AAAAAA Region 7 Playoffs: Game 1 Takeaways
Chattahoochee High school is the site, but the host Cougars, star 2021 point guard AJ White, senior SG Franklin Bailey and Region POY Cam Sheffield among several, were able to sit back and relax Tuesday and watch as the top…
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Continue ReadingChattahoochee High school is the site, but the host Cougars, star 2021 point guard AJ White, senior SG Franklin Bailey and Region POY Cam Sheffield among several, were able to sit back and relax Tuesday and watch as the top seed has a bye into the semifinals on Friday.
The opening game did see the #2 seed Pope Greyhounds play near the top of their game, getting big performances from their stars in running away with a 73-29 win over Northview.
NORTHVIEW VS POPE
Players who stood out:
Will Kolker (Pope, 2021, 6-2, PG) – With Hooch’s White just a few seats over from me, it was interesting to see Kolker, for the 2nd time in a week, put on yet another display of point guard excellence. Whereas White makes his reputation as an explosive scorer, Kolker is more recognized for his assist game, as his recent school record for a season can attest. But you can’t sleep on his offensive game, as displayed in a 10-point first quarter where he took the smaller Northview guards to the hole with regularity. You cannot back off him too far though to concentrate on the Greyhound bigs either, as he will make you pay from 3-land. He finished the day with 19 in just a little over 3 quarters along with his regular slew of pretty assists, and I foresee a summer where he begins to get the kind of notice he deserves.
Ross Shepherd (Pope, 2020, 6-6, F) – As mentioned many times at this site and others, Shepherd and his very effective game can be unfairly overlooked as mundane and unspectacular. And although he is often the beneficiary of Kolker’s brilliance at the point, nothing about his overall game says anything other than ‘outstanding’ to my eyes. His team-high 20 points in 3 quarters came again on a variety of dribble drives, putbacks and outside jumpers, including one from beyond the arc. Yet his hustle and rebounding make him a sleeper prospect even more than his offense. Smaller local schools Berry, LaGrange and Oglethorpe are on his radar to continue his basketball career, and he mentioned he’s also considering an opportunity at Wofford as a Preferred Walk-On. He, and surely Kolker as well, could play for me any day of the week.
Gannon Brown (Pope, 2020, 6-6, F) – Pope doesn’t really employ a classic 5-man in their sets, as Brown will drift out often to the perimeter being a solid ballhandler and shooter. But defensively, he is the key for Pope as his instincts and rim protection make it tough for opponents to get close to the bucket. His head is always on a swivel looking for feeds from Kolker, and may not get a ton of notoriety in a jam-packed ATL-metro (along with swingman Caden Jessop, who had a solid game as well), but any deep state playoff push will depend heavily on contributions at both ends from the senior.
Jaylen Stewart (Northview, 2020, 6-1, SG) – Not listed on our deep 2020 rankings list, but certainly a player with upper-end talent, Stewart showed it against what is one of the better defensive teams in the area. Within his 11 points, the slick guard showed 3-point range, terrific defensive abilities both on the floor and at the basket, and a sweet mid-range game which I always seem to find myself drawn to in today’s ‘barrel-it-to-the-basket’ era. Northview fights and plays very hard for coach Steven Bombard, but on a roster with a little more talent alongside him, Stewart’s talents would shine more prominently on the local radar for sure.