JANUARY 21-27, 2011 CHECK US OUT aT SCOrEaTl.COm Vol 7 … · JAnuAry 21-27, 2011 ScoRe AtlAntA | 3...

JANUARY 21-27, 2011 CHECK US OUT aT SCOrEaTl.COm Vol 7 No 3

2 | ScoRe AtlAntA Get In The Game!

A lw Ay s At s c o r e aT l . c o m

JAnuAry 21-27, 2011 ScoRe AtlAntA | 3


Publisher/editor I.J. RosenbergGeNerAl MANAGer Bob HoughtonMANAGiNG editor Stephen Black

Art/CreAtiVe direCtor DJ GalbiatibusiNess MANAGer Marvin Botnick

beAt Writers Josh Bagriansky (Hawks), Stephen Black (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Joe Deighton (Thrashers),

Ricky Dimon (Falcons), Fletcher Proctor (Braves), Thomas Watson (Tech), Brian Jones (Preps)

stAFF Writers Jamie Walker, Jay Thomason, Drew Collins, Raj Prashad

CoNtributors C.C., Brian Katrek, Alex Ewalt, Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Zander Lentz, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Chris

Dimino, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Beau Bock, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, Jeff Batten, Jeff Measor

sPeCiAl CoNtributors Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom

STarTinglinEUp

CheroKee/ForsYth: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock

Cobb: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, Mt. Paran Christian N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry,

Walker, Walton, Wheeler, Whitefield AcademydeKAlb: Arabia Mountain, Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills,

Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker

FultoN: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, John’s Creek, Lovett, Mays, Milton, Mt. Pisgah, North Springs,

Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward AcademyGWiNNett: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula,

Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan

FAYette: Whitewater, Sandy Creek, Starr’s MillNeWtoN: Eastside

SCHOOlliSTing

breAKiNG the souNd bArrier: The Falcons set a goal of reaching 115 deci-bels in their Project 115 promotion during the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The mark was shat-tered when Stephen Nicholas stripped Pack-ers wide receiver Greg Jennings and Brent Grimes recovered for Atlanta. Photo courtesy of AtlantaFalcons.com.

SHOT OF THE WEEK...

in our prep section, stephen black previews tuesday’s Walton-Wheeler basketball matchup. it will be the first basketball webcast of the season for GPb.

Check out the rest of the prep section to catch up on the latest and greatest in local high school sports.

the Fletch discusses coverage of the Falcons’ playoff loss and reviews what the local talking heads were saying about it.

in our cover story, Josh bagriansky analyzes what the Falcons may be adjusting this offseason after the successful 13-4 division championship campaign.

COVER dEsign by dJ galbiatiCOVER PhOtOs COuRtEsy Of waltOn and whEElER high sChOOl

6 SCORE LIST - MY TWO CENTS

12 GSU 13 CALENDAR

14 TECH-UGA

4

5

78-9

THiS WEEK

TEAM SCOOp AND VOICES

ON T

HE score Atlanta is looking for new sales associates

as well as writing and graphic design interns. For sales positions, e-mail Bob Houghton at [email protected]. For writing in-ternships, e-mail Stephen Black at [email protected]. For graphic design internships, e-mail DJ Galbiati at [email protected] free to call 404-256-1572 to speak with someone about any of these positions.

INSIDE AT SCORE

Can’T miSSCan’T miSS



National media criticizes Falcons after playoff loss; possible draft picks discussedThe only thing that could have ruined the

incredible season that was 2010 for the Atlanta Falcons would be for the team to get blown out at the Georgia Dome on national television. Sadly as Murphy’s Law would have it, that’s exactly what happened. Aaron Rodgers looked like a future Hall of Famer (which he very well may be) last week as he led the Packers on scoring drive after scoring drive in a 48-21 victory over Atlanta in the NFC Divisional playoff round. The worst part about the loss was not that Atlanta would be denied a shot at the NFC crown and a Super Bowl bid. The worst part of the loss was the fact it occurred on a nationally-televised FOX broadcast, and the national media was ruthless in tearing down the Falcons. The CBS studio team acted like it was zero surprise that the Falcons would lose in this manner, and several ESPN talking heads were telling us “we told you so.” It seems that all of the good will that Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Mike Smith built up this year came crashing down in a hurry with two Matty Ice interceptions in the final three minutes of the first half, giving Green Bay a lead it would never relinquish. That night Falcons fans were, of course, upset and took to the airwaves to voice their displeasure. 790 The Zone was jammed full of callers for its postgame show and the calls continued the next day on the Ford Football Show and Score Atlanta’s Sports Sunday. For three hours Score Atlanta’s Brian Jones, Josh Hagadone and I took calls that blamed the loss on everyone from Matt Ryan to Mike Smith to Mike Mularkey to the defense to Brian VanGorder. Then finally, a few callers had had enough of the doom and gloom and finger-pointing. About six callers in a row to-wards the end of the show, fans started to pick up their battered franchise and applaud their season-long effort.

The fans realized that this was one de-feat, a bad one, but one the team could re-cover from, learn from and rebound from in 2011. After hearing so much negativity, it was nice on a personal level to hear the silver lin-ing finally coming through the dark clouds. The loss, coupled with the strong regular season, the Atlanta Falcons’ draft slot has been decided, and the Dirty Birds will be picking at No. 27 in the first round in the upcoming April NFL Draft. During the barrage of calls, numerous suggestions were tossed out as to whom the Falcons should select with that pick, and some local pundits have revealed picks. 680 The Fan’s Buck Belue would like to see the Falcons go after a running back to complement Michael Turner, especially after his partner John Kincade noted that Turner’s “arrow is pointing down.” Belue tossed out the name of Okla-homa Sooners tailback DeMarco Murray as a name of a fast back that can catch out of the backfield for the Falcons to target in the draft. 790 The Zone’s Hans Heiserer found a mock draft that predicted the Falcons would select Alabama tailback and former Heisman winner Mark Ingram. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC rattled off a pair of cornerbacks as well as an offensive lineman as potential selections (shockingly NOT a center as he was calling for last year), but Ledbetter’s other option was the one that most intrigued me: Ohio State standout defensive end Cam-eron Heyward. The former Peachtree Ridge Lion was unstoppable in the Sugar Bowl and would bookend John Abraham nicely, even-tually taking over from the Predator. I hope Ledbetter is right on this one. Speaking of John Abraham, Yahoo! Sports was not too kind towards the Falcons defensive end after Abraham finally broke through in the third quarter for a sack on Green Bay’s Rodgers when the Falcons were

