlanta won its first game soundly over Centennial!
TJ
March 21st, 2009
4:30 am
DUBLIN KILLED BT IN THE TITLE GAME. HOW ARE THEY NOT IN THE TOP 10? BRANDON REED CAN SCORE ON ANYONE IN ANY CLASSIFICATION AND WHITEFIELD CAN PLAY WITH ANYONE.
POMPEY
March 21st, 2009
10:19 am
miller grove beat centennial and south atlanta we should be first !!!!4A STATE CHAMPS !!!!! NOTE we blew tucker out in the championship game
MGHS Bball #1
March 21st, 2009
10:40 am
Hey TRU that’s one thing we both agree on; both of our teams beat a AAAAA team, Centennial……so that would make them OVERATED!!
Unleashed
March 21st, 2009
6:37 pm
Let’s not forget about senior guard, Tony Dukes from Morrow. Just recently named 2009 Southern Crescent-Clayton County Player of the Year! If you don’t know, now you know…………………
qdog2
March 22nd, 2009
3:16 am
Miller Grove actually beat South Atlanta in a scrimmage in pre-season. The Wolverines lost 1 game in Georgia and they beat Centennial. Region 6-AAAA has proven to be the toughest region in football & basketball. # 3 is great, but Miller Grove deserves to be # 1
BLUELION
March 22nd, 2009
8:34 am
TO THE BASKETBALL TEAMS OF THE MIGHTY WESTLAKE LIONS. YOU GUYS AND LADY LIONS HAD A GREAT SEASON FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR @ 4AAAAA. LETS GO ALL THE WAY NEXT SEASON. TO JB OF THE BOYS TEAM, I NO YOUR MOTHER IS VERY PROUD OF ALL THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR,I KNOW I AM. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK J. I WILL BE WATCHING YOU. GROWLLLLLL!
THEHILLISREAL
March 22nd, 2009
9:21 pm
**FYI** Derrick Favors got his numbers on EUHRBODY!!!! Are you kiddin me,Duncanville,Tx have 5
player over 6′7,Derrick got his and a win.Two of the player will suit for texas next year.Look at who they played before you blog with bald assumptions!
south atlanta Fan
March 22nd, 2009
11:34 pm
lol yep we did beat up on overrated centennial and yeah Derrick did go to work on everybody we played if he had a bad game he’ll still have more than 25 points a game
bee shabazz
March 22nd, 2009
11:59 pm
The only reason Wheeler people think the Wildats A.K.A. The TALENTSNATCHERS of Wheeler High would beat S.Atl is because the only coach that recruits Ga. and surrounding states harder than Mark Richt is Doug Lip-SCUM! 90% of your team has never seen the inside of East Cobb Middle. There not part of the community and if they couldn’t play ball would not even be welcome(Ask Tahj Tate)! I’ve heard Lip-SCUM say kids just find Wheeler, but truth be told the only reason they find Wheeler is because Lip-SCUM gives them better directions than a GPS!
wheelerfan
March 23rd, 2009
12:27 am
bee shabazz- want some cheese with that whine? let me spell for you- J E A L O U S Y
bee shabazz
March 23rd, 2009
1:07 am
Congrats Wheeler fans on your first recruit for next years squad, don’t know his name but he’s 6ft11 or 7ft and from NEW YORK! Guess he just found Wheeler too? WHEELERFAN fan why would I be jealous of #2 The Wheeler TALENTSNATCHERS. P.S. keep looking up and you’ll see SOUTH ATLANTA! And remember #2 is also the 1st LOSER!
que15
March 23rd, 2009
10:41 am
S. Atlanta fan, you think South Atlanta would go undefeated in Region-6 AAAA or Region-6AAAA, both regions Miller Grove and Wheeler play in respectively? You guys talk about the Lakeside loss, which is no excuse, but that loss was the best thing that happend to the Miller Grove team. Lakeside, a very young and talented team led by guard Sheldon Strickland (21.3ppg) will be a team to be reckon with next season; however, only the strong will survive the ACC/Big East of high school ball. C’mon with the JV comment (SA undefeated).. Littel did you know that Miller Grove’s JV has only two losses in the last two season–to who? Columbia.. That’s right. The team South Atlanta really needs to worry about next season.
Congrats to all players and I really look forward to seeing GT’s 2009 class play next season with Favors, Udofia and Rice Jr.
