Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Mind Games | Pg. 9 Can top-ranked Walton recapture its focus after getting shelled by region-rival Pope?

STARTING OVER Watching the Wheels| Pg. 4 Craig Sager II detects a disturbing trend in youth and high school sports.

The 2016-17 football schedule forecasts a year of intriguing post-reclassification matchups. | Pg. 7

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Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rhonda Rawls

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

PREP COVER

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy

MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS: Ricky Dimon (Braves) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons, GHSA) Colin Hubbard (GA Tech) Kyle Sandy (GSU, Kennesaw, Hawks) STAFF WRITERS Tyler Andrews Ned Kaish

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TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 12

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF GHSA.NET, WALTONBASEBALL.COM, AND ESQUIRE

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SAGER SAYS

IT’S TIME TO SAVE OUR FUTURE

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

ondemning what another human being does with his or her spare time is a line I rarely C cross. Critiquing parents and or coaches can be similarly classified by my deeply ingrained avoidances. There is a concerning trend in youth and high school sports, however, that compels me to cross these regarded lines. If we remain silent, kids will undoubtedly have to sacrifice more and more in the name of sports. It is inevitable and it is time for a much-needed reform and awakening. There is a selfish and ignorant disregard of consequences that is polluting sports and society. The historical amnesia that has wrecked societies time and time again has met its match and courted with the undiscovered bearing we each hold to the world around us. Indeed, it is much easier to think of the future as a fixed

entity waiting for us off in the distance, but it is much more like the next page of a chapter we have already started writing. Sports will never stop evolving and there is no way of knowing with certainty where they are heading. There are only ways to steer that course. We must strive towards viable solutions to arrive at a sustainable future, or we will fall into another progress trap.

BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER…

As athletes become more skilled and morph into bigger, faster and stronger versions of their predecessors, other changes reciprocally occur. Changes that on this current path are not sustainable. As competition escalates, so does the demand for more time. Three days a week turns into four days a week and four days

SANDY’S SPIEL

ARE POST PLAYERS A DYING BREED? BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

arken back to the 90’s when big men roamed the paint. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning. Playing down low wasn’t just a thankless job it was a right and a privilege. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. You knew if you were going inside and playing on the block, you were going to end the night with a couple scrapes, bruises and if you’re lucky enough, maybe a black eye or a broken nose from an elbow. Fast forward to today’s game. The amount of three-point attempts across each level of play seemingly increases each year. That thin line arcing around the paint has slowly changed the way basketball is played. Just like a meteor coming to wipe out the dinosaurs, the threepoint line has methodically pushed the interior

play of big men into extinction. As generations come and go, the athletes continue to get stronger, quicker and more aerodynamic, able to soar through the air for acrobatic dunks never before thought to be possible. As highlight reel slams and launching threes from 35-feet out become more popular and sexier to the common fan and the young player growing up, the yeomen’s work of battling at the pivot position drifts into obscurity.

IN THE PAINT…

With more and more tall players focusing more on their ball handling skills and standing at the three-point line to become the next Kevin Durant, the harder it is becoming to find true back-to-the-basket big men that can score and rebound. To find a forward or center in the high

a week becomes five days a week to keep pace with the competition. Weekly film sessions turn into daily film sessions and two camera angles at practice turns into three angles and so on. Advancements can be incredibly beneficial to our lives, but what we need to remember are that negative consequences are at least in the realm of possibility. We have to understand that a slippery slope can be a cruel reality and not just a mild fallacy. Coaches are forced to keep up with this race to the top for obvious reasons, but at what cost? It is a coach’s job to win and develop his or her players, but winning can easily become prioritized over a fading balance of life outside of sports and the option of enjoying multiple sports. The praise of winning becomes increasingly deafening, while the importance of what a coach means in a player’s life is taken for granted. The cost of winning increases and so do the salaries. The more money on the table, the more pressure to get the job done. A decade ago, I was enjoying my senior year of high school and I had enough freedom to have a productive summer outside of football. Our two days of workouts a week and our occasional passing league was enough. I learned how to push myself and I balanced a life of learning and playing the game I love, while stocking shelves at Publix. I was able to play pickup bas-

ketball with my friends throughout the summer without worrying about the squats I would have to do the next morning with a grown man whistling in my ear. My alma mater recently released its calendar for the summer, and 22 of the first 25 days of June are filled with a summer workout, with a significant amount of those days involving both a morning and afternoon activity. This is more than a football issue, but I focus on the gridiron because a sport that is only guaranteed 10 games in the Fall is becoming more demanding at an unprecedented rate. I know that winning and sports are all that matters to a lot of insecure and misled members of our society. My words, however, are not aimed for them. I know they won’t hear them. I speak to all the parents, coaches and players that understand the negative consequences that this path will have if it continues. We are the ones that must protect future generations of athletes and the role sports play in society. We are the ones that must ensure that sports remain a special place that teaches us what matters in life, and not that nothing else matters. Remember the joy of just playing the game, before that option is left to the imagination. Photo courtesy of Esquire