down two scores. Here is Chris Chase from Yahoo! Sports’ Shutdown Corner Blog: “An unsolicited tip to all NFL defend-ers: If you’re down 14 points in a playoff game, don’t mock the quarterback that’s beating you after making a relatively incon-sequential sack at the start of the second half. Sadly, this advice comes too late for John Abraham The Atlanta Falcons defensive end sacked Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the start of the second half and celebrated by mocking Rodgers’ cham-pionship-belt move. Not a terrible move, but better done when your team isn’t down two touchdowns at home.” I was appalled to read in a recent forum on the AJC’s Georgia blog that some one thinks this Georgia basketball team is the best team the program has produced in twenty-five years. Really? I have a hard time believ-ing that some one would say that this team is the best Georgia has fielded in the last quarter century. No disrespect to this team but I have a hard time believing that this team would beat the 2003 unit that was ranked as high as No. 6 at one point before the team was pulled due to the Harrick scandal in a best-of-seven series. Tubby Smith’s teams were quality, and I would rank them higher than this team AT THIS MOMENT. This team certainly has the chance to surpass those squads, but it is early in the season. Let this year play out before the current squad of Bulldogs is crowned as the best of the best. Finally, I would like to tip my cap to two “update” personalities that are worthy of more airtime. 680 The Fan’s Chadd Scott and 790 The Zone’s Justin Hanover are both outstanding at providing updates, but both also bring interesting opinions on a variety of topics that keep me locked to my radio. Scott, who also writes College Football’s Most Dangerous Blog for chuckoliver.net, is

sometimes given airtime with Kincade where he presents his takes logically, to the point that even if you disagree with him, you still nod your head to concede his point of view. Meanwhile, Hanover has been a Sunday fix-ture over the past few years on the Zone’s Falcons postgame coverage. This past college football season though, Hanover has been on the airwaves most Saturdays as well, and he proved that his football expertise is not sim-ply NFL-exclusive. Both of these gentlemen should receive a push from their respective stations as both have earned more time. Proctor can be reached at [email protected].

CAN YOU BELIEVE......HE SAID THAT?

amid another georgia tech losing streak, continuing grumbling over Paul hewitt’s rollover contract and

a “home crowd” punctuated by empty seats… the Jackets went and threw everybody for a loop sunday night. they won a game.

Jeff schultz of the AJC isn’t as bad as Mark bradley when it comes to taking the Yellow Jackets head bas-ketball coach to the woodshed, but in his column following tech’s big win over North Carolina, schultz laid on the backhanded compliments pretty thick. i would say poor Paul hewitt, but he could have walked away from a fan base that seems to have cooled on him and a newspaper that is seem-ingly out for his head, but he chose to stick around for the rollover contract. he deserves what he gets until he turns it around.



How the Falcons can turn themselves into a Super Bowl contender in 2011It already seems like so long ago. Just over a

week ago, the Atlanta Falcons were coming off an NFC-best 13-3 season, and awaiting the visit of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. While Atlanta had a young team and plen-ty of doubters, a city and team had to feel con-fident after a magical 2010 regular season that saw them win an NFC South title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The numbers appeared to be to their ad-vantage. The team was 7-1 at home this sea-son, had only lost three times there during the Mike Smith era, and was 19-1 in home games started by quarterback Matt Ryan. Add in

seven NFC Pro Bowlers to the mix, and this seemed a season destined to be a special one. Then it all fell apart.

heAd-oN CollisioN … The Pack came to town and dismantled the home team in impressive fashion. And when all was said and done, the Birds’ season was over after a 48-21 defeat in front of a dis-appointed sellout crowd. The fallout from the loss inspired a host of criticism from around the country. A lot of the criticism started with Ryan. The typically unflappable signal caller strug-gled even more so than he did in his first play-off game (another loss, this time at the hands of Arizona in 2009). Mark Bradley of the AJC raised a ques-tion that many find themselves pondering. “A month ago we wondered if Matt Ryan might be the NFL’s MVP,” he wrote in a col-umn after the loss. “Now we get to spend the next eight months pondering whether Matty Ice might be overhyped.”

solid Core … Ryan has had a quite successful career thus far. The 2009 Rookie of the Year made

his first pro bowl this year, throwing for 3,705 yards and 28 touchdowns.

One thing is for sure, we’ll have a definite answer to the Matt Ryan

question down the line. He isn’t going anywhere, and hardly any

quarterback has had as much success as he through three years starting, even with the winless playoff record. With players such as Ryan, Roddy

White, Michael Turner and many more to

return, general manager Thomas Dimitroff has less work to do this offseason

than in the past. He has spent two years building a young core with a few veterans sprinkled in. But there is still some tweaking to do, especially on the defensive side.

It all started with the drafting of Ryan and the signing of Turner during his first few days on the job. The Tony Gonzalez trade also paid huge dividends. But Dimitroff’s best work was done in the draft. In addition to Ryan, he picked out a host of bargains in Kroy Biermann, Curtis Lofton, Brent Grimes, William Moore, Corey Peters and more. The Dunta Robinson signing wasn’t di-sastrous, but third-year pro Grimes likely had the better year of the two, making five inter-ceptions. Aaron Rodgers exposed the Atlanta sec-ondary by throwing for 366 yards and three touchdowns on an astounding 31-of-36 pass-ing. In short, he had one of those quarterbacks dream about. Dimitroff, the 2009 Executive of the Year, will surely delve into the market at corner. The only question is whether he will look to bolster the secondary with a few solid young pieces, or go for a proven veteran to replace Robinson. The biggest name available is clearly Nnamdi Asomugha. Formerly of the Oakland Raiders, he was on the market after a release clause in his contract triggered his departure. The clause was incentive based, but conven-tional wisdom says that happened because teams never throw to his side of the field. Asomugha is still considered one of the best corners in the league. You’d have to think Dimitroff and company will at least have a look at him. Then there’s an issue with the pass-rush. For all the talk of the secondary, it was the front four who have struggled at times to get to the quarterback. John Abraham is still a great force coming off the end, but he doesn’t have many years left. Biermann, Peters and Babineaux are all solid, but they have been much stronger at run-stopping and none are a dominant pass rusher. The result was a defense that often couldn’t get to the QB unless Brian Van-Gorder was dialing up a blitz. That will have to change, or Atlanta will get eaten up by the league’s best signal-callers when they have time to throw, especially in the postseason. There are some big names on the market as well. Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata, the Giants’ Mathias Kiwanuka, and the Jets’ Shaun Ellis

could be among them. This could be the spot where Atlanta is willing to drop the big bucks in free agency. There is also work to do on offense, but not nearly as much as the defense. Gonzalez showed no signs of slowing down this year, Turner got back on track after a subpar 2009-10, while Rod-dy White has emerged as one of the league’s top wideouts catching passes from Ryan. Dimitroff could look for a few role players. The team could have used a home run threat out of the backfield with Jerious Norwood once again unable to stay healthy. That’s an area that Atlanta could use an up-grade. The biggest name for that spot is Reg-gie Bush, but there is no way he would want to come to Atlanta and likely be the third back behind Turner and Jason Snelling.

MiNiNG For Gold … But expect most of the work on offense to be done through the draft. Noel Devine of West Virginia surely fits the mold in terms of replacing Norwood. Atlanta may also look at building depth at wideout and offensive line as well. As the offseason approaches, Atlanta will surely be working hard to fix what hap-pened last week in the Georgia Dome. But while many promising teams quickly fall off the map in the hyper-competitive NFL, this doesn’t seem like one of those cases. Remember that Dimitroff basically had to build this team from scratch when he was hired. It takes time to build a complete foot-ball team, especially when you’re focusing on building through the draft and playing a lot of youngsters. Dimitroff’s eye for talent can’t be questioned, and Arthur Blank is willing to spend the big bucks if need-be. Abraham and Gonzalez are the only key players not heading into or already in the prime of their careers. With the braintrust of coach of the year candidate Smith and Dimitroff run-ning the show, and the deep pockets of Blank funding the operation, the facts say that the Falcons will only get better, and be in the play-offs for many seasons to come. Photos of John Abraham and Tony Gonzalez are courtesy of Jimmy Cribb/At-lanta Falcons. Bagriansky can be reached at [email protected].



