Columbus City League Preview: South Bulldogs

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Success. In one word, that describes the South High School Bulldogs over the past 4 seasons, see the two Columbus City League Championships in the past four years and a state Final Four appearance. The collection of talent they amassed and the coaching of Ramon Spears, his staff, and players have propelled them to a school that will continue to be in the mix for a Columbus City League title, and this coming season will test that more than ever. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2020 senior class for the Bulldogs set the standard for the culture of modern basketball at that school and it would be a tragedy the level of G-Baby passing in Hardball proportions if they were not mentioned. [player_tooltip player_id="712015" first="Marcus" last="Johnson"], Taquan Simington, Chaz Thomas, [player_tooltip player_id="917430" first="Trevell" last="Adams"], Ja’Lawntee Dean, Sam Barton, and Shaiheem Pickens. Those young men will forever be remembered by the city, their classmates, the school and the community. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Transitioning from those guys will not be easy, “we’ve been preparing for this,” says coach Spears, understanding that this season will be tough, “unless you’re a power program, you usually get about a 6 year run.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Going into the 2020 season, the South Bulldogs look to have increased scoring from Maurice Barnes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He has waited his turn,” coach Spears says of the three-year letterman Barnes, “for the last two years in practice he had to go against the likes of Treohn Watkins, Alvin Byrd, [player_tooltip player_id="917430" first="Trevell" last="Adams"]...if you can check those guys and you can stay in front and compete when it’s your turn to play it should be easy.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maurice Barnes is a shifty 5-foot-11 guard with deceptive speed with the ball in his hands. The lefty uses his craftiness to get to the bucket and score and uses his mid-range jumper to keep defenders honest. He defends at a high level due to his competitiveness and the numerous all-district caliber players he has had to defend in his years at South. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Barnes is just one key to a successful 2020 season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Bulldogs have a two-headed combination down low in the 6-foot-5 Marquis Hawthorne and the 6-foot-4 Shermar Lindsay. Two more young men that have “waited their turn” and hope to shine this season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hawthorne had a season-high of 16 points and he is a rebounding machine and Lindsay scored 80 total points over this season. Coach Spears noted that “if they get in shape,” this team can be a factor in the Columbus City League’s south division, “that’s their biggest issue.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Close to six seasons ago, the South High School Bulldogs and Ramon Spears began building a program, the last four being a meteoric rise. This season, they look to reload instead of rebuild and be back on top in a matter of a couple of seasons.    </span></p>