school ranks with footwork and technique is like finding a leprechaun with a pot of gold; it rarely happens but if you do find one, he’s a gem. It looks like today’s game a lot of big guys get away with their size and athleticism. When you ask them to slow it down and show you a post move or a counter move, they freeze and can’t think of what to do. Being bigger, stronger and taller than everyone growing up can work for only so long until you reach the elite level of high school and beyond where you start matching up against players your own size. The undersized big man who may thrive in high school at 6-foot-4 or the Mid-Major stud that isn’t quite tall enough to really pound away at true 6-10 or 7-footers, eventually must rely on technique and footwork to hone their craft and survive. They can’t tower over others for easy hoops instead they have to play the angles, use pump fakes and bait defenders in by outsmarting them and leave them wondering how a smaller guy just hung 20 on them. Smaller, less athletic players that want to be true post players understand that everything they do must be calculated. Ball fake middle, go baseline. Up & under. Sky hook. Face up or fade away, every trick in the book has to be utilized when going up against size or

an elite shot blocker. If that mindset of every movement matters was instilled into players with hard to teach size, imagine the possibilities. Veterans like Pau and Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan and Brook Lopez by no means are the athletes like DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond or Dwight Howard, but they are cerebral players that take their time on the block when they aren’t hitting shots from the mid-range. I write this just to remind post players embrace the fact that you are a post player. Take pride in your craft and try to perfect the little things. Feel with your back to the basket is something that can’t be taken for granted. Bigs don’t have to score every time they touch the ball, but they should be rewarded every few trips down to keep the defense honest. Good things happen when the ball goes inside. It’s a post move and a score, a foul, or a kick out to an open shooter. Trust your big men and reward them for battling for position. Nothing is more frustrating to a player than having his man sealed off underneath the basket but instead seeing a 25-foot three launched. Big men can do more than just rebound and block shots. They can score as well if they take the time to polish their game. Photo courtesy of Ty Freeman

Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

This comeback athlete had a long road back. Today it’s 8.5 miles. Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback.

ACC

Georgia Tech

Hawks

Six team from the nation’s strongest basketball conference have advanced to March Madness’ Sweet 16; a tournament record. There is no more questioning who the best conference really is. Not the Big 12. Not the Big 10. Not the Pac 12. It’s the ACC who has reigned supreme this year behind No. 1 seeds UNC and UVA while “Cinderella” No. 10 Syracuse has also made some noise.

Though no one is watching the games, the Yellow Jackets are in Round 2 of the NIT. They will face No. 1 South Carolina on Monday with a chance to make it to the quarterfinals. Georgia lost its second round meeting with St. Mary’s 77-65. Let’s see if the Jackets can one up the Dawgs and make it a little further.

Five straight wins and 10 of their last 12, Atlanta is peaking at the right time. Coach Mike Budenholzer’s team now sits atop the Southeast Division standings and hold a half game lead over the Heat for third place in the Eastern Conference. Home court advantage will be imperative for Atlanta to have if it wants to make another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

SCORE LIST By Craig Sager II BACKYARD BRAWL

Kennesaw State and Georgia Tech baseball squared off Tuesday night in Atlanta. The non-conference clash is the 21st meeting between the two teams since 2006. Georgia Tech has won 15 of the last 20 meetings and is 11-2 at home since 2006. Sophomore Tony Dibrell takes the hill for the Owls and is coming off a career-best nine strikeouts against Georgia Southern on March 8.

CONTROL FREAK

Kirby Smart laid down the law this weekend and banned any Georgia football player from transferring to Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes. Everyone can understand why he is doing this, but it still seems sophomoric at heart. In a sport where coaches can move freely from school to school, it seems hypocritical to tell a player where they can and cannot go.

HAWKS TAKE FLIGHT

Since the trade deadline, Atlanta is 10-6 with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. They are outscoring opponents by an average of 7.0 points per 100 possessions, trailing only the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat, and allowing just 96.0 points per 100 possessions which has been the second-best defensive efficiency in the league over that stretch.

MAGIC NUMBER 9

The Hawks moved into third place in the Eastern Conference standing with their win over the Nuggets and the Hornets win over the Heat. The Hawks moved 1/2-game ahead of the Heat, Celtics and Hornets in the battle for playoff position. The Hawks sliced their magic number to clinch a ninth straight postseason berth to nine games.