SCOrEliST

CRUNCHING THEnUmBErS

bY briAN JoNes bY briAN JoNesbirds CliPPed: Falcons players, coaches, staff and fans thought they were going to the super bowl and pos-sibly come away with their first title. that will have to wait until next year as the birds fell to the Green bay Packers last saturday in the divisional round of the playoffs. it was bad ending to a good season, but this team is built for the long haul and will be back.

KeeP bArKiNG: the Georgia bas-ketball team is having a solid start to the seC part of their schedule with a 2-2 record in conference play as of Wednesday. that may not be overly impressive, but the bulldogs are play-ing very good basketball and they will have a chance to bounce back from a tough loss against tennessee when they host Miss. state this weekend.

turNiNG PoiNt: it has not been an easy season for the Georgia tech bas-ketball team. but with a big win against North Carolina last sunday, this could be the time where tech can turn their sea-son around. they may not be the most talented team in the ACC but if they con-tinue to improve and play together like they did against uNC, they can have a strong second half to the 2011 season.

Good MoNth: With a win over the Miami heat on tuesday, the hawks are flying high in the month of January, as they’ve won seven of eight games since the New Year. Joe Johnson, Jamal Craw-ford, Al horford and Josh smith have stepped their game up and it has paid div-idends. the question is can they keep up the momentum after the all-star break?

PArtY tiMe: even though the Fal-cons are not going to the super bowl this year, that doesn’t mean you should skip the conference championship games on sunday. And there is no bet-ter place to watch than t.J.’s sports bar for the AFC/NFC Championship Party. if you don’t want to watch the game, then come for the two bikini contests. it’s a win-win situation.

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THUMBS Up TO ROAD WINS

THUMBS DOWN TO CHOKING

Atlanta HawksThe Hawks got a huge win at Miami on Wednesday and they now have a 7-1 re-cord in their last eight games. Joe John-son is improving as the season rolls on, averaging 27 points and nearly seven assists per game in his last five games.

Atlanta BravesGood news for the Braves this week, as they were able to sign four players to new deals and avoid arbitration. Martin Prado, Jair Jur-rjens, Peter Moylan and Eric O’Flaher ty all agreed to new deals and all four players will be crucial to the team’s success in 2011.

NFC ChampionshipEven though the Falcons fell short of the NFC title game, this year’s game has the makings to be a great one as the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears. This will be the first time in 70 years and the second time ever the two bitter rivals will meet in the postseason.

New England patriotsBill Belichick, Tom Brady and Company fell at the hands of the brash New York Jets Sunday in Foxboro. After stomping their division rivals in December by a score of 45-3, the Pats made several mistakes and allowed the Jets to fly out of town with the win. New England has not won a playoff game since the 2007 season.

Milton BradleyAnother baseball player in some legal hot wa-ter is Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Brad-ley, who was arrested on Tuesday on a felony charge. The nature of the charged was not re-leased, but Bradley was released from jail later that day on $50,000 bail. It is just the latest in a long line of troubles for Bradley.

Delino DeShields Jr.The son of the former MLB second baseman of the same name was arrested in Athens last Sun-day for DUI. DeShields, who went to high school at Woodward Academy, was the eighth overall pick in last year’s MLB draft and signed a $2.15 million signing bonus with the Houston Astros.

TRIVIA

QUESTIONGeorgia Tech’s hoops squad currently has a

four-game winning streak over North Carolina. When

was the last time the Jackets beat the Tar Heels

four straight times?

SANITY

AT LAST“I don’t think you want to over-react. You’ve got to take time. You sit back and you analyze

and you go through that analy-sis and you make decisions in

the calm after you’ve been able to take the emotion out of it.”

- Falcons head coach Mike Smith about potential offseason changesanswer on page 14

total yards the Falcons gained on offense in their loss to Green bay

total yards the Falcons defense surrendered

Position where the Fal-cons will be picking in the 2011 NFl draft

Number of Falcons free agents including tony Gonzalez

before tuesday’s win, the last time the hawks de-feated the heat in Miami

hawks record during the month of January

Points per game trey thompkins is averaging this season, fifth best in the seC

Assists per game Gerald robinson is averaging, second best in the seC

Number of braves games that will be produced by turner this season

last time the Chicago bears and the Green bay Packers met in the playoffs

194442

2715

20087-1

17.9

4.40

1941my TWO CEnTS The scene at the Georgia Dome Satur-day night was tremendous. It was a bigtime NFL playoff atmosphere that we have not seen a lot of here in Atlanta. The fans fed off the “Rise Up” slogan, which has taken hold in more than one way as I heard several Falcons fans use it as a battle cry the same way Auburn and Alabama fans use their “War Eagle” and “Roll Tide” yells. Also, the Samuel L. Jackson spots on the big screens at the Dome incited roars from the capacity crowd, who were waving their complimentary “Rise Up” flags en masse before the game. While the outcome was not what we wanted nor expected, we know now that Atlanta is on the verge of becoming a serious NFL city.

And, better yet, we already have a seriously good NFL franchise. ... Speaking of pro sports

atmospheres in this fine city, the Thrash-ers really do a nice job at their home

games. Despite rare sellouts and large numbers of visiting fans on occasion (and this is not rare for sunbelt franchises in any sport) the Thrash boast a spirited core group of fans who are probably as witty and consistently vocal as any lo-cal pro teams. Also, the Philips Arena sound people do a great job of playing a unique blend of mu-

sic that you just don’t hear at other sporting events. All in all, I believe that

Thrashers games are one of the more un-derrated entertainment options in this city.

Black can be reached at [email protected].

On Tuesday night, mayhem will ensue in the northern Atlanta suburb of East Cobb.

Traditional rivals Walton and Wheeler will do battle on the hardwood for the sec-ond time this season in a game that will be featured in a webcast on GPB.org. The game represents the first GPB basketball webcast of the season. The boys matchup will fea-ture two Class 5A top 10 teams as Doug Lipscomb’s No. 2 Wildcats (10-3) will try to sweep the regular season series from No. 8 Walton on the road. “They beat us once already, so we want to even the score,” said Raiders head coach Joe Goydish. That may be more difficult than it seems for Walton, who lost the previous meeting this season on Dec. 10 by a score of 92-86. The Wildcats, a perennial state power, have won state titles in 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005 and