Wesleyn girls are to slow to compete with Redan girls by the way.
wheelerfan
March 23rd, 2009
11:39 am
bee shabazz- when south atlanta has 5 titles then come talk to me
TRU
March 23rd, 2009
1:11 pm
I’m stepping in again…..
On the the tough region thing…..well South Atlanta has been there done that(BEFORE the FAVORS era)….when SA was in and dominated region 5-AAAA which consisted of (5) TOP-10 teams(SA, Creekside, Columbia, Stone Mtn, and MLK). Check the records…they were ALL top 10 teams and all were dominated South Atlanta….and AAAA ball was better than AAAAA ball at the time.
Unfortunately SA cant control what classification and region they will be in so they can only schedule tough non-region games. And I’m not saying SA’s program will surpass Wheeler’s or anything but THIS YEAR South Atlanta is the BEST. For the record SA has tried to schedule Wheeler but I think Wheeler scared of a home and home match-up…..they scared of the “hood” i guess lol! But dont worry, they wont hurt you as long as you not in there talking that non-sense lol!
que15
March 23rd, 2009
3:05 pm
TRU-DON’T THINK THAT THIS IS THE WORLD VS. S. ATLANTA, BUT YOU DIDN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION.. COULD S. ATLANTA HAD SUCH RECORD, OR EVEN, WIN STATE IF THEY COMPETED IN REGION-6 IN BOTH CLASSIFICATIONS?
LIKE I SAID, HATS OFF TO ALL CLASS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS..
TRU
March 23rd, 2009
5:21 pm
Que15
My bad…but to answer your question..YES they would have went undefeated in anyone of those regions or classifications this year.
And I dont think the WORLD is against South Atlanta…..actually South Atlanta has gotten more props this year than ever before….it just seems that some of the Wheeler fans dont like the fact that SA is getting the nod as the states BEST team. Now I can understand Miller Grove’s argument even though I dont agree…..dang Miller Grove…only if you wouldn’t slipped up against Lakeside!
Wheelerfan
March 23rd, 2009
9:35 pm
Tru- this article is one mans opinion, glen, so unless he speaks for everyone, south atlanta is not getting the nod by all
TRU
March 23rd, 2009
10:45 pm
Wheelerfan…….I’m not referring to just the ajc….but the major national rankings (USATODAY and ESPN)……South Atlanta is the only school from GA nationally ranked. No Wheeler…not even in the regional top-10 on USATODAY)
wheelerfan
March 23rd, 2009
11:47 pm
TRU- and i can cite 2 reputable polls, maxpreps and prepnation, that have south atlanta behind wheeler, so its obviously not a consensus by anyone
Hops
March 24th, 2009
12:00 pm
If Chris Grier Columbia #2 scorer plays in the Semi Game against S,Atlanta they loose?? Just facts!! If anyone saw that game knows Columbia was missing a step while S.Atlanta was fully loaded!!
What?
March 24th, 2009
2:37 pm
USA today doesn’t actually send people to watch high school teams like all the other sites do. USA today is based solely on stats and records. Wheeler shows up in ESPN’s poll and is ranked way ahead of South Atlanta in Prepnation and maxpreps.
For the record- I think Wheeler/South Atlanta would be a great matchup with no clear favorite. Favorsd is very good but Howell will make him work on defense and Idk if South Atlanta has anybody who could D up Ari’s inside/outside game. Jacobs isn’t athletic enough to stay with Ari and Ari would shoot over Andre Malone with his length and jumping ability. I feel Phil is a better point guard then Watkins by a lot and judging from the Leflore game Idk if South Atlanta could handle Wheeler’s press.(Wheeler has better defensive guards in Jerome, Cochran, and Tiller than Leflore does). The neutralizing factor for South Atlanta is favors who can dominate in multiple ways and I think Wheeler would have trouble defending him one-on-one. I think Wheeler would win a series but Idk if they could beat South Atlanta any given night.
bee shabazz
March 24th, 2009
7:52 pm
hops- Chris Grier doesn’t even start, plus i saw him in Columbia’s game against N.Atl. He’s average at best and would be a non-factor just like he was last year against S.Atl when he played for Chamblee. S.Atl destroyed him and Chamblee.