BID CITY

The major news surrounding the Atlanta Falcons this past week came by a moral conflict surrounding House Bill 757. The Bill, which allows religious leaders to discriminate based off of religious beliefs has jeopardized Atlanta’s bid to host a Super Bowl in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Arthur Blank already spoke out against the bill and has more fight ahead of him.

Northern Iowa

Brackets

Jaylen Brown

The Panthers proved that a 12-point lead in the NCAA Tournament with 44 seconds left is not safe. The greatest collapse in college basketball history took place on Sunday night as 11-seed Northern Iowa coughed up a massive lead before losing to 3-seed Texas A&M in double overtime. It is a tough pill to swallow for the Cinderella story.

Tear them to shreds. No one could have predicted the madness that has ensued over the first week of the NCAA Tournament. Twoseed Michigan State was the darling of the tournament behind Coach Tom Izzo and was supposed to be a lock to make it to the Final Four…that is until they ran into MTSU in Round 1.

If that was Jaylen Brown’s swan song in college, talk about a flop. Brown was terrible as Hawaii eliminated the 4-seed. Brown, the No. 2 ranked player coming out of high school and an assumed lottery pick in the upcoming months, went out like a lamb with four points, two rebounds, seven turnovers and five fouls.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Kyle Sandy

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

“

SANITY AT LAST

HOW MANY STRAIGHT YEARS HAVE THE HAWKS MADE THE PLAYOFFS?

“We snuck up on teams last year. I don’t think people took us seriously.”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Hawks small forward Kent Bazemore

SUMMER WORKOUTS

This past week, I released a column on the increasing demand some high school coaches are putting on their players with summer workouts. Since the story broke, I have had coaches send positive feedback and express their own concerns as the GHSA still has no control over the amount of time programs are asking students to dedicate in the offseason.

WHO’S NOT

By Kyle Sandy

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Losses in the last 12 games for the Hawks.

ESPN brackets that predicted all the correct Sweet 16 teams.

Combined points in Tim Hardaway Jr.’s last two games.

Points from Buddy Hield in Oklahoma’s 85-81 win over VCU.

Jaylen Brown turnovers against Hawaii.

Losses for UConn women this year.

2008

The last time a West Coast team made the Final Four.

25.6

Assists per game the Hawks are averaging.

Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

ON THE COVER

GHSA FOOTBALL

2016-17 GHSA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he 2016-17 GHSA football schedule has been released and provides us with a look ahead to the first year with the new Class AAAAAAA. The expansion to a seventh classification has reduced the amount of teams in each classification and that makes this year’s schedule particularly intriguing. In Class AAAAAAA, there are only 48 schools and the average region size is just six teams. In a region with six teams, the region schedule (five opponents) and non-region schedule (five opponents) splits the 10-game regular season schedule. Region 1-AAAAAAA only has four teams and since each team will only have three region opponents to play, that means seven non-region contests will be on the schedule for each of the teams. Region 1’s Camden County will face Oak Leaf (FL), Venice (FL), Columbia (FL), Glynn Academy, Brunswick, McEachern and Forest Park before closing the season with Colquitt

County, Lowndes and Tift County in region action. Colquitt County scheduled Mill Creek, American-Heritage (FL), Tucker, Roswell, Brookwood and Valdosta before its trio of region games. In Region 2, the new alignment will shape the landscape significantly in football and basketball. Wheeler and Westlake lead this six-team region with Campbell, East Coweta, Newnan and Pebblebrook. On the hardwood, a region with Pebblebrook, Wheeler and Westlake will be one of the most talented in the state. Westlake has scheduled a challenging nonregion slate this football season with Hughes, Shiloh, Cartersvilee, McEachern and Lithonia. Wheeler will carry on its rivalry with neighbor Walton with a Sept. 16 non-region showdown. Region 3 includes Hillgrove, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, McEachern, North Cobb and North Paulding. McEachern once again has lined up a challenging schedule with Archer in