2009 under the leadership of Lipscomb while the Raiders are still searching for their first. Wheeler has not lost a regular season game to a Georgia team since falling to Campbell on Jan. 14 of 2010. And aside from an 82-81 win in 2009, Walton has not defeated their arch rivals in recent years. “Over the past three to four years, (the series) has been more competitive,” said Goydish. “Before that, Wheeler had really great teams and we weren’t quite as good. But it was a still a big rivalry game.” It is assured that Walton’s gym will be full before the end of the girls game and a packed house will once again be in attendance for the rivalry. In fact, out of all the programs in the state, these two may just have the most spirited students. “It should be a fantastic high school at-mosphere,” said Goydish. “The two students

sections are some of the best around.” The teams are also two of the best around. The two programs have churned out college talent in droves in recent years. The Raiders have seen former players like Glen Rice, Jr (Georgia Tech) Ryan Harrow (NC State), Matt Babcock (Arizona), and Kevin Kruger (Ariz St/UNLV) play for major col-leges while Wheeler grads like DeQuan Jones (Miami), Antwuan Dixon (FSU), J.J. Hickson (NC State), Jermareo Davison (Alabama) and Sharaud Curry (Providence) have all made their mark on the college basketball scene. This year’s squads also boast some seri-ous cache. Nigel Snipes (Western Kentucky) and K.K. Simmons (UNC-Wilmington) are already set on their college destination while junior forward Charles Mitchell is a hot com-modity in the 2012 class. “Mitchell is an excellent rebounder

and a hustler,” said Lipscomb. Goydish agreed that Mitchell can be a force in the middle. “We think we can match up everywhere except with Mitchell,” he said. “But we have faced some seven-footers and a couple 6-10 guys and done well.” And, despite the matchup issue and their lack of recent success against Wheeler, Goy-dish and company will be confident come Tuesday night. “If we played 10 times, I think we would win five,” he said. Knowing this rivalry, the girls game will be as intense and highly competitive as the boys game. The Lady Raiders are 8-6 and are coming off a 47-40 win at Etowah. Walton beat the Lady Wildcats (6-6) in the previous matchup this season 48-42 at Wheeler. Black can be reached at [email protected].

bY stePheN blACK



Despite not practicing last week, the Whitefield Academy Wolfpack carried

on and beat Houston Co. (Ala.) 67-33 on Saturday. Just like everyone else around the Atlanta area, Whitefield was prevented from attending school because of the ice storm. That didn’t seem to matter to junior power forward Kennard Backman. He led all scor-ers with 25 points, to go along with five re-bound and two steals. “It was fun to be back on the court with my teammates,” Backman told the MDJ. “We knew we had to stay conditioned over the break, so a lot of us were in contact and texted each other so we’d be ready when we had to play.” The win was the Wolfpack’s eighth in a row and kept them at the No. 1 spot in the Class A coaches poll (gasports.com). They are 12-2 and 2-0 in Region 9-A. This week the schedule will present a couple of region contests against Green Forrest Christian and Strong Rock Christian. GreYhouNd GuArd … Pope is a team on the rise in Class 4A with a 10-4 overall record. The player that has led the Greyhounds to those wins is se-

Gwinnett County basketball has taken over the second tier in Class 5A and that is no

slap to Collins Hill, South Gwinnett, North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge and Norcross. Milton is just that good this season. But if any county can challenge Milton in 5A, it will be one of Gwinnett’s best. Norcross has lost to Milton this year, but the talent of the Blue Devils will jell as the season continues. Look for Josiah Moore and E Victor Nickerson to dominate come playoffs. In Class 2A, Greater Atlanta Chris-tian is still atop the latest rankings while Buford is No. 6. In Class A, Wesleyan has fallen to No. 5.

lAdY deVils leAd … As for the girls rankings, Norcross looks unstoppable again, even with the loss of Kaela Davis. Diamond DeShields missed a few games since the Christmas break but the Lady Blue Devils continued to roll thanks to Emaree Cobb, Shayla Cooper and Tori Cart-er. Brookwood stayed relevant in the top 10 rankings at No. 5. Buford and Wesleyan re-mained No. 1 in Class 2A and A, respectively.

The AJC has released their boys and girls basketball rankings this week, and little

has changed due to the lack of games be-ing played. With school being out all week due to the weather, and high school sports being put on hold for the same reason, only a few week-end tournaments and nonregion games were played in the last week. The Miller Grove boys (14-0, 6-0), tops in Class 4A, resumed their schedule this week with an 80-60 win on Monday over Dayton Ohio’s Thurgood Marshall High School, No. 11 in the country according to the AP, in the Good Samaritan Hospital “Flyin’ To The Hoop” tournament in Dayton. According to the AJC, Miller Grove, cur-rently No. 5 in the Max Preps national rank-ings, is now in the thick of the national title hunt with No. 1 (AP) ranked Oak Hill Acad-emy’s loss to Milton on Saturday. The ninth-ranked Tucker boys (10-3, 5-1) in Class 4A maintained their spot in the top 10 as they, like most schools, were idle last week. Columbia (13-2, 5-0) is still No. 1 in the Class 3A rankings after winning two of three at a weekend tournament.

nior point guard Garrett Brown. The under-sized guard leads his team with 19 points, five assists and four steals per game. Head coach Pat Abney pointed out that Brown’s speed is his major asset. “To me, he’s the quickest kid we’ve ever had at Pope,” he told the MDJ. “To me, I’d rather have a guard that’s quick instead of tall. Coaches are concerned (about his 5’9 size), but once they see how quick he is, they don’t worry very much about his height.” lAdY hAWKs … Nothing has stopped the girls at Hill-grove this year. They are a perfect 11-0 and rank second in the 5A coaches poll (gasports.com). Senior forward Reka Hall has led the team in scoring with 17 points per game. “She is a big scorer for us,” head coach Sheryl Fowler told the MDJ. “She can shoot, pass and rebound the ball. She does it all for us.” The Lady Hawks lead Region 4 Class 5A with a 4-0 record, but they will be challenge this week against South Cobb and Kennesaw Mountain. Deighton can be reached at [email protected].

Buford made national news by knocking off Oak Hill Academy, ranked No. 44 nation-ally by ESPN, 49-45. Buford is ranked No. 16 nationally by ESPN. Kaela Davis finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and four steals in the Lady Wolves’ big victory. Wesleyan meanwhile knocked off North Carolina power Oak Ridge 63-59, thanks to Score 44 member Grace Leah Baughn and her 17 points. Holli Wilkins provided 13 points including seven in the fourth quarter. Finally, Brookwood, thanks to a state title on the football gridiron and on the boys cross country trails, leads the Regions Direc-tors Cup standings for Class 5A after the fall sports season has concluded. Collins Hill is right behind the Broncos in the overall stand-ings thanks to its softball state title. In Class A, Wesleyan is in line for a third straight overall title as the Wolves are atop the the boy’s standings and fifth in the girls standings. The Wolves have a healthy lead over Savannah Christian in the boys category but lead by less than 24 points overall. Proctor can be reached at [email protected].

Next for the Eagles is a trip to the Uni-versity of West Virginia for the Primetime Shootout Jan. 21 and 22.

lAdY JAGs, rAiders … The Stephenson girls (10-3, 4-0) stayed at No. 8 in the Class 5A rankings as their games were cancelled. The Lady Jaguars will try to shake off the rust and resume winning ways against Luella and Campbell this weekend. In Class 4A, the Redan Lady Raiders (10-1, 5-1) are still No. 1, having had to post-pone their region showdown with Tucker. The Chamblee Bulldogs (13-0, 6-0) are still No. 3 in the rankings and did not have any games scheduled last week. The same is true for Southwest DeKalb (10-4, 6-1) which still sits at No. 4, though the Lady Panthers resumed their schedule Tuesday night beating Carver, Atlanta (9-5, 4-3) 69-53. The Columbia girls (11-5, 4-0) missed two games last week, but maintained their No. 2 ranking in Class 3A. Collins can be reached at 404-256-1572.