bee shabazz
March 24th, 2009
8:30 pm
What? I’ve never heard of prepnation nor have I seen any of their representatives in Zone 3 Atl. Maxpreps in my opinion is totally biased against inner-city public schools for example, different sport but last year in Maxpreps final football poll they were probaly the only people in the country that didn’t have Miami Northwestern ranked #1. Point blank Richard Howell has played Derrick in AAU and been destroyed by the BEST PLAYER IN THE COUNTRY! Richard’s good, Ari good at times, Derrick is an UNSTOPPABLE PHENOM which would be the diffence if they were to play.
wheelerfan
March 24th, 2009
10:23 pm
bee shabazz- heres the deal, no one argues favors isnt good, but the difference between wheelers 2,3,4,5th players is much bigger then favors over richard or ari….1 player will not beat wheelers well rounded starting 5, the way they played since losing to walton was on a different level than even yes, mighty south atlanta….favors can score 35 and they still would not beat wheeler, who could and would easily get 17-20 from taylo,r stewart, and richard, south atlanta could not match that
bee shabazz
March 24th, 2009
11:16 pm
Wheelerfan-Centinnial with Lorenzo Brown and a bunch of nobodies beat Wheeler but did not even compete with S.Atl.At one point during the game they were down by 40. Phil Taylor is a midget and would be non-factor. The guys on your bench are probaly better than most other teams benches(they wouldn’t have been offerred FULL RIDES to Wheeler otherwise)but at best their still average players.You would need Nick Watkins and Dre Malone-20ppg to both have bad games and it would still be and uphill battle because those guys would get killed on the glass.
wheelerfan
March 24th, 2009
11:44 pm
bee shabazz- with comments like that, i see you’re not even worth arguing over, if you think taylor is garbage you know nothing about basketball….and that same centennial team got run outta the gym when it was tournament time, so you can bow to favors all you want but wheeler beats s atl in head to head without question…. 5 beats 1
THEHILLISREAL
March 24th, 2009
11:54 pm
REAL talk !! bee shabazz,Wheeler would beat S.ATL by at least 15, that if they playing with FREEZE!
That # 11 for Wheeler is fly; but Malone would kill him.Check there highlights on maxpreps.com.Is it
true that freeze is from SWATS?
bee shabazz
March 25th, 2009
12:23 am
I’m not saying Taylor is garbage but he’s mid-major D-1 at best, dude is 5′8 or 9 at best Nick Watkins is 6′0. Dre Malone is rated in the top 100 and put 27 on Centinnial. Young Nick Jacobs is top 30 for 2011 not to mention 6′8. Rashaud Bell coming off the bench 6′6 can jump out the gym and will be a MAJOR COLLEGE PROSPECT for 2011. If Wheeler played man Derrick would eat them alive. We are not a one man team although at the high school level our one man is by far better than any other player in this country and any that has ever “FOUND” Wheeler including College Park’s finest SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM!
bee shabazz
March 25th, 2009
1:02 am
THEHILLISREAL- Freeze if thats Tahj Tate your speaking on he’s from S. Carolina. J.J. Hickson and DeAndre Roebuck they were from S.E.Atlanta A.K.A. ZONE 3 and I can tell you 1st hand growing up off of Cleveland Ave. neither one of those kids had heard of Wheeler before they were recruited by Lip-SCUM. I just wanna know who’s the 7footer they just recruited from NEW YORK? Real talk no joke i’m serious about this ask around.
Gerald Williams
March 25th, 2009
10:30 am
G-dub Take the opinion from someone who is not biased to any school because I’m not from here. I go to the state tournaments every year and I also attend games during the regular season because I am a fan of high school basketball.I have always thought that Wheeler was a powerhouse around these parts and I have always enjoyed watching them play, but when I heard about the number of kids that play but don’t actually live in the district it dissapointed me. They are still a powerhouse but it’s just not the same. As for Ari and Howell they are ok at best. Howell reminds me of Randolph Morris, no enthusiasm. Ari’s game is decent. I think that Kenny Hall at Redan is better than both of them. Put him on that Wheeler team he would average a triple-double because at 6′9″ the kid can handle the ball like a point guard, he can rebound, has a dominant inside game and can shoot jumpers frrom anywhere on the court.
Noneya
March 25th, 2009
11:46 am
What goes on at Wheeler goes on at schools all across the Metro Atlanta area, from small private schools in A all the way up. I don’t think there is a lot that can be done about it. Georgia needs to move to two classes for basketball. All schools over 900, all schools under. Someone get me in touch with GHSA.