the Corky Kell Classic, followed with Grayson, Jonesboro, Westlake and Camden County. Hillgrove opens with South Forsyth in the Corky Kell Classic and faces off with North Gwinnett, West Forsyth, Campbell and South Gwinnett before region play. In Region 4-AAAAAAAA, Roswell has packed its schedule with top tier opponents. The Hornets open the season with Buford in the Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic and then take on a gauntlet of Central Gwinnett, Colquitt County, Archer and Milton before region play. The region includes Walton, Etowah, Lassiter, Woodstock and Cherokee. In newly-formed Region 5, Forsyth Central, Lambert, Milton, North Forsyth, South Forsyth and West Forsyth comprise a wide-open race. West Forsyth has an intriguing non-region lineup with Woodstock, defending Class AA state champion Pace Academy, Hillgrove, Dacula and Newnan. Milton will open with Alpharetta, North Gwinnett and Cambridge before continuing its annual rivalry with former region opponents Etowah and Roswell. New Gwinnett school Discovery’s first-ever game will be a showdown with Jefferson on Aug. 19 followed by trips to Cedar Shoals and Pinecrest Academy. The Titans debut in Region 6 with Collins Hill, Duluth, Mill Creek, Mountain View, North Gwinnet and Peachtree Ridge. Region 7 holds seven teams, including well-established programs like Brookwood, Central Gwinnett, Norcross and Parkview. Meadowcreek, Lakeside-DeKalb and Berkmar will have to battle with those four schools for any opportunity of seeing postseason play. Region 8 will feature some of the state’s top programs and an incredible lineup of nonregion games to start the season. Archer and Grayson headline the region with Newton, Rockdale County, Shiloh and South Gwinnett. Archer’s opener with McEachern is followed by a trip to Peachtree Ridge and clashes with Mill Creek, Norcross and Roswell. Grayson battles IMG Academy in its opener and visits McEachern the following week. The Rams add two more out-of-state clashes with Deerfield Beach (FL) and Ramsay (AL) before opening region play.

A NEW WORLD… One of the most exciting new regions will come in Class AAAAAA with Region 1. Coffee, Houston County, Lee County, NorthsideWarner Robins and Valdosta form a highly competitive five-team region. Region 7 will also introduce a new neighborhood of region opponents as Alpharetta, Cambridge, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, North Atlanta, Northview and Pope form a solid nine-team collection. In Region 2, Glynn Academy opens the season with four road games before nonregion tilts with East Jackson and Wayne County. Glynn Academy visits Benedictine for the opener and takes on rival Ware County on Aug. 26. The Terrors travel to Ponoma school on Sept. 2 and Camden County on Sept. 9. In Region 4-AAAAAA, Drew, Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lovejoy, M.L. King, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro, Mundy’s Mill, Stephenson and Tucker make up a deep nine-team region. Tucker and Lovejoy were the only two schools that were in Class AAAAAA last season, as the other seven teams will be making the leap up to AAAAAA. Region 5-AAAAAA, is equally talented with its nine-team region as Alexander, Creekside, Douglas County, Hughes, Mays, New Manchester, Northgate, South Paulding and Tri-Cities represent a top-tier region lineup. Defending Class AAAAA state champion Allatoona, leads a region with Creekview, Dalton, Harrison, Osborne, River Ridge, Sequoyah, South Cobb and Sprayberry. Alpharetta, Cambridge, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, North Atlanta, Northview and Pope embody Region 7 and show the type of competition a loaded Class AAAAAA will generate this season. In Class AAAA, Blessed Trinity and Marist become first-time region rivals in Region 7 and Jefferson, St. Pius, Oconee County and North Oconee lead Region 8. Defending Class AA state champion Pace Academy and defending Class AAA champion Westminster are in the newly-formed Region 5-AAA with Cedar Grove, Lovett, McNair, Redan, Stone Mountain and Towers. Photo courtesy of GHSA.net

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SPRING SPORTS

TOP-RANKED WALTON HANDED LOPSIDED DEFEAT KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

aseball’s No. 1 Walton continues to distance itself from the rest of the pack in AAAAAA. The Raiders are ranked No. 13 in the nation according to MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 Writer’s Poll. Carter Kieboom (Clemson) and Parker McCoy (Georgia Tech) make up one of the best 1-2 punches up the middle in the entire nation. No. 4 Pope will challenge Walton’s legitimacy throughout the year. The Greyhounds hounded Walton last night 16-1 in an eye-opening performance. MLB bound ace Joshua Lowe (FSU) will anchor the Greyhounds staff all year long while showing pop at the plate. In Class AAAAA, Gainesville retakes the No. 1 ranking from Greenbrier after the Wolfpack slipped against Grovetown. Loganville falls a spot to No. 4 after losing 13-6 to Collins Hill. The Red Devils turn their sights to the Red

Elephants in a pivotal two-game series starting on Monday. Gainesville took game one 5-3. No. 6 Columbus suffered its first loss to LaGrange 6-5, but have won three straight since. Lefty Cason Greathouse has been tough to solve on the mound. No. 5 Thomas County Central leaps five spots following an impressive 1-0 shutout of No. 8 Cairo to remain unbeaten in Region 1-AAAA. Johnathan Robinson hurled a complete game while allowing five hits, two walks and striking out six. Elsewhere, No. 10 North Hall debuts in the polls. The Trojans have a strong resume with a series sweep of Madison County headlining. Their only losses have come to North Gwinnett, St. Pius and West Forsyth. No. 1 Blessed Trinity made a resounding statement in Class AAA that they are the team