Whitefield holds onto top ranking

Contenders aplenty in Gwinnett hoopsMiller Grove continues impressive streak

The winter wonderland we enjoyed last week all but shut down the high school

sports scene last week, but things should get cranked back up as basketball is hitting mid-season stride with region games and teams prepare for tournament time. Last week’s ice storm is about the only thing that could cool off the red-hot Sequoyah Chiefs, who are sitting atop Region 7 and ranked No. 2 in Class 4A with a 16-0 and 5-0 region record. The Chiefs get back into action this week and have a pending clash with sec-ond place Creekview on Jan. 22 that should determine which team sits atop the region. Sequoyah won an earlier non-region game against the Grizzlies 66-53. On the girl’s side, the Forsyth Central Lady Bulldogs ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, re-main tied for second place, one game behind the first place Chattahoochee Cougars with a 13-2 and 4-1 in Region 7. The Lady Bulldogs have three crucial region games to makeup that were cancelled due to the weather last week. The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to play Creekview in a rematch where they try to avenge their only region loss to date 52-38.shootiNG For stAte … When Woodstock wrestler Britt Herina began wrestling in 2007, he had a seasoned

group of teammates and a veteran coach to guide him through the ups and downs of be-ing a new wrestler. However, head coach Terry Strassner left the program, and those seasoned wrestlers graduated. Thus, Woodstock’s wres-tling program suffered a couple of lean years. Herina, who had success last year quali-fying for the traditional state tournament at 135 pounds waited his time and now is the seasoned senior team leader of the rejuvenat-ed Woodstock program coached by first-year head coach Michael Powell who moved over from being an assistant at Creekview. Herina told The Cherokee Tribune “Those wrestlers and (former) coach (Ter-ry) Strassner helped me a lot. Now that I’m a senior, I feel I need to give back.” Herina continued. “With the new coach, things are just more intense and exciting in the room,” he said. “It’s all about working towards a state championship. It’s been fun this year.” Currently, Herina has a 19-9 record at 145 pounds. With this being his final year, Herina wants to go out on top. “My motiva-tion is to keep going and to never give up,” he said to The Cherokee Tribune. “I want to go and place at state.” Thomason can be reached at 404-256-1572.

Chiefs, Lady Bulldogs headline area hoops



Last week’s snow and ice cancelled schools around the state and postponed all kinds

of athletic events. The good news for the Mil-ton boys’ basketball team is that it went north, where they actually know how to deal with, and play, through winter conditions. Milton travelled to Springfield, Mass. last Saturday for a showdown with Oak Hill Academy, a perennial powerhouse and ranked No. 1 in multiple high school basketball polls. The Eagles did not get to practice for an en-tire week prior to the game due to the weather chaos in Atlanta, but they did their best im-personation of Allen Iverson’s “practice” rant when they took the court against Oak Hill. Despite squandering the entirety of a 20-point lead, Milton eventually held on for a 75-69 win. The Eagles briefly trailed 51-50, but they promptly went on an 8-0 run to re-gain control. Ohio State signee Shannon Scott scored 22 points to lead the way for Milton. “That was our gameplan—to come out really fast and get the momentum,” Scott told the USA Today. “We wanted to get to them early, so they had to come back the whole game. We pushed it the whole time and got

them in foul trouble and then that opened it up for the threes.”

sWANN to GeorGiA ... Coveted football recruit Damian Swann of Grady verbally committed to the Universi-ty of Georgia while attending last week’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. The star cornerback, rated as the No. 5 recruit in the state by Rivals.com, led the Grey Knights to the quarterfinals before they lost a thriller to top-ranked Peach County. “It’s where my heart is,” Swann told the Ath-ens Banner-Herald. “I always wanted to play for Georgia. I’m trying to turn the program around. “They like how smooth I play, the raw skills I have, the length that I have and the heart that I have. They came to one game this year. Even though we lost by three points, they saw that I left everything out on the field.” Chattahoochee defensive lineman Barron Dixon, meanwhile, announced that he is headed to SEC rival Mississippi State. Dixon led the Cougars to the 2010 Class 4A state title. Dimon can be reached at [email protected].

Winter storm can’t stop Milton hoops





Hawks down limping Miami in OTThe Falcons’ season is done, but

things are picking up for the Hawks across the street at Philips Arena. The team appears to be rounding into form after winning seven of eight at press time. The final of those came in Miami against the Heat. It should be noted that Chris Bosh was out, but Atlanta was simply excel-lent defensively, holding LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to 19-for-50 shoot-ing from the floor. Atlanta fought back late in regulation to take the lead, but Miami forced overtime. The teams exchanged buckets throughout the extra period, but a Josh Smith driving layup gave them the lead at 91-89 with 34.7 seconds to play. Then Smith forced James into a long three-pointer which he missed short, Then Joe Johnson iced the game at the free throw line. “We don’t have any quit in us,” said head coach Larry Drew, “I was a little bit concerned coming in on a back-to-back, but we’ve done a good job on our back-to-backs, coming into this building and play-ing against a good Miami Heat ball club. I thought our guys just sucked it up.”oN the doCKet … Atlanta hosts the New Orleans

Hornets on Friday. As always, stopping Chris Paul will be the key. Shooting guard Joe Johnson should spend some time cover the dynamic point guard. Then it’s off to Charlotte to play a Bobcats team that have been playing much better of late. The Hawks have split the season series with the Milwaukee Bucks thus far. They’ll play them in Wisconsin on Wednesday. WilliAMs “bACK”-ed uP … Marvin Williams’ back continues to give him trouble, but Drew said that he is improving. “He’s shooting jump shots now, leaving his feet and taking a pounding,” Drew said. “That’s a good sign for me. Before he was shooting all set shots, looks like he’s moving around a little bit better.” Still, there is no timetable for Wil-liams’ return. He had missed nine con-secutive games at press time. Drew has employed a larger lineup with Jason Collins at center in Williams’ absence. But Maurice Evans has been play-ing the majority of minutes in his spot. Bagriansky can be reached at [email protected]

ORE

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Braves sign four, avoid arbitration Comeback win at Florida; Eager tradedOn Tuesday, the Braves signed their

final four arbitration eligible play-ers to one year contracts. Headlining the group is 2010 All-Star Martin Prado. Also inked were starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens and relievers Peter Moylan and Eric O’Flaherty. Jurrjens’ deal is report-edly worth $3.25 million. Prado, who is anticipating a move to left field with the acquisition of second baseman Dan Uggla and the healthy return of Chipper Jones to third base, will make $3.1 mil-lion this summer. bullPeN dePth … The Braves bullpen was given an-other new piece recently as the team claimed right-handed reliever Anthony Varvaro off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. The new Brave posted an 11.25 ERA in four appearances, surren-dering five runs on six hits, six walks and two home runs in four innings of work. Varvaro does have some starting experience at the lower levels with 48 starts, to go along with a career ERA of 5.06 ERA though last year in Class AA and AAA combined. Varvaro made 50 appearances, pitching 65 innings, strik-ing out 72 and posting a 4.02 earned run