G-dub
March 25th, 2009
2:35 pm
Noneya, I agree that GHSA needs to step in and do something about that, in my opinon it just takes a whole lot away from the old neighborhood rivalry and turns it into a few schools rivalry.
TheOne132
March 29th, 2009
4:28 pm
SA is one a good team, and even better if you have the Refs on your side. Miller Grove, Columbia and Wheeler are much better. Just because you have a player ranked on a team does not mean that the team is better, it takes more than one player to win a game. A real team is Columbia High School. That’s right Columbia High School! They should have been in the top 5, along with Miller Grove, Wheeler and Milton.
TheOne132
March 29th, 2009
4:37 pm
Okay, lets talk player… Derick Favor, great, and also, Jershon Cobb of Columbia. Oh yea the new kid from Redan Jonathon Tinch. That kid has skills and with a little discipline he will be ranked soon. Dre Malone, wonderful and I can hear NBA for him and Favors, but Lorenzo Brown may just suprise us all he took his team of unknown and got the job done.
Santos Langer
April 1st, 2009
12:13 am
who picked this list of team rankings? They are so bad, i’m embarrassed for the AJC. And would it have been too much effort to have two seperate lists for boys and girls versus the “combined” one you put togther? pathetic….
bee shabazz
April 1st, 2009
2:12 am
Santos if you didn’t know that THE HORNETS of SOUTH ATLANTA were the best team in the state followed by the TALENTSNATCHERS of Fred Wheeler High i’m embarrassed for you.
What?
April 2nd, 2009
5:26 pm
Just to make fun of your ignorance too> It Joseph wheeler High. PS Chuck isn’t 7-foot… yet (6′7). Do you honestly think Wheeler recruits New York because thats mighty impressive if you actually believe that. Are kids not allowed to move anymore? I didn’t know parents switching jobs meant that the player shouldn’t be able to play basketball. BTW’s SA has transfers and will probably pick up more because they are under the national spotlight now. The argument is that wheeler would beat SA now and they would. Nick Watkins is taller but he isn’t nearly quick enough to stay in front of Phil Taylor who BTW has offers from Auburn and NC State height isn’t everything. Malone is overrated and won’t remain in the final top-100 rankings because yes he has size but all he wants to do is stay outside and bomb three’s and as evidenced by the beatdown ya’ll took from LeFlore he is very streaky. FAvors is great no doubt but Wheeler would use the same strategy they used with Lorenzo Brown(region championship Wheeler beat Centennial by 20) even though they play different positions and that is try to make Favors score 60 by himself because if you neutralize all the other average players. As for your Lipscum remark: He’s a class act of a man and has more integrity in his pinky than you do in your whole body. Count’em 5 titles- he turned a program that won 5 games and within 2 years they won state. To me that’s a great coach. Every good team including yours has transfers so get off your soap box. As for the matchup again- yes Favors would get his but SA would need Malone to hit at least 6 3’s to make the defense respect the perimeter shot because no one else is a legit threat from downtown. Ari would rain three’s all day because SA has no one that can match him up on D because if they send Favors out to guard than Howell will feast down low because Jacobs is no where near ready to guard someone of Howell’s caliber.
What?
April 2nd, 2009
5:30 pm
Full rides at wheeler? Have you seen our school? We have no money to give these “full rides” you speak of Shabazz. Nix Jacobs isn’t in anybody’s top-30 for 2011 BTW
bee shabazz
April 3rd, 2009
12:40 am
WHAT? I Work in East Cobb and that team at Wheeler is not a reflection of that community. There is a difference in a team having a transfer or two and a coach recruiting a whole team which is why you guys brag about being deep. You guys talk about the kids you have that would start at other schools when the truth is they did start at the school you stole them from.If you really know Lip-Scum you know that he recruits these guys to come play for him, he tried to recruit Favors the whole time he was at S.Atl just like he recruited J.J., Quinell Green and plenty others that I know from AAU personally. You consider him a class act but the things kids have told me he says to them like you can’t make it in the ghetto, the level of competion isn’t as good. I know Lip-Scum is from Hall County and probaly can’t relate or understand inner-city black youth so he just manipulates them for his own benefit.High school is about kids and their COMMUNITY and what Lip-Scum does cheapens that. I said before those kids are not part of that COMMUNITY and would not even be welcome if they could not play ball. Basketball is not football if you can ball it doesn’t matter what school you go to the college recruiters will find you.S.Atl does not have to recruit ask Lip-Scum our COMMUNITY is full a talent from Cleveland Ave., J.W. Dobbs, Price, C.W. Long all the way to the MIGHTY SOUTH ATLANTA HORNETS.All we have to do is keep the sharks away.(a.k.a. the JOSEPH WHEELER TALENTSNATCHERS)congratulations on 2nd place.
what?
