From The GAPPS Notebook: The King’s Academy vs The Cumberland School
A trip last Thursday to Powder Springs for the pivotal GAPPS Division I-AA game between hosts The Cumberland School and The King’s Academy had me reminiscing back my younger days playing USY ball in New Jersey – the cozy gyms,…
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Continue ReadingA trip last Thursday to Powder Springs for the pivotal GAPPS Division I-AA game between hosts The Cumberland School and The King’s Academy had me reminiscing back my younger days playing USY ball in New Jersey – the cozy gyms, the fans right on the floor, the compacted acoustics.
The game too lived up to the classic surroundings, as Cumberland and King’s played a very entertaining see-saw battle before King’s finally edged ahead of the young Patriots for good with late free throws to prevail, 65-62.
Brock HooverKing’s Academy vs Cumberland – What impressed me so much even before tip was that both schools had taken on plenty of GHSA opponents leading up to region play for themselves, not shying away from the big boys and ways to get better. King’s boasts three impressive wins over 7A’s Lassiter, Woodstock and North Paulding, played perennial power Etowah tough into the 4th quarter, and also faced state Top 15 team Cherokee during Christmas. Cumberland had a tight setback to 6A Sprayberry, solid wins over Eagle’s Landing Christian, Clarkston and Brito out of Miami, FL (at the Campbell Christmas Tournament), and still has 5A’s Banneker and Carver ahead.
Drew ConroyThe talent on the floor showed why those above results came to be, as King’s had several standout performances. Senior Drew Conroy, a 6-5 combo guard-forward, led the visiting Knights with 28 points, getting them with a variety of face-up jumpers, post moves, and drives. Against a bigger and very active Cumberland frontline, he handled most of the inside dirty work on the glass and on defense, showing nice moxie as a shot-blocker and post defender. Whereas Conroy flashed his all-around game, senior Brock Hoover showed off his shooter’s touch, knocking down seven 3-balls for all of his 21 points, four of them coming in the second half at key junctures when the game was in doubt. He moves very well without the ball finding pockets to get off his deep bombs, and is an excellent complement to Conroy as part of the drive and kick game, orchestrated well by senior point guard Caden Palmer. The senior is a flashy ballhandler who uses that flair to get into the teeth of the defense to create for his cohorts. A pair of savvy seniors in Robert Foushee and Ben Hembree provide the glue for the Knights, playing solid defense and making good decisions at both ends. Junior guard Kennedy King made an impression off coach Brett Hereth’s bench, getting both a key 4th quarter bucket as well as two key late FT’s among his 7 points.
Jelani Hamilton Gora Niang
Cumberland, two-time defending champs in their Division, may have come up short on this night, but the future is bright for coach Keith Bacon, as he is stacked with young talent sure to develop. The evening’s star for the home side was freshman gunner Jelani Hamilton, a player at 6-4 already that showed a little of everything in getting 26 points. He has a sweet touch from 3 (knocking down four), showed an excellent handle from the 2-spot getting himself to the basket or opening space for looks, was sleek and impossible to stop in the open floor, and showed plenty of defensive chops as well, matching up with both Willoughby and Hoover in spots. It’s a foregone conclusion he’s going to get looks from some of the public powers for sure, as Cumberland has lost other talented players to transfer in recent years. Junior 6-8 center Gerald Jones and 6-6 freshman Gora Niang give the Patriots plenty of size and activity on the block and glass, with the young Niang impressing with a game that is sure to grow. He moves very well, has good hands, and will surely continue to develop his catch and finish prowess from 10 feet in. He’s another good-looking prospect who’ll be hard to keep within the cozy confines of The Upper School’s walls. Three more young pieces for Bacon to build with include freshman point guard Christian Bacon, just 5-8, who had some nice moments pushing the pace for Cumberland and added 7 points with some nice mid-range pops, sophomore 2-guard Aaron Brooks, another good shooter and slasher, and also sophomore Justin Smoak, a stout 6-3 sophomore, who didn’t dot the score sheet, but stood out with his defense and rebounding work in the 2nd half.