to beat by throttling No. 4 Westminster 15-1. The blow drops the Wildcats two spots while No. 2 Franklin County and No. 3 Jefferson are the beneficiaries. No. 10 Elbert County slides into the top ten for the first time this year. Region 6-AA litters the Top 3 with No. 1 Holy Innocents’, No. 2 GAC and No. 3 Wesleyan. The Wolves drop a spot after a loss to Lovett. GAC leap frogs over Wesleyan and No. 4 Bowdon, who is 10-0. The Spartans get to put their No. 2 ranking to the test as they have a three-game set with Wesleyan looming. Fitzgerald drops out of the top ten after two straight losses and is replacing by No. 9 Metter. A new No. 1 takes over Class A in Hebron Christian after King’s Ridge was defeated by new entry, No. 5 Trion. The Bulldogs are riding one of the hottest hitters in the entire country right now. Senior Gabe Howell is batting .773 with 16 RBIs and three homers.

LACROSSE NEWS….

Monday with a 23-4 win over Grayson.

In Class AAAAAA boys, defending champion Roswell dropped an 11-9 match with Walton on Tuesday and slid to 2-4 on the year. The Hornets were bumped out of this week’s poll and Chattahoochee makes its debut at No. 10.

In Class A-AAAAA, Greater Atlanta

Christian climbed to No. 2 with impressive victories over previous No. 2 Wesleyan (14-6) and Holy Innocents’ (20-5) in the past week. Allatoona scored a 9-5 win over Lassiter last week and sits comfortably at No. 3, while Lovett remains at No. 4. Lovett’s only loss came in a 13-11 battle with Allatoona and the Lions have reeled off five straight wins and a 76-13 goals advantage since. Wesleyan slid down to No. 5, but the result was testament to the depth at the top of Class A-AAAAA rather than a punishment for their loss to the Spartans.

In Class AAAAAA, No. 1 Milton held off No.

2 Walton 14-9 in a rematch of last year’s state championship. Mill Creek was able to jump the Raiders for No. 2 in this week’s poll, however, because the Hawks are on a tear this season. Mill Creek picked up its 10th win of the season on

In Class A-AAAAA, Blessed Trinity tops

the poll and Kell sits at No. 2 after scoring an 8-6 victory over Lassiter on Tuesday, the program’s first win over their Class AAAAAA rival.

Photo courtesy of Walton Baseball

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

KIRBY SMART ENFORCES NEW TRANSFER RULES BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

he new Kirby Smart-led Georgia football program saw how the new head coach differs from his predecessor Mark Richt this weekend. While addressing the transfer policy he would enforce at the school, Smart announced that he would forbid any athlete from transferring to an SEC school or Miami, Richt’s new destination. Under Richt if you wanted to transfer, you were free to go to the destination of your choice. Richt famously said “life’s too short” to restrict a young man’s options if he believed the grass would be greener elsewhere. Why not? Richt understood that there are thousands of other kids that would be happy to play for Georgia, so if a kid wants to go somewhere else, it was understood. Smart’s stance is much more extreme and it has dominated the headlines the past several days. “I wanted to set the precedent for the fu-

GEORGIA STATE

FRADY ETCHES NAME IN RECORD BOOKS BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ead Coach Greg Frady became Georgia State’s career leader in victories on Sunday H as the Panthers (11-9, 2-1) defeated Arkansas

State 14-6. James Clements’ hot bat raged on, driving in a career-high five runs on three hits. Jarrett Hood also got in on the action with four knocks. Frady’s 294 victories passes Mike Hurst on the all-time list. Frady has been in charge of the baseball program for 10 seasons now. “This is really about our first conference weekend playing Arkansas State, and the emphasis should be on our players, who absolutely played their butts off today. Our seniors really took charge,” Frady said. “I think Coach Hurst deserves a heck of a lot of credit for being the greatest coach to coach here and for all that he went through,” he continued. “I’m very proud to say that he is a friend of mine and I was able to coach on his staff, but that’s all completely secondary to what our players are doing right now. The focus should be on them, and they have handled the business in weekend number one in our confer-

ture that kids would not be able to go to Miami right away,” Smart said. “It’s very important that we understand that, and that’s pretty much standard operating procedure when a coach leaves one place, that a kid can’t go there with the coach. That’s important to me that people understand that.

CENTER OF ATTENTION…

The news is centralized around tailback AJ Turman, a junior that was granted a release this week. “Please understand that A.J. Turman is going to be able to go where he wants to go,” Smart said. “Part of the reason A.J. is leaving is he did not play here. He played two springs here and played pretty good, and we need A.J. Turman on this team. We tried to keep A.J. Turman on this team. But he is not being blocked to where he wants to go. Let’s make that perfectly here. “Because he did not play here, and the person that was coaching him here is now there at Miami. So that has nothing to do with where he wants to go. He doesn’t want to go to Miami, he’s made that perfectly clear to me.” According to Dawgnation.com, Turman told Smart that he didn’t have interest in going to Miami or to Florida, that he wanted to go to a smaller school near his hometown in the Orlando area.

ence and we’re off to a great start.”

