What will be the basketball legacy of Milton High’s 2011 team?
Loading ...Now that Milton coach David Boyd has had some time to think about it, losing to Norcross in the state championship was not that bad.
In fact, Boyd thinks — all things considered — it was a very respectable season for Milton, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation by several polls.
“I’m not quite as exuberant this time of year as I was last year,” Boyd said.
“But when I look back at the amazing accomplishments of our team this season and the past three years, it’s just incredible.
“We beat this year’s Class AA champion [GAC] 73-35, we beat Norcross in the regular season, and we beat Winter Park not once but twice and they won Florida’s state championship. We beat Oak Hill, one of the top programs in the country. We beat Wheeler by double digits.
“To make it all the way to the championship game with all the pressure, leading the game with less than two minutes, I think it’s fair to say we had a remarkable run.”
Boyd says his will focus on the team’s three-year run, including three straight appearances in the Class AAAAA state championship game (winning once), when he meets with the squad on Tuesday.
And what about the Norcross loss on Friday? “Norcross had won 16 in a row, and we had won 19 in a row — something had to give,” Boyd said.
“I thought our defense was tremendous. What hurt us is that they killed on the boards with rebounds. We did not rebound well, and then we turned it over in the fourth quarter, which made it difficult for our defense … (continued below)
It was a mad scramble between Milton and Norcross for the Class AAAAA state championship (AJC photo)
“We got hurt because we didn’t rebound, and there’s no excuse for that. We kept throwing the ball to one spot. We were hanging on to the ball, and trying to do something we were capable of rather than moving the ball around.”
The Milton coach gave props to Norcross. “They hit some incredible shots at the end to win that game. So you have to give them credit for making those plays.”
It was a shocking loss to many, but not to Boyd. “I’m not in a state of disbelief. We played well enough to win the majority of our games. We didn’t finish this game well enough to win. It was a 2-point game with 7 seconds to play, so I’m not in a state of disbelief. I’m disappointed about the outcome but I’m excited about the future of our program. I think we’re going to be very good next year.”
Now it’s YOUR turn. What are your thoughts on the legacy of Milton’s 2011 team? Note: Inappropriate remarks will not be tolerated.
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69 comments Add your comment
pointbrook
March 17th, 2011
9:39 am
Higginbotham was and is brookwoods best player.. GET UR FACTS STRAIGHT!
Get ur facts straight
March 17th, 2011
9:54 am
Yes, sorry to forget that fact. Higginbotham is a very great player. but be honest with yourself. a match between that kid and Bolden-who do you think would come out on top? oh nevermind that doesn’t matter. Bolden’s team is the state champs.
pointbrook
March 17th, 2011
10:07 am
fact.one on one……… Higginbotham ….3pt shooting ………Bolden
swimtag
March 17th, 2011
10:12 am
who is milton returning?
DostaCat
March 17th, 2011
10:15 am
Westlake would you like to retype all of that gibberish in ENGLISH? We have a south Georgia slang or dialect down south, but I couldn’t understand anything you thyped.
DostaCat
March 17th, 2011
10:16 am
Meant typed…not thyped.
DostaCat
March 17th, 2011
10:21 am
Get ur facts straight….I am only reporting what i know and you are reporting what you know to be true..There is always two sides to a story. By the way YOU just opened the can of worms. I have lived in both metro Atlanta and south Georgia. There are rednecks in both places. To stereotype south Georgia as rednecks is the same as me sterotyping north Georgia as a bunch of dumb yankees. Both areas have people they are not too proud of. Stereotyping is for the uneducated with too much time on their hands to spew unfathomed facts.
Get ur facts straight
March 17th, 2011
10:52 am
Unfathomed facts dostacat? lol, ignorance. My point exactly.
Get ur facts straight
March 17th, 2011
10:55 am
dostacat, since you “know” so much, name the 3rd high school Bolden attended.
I got my facts straight
March 17th, 2011
11:00 am
Winner of: turnovers-Higginbotham. failing under pressure-Higginbotham. everything else-whoever he plays against
BRONCOS_Sac'em
March 17th, 2011
11:29 am
Higgonbotham as my floor general any game no doubt!!! low turn overs (get factsur right) unselfish (fact) now knows how to score(showed that senior year) pure point guard always looks to improve, great attitude & coachable most distinguished fact stuck with his team since 9th grade starter wasnt inveigled to leave
Milton Dad
March 17th, 2011
12:22 pm
Shannon Scott best PG MCD’s all american need I say more
I got my facts straight
March 17th, 2011
2:23 pm
Ok ok you win. Higgonbotham is the best everything. Just the good ol boys, never meanin no harm, been in trouble with the law since the day they born. Not saying Higginbotham is or has ever been trouble, just singing the old tune that is associated with Brookwood.
Michael
March 18th, 2011
11:22 am
they lost
westlakeclassof10
March 18th, 2011
2:32 pm
@dostacat what i was trying to say is its not the players its the coaches ………………and there is always a new school geting built up here……….when those new schools are build and hey start a program they hire bad coaches if the players go to the new school they will be a waste of talent thats all
Westlake Alum
March 21st, 2011
12:55 pm
Best team ever 1999 Westlake Lions. Holds the Georgia record for most wins without a lost won the state. 33-0. Thats the best team ever get it right!!!!!!! Also a program who doesnt recruit!!!!
bball72
March 21st, 2011
1:37 pm
@ Westlake Alum: Westlake doesn’t recruit???? Just ask Therrell and Mays where alot of their kids end up?
Bulldogs Sweet 16
March 25th, 2011
10:48 am
Build it and they will come! Parents want the best experience for their sons. So let’s see, do I want my son playing for a coach who’s never won anything or do I want my son to play for a coach who takes his teams all over the country each year, has his teams playing on ESPN, and has his phone number in every college coach’s cell phone? Maybe other coaches should try to figure out how to promote their program rather than sitting in the PE offices playing solitaire on the computer. He must be doing something right .. voted by other coaches in the state as Coach of the Year and NIKE is having him speak at their coaches clinics around the nation. Milton is lucky to have Coach Boyd. High School basketball isn’t rec league – no one is entitled to play. Basketball darwinism. Milton is the top school in the nation for basketball players.
joe brown
April 15th, 2011
10:54 am
I live in Milton and we have %100 percent proof that Boyd is running his usual high school basketball slave scams. And are about to expose it. He will run to somewhere else as he did from Berkmar. Check the history. Many of the players do not live in the district, are using fake addresses and are trying to stay in apartments in our community. There aren’t many apartments in our very affluent area. We have a great group of attorneys that are assiting in protecting our tax dollars. When this hits…wow watch the melt down!!! The Milton Slave trade will be done very soon. How ignorant can those players parents be. Teaching the boys to lie and cheat to win. Stay in your own community and make the local school a winner. Guess thats too tough. The message is ” you will never be good enough to lead so follow even if that means cheating”. Coach Boyd… or is it Coach “Master”. The storm is coming!!!!
Sorry kids, you have weak parents.
JB