Just when you thought things were never going to turn around for the

Thrashers, they came up with a miracu-lous late game comeback to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in a shootout. Going into the game, Atlanta had lost four straight and won just three of the past eleven. Then, they trailed 2-0 with 1:58 remaining against the Pan-thers. The team put an assault on the net with four players going towards the goal before forward Bryan Little scored to make the score 2-1. Less than forty seconds later, Chris Thor-burn barely pushed the puck past the goal line for the tying goal. Forward Evander Kane made sure the puck was in, as he slapped it to the back of the net after it had already crossed the line. Rookie Alexander Burmistrov scored the deciding goal in the shootout to give the Thrashers a much needed win. Ondrej Pavelec was spectacular with 38 saves. “That’s a dramatic one to pull out,” head coach Craig Ramsay said on the team website. “We are fun to watch. We don’t give up. Very seldom do the boys give up.” The win gave the Thrashers two

The Atlanta Falcons went 13-3 during the regular season and won the NFC

South at the expense of defending Su-per Bowl champion New Orleans, but their postseason march never got off the ground. Atlanta suffered a 48-21 loss to the on-fire Green Bay Packers last Sat-urday night at the Georgia Dome. While most of the 60 minutes were painful for the home crowd, early in-dications were promising. The Falcons scored first on a 12-yard run by Michael Turner and they answered a Green Bay touchdown with an immediate 102-yard kick return for a score by Eric Weems. One final piece of heroism in Weems’ breakout Pro Bowl campaign proved to be the last highlight for Atlan-ta’s 2010-11 season. The Packers went on an overwhelming 35-0 run from the middle of the second quarter to the end of the third, putting the game away well before the final frame of play. Matt Ryan finished with just 186 passing yards and he threw two inter-ceptions, including a hard-to-forget throw that was picked off by Tramon Williams and returned 70 yards to the endzone as the first half expired. Mi-

average. Scott Proctor was also signed to a one-year deal having finally recov-ered from arm surgery two years ago. Scott Linebrink and George Sher-rill are not expected to challenge for the closer’s role, which is up for grabs. Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty, both lefties could challenge for the closer’s role as could Peter Moylan, but look for Craig Kimbrel to secure the job, leav-ing Venters and Linebrink vying for the eighth inning and Sherrill and Moylan as options for the seventh. Venters and Linebrink are a fine right/left set-up duo while Moylan/Sherrill also offer new manager Fredi Gonzalez a right/left op-tion for the sixth and seventh innings, if need be. In 2010, the Braves bullpen was a strength and the 2011 pen looks just as strong. Major League Baseball announced last week that the 2011 Civil Rights Game will be played in Atlanta on May 15 when the Braves take on the Phila-delphia Phillies. The two teams will honor the memory of the Civil Rights movement by wearing Negro League-themed uniforms. Proctor can be reached at [email protected].

crucial points to put their season total at 53. They currently hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, just three points ahead of the Carolina Hur-ricanes. Teams are so bunched up from second to eighth in the conference that one or two wins could dramatically al-ter the standings. eAGer to leAVe … Ben Eager was traded to San Jose for a fifth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft. The 26-year-old forward was coming back from a four-game suspen-sion after he sucker-punched Toronto’s Colby Armstrong . That incident prob-ably sealed his fate and ended his tenure as a Thrasher. Eager had not been pro-ducing and only had three goals in 34 games in Atlanta. The trade freed up a roster spot and gives Ramsay a little more leeway with his lineup. Forwards Spencer Machacek and Patrice Cormier will be given a chance to show what they can offer to the team. It also gives Atlanta an extra draft pick that they can use for more trades this season or during the draft. Deighton can be reached at [email protected].

chael Turner ran for a mere 39 yards and the defense got picked apart by Aaron Rodgers, who amassed 366 yards and three touchdowns through the air. “I felt like we did some very un-characteristic things in terms of doing the things you’ve got to do to win a football game,” head coach Mike Smith explained during his Sunday press con-ference. “We did not play good football last night. It was not the way that this team normally does business.”tiMe For reFleCtioN ... Despite the setback, the Falcons still enjoyed one of their best years in franchise history. They have also deliv-ered three consecutive winning seasons, having never previously attained two winning seasons in a row. “The sky is not falling, I can assure you that,” Smith added on Sunday. “We won 13 football games and ultimately that’s how you’re judged. ... We’re go-ing to have to be able to deal with (high expectations) because we plan on being in this situation again very shortly.” Dimon can be reached at [email protected].

Dream season comes to nightmarish end



panther basketball travels to the Colonial version of Tobacco RoadGoing on the road and playing the CAA

teams in Virginia has never been an easy task. I’ve said before that the Virginia teams are the CAA’s version of the Tobacco Road that we’ve become familiar with in the ACC. Well, the Panthers (8-8) were reminded of it yet again last week with road games at James Madison and George Mason, both which ended up in the loss column. The game at JMU was delayed a day because the Panthers could not fly out of Atlanta on schedule because of the weather. When the game was finally played, it was James Madison getting the 79-67 win as

the Dukes shot 59 percent from the floor. “We looked like a team that had missed a few days of practice (due to weather),” said GSU head coach Rod Barnes. “We were not in sync, especially defensively.” Freshman Javonte Maynor led the Pan-thers with 14 points. Two days later, the Pan-thers dropped a 66-51 decision at George Mason. “Give credit to George Mason. They are a very good team, and I don’t think many teams in our league, if any, are going to come in here and beat them,” Barnes said. The Patriots held Georgia State’s lead-

ing scorer, Eric Buckner, scoreless as the 6-10 post player was just 0-for-2 from the field while bothered by a slight leg injury. Both JMU and GMU are undefeated at their home arenas. Georgia State’s next two oppo-nents are VCU and Delaware. (WRAS-FM 88.5) Listen to the weekly “Inside Georgia State Basketball” radio show on Newstalk 1160, WCFO-AM.

lAdY PANthers … Georgia State’s women’s basketball team went on the road and got a win at Towson last

Sunday. GSU (7-9) got the eighth double-dou-ble of the year from junior forward Chan Har-ris with 12 points and 12 rebounds, to go with two more blocked shots for the CAA leader. Sophomore guard Tiffany Anderson was a huge spark with 12 points and seven rebounds. “I will take a road win any time, any way, any place,” said head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener on her first CAA road win. “We perse-vered and played all the way to the finish.” Dave Cohen is in his 28th season as the “Voice of Georgia State Athletics” on WRAS-FM (88.5) and WCFO-AM, Newstalk 1160.



BASKeTBAllhawks. January 21 vs. New Orleans 7:30 PM. January 22 at

Charlotte 7 PM. January 26 at Milwaukee 8 PM. January 28 vs. New York 7:30 PM. January 29 at Dallas 8:30 PM. Febru-ary 2 vs. Toronto 7 PM.

Club sport, “Where Atlanta Comes to Play!” Registration Ongoing - Men’s League plays on Sunday evenings at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club. For more info or to register visit www.usclubsport.com

open recreational basketball. Gsl — Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia’s Best Sports Leagues. Registration ongoing. We offer “Top Gun,” “B,” “C” and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For more information please contact (678)799-0159 or email [email protected]. Visit www.georgiasportsleagues.org.

roundtable Fundamental basketball Camp boys and Girls. Ris-ing 6th-10th Graders (Current 5th-9th Graders) June 7-11. 9am-2pm. St. Francis High School, Alpharetta. Contact Coach Huff [email protected].

