REASONS -
In Region 8 1A there is a front runner and it's the Lakeview Lions. Lakeview is loaded with experience and skill. In my opinion the straw that stirs the drink is Blake McIntyre. McIntyre nearly willed his team to a last second victory over 6A Gainesville in the Lanierland tournament. The Red Elephants held on however and beat Lakeview 60 to 59. McIntyre can penetrate defenses, distribute the ball, and finish at the rim in extraordinary fashion. His leadership at the guard position coupled with Adam Cottrell, an outstanding player and competitor in his own right, will make the Lions not only the favorite in the region but also a true State Title contender!
In Region 7 3A their are many reasons to be excited and to expect a tough race all the way to the end. East Hall and GAC look to be the favorites at this point in the year, but just to show how close all the teams are, the 5th place North Hall trojans took East Hall to overtime earlier in the season and could have easily won that game. North Hall will only get better as the year goes on and they are getting good effort up and down the roster. Junior post player Ty Smith was named to the Lanierland team and several other players like JT Fair, when healthy, and Luke Volle will help the Trojans improve with each game under Tyler Sanders. Sanders himself is a member of the Benjie Wood coaching tree. Wood is now the head coach at Cherokee Bluff and the Bears are a true threat to make the playoffs and even possibly host a playoff game in their first year of existence. This is in large part due to great guard play by leading scorer and team leader Griffin Neville. The Junior guard is described as a gym rat. He loves the game and it shows on the court. He can score in bunches and teammate Bosko Norman provides an athletic counterpart in the backcourt. I believe the most exciting reason to watch basketball games in this region however resides over in Rabbittown. Senior guard Kylan Curry is absolutely electrifying on the football field and he's the same on the hardwood for the first place Vikings. Curry is a clutch competitor that wants the game on his shoulders when the chips are down. Curry and company will end up being the Region 7 champs this year I believe because of their team toughness and athleticism.
Chuck Graham is also a Benjie Wood disciple and is now the leader of the Gainesville Boys Basketball program. I believe that Chuck Graham is the reason that this Gainesville team will overachieve and win Region 8 6A. There are a lot players that have returned from Gainesville's two previous teams that have went on deep playoff runs, but they are now being asked to play feature roles. Senior guard Rafael Rubel showed that the lights aren't to bright for him with a spinning game winner in the lane vs. Lakeview in the Lanierland tournament. Rubel makes the right play at the right time and is the steady hand that the Red Elephants will need to get to where they want to be. Gainesville also has size with Walter Dixon, Damon Mixon, and Jordan Williams. All three are also football players for Gainesville and they bring a toughness that will help Gainesville protect the rim and out rebound opponents.
Those are your reasons for success in the local Boys basketball regions! (1-3-19)
RECRUITING
3 of the top 20 players in the state of Georgia are headed west to the plains of Auburn. 247 sports has Isaac Okoro, Babatunde Akingbola, and Jaylin Williams all as having signed a national letter of intent to play for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers. This is a remarkable feat for Auburn and is a deep cut to Georgia and first year coach Tom Crean. Okoro and Akingbola are teammates at McEachern High School in Power Springs and the duo are ranked 2nd and 10th in the 2019 class in the state of Georgia. Needless to say the Inidans are much see basketball and they play a national power tomorrow in Findaly Prep out of Nevada. Jaylin Williams is the 4th ranked player in Georgia in the 2019 Senior class and is a 6-7 forward out of Brantley County. Williams may be the player will the most upside of the bunch. He can not only play a physical brand of basketball inside, but he can both run and stretch the floor and also he handles the basketball quite well. If you are looking for some high octane high school basketball action, make your way down to McEachern tomorrow at 11:30am to watch 2 of the best teams in the country play in a business mans special.
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