GHSA Season Preview: Class 3A
Georgia High School Championship Contender Preview – Class 3A
Teams:
- Pace Academy – The Knights out of Buckhead are coming off an impressive 2016-17 campaign, one that saw them finish the season at 26-8 but many those losses coming in holiday tournament play. They were ultimately able to hoist the state championship trophy in Stegemen Coliseum last March which means the bulls-eye is on their backs for the upcoming 2017-18 campaign. This year will be about rebounding without former McDonald’s All-American and current Duke Blue Devil Wendell Carter Jr. The prospect this season that will look to fill that void left by Carter Jr. will be senior forward and recent Yale commit Isaiah Kelly. Kelly is a big, physical high flying wing that at 6’6” can put the ball on the floor and finish with ease inside. He, along with experienced junior guard Myles Todd, will be the catalysts for this group that finds themselves in tough non-region play again early this season.
- Liberty County – Liberty County has been a program worthy of state recognition for the past three seasons under head coach Julian Stokes. It all started with a state championship in during the 2015-16 campaign with former guard and Auburn signee Davion Mitchell as well as former guard and UGA football commit Richard LeCounte III leading the way. The Panthers returned to state tournament last year behind Mitchell and junior guard Will Richardson, only to fall short in the final four to eventual champion Pace Academy. Now Stokes and the Panthers must reload after losing senior Richardson to Oak Hill this past summer. The Panthers will depend on a host of young stars including sophomore transfer Demontae Garrett as well as talented freshman Demetris Kates to continue what has been an impressive stretch for the Panthers in class 3A and region 1, which has only seen two region losses in that 3 year stretch.
- Westside, Macon – For Westside-Macon, many eyes will be on the highest rated wing in the state of Georgia for the class of 2018 in Khavon Moore. He ended last year’s prep season averaging a team best 23.1 ppg and continued that phenomenal play on the under armor circuit, where
Khavon Moore
he picked up high major offers from UCLA, Florida, and Alabama. He will look to lead a Seminoles squad that, like Liberty county, fell to eventual state champion Pace Academy but in the quarterfinals. Outside of Moore, the Seminoles will be fairly young with only two other players, Gregory Holloway and Omar Jones, returning from last years senior heavy rotation. It will be interesting to see if younger talent can step up for Westside and turn this season into a formidable one.
- Morgan County – The Bulldogs from Morgan County is a program that’s been consistent in the postseason, with multiple state championships to show for it. They’re normally a group loaded with talent and a championship mindset year in and year out. A state championship in 2014 as well as 2016 with a 2015 state runner-up finish should let you know the winning pedigree within this program. This season shouldn’t be any different for them as they return all but one varsity player on a team that saw them again victorious once more in the state championship a season ago. Last year’s youth will be this year’s experience for the bulldogs, behind junior guards Trevin Green and Tyrin Lawrence.
- Johnson-Savannah – The Atomsmashers from south Georgia come into the year as a top 10 team in their respective class after a solid season last year. They finished the year 19-10 and 11-3 in region play, good enough for a region runner-up finish. This bunch took an early
exit in the state tournament to Pace Academy in the sweet 16 but gave Pace one of the better match-ups along the way to their state championship run. A prime reason for that was the ability to match-up inside with their 6’8” star forward Amanze “Slim” Ngumezi. Ngumezi, a current senior and recent UGA commit, will look to lead this team to a deeper run in February and March as they also return their other two leading scorers in junior guard Shamar Jones (13.2ppg) and senior guard Eleik Bowles (12.4ppg). The Atomsmashers will look to dethrone Jenkins high school as the kings of region 3 and use that momentum going forward into state tournament play this season.