April 3rd, 2009
11:01 am
If you haven’t actually met LIpscomb you can’t say a thing about him.
Wheelerfan
April 3rd, 2009
3:01 pm
I posted a long rant last night but nut have gotten lost cuz it’s not posted, keeping this one shorter, wheeler has always had a student body that was much more diverse then other east Cobb schools like Walton or lassiter, so bee you obviously have no clue what you’re talking about… Who cares if you work in Cobb, I went to wheeler, I had lipscomb as a teacher, working in Cobb doesn’t make you any sort of expert on what type of kids are “welcome” as you so stupidly called it… All you do is type nonsense about how lips recruited this kid lips tried to recruit that kid… You know what, just last week I saw ole lipscomb taking the milton boys out for some dinner and couldn’t help but hear them discussing money for transfer, and then my brothers wife’s sisters’ ex-husbands 3rd cousin twice removed, he saw lipscomb down around the south Atlanta gym handih out candy to 8th graders…that’s how dumb your posts make you look
bee shabazz
April 4th, 2009
10:20 pm
Talentsnatcher, oops my mistake wheelerfan and what. The truth hurts don’t it. Wheelerfan ask Tahj Tate why were all the people marching in front of Wheeler when he got into his incident. I guess celebrating all the racial diversity. Wheeler has 5 titles and S.Atl has only 1, but when you say S.Atl around the metro and state people say Derrick Favors, Vincent Banks and good program BEST IN THE CITY! Unless you live under a rock or don’t get out much you know that when you mention Wheeler basketball on Holt Rd., Lower Roswell, Old Canton or anywhere in the metro the 1st thing people say is, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO or Lipscomb can recruit better than he coaches. Dude you must be pharmaceutical shopping on BANKHEAD if you believe that crap Lips spits about kids finding Wheeler.POINT BLANK even with your top-rated recruitng class THIS YEAR YOU LOSE. Common opponent Centinnial who actually competed and BEAT yall, but against S.Atl the game was over before the start of the 2nd quarter.
TRU
April 5th, 2009
11:46 am
Glad you know a little insight on Wheeler(talentsnatchers) Bee Shabazz LOL!
South Atlanta products
Derrick Favors (McDonalds Game MVP)
Andre Malone (Led all scorers with 24pts in all-star in Savannah)
bee shabazz
April 5th, 2009
3:05 pm
breaking news: Ari Stewart of Wheeler named to the BURGER KING All-American team followed by teamate Richard Howell being nominated to the WAFFLE HOUSE team congratulations Talentsnatchers!
wheelerfan
April 5th, 2009
5:57 pm
congrats south atlanta, you’re only 4 more derrick favors’ away from catching wheelers state titles…at this rate you’ll have 5 maybe by 2050
bee shabazz
April 6th, 2009
12:13 am
Wheelerfan the way you guys RECRUIT and STEAL other peoples players yall should have more than 5 titles.My whole community plus the CITY OF ATLANTA is proud of Derrick,Nick, Dre and all the Hornets.If you got out of the burbs more you would know that we’ve always had good teams and great players from Octavious Thomas, Adrian Jones, Mr. Ga BASKETBALL VINCENT BANKS, Marcus “Moo-Moo” Sarden til the present Best player in the country(you know his name)we produce ballers you guys RECRUIT THEM! P.S. I just saw the next DERRICK walking down Cleveland but PLEASE DON’T TELL LIP-SCUM!
bee shabazz
April 6th, 2009
2:06 am
The AJC recently conducted a survey amongst 11 players off the 2009 Wheeler Basketball team: The question that stood out the most asked, how many players had ever heard of EAST COBB MIDDLE SCHOOL?9 of 11 said THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE PLACE. One player said he heard all the cheerleaders talking about it so it must be somewhere in the area. The other player was quoted saying he heard of it because thats were the players on the WATER POLO and LACROSSE TEAMS came from.
