Sunday "Dagger" Sheet: Superlatives From The Last 10 Days

RIVERWOOD HAS A LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL Last Thursday night I popped over to Riverwood not far from my home to see a team that boasted a gaudy record, but who wasn't drawing the kind of online and rankings love you see with some of the other power programs in the Atlanta area. Additionally, 5A Region 6, while not a pushover by any means, isn't populated by a slew of marquee-name programs, so one might not think to make a Thursday trek, normally a slow day in Georgia hoops, up to the top of the Perimeter. But I'm glad I did, for the Raiders held off a solid and hard-battling Grady club 80-70 and have a good shot to make serious noise in a class that includes some real heavyweights in Lithonia, Eagle's Landing, Dutchtown and Cedar Shoals. Forward Nathan Henderson led the scoring charge, netting 27 points, the lion's share of those coming in close to the basket as the athletic 6-4 senior was nearly automatic from 5 feet in, showing off a variety of moves in the process. He's also a terrifically instinctive rebounder and great leaper, finding his way to a ton of missed chances at both ends. Fellow senior Jermyle Jones, another high riser at 6-5, gives coach Buck Jenkins another inside scoring threat and glass cleaner, and when the two were on the floor together late in the game it was obvious they had control of the interior. His defensive prowess actually showed on the perimeter, as he stepped out to cover the Grady guards on several key possessions and was very effective for a bigger player. Two more frontcourt athletes off the bench, senior Miles Rollins and junior Jonathan Brown, provide even more options for a very deep club that played a total of 12 men on the evening. Riverwood doesn't' lack for backcourt play at all, with a platoon of capable ballhandlers and scorers to chose from. Seniors Asante Smith and Cody Kaplan start for Jenkins alongside good-looking junior Antonio Armstrong, and the two seniors are poised and steady. But another senior, Justin Deak, was terrific off the bench in key moments and junior Braxton Tucker provides shooting and stability as well. Jenkins was almost burned by playing so many guys throughout the first 3 quarters plus, but he settled into a shorter rotation and his guys closed out the game. For Grady, senior guard Michael Stevens was stellar in the losing effort, scoring from all over the place in getting 27 often-spectacular points, and I was impressed by the play of 5-10 sophomore guard Kyle Hanson in the 2nd half as his offensive game came alive. Noteworthy as well was the play of the two Grady bigs, 6-5 seniors DeWan Wright and Immanuel Bolden, who had their hands full with the long Riverwood frontcourt rotation and never stopped battling. ATHLETES AND OFFENSE!! James White (Heritage, 2021, G) - A light it up in bunches type scorer, range out to halfcourt, lean but not afraid to get to the rim. RJ Noord (Heritage, 2021, G) - More of a combo guard, quick and physical, glides, excellent handle, can shoot from distance and get to the rim with power. Zy Wright (Grovetown, 2020, F) - A load to handle inside not so much because of overwhelming size but work ethic and skill with the ball, can also step out to 15 feet and be a threat. Bruce Thornton (Milton, 2022, G) - Physical guard that can move defenders, very quick off the bounce, likes contact near the basket, will pull you away from the basket and shows top-level range. Devin McGlockton (South Forsyth, 2021, F) - Perhaps not an elite athlete in the high-flying Atlanta mold we've seen but an instinctive scorer, nose for the basket and excellent shooting range out to the arc, quicker off the floor than it appears. Sion James (Lanier, 2020, G) - Impressive physical specimen with speed and power to burn, nearly unstoppable getting to the rim, better mid-range than deep shooter but can definitely shoot it from beyond the arc. Andrew McConnell (Lanier, 2021, G) - Absolute lights-out gunner, sweet stroke and finds the 3-point line, can put it on the floor and get to the rim, good leaper. Look for my Takeaways from the fantastic game involving the below two clubs Monday!! Jacksen Greco (Sequoyah, 2020, G) - Fills it up in bunches, quick trigger, not afraid to pull it from anywhere, in the "Luka-mold", not flashy but incredibly effective. Donovan Shipp (Sequoyah, 2020, G) - Like Greco a "bunches" scorer, sweet mid-range game with soft shooter's touch, prototypical lead guard, not afraid to have the ball in big moments, mistake-free and will hit you for big buckets if you sleep on him. Taihland Owens (Cherokee, 2021, G) - A scorer in all its majesty in the James Harden-mold, can seriously light it up with a combo of long-range and in-close scoring ability, confidence oozes from him and he wants the ball, sneaky good athlete. Elijah Tucker (Cherokee, 2021, F) - Springy, big forward most effective around the basket where he can hurt you with short-range accuracy and putbacks, not overly physical but will simply "out-athleticize" you if you don't pay attention to him at both ends.