Pivotal Peach State Region Players of the Year
Shariffe Cooper, KD Johnson, and Deivon Smith are all names that have made Georgia one of the best states in the entire country when it comes to basketball talent at the high school level. However, other individuals have been pivotal…
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Continue ReadingShariffe Cooper, KD Johnson, and Deivon Smith are all names that have made Georgia one of the best states in the entire country when it comes to basketball talent at the high school level. However, other individuals have been pivotal to the state’s reputation and more specifically their teams’ success throughout the entire season. It is postseason time in Georgia and a good regular season has positioned those same teams for good seeds in the state tournament (Outside of Class A and their power ranking system). Below are some of the individuals, who were also named region players of the year in their region, that led their team to respectable regular seasons, significant factors to deep postseason runs, and help legitimize the plethora of talent in the state of Georgia that goes well beyond those household names.
Region 7-AAAA
- ’21 G Sutton Smith (Denmark)
- It’s rare when a sophomore leads a team to a solid overall regular season and region tournament championship but that was exactly the case with Smith and the first year Denmark Danes. The south paw floor general is the centerpiece to this team offensively and controls the game with his cerebral play as well as his crafty mid-range game. By drawing contact, he is a frequent visitor of the free throw line and puts teammates in great positions to make plays when he is able to probe off the pick and roll. Denmark, who is 22-6 on the year going into their state tournament first round match-up, will look to make a long run in February in their first season as a school and Smith will be the driving force to that run.
Region 3-AAAAA
- ’19 Josh Dupree (Fayette County)
Josh Dupree- A speedster on the track in the spring, Dupree uses that quickness on the basketball court in a myriad of ways. With the ball in his hands, he uses a quick first step to slash to the rim and has good length at 6’2” to finish among legitimate shot blockers. On the defensive end, the senior guard shoots gaps and gets steals (averaging 2.7 steals per game) for easy lay-ups on the other end. Dupree flourishes in an up and down type of game but still has the confidence to knock down pull up jumpers in the half court. That same up and down style has earned the Tigers a 22-5 record and one of the top ranked teams in class 5A entering the state tournament scoring the ball at a 68 point per game clip as a team.
Region 4-AAAA
- 19′ Wizdom Uboh (Henry County)
- The Warhawks have gotten off to a 25-3 start and wouldn’t be as successful without the play of guard Wizdom Uboh. The 5’10” senior fills up the stat sheet for Henry County, averaging 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per contest. He is effective in all facets of the game offensively. With the ball in his hands he can get downhill with or without a ball screen to finish and make plays for others. Uboh can shoot the ball off the catch from a teammate, and looks good running the floor when beating the defense down in transition. The senior has a knack for making plays on both ends and in with solid play down the stretch, the Warhawks can find themselves in contention to win class 4A this March.
Region 5-AAAAAAA
- ’19 G Mandez Jones (East Coweta)
- An ultra-smooth floor general, Mandez Jones has led East Coweta to an impressive regular season run through one of the tougher regions in the state regardless of class. Averaging 19 points per game, Jones has the size, strength, and basketball IQ to dictate where he wants within the offense for Coach Royal Maxwell. Jones has a smooth crossover which he isn’t afraid to use to get a decent look from three point range off and uses his teammates’ ability to stretch the floor to his own advantage to get to the basket. Jones has good floor vision and does a good job of taking care of the basketball as the Indians do a great job of taking care of it and scoring it as well, averaging over 77 points per game on the year.
Region 5-AAAAAA
- ’19 G Titus Jones (Tri-Cities)
- When you see Jones on the floor, what jumps out at you instantly is his explosion at 5’9.” He is aggressive when the getting to the rim and is a good cutter off the ball. His quick first step is usually effective when getting into the lane and even if he is deterred from getting all the way to the rim, he has a nice floater game that he uses over taller defenders on either side of the basket. Jones’ activity on the offensive glass as well as in the Bulldogs’ full court press allows him to pour in easy buckets to go along with those tough drives throughout the course of a game. Jones is simply a leader on the court and an extension of Coach Omari Forts as they both look to lead Tri-Cities deep into the state tournament and become the third team in a row from region 5 to win the state championship in 6A, with Langston Hughes accomplishing that feat the previous two seasons.