TRU
April 6th, 2009
7:23 am
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
wheelerfan
April 6th, 2009
3:47 pm
once again your ignorance about wheeler is just astounding….4 more to go, keep it up…oh and by the time s atlanta gets 5 titles wheeler will probably be on #9 or 10
bee shabazz
April 7th, 2009
12:47 am
Once again your ignorance about THE TRUTH is astounding! TALENTSNATCHERFAN how’s CHUCK the NEW RECRUIT from NEW YORK doing? Any new recuits to report on? Rivals and Scout have your latest RECRUITING CLASS RANKED 3rd behind Kentucky and Ga. Tech and one spot ahead of NORCROSS! One title EARNED-five titles STOLEN. TWO MR. GA. BASKETBALL P.O.Y., GOOSE EGG 4 Wheeler, oops my fault you wouldn’t be a TALENTSNATCHER without laying claim to the ONE P.O.Y. won by COLLEGE PARK’S FINEST SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM.
wheelerfan
April 7th, 2009
1:17 am
great news there bee, i will wait for more players to find wheeler….championships, nuff said
bee shabazz
April 7th, 2009
1:26 am
This is for the TALENTSNATCHER FANS to prove my knowledge of Wheeler is ASTOUNDING! Shareef:BANNEKER Jemareo Davidson: TRI-CITIES Quinell Green:CAMPBELL J.T. Tiller:Osborne Adrian Williams:Westminster J.J. Hickson: SOUTH ATLANTA Dre Roebuck: SOUTH ATLANTA;Actually gratuated from S.ATL, had plenty of recruiting stories to tell. D.A Layne: PARTS UNKNOWN BUT HIS ADDRESS WAS THE SAME AS COACH LIPS, HMMM? JUST A LITTLE HISTORY FOR THE TALENTSNATCHER FANS.
bee shabazz
April 7th, 2009
1:36 am
Just messin’ with you WHEELER FANS don’t take this personal because THIS AIN’T NUTHIN BUT HEALTHY CONVERSATION! In the words of DJ KHALED, WE THE BEST SOUTH ATLANTA HORNETS!
wheelerfan
April 8th, 2009
5:32 pm
lol DA Layne played on the east cobb middle school junior cats, so plz once again if you dont know what you’re talking about, dont post, and hickson went to SACA not s atlanta high
wheelerfan
April 8th, 2009
5:40 pm
and to add, wheeler was terrible in 1992 and 1993, shareef certainly wasnt transferring to a better program at that time
TRU
April 8th, 2009
11:13 pm
Wheelerfan I dont think you understood Bee Shabazz’s message….he was listing the schools that the players “were supposed” to attend according to their school district….not the schools that they actually attended(in reference to your Hickson statement).
wheelerfan
April 9th, 2009
12:52 am
yes i know TRU, my point was that Hickson was already not playing at s atl before he went to wheeler
bee shabazz
April 14th, 2009
2:48 am
Come party with the best team in the state of Georgia Wed. April 15 from 4:00 til 8:00 COMMUNITY wide block party at SOUTH ATLANTA food fun and one of the GREATEST TEAMS IN STATE HISTORY. Wheelerfan, TRU,WHAT, Eagle 1 and 2 your all invited to celebrate with the CHAMPS!
Eagle 1
April 19th, 2009
7:07 pm
Are you guys still talking about old news bee shabazz!!Lol
rickwilson
August 19th, 2009
11:37 am
Can someone confirm that Khaalidah S.Miller of Frederick Douglass H.S. is the highest ranked player(girl) in the state and 6th in the nation at her position(gaurd) according to MaxPrep.com but has never been mention for Miss Georgia Basketball.Is she really a 2011 thats graduating a year early at 16 yrs old with over 1300 points and a whole season to go.Is she the only girl ranked in Hoopgurlzs top 50 that is from Georgia.Can someone bring me up to speed on her or should I check MaxPrep.com?
Dot
January 5th, 2010
8:39 am
I suggest you get yourself to a Norcross High School Varsity girls game! They are definitely state contenders!
SportsFan31313
March 14th, 2010
8:22 am
Now that it is all finally said, and done, I am ready again for some Georgia High School Football Talk……