ACES

No. 64 ranked GSU men’s tennis swept Florida Atlantic on Sunday to move the team’s record to 10-4. Freshman Jack MacFarlane started the day off on the right foot by defeating Alexander Gitin 6-0, 6-3 in singles play. Jannis Koeke and Sebastian Acuna both won their matches while Felipe Jaworski and Andrei Andrukhou’s matches went unfinished in the third set. Due to the sweep, GSU did not have to play the Owls in doubles matches.

REBOUND

After falling to top-ranked Pepperdine on Friday, No. 8 Georgia State (10-2) ripped off a pair of victories over Lincoln Memorial and UNCW at the College of Charleston Beach Tournament in beach volleyball. The Panthers picked up a pair of 5-0 sweeps to continue their dominance. Georgia State hosts its second and final home event of the season this weekend as UNCW, Eckerd, UL Monroe and Lincoln Memorial come to Atlanta for the GSU Sand Slam. Admission to the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex is free.

SUN BELT SOFTBALL

Georgia State lost to Texas State 4-1 on Sunday, but the Panthers (18-13, 4-2) still won the series and will put their momentum to the test on Wednesday. GSU hosts No. 3 Auburn at 5 P.M. at the Bob Heck Softball Complex in search of their biggest win of the season.

GEORGIA TECH

17-point win.

YELLOW JACKETS ROLL PAST GAMECOCKS

DEPTH AND DRIVE…

BY COLIN HUBBARD | INFO@SCOREATL.COM

he No. 4 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets few into round two of the NIT tournament after downing Houston by 19 points but what stood in their way of reaching the quarterfinals was the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks. Both the Yellow Jackets and the Gamecocks were coming off of terrific seasons. The Yellow Jackets reached the 20-win mark for the first time in six years and South Carolina narrowly missed out on making the NCAA tournament after a 24-win season. Both schools took care of business on their home court in round one but what happened when they met on Monday night was very unexpected, especially from the Gamecocks’ perspective. Georgia Tech walked onto the South Carolina court and dominated the entire game en route to a 83-66 victory to reach the semifinals. The Yellow Jackets built a lead of more than 30 points mid way tough the second half and wound up walking away with a dominant

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS VISIT JACKETS FOR SPRING SHOWDOWN BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ennesaw State and Georgia Tech meet on the diamond Tuesday night in their 21st clash since 2006. Georgia Tech has won 15 of the last 20 meetings and is 11-2 at home since 2006. Sophomore Tony Dibrell will make his fifth start on the mound against the Yellow Jackets. Dibrell enters Tuesday’s game with a 4.50 ERA and a 0-1 record. He has three straight appearances recording seven or more strikeouts in an outing, including a career-high nine punch outs at Georgia Southern on March 8. The righty leads the Owls with 28 strikeouts to just six walks on the season in 13.2 innings of work. Fresh off an Atlantic Sun Conference opening-series win at Jacksonville over the weekend, the Kennesaw State softball team also returns to the diamond Tuesday night for a non-conference contest against Samford at Samford Softball Field. The Owls (17-10, 2-1) opened A-Sun Conference play with a doubleheader on Saturday (Mar. 19) and, after suffering a tough 1-0, 11-in-

The Yellow Jackets had five players score double-digit totals which was something they had not done since defeating Green Bay earlier in the season. Adam Smith led the way with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting including 5-of-10 from the 3-point line. Marcus Georges-Hunt added 14 while Charles Mitchell added 12. As a team the Yellow Jackets shot 50 percent from behind the arc and shot 51 percent from the field overall. The Yellow Jackets also out rebounded the Gamecocks 39 to 21. Forward Nick Jacobs grabbed 10 boards to finish with a double-double. Up 14 points at the end for the first half, the Yellow Jackets stormed out to a 7-0 run to start the second half and never looked back from that point on. Georgia Tech pulled their starters with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game and will be advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2003. The win now gives the Yellow Jackets a win in 8 out of their last 10 games and couldn’t possibly be playing any better basketball at the moment. It appears that Georgia Tech got hot at the exact right time and have a great shot at making it to Madison Square Garden when it’s all said and done. The Yellow Jackets are now just three wins away from winning the NIT tournament and will take on the San Diego State Aztecs on Wednesday night at 9pm ET on ESPN2.

ning loss to Jacksonville, rebounded to post a 5-4 win in the nightcap and a 7-1 victory on Sunday (Mar. 20). Following Tuesday’s affair at Samford, the Owls will return home to Bailey Park to host Stetson in a three-game conference series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday (Mar. 25). The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday (Mar. 26). Tuesday’s contest between Kennesaw State and Samford will mark the 10th meeting between the two programs with the Owls leading the all-time series, 8-1. The two teams last met in 2013 and Kennesaw State recorded a 3-2 win in Kennesaw. The Owls have won seven in a row dating back to 2006. Kennesaw State currently ranks fifth in the nation in steals, averaging 3.00 per game. The Owls have swiped 81 bases in 93 attempts and have four players with 10 or more steals.