BASeBAllProspect Watch. Ongoing - Buckhead. Baseball pitching and hitting

lessons by a former college and minor league coach. For infor-mation call 404-869-7966 or visit www.eteamz.com/tryouts.

Adult baseball league Metro Atlanta. Ongoing. MSBL 18+, 28+, 38+, and 48+. Sunday League contact info is 770.785.2588, e-mail [email protected]. MSBL 18+ Saturday League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail [email protected]. MSBL 18+ Midweek Wood bat league contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail [email protected]. MSBL 18+Fall League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail [email protected]. For more information about our Atlanta Adult Baseball League, please visit our website at www.AtlantaMSBL.com.

tNt sports. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by Rob Blair, former college coach, Snellville. To set up a free pitching or hitting analysis call. 678-344-5876.

Jack City baseball. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting. In-struction with former pro Keith Whitner. 18-y looking for high school players. The new location is inside Velocity Sports in North Gwinnett. For more information call 770-633-0948 or visit jackcity.net.

Jack City sports Center. Indoor T-Ball League being offered at Jack City Sports Center. 10 game season with games on Sundays. $125 per player. Team rates available and ques-tions can be directed to 770-513-4121.

FooTBAllCollins hill Athletic Association. Ongoing. Accepting applica-

tions for qualified coaches in all age groups. For informtion email Craig Deneau at [email protected]

Grayson Athletic Association. Ongoing. Football coaches needed for eighth grade and all age groups. For information call Duane Davis at 678-300-0282 or visit www.gaasports.org.

Flag Football. Gsl -- Georgia sports leagues. Georgia’s Largest Flag League. Registration ongoing. We offer 7-Man, 8-man, Youth and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For information please contact (678)799-0159 or email [email protected]. Visit www.georgias-

portsleagues.org.Arena indoor Football. Ongoing. Youth and Adult Leagues. Youth

7 vs. 7; Adult 6 vs. 6. For information, call 678-714-7454 or e-mail [email protected]. www.atlantasil-verbacks.com/indoor.

Capitol City officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High School season in football. We hold weekly training meetings. For more infor-mation, contact Irvin Seabrook at 404-957-3331 or e-mail [email protected].

HocKeY thrashers. January 22 vs. New York Rangers 7 PM. January 23 at

Tampa Bay 5 PM. January 26 vs. Washington 7 PM. February 1 vs. New York Islanders 7 PM. February 3 vs. Calgary 7 PM.

Gladiators. January 23 vs. Greenville 4:05 PM. January 29 at Ka-lamazoo 7:30 PM. January at Kalamazoo 4 PM.

Peachtree booster Club. Ongoing - Pickneyville Roller Hockey Rink. Fees: $95 for 12-game season, $30 out-of-county fee. For information visit www.pbcsports.org.

SocceR Challenged soccer. Ongoing. For mentally and physically dis-

abled youngsters. For information call Ken Higgins at 770-985-0434.

hall of Fame soccer clinics. Ongoing on Fridays Clarkston Com-munity Center. For under-6 through under-12 players. Fees: Free. For information call 404-508-1050 or visit www.clark-stoncommunitycenter.org. 5:30-7 PM.

TeNNIS technique Clinics. Ongoing - Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Tuesdays

(serve/volley) and Saturdays (forehand/backhand). Fees: $18. For information call 404-790-4772 or email [email protected]. 2 PM on Saturdays, 6:30PM on Tuesdays.

tennis camps for kids. Ongoing weekly. Lost Mountain Tennis Center. For information call 770-528-8525.

lAcRoSSelacrosse. Ongoing. Registration for 1st-8th grades. For informa-

tion call 404-216-5870, email [email protected] or visit www.bagatawaylacrosse.com.

double stixx lacrosse. Ongoing - Leagues, Travel Teams and Tournaments for youth, high school and adult’s boys and girls. More information about the best lacrosse programs in Georgia can be found at www.doblestixxlacrosse.com or by contacting Chris Smith at [email protected] or 404-550-5322.RUNNING

Jacobs Farm Family Fun 5K. Jan. 29. Lawrenceville, 9:00 AM. 770-655-8359.

resolution run 2011 5K. Jan. 29. Dawsonville, 9:00 AM. 678-313-3658.

3rd Annual Chilly dawg 5K run/Walk. Jan. 29. Athens, 9:00 AM, 706-680-7223.

hogpen hill Climb 5K &17K. Jan. 29. Helen, 9:00 AM. - 5K, 12pm - 17K.

cAMPSNike basketball Camps. Camps located in Snellville, Roswell, Ken-

nesaw, Oxford and Jonesboro. For more information or a free bro-

chure, visit 1-800-645-3226 or visit www.ussportscamps.com.Club sport, “Where Atlanta Comes to Play!” Registration Ongoing for

Sand & Indoor Leagues and Tournaments League games played every day and night at the Brookhaven Boys and Girls Club. For more info or to register visit http://www.usclubsport.com/

Jack City baseball. Ongoing. Atlanta Braves pitcher Vladimir Nunez is now conducting pitching lessons. To schedule a les-son, call 770-513-4121.

VolleYBAllGwinnett sports Center. Registration ongoing. For information call

Jerry Robison at 678-491-0203 or visit www.gscfun.com.

SWIMMING & DIVING swimming lessons. Ongoing - Alpharetta City Pool - Alpharetta, Ga.

- 1825 Old Milton Parkway. For information call 678-297-6107. dynamo swim school. DynaBabies, Preschool, Grade School,

Adult Classes. Youth Swim Team. Call us (770) 457-7946 Ext 16 www.dynamoswimschool.com

Gwinnett Aquatics. Ongoing - 2800 Quinberry Drive and Bethany Church Road. For ages 5-18. Swim team and lessons avail-able. For information call 770-972-4055.

senior Water-exercise class. Ongoing - Mountain Park pool - Lilburn, Ga. Fees: $1 per class. For information call 770-546-4650. 10-10:50 AM.

swimAtlanta sugarloaf at Kid’s Village. Ongoing. Swim team, lessons, lap swimming, master’s program, water aerobics and scuba available. For information call 678-442-7946.

YoUTH ReGISTRATIoNsoccer-soccer Alley. Ongoing - 3265 Roswell Road- Atlanta. For in-

formation call 404-266-0762 or visit www.starsoccerclub.com.tucker Youth soccer. Ongoing - 2803 Henderson Road Tucker, Ga.

For information call 770-414-0538 or visit www.tysa.com.track and Field - Peachtree City Flash Youth Track Team regis-

tration. Ongoing - Riley Field - Peachtree City, Ga. For ages 6-14. For information call 770-631-3552 or email [email protected].

Gymnastics - Georgia Gymnastics Academy. Ongoing. For regis-tration in Lawrenceville call 770-962-5867; in Suwanee call 770-945-3424.

Gym elite. Ongoing. Registration for ages 2 and older. Cheerlead-ing for ages 6 and older. For information call 770-242-0678.

Youth soccer training. Ongoing. Start age 3 and up. For infor-mation, call 678-714-7454, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor.

