Friday Night Floater: Pope at North Atlanta Takeaways
Ross Shepherd Some may know, and many more may not, that North Atlanta High School’s complex was once an IBM office structure, some 500,000 square feet, obviously renovated to more closely now resemble a high school. Well, the visitors from…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSome may know, and many more may not, that North Atlanta High School’s complex was once an IBM office structure, some 500,000 square feet, obviously renovated to more closely now resemble a high school. Well, the visitors from Pope, finally coming in all healthy and winners of 7 of their last 8, took control of the most important 94 feet on this night and looked impressive doing it in a 64-48 road win.
My Trifecta of “meal-time” takeaways:
THE STEAK: GIVE ME 5 OF THOSE, PLEASE
Gannon BrownPlaying just their 5 outstanding starters for nearly the entire game, Pope was impressive in all facets, getting a myriad of contributions from their main stalwarts. When I last saw Pope nine days before Christmas at Johns Creek (an overtime defeat), they were decimated by the flu and primary big man Gannon Brown was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and it was a completely different looking bunch. With the 6-6 senior back to patrol the interior at both ends, fellow senior forward Ross Shepherd was freed up to do what he does so well – play the swiss-army knife role for coach Patrick Abney, scoring from multiple levels, rebounding at both ends and basically hustling till he can hardly stand up anymore. He’s a coach’s dream, and an underrated player both in the Atlanta-area and in the southeast region as a whole. He finished with 12 points on the night, as Brown added 8, and the two were steady at both ends and benefitted often from the play of our “Dessert” players (below) on this night. The third senior in the starting lineup, swingman Caden Jessop, was quiet on this night, but gives you the kind of steady role-play you’d expect from a veteran player. A 6A Region 7 crown is very much within their capability, but one wonders if a lack of depth will be their undoing in a majorly stacked overall 6A field.
THE DESSERT: SWEET, SCINTILLATING AND “NOT-SOFT”
Will Kolker Cam Bleshoy
I walked away incredibly impressed back in December at the play of junior point guard Will Kolker, who had a big night back then carrying his decimated team into overtime. Friday night was no different, as the 6-0 junior, who recently surpassed the single-season assist record at the school, brought oohs and aahs from the crowd yet again with his incredible passing and court awareness. He’s simply a player you cannot take your eyes off of when he has the ball, and among his double-digit assists on the night were several of the spectacular variety. He pumped in 23 points as well, 8 of those in a 4th quarter where the Greyhounds quickly stretched a 42-38 lead after three into a double-digit lead they wouldn’t surrender. The “not soft” half of the Pope backcourt which had me shaking my head in awe belonged to guard Cam Bleshoy, as unassuming a high school basketball player as you’ll ever lay eyes on. But if you sleep on the 6-2 sophomore you’ll be sorry, and as the Warriors found out, he will scratch, claw and find his way to the ball in every imaginable way and beat you six ways from Sunday. Not exceptionally quick or an exceptional leaper, he’s still one of the best rebounding guards I’ve seen all season, and nearly all of his 17 points came via the slyly positioned offensive putback or slick cut and feed from Kolker. This a backcourt with all kinds of potential for high-level future success for both young men.
THE CHECK: GREAT ATMOSPHERE AND SENIOR NIGHT NOT ENOUGH
TJ Lewis Amari Scott
High marks go the student body and to the school for putting together a nice Senior Night event which could easily have helped carry the home squad. But the Warriors simply couldn’t overcome Pope’s steady excellence, some cold shooting spurts did them in as well, and the continued absence of center Montavious Myrick were all negative factors hurting the hosts. Still, seniors Jarontez Grant and Amari Scott played well in their final regular-season home game, Grant battling hard at the point for 12 points and Scott going head to head with Brown and Shepherd all night and finishing with 15 (including three 3’s). Catching my eye as well was TJ Lewis, a wiry 6-0 sophomore SG, who has the look of a future big-time scorer with his sweet stroke and nice handle, his 9 points off the bench were all noteworthy.