STEALING THE SHOW….

With one stolen base on Sunday, senior Kara Chambers increased her career total to 48 and away of tying of tying Tracey Britt (1991-94) for second place at 49. Chambers is also the team-leader in stolen bases with 17 thefts in 18 attempts. Junior Taylor Denton is also moving the career stolen bases chart. With 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts this season, Denton has increased her career total to 46 and is in fourth place on KSU’s all-time stolen base list.

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ATLANTA HAWKS

STREAKING HAWKS DON’T GET STUCK ON HOWARD’S APPLIANCES BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

ike a light switch, the Hawks (41-29) have turned it on down the home stretch. Once left for dead with their .500 ball, the Hawks have now strung together five straight wins and 10 of their last 12 to regain first place in the Southeast Division and hold a half game lead over the Miami Heat for third in the Eastern Conference. A powerful first and fourth quarter offset a 42-point second quarter from the Houston Rockets for Atlanta to win 109-97 on Saturday. Six Hawks reached double digits led by Al Horford’s 22 points and nine rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr., who has spent most of the year in the D-League, put together back-to-back games with 20 or more points. Hardaway went for 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting with five 3’s two days after roasting the Denver Nuggets for 21 points off the bench. “I think we’re just peaking at the right time as a team,” Horford said. “It just so happens that we’re playing some of the Western Conference teams.

ATLANTA BRAVES

OLIVERA SHOWING PROMISING SIGNS IN SPRING TRAINING BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

Look no further than the top of spring training’s total hits chart as of Wednesday afternoon to find the first Atlanta Braves player. That’s right; left fielder Hector Olivero is tied for the league lead in hits with 14. It must, however, be pointed out that Olivero has benefited from a ton of at-bats (32 to be exact) as the Braves are eager to give him as much playing time as possible to facilitate a smooth transition from third base to the outfield. Olivera has capitalized on his opportunities, going 14-for-32 (.438) with two doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored. “You can just see he’s more comfortable,” manager Fredi Gonzalez told the team’s website. “You have to be. Now he knows his teammates, he knows the coaching staff and he knows the routine of being a major leaguer. From that standpoint, that is a burden he doesn’t have to worry about any more…. There’s nobody who works harder. He’s here early and he works. As coaches, that’s what you want to see, and he gives us that every single day.”

“It feels very different,” Horford said. “I feel like we’re a much better team. We’re much more focused. Our defense is really good, despite the second quarter, and we’re starting to put it together on the offensive end.” The Hawks withstood a barrage from James Harden and Michael Beasley. Harden finished with 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists while Beasley exploded for 30 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

STICKY SITUATION

Here comes ‘Sticky-gate’. The game ball was removed from play on Saturday after Dwight Howard applied Stickum spray to his hands and attempted to sticky up the ball upon re-entering play. Once Paul Millsap got a hold of the ball before attempting the second of his two free throws, he knew something was amiss. “I’ve never felt the ball like that, ever,” Millsap said, according to the Atlanta JournalConstitution. “It was sticky. It was like super glue or something was on there. I couldn’t get it off my hands. It was the weirdest thing ever.” The can covered in white tape that Howard used to apply to his hands, is a commonly used practice said Howard. “I don’t know why people are making a big deal out of it,” he said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “I do it every game. It’s not a big deal. I ain’t tripping.” Head official Monty McCutchen told each team that Stickum is illegal in the NBA. The league is investigating.

The 31-year-old reported to Lake Buena Vista, Fla. more than a week earlier than required and he spent much of the extra time working on his defense in left field. After workouts officially ended, Olivera continued to hone his defensive skills with third-base coach Bo Porter. At the plate, he has made some technical adjustments with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. “I’m comfortable making the transition,” the Cuba native said through an interpreter of his move to left field. “I’ve been getting a lot of attention from the coaches, and all of the guidance has been very helpful…. It’s a lot more comfortable being here in the United States for a second year. I was making the change while breaking into the major leagues last year. But now I feel good and confident.”