Corpus Christi Youth basketball league Registration is now under-way for our 29th season! Boys and girls ages 5 through 14, any skill level, are welcome. Cost: $90 per child/$85 for siblings. Fee includes uniforms, field trips, skills clinics, 9 games and maore! Register while space is still available Saturdays October 11 & 18, 2008, 10 AM to 12 PM. Location: Corpus Christi Church Sports Arena, 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083. For info, call 770-469-0395, email [email protected] or visit the league’s website (www.ccybl.net).

SoFTBAll AYsA spring season. Ongoing - North Park - Cogburn and Bethany -

Alpharetta. Fees: If Alpharetta Residential Property Tax IS NOT PAID at the primary residence of the player, then the Non-City Resident Fee must be paid. After Jan. 13, $10 late fee is charged.

GYMNASTIcSGymnastics Classes at Gymnastics AcademyofAtlanta. Ongoing

- 3126 Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, Ga. For information call 770-975-8337 or visit www.gymnasticsacademyofatlanta.com.

Gymnastics Classes at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center Ongoing - 927 Killian Hill Road Lilburn, Ga. For information call 770-921-5630.

Atlanta school of Gymnastics in lawrenceville. Ongoing. Class-es for tots through teens. Cheerleading classes for ages 5 and older. For information call 770-277-9434.

the little Gym of snellville. Ongoing. Noncompetitive gymnas-tics and motor-skills development classes and camps. For ages 10 months-12 years. For information call 770-982-0901 or visit www.tlgsnellvillega.com.

RAcINGWinter Flurry off-season legends race No. 4. January 22 at Atlanta

Motor Speedway

oFFIcIATING 9rCorp sports officials. Ongoing. Provider of sports officials for

multiple sports including basketball, flag football, & softball. Looking for additional officials. For information call Dennis Reagan at 404-213-0588 or email [email protected].

Georgia lacrosse officials Association. Needs boys youth and High School officials for 2010 season. Games are played Spring, Summer, and Fall. Great way to earn extra money and get some fun aerobic exercise. For more information, please visit www.GALAXREF.com or email [email protected].

Atlanta Peachstate Football officials Association. High School Football Officials needed. We are in need of people who want to officiate high school football in the Atlanta Metro area. No experience is necessary. We have weekly training sessions. For more information go on our web site www.apfoa.com or call Keith @ 678.592.1194.

ATlANTA SPoRTS coUNcIl Chick-Fil-A bowl. Dec. 31, 2010. Georgia Dome. For tickets, call

404-444-4444. To reach the Atlanta Sports Council call 404-586-8510 or visit www.atlantasportscouncil.com.

MISc.Club sport. Club Sport opens registration for summer leagues on

May 1st with league play beginning in June. Club Sport is Atlanta’s recreational sports and social group with over 10,000 participants each year on 1200 teams in 120 leagues. Each season Club Sport offers leagues in flag football, softball, soccer, sand and indoor vol-leyball, basketball and more. Club Sport is where Atlanta comes to play! For more information about Club Sport, upcoming events, photos or interviews with the owner, please contact Rich Alvarez at 678-994-0793 ext. 818 or visit www.usclubsport.com.

Gokickball “Atlanta’s Premier social experience”. Providing social, co-ed adult kickball leagues throughout metro-Atlanta centered around having a good time, meeting new people, and playing recreational games of kickball at local parks. Registra-tion is open now for spring season. Join the fun! For more in-formation and to register, go to www.gokickball.com/atlanta. Special Score Atlanta 15% off discount code: “Score15”.



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After defeating Ole Miss on the road, Georgia fell to East-rival Tennessee at home 59-57

on a last-second putback by Brian Williams. The Dawgs had tied the game with 59 seconds left on a three-pointer from Dustin Ware. The Vols then held possession for the remainder of the final minute, aided by two offensive rebounds, one by Williams prior to his game-winner. “It was a SEC East game,” said a devas-tated Mark Fox after the loss. “They made more plays than we did. That’s the bottom line.” It was Georgia’s first game since a 550-mile bus trip took them from Athens to Nashville to Oxford, Miss., and back to Athens this week. “I feel like we didn’t play our “A” game tonight,” said guard Travis Leslie of the Ten-nessee loss. “I was concerned that we may be a little

After beating North Carolina by a whopping 20 points in by far the best game of the

season for men’s basketball team, coach Paul Hewitt got some more good news this week. He has been selected as the head coach of the USA men’s under-19 world championship team. Twice before Hewitt has been an assistant on the men’s under-18 world championship team, each time the team took home the gold medal. “It’s a great honor,” Hewitt said in a state-ment. “I completely enjoyed the last two op-portunities I had to work with USA Basket-ball, and the experience of working with these young players is very rewarding. That is why I’m thankful for this opportunity.” The tourna-ment will showcase 16 countries and is going

bit fatigued emotionally coming off a win,” said Fox. “I told the staff before the game that I wasn’t pleased with the energy from them but that’s all part of the game” Trey Thompkins ended the game with 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting while Gerald Rob-inson scored 12 first half points and finished the game with 14. Surprisingly, Ware led the team in rebounding with seven as the Vols held the overall edge in boards at 34-28. The Dawgs will now face Miss. St and Florida at home on Saturday and Tuesday, re-spectively.

the NeW steG … Stegeman Coliseum, home of Georgia’s basketball and gymnastics programs, under-went a $13 million renovation recently. Areas

to be held in Latvia June 30-July 10. With the recent increase in talent in inter-national basketball, Hewitt knows getting the top players in the country interested in play-ing will be pivotal. “I hope we can get the best players from this age group to participate. All the players I’ve worked with in my two previ-ous USA Basketball stints considered the ex-perience extremely rewarding.”

JACKets lANd toP reCruit … Defensive end Stephon Truitt impressed the scouts for Rivals.com so much, that they bumped his recruiting status from four to five stars. Now, with switching his commitment from Notre Dame to Georgia Tech, he be-

Dawgs drop heartbreaker to Vols; Stegeman dedicated

Hewitt selected to coach Team USA; football lands Truitt

of the arena that were improved and/or added were an expanded concourse and lobby space, new and modernized restrooms, upgrades to concessions, a new ticket sales area, graphics highlighting academic and athletics success, wayfinding signage, merchandising area, and a first aid room. “We could not be happier with the im-provements made to Stegeman Coliseum,” Georgia Director of Athletics Greg McGar-ity said. “These improvements will enhance the overall spectator experience, making it an even more exciting venue for our teams. We’ve maintained the integrity and unique-ness of the exterior while giving it a more modern feel on the inside.” Black can be reached at [email protected].

comes one of the highest rated prospects the Yellow Jackets have ever recruited. His coach at Monroe (Area) told recruiting insider Chip Towers, “I saw this coming, I just wasn’t sure what he’d do. He’s been thinking about it a while and just wanted to get it over with. He just wanted to be closer to home.” “I feel like Tech is building a great foot-ball team and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Truitt told the AJC. “I think it’s where my heart was the whole time. I feel like I made a decision I can be comfortable with.” Truitt will likely be an asset defensive coordinator Al Groh will be very comfortable with in the years to come. Watson can be reached at 404-256-1572.

TriviaANsWer

Never. The previous best was a three-game winning streak, which

occurred on two previous occasions.



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