ROUGH STRETCH …

Atlanta finds itself in second-to-last place (ahead of only Baltimore) in the Grapefruit League with a 4-11 record through Tuesday’s action. The team has dropped five of its last six contests after falling to Detroit 10-6 on Tuesday. Its lone victory during this stretch has come in the form of a 5-0 shutout against Tampa Bay on Monday. The Braves managed only one hit off Tigers’ starter Justin Verlander before finally making some headway to the tune of six runs in the last four innings at the expense of Detroit’s bullpen. Leadoff hitter Ender Inciarte had a two-RBI double.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS ADD TO ROSTER, BLANK STANDS STRONG BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Falcons signed tackle Tom Compton and linebacker LaRoy Reynolds last Wednesday. Compton, 6-5, 308 pounds, was originally selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft out of South Dakota. He played in 44 games with 10 starts during his four years in Washington. Last season, Compton played in 13 games with one start and helped block for an offense that averaged 255.9 passing yards per game. Reynolds, 6-1, 240 pounds, was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a college free agent following the 2013 NFL Draft out of Virginia. He played in 30 games with three starts for the Jaguars and recorded 38 total tackles (28 solo). Reynolds was signed by the Bears in 2015 and played in 13 games with one start.

STANDING STRONG…

The Falcons were in the headlines for more wrong reasons last week as news broke that the House Bill 757 could interfere with the

GHSA BASKETBALL

LASSITER GIRLS CRUISE IN REGION PLAY BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

In Class AAAAAA, No. 1 Lassiter added road wins over No. 3 Pope (1-0) and Milton (3-1) to improve to 8-0 and 4-0 in region action. No. 2 Walton occupies No. 2 with its 7-1 record and only loss coming in a 2-1 contest with Class AAAA No. 1 Marist on Feb. 29. Walton is 5-0 in region play and its showdown with neighboring Lassiter does not come until April 16. Harrison jumped Grayson for No. 4 after the Rams dropped a 2-1 match to Dacula on Wednesday. John’s Creek settles in at No. 5 after posting a fifth straight win and improving to 7-2 with its only losses coming to Marist and Pope. Starr’s Mill tops the Class AAAAA poll with a 9-0 record and 70-2 goals advantage, while No. 2 McIntosh sits at 6-0 with a 50-1 scoring edge. No. 3 Northgate and No. 4 Columbus have each lost to McIntosh, but remain in the top 4 and undefeated Evans sits at No. 5 after stamping its seventh region victory of the

city’s aim for a Super Bowl bid. House Bill 757, which passed the Georgia Legislature last week, would enable religious leaders to refuse to perform same-sex marriages and allow tax-funded groups to deny services to gay men and lesbians. The bill will go to Gov. Nathan Deal to be approved and signed as law. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement Friday such a law could jeopardize Atlanta’s ability to host a Super Bowl in the new, $1.4 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, set to open next summer. “NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites,” the statement said. Arthur Blank spoke out against the bill following the news. “One of my bedrock values is ‘Include Everyone’ and it’s a principle we embrace and strive to live each and every day with my family and our associates, a vast majority of which live and work in Georgia. I strongly believe a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Georgia is critical to our citizens and the millions of visitors coming to enjoy all that our great state has to offer. House Bill 757 undermines these principles and would have long-lasting negative impact on our state and the people of Georgia.”

season at Greenbrier on Monday.

BOYS NEWS…

In Class AAAAAA, Duluth dropped out of the poll after dropping back-to-back games to Berkmar and Mill Creek and North Gwinnett took advantage of the losing streak and made its debut at No. 10. In Class AAAAA, Sequoyah dropped from No. 4 to No. 7 after a 1-0 loss to Rome, which marked the Chiefs’ third loss in four games. Rome’s win over Sequoyah was enough to earn the Wolves a spot in this week’s poll at No. 10 with a 6-2-1 record. In Class AAAA, Cross Keys dropped St. Pius to No. 2 with a 3-0 victory and JohnsonGainesville rose to No. 1. No. 1 Johnson beat East Hall 4-2 to solidify its top status. Woodward Academy fell from No. 7 to No. 9 after dropping a 2-0 match to a tough Decatur team. In Class AAA, Decatur’s victory over Woodward bumped the Bulldogs to No. 5. Also, Jackson County’s four-s traight victories earned a spot at No. 10 and Lumpkin County fell out of the poll after losing five of its last seven games. Wesleyan unseated Greater Atlanta Christian for No. 1 in Class AA after a huge 3-0 win over Cross Keys. GAC fell to No. 2 as a result of a 0-0 tie with Richmond Hill. Putnam County improved from No. 10 to No. 7 after growing a five-game winning streak.

Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

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Vol. 12 Iss. 11 | Mar. 23 - Mar. 29, 2016

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