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Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Fluid Allen best of Georgia’s crop
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To watch Chris Allen play basketball is to witness the fluidity of flowing water. So effortlessly and gracefully does he move about the court that you might not notice he’s lighting up yet another awed opponent — if not for the oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
The Meadowcreek senior star is somewhat of a paradox. He goes about his business with uncanny calm, yet inflicts damage in ways that might seem cruel by the time he’s done. A scoring paragon capable of 40 points a night, Allen showed the fullness of his game Tuesday night at Brookwood.
Playing mostly point guard, Allen served the role of facilitator deftly, directing the Mustangs’ attack that produced an 83-47 victory.
Allen had eight assists to go with 17 points in an effort that was beautiful in its efficiency.
“You got to go to church regularly,” said Craig Witmer, the Brookwood coach who does one of the best jobs that too few people seem to notice. “That’s about all you can do when you go against Chris. Pray.”
Rivals.com ranked Allen as the 31st-best player in the nation, which would be OK if Gani Lawal (No. 27) of Norcross and J.J. Hickson (No. 15) of Wheeler were not rated higher. No doubt Lawal and Hickson are big-time talents who help make Georgia one of the richest states for high-school basketball.
But they are not better than Allen, a 6-foot-3 guard with a complete game of style and substance. He does not need anyone to set him up, as do the aforementioned big men; Allen can make plays all by himself and from all areas of the court.
Simply, he’s the best we have in Georgia, and just might be the best we’ve had in some time, including former South Gwinnett star Louis Williams.
Witmer has had the challenge of scheming against Williams, now with the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, and Allen, and sees similarities.
“Louis was quicker, probably more athletic,” Witmer said. “But Chris is more skilled and a better shooter than Louis was. Louis was a streaky shooter. Chris is more consistent.
“I thought for a while that I’d never see another great athlete like Louis, but here’s Chris.”
Here is a sampling of Allen on Tuesday night. In the first quarter, on a delayed break, he whipped a no-look pass to center Mark Veazey for a layup that drew an ovation.
In traffic, he eluded a defender with a swift behind-the-back dribble left, crossed over to the right and tossed in a floater in the lane. With a chance to score in the break, Allen instead lofted an alley-oop pass for a layup.
In between all that, he drained two 3-point jumpers with that smooth, picture-perfect stroke.
There was more of the same in the second half, when Allen continued to create for teammates, throwing down a tomahawk alley-oop dunk and delighting in crowd-pleasing slams by teammates Teondré Williams and Efosa Igaugbomnwen.
“A game like this, I just go out and get my teammates involved and work on the areas I need to work on, like passing and defense,” Allen said.
He signed last year with Michigan State, which has made this season so much easier for him. “Last year this time, I was going hard, trying to show my game, hurting my body,” he said. “Now, I can take it easy, have fun and enjoy my teammates.”
Make no mistake, the joy is in watching Chris Allen on the court.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Williams’ star dimming in NBA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe if Louis Williams could do it all over again, he’d be playing at Georgia right now alongside former running mate Mike Mercer and not logging hefty minutes on the Philadelphia 76ers’ bench.
Williams opted to forego college after his outstanding senior season at South Gwinnett High to pursue the payday and limelight of the NBA. It started to seem like a bad decision on NBA Draft night, when he slipped all the way to the second round.
In one-plus seasons as a pro, Williams has scored a grand total of 27 points. He averaged more than that for his career with the Comets.
Surely, playing high school ball seems like a really long time ago for Williams, who — if you know him at all — would never admit to it. His outward confidence seems unshakable. Inside, it has to be eating him up that Allen Iverson was traded and he still cannot earn more than garbage minutes.
Meanwhile, Mercer is the leading scorer at Georgia.
Williams’ experiences as an NBA player can serve him well, if his self-esteem holds up. He’s seeing the country, flying in private jets, collecting a sizeable paycheck.
But he is not playing much basketball. At least not in the games. I operated under the notion that his athleticism and ability to score the ball would be enough in the NBA to get him on the court, where he could learn as he played.
That still might be the case, but the shine he created at South Gwinnett is not so bright anymore. He’s too young and too talented and too determined to deduce that he is in the wrong profession.
His day will come, I believe. But I’m sure, right about now, he’s longing to hear the crowd at a high school gym scream his name one more time.
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GSWA Basketball Poll: Jan. 9
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
*There were few surprises among the the top spots in this week’s Georgia Sportswriter Association Writers poll. Stockbridge, though not No. 1, entered the boys Class AAAA rankings and appears to be the region favorite. Defending girls’ AAAA champion St. Pius has been beaten twice. The next two games will tell a lot about the Golden Lions in their quest for a third title in four years.
With many of the ranked teams meeting this week, there is bound to be a big shakeup in next week’s rankings. What’s your take on this week’s poll? Who is being overlooked? Who shouldn’t be here at all? Who’s hot, who’s not — you tell us. Submit your comments below.*
Georgia Sports Writers Association High School Basketball Polls
(The number in parenthesis represent the number of first place votes.)
GIRLS
Class AAAAA
1: Collins Hill (8)
2: Stephenson
3: South Gwinnett
4: Campbell
5: Etowah
6: Mill Creek
7: Redan
8: Warner Robins
9: Marietta
10: Berkmar
Others receiving votes: Brookwood, Beach, McEachern.
Class AAAA
1: Marist (4) and St. Pius (2) (tie)
3: Greenbrier (1)
4: Jones County (1)
5: Northside-Warner Robins
6: Westside-Macon and Clarke Central (tie)
8: Mays
9: Jonesboro and Southwest DeKalb (tie)
Others receiving votes: Salem, Cherokee, Dalton, Westlake, Ware County.
Class AAA
1: Kendrick (8)
2: Carrollton
3: Southwest-Macon
4: Hephzibah
5: East Hall
6: Worth County
7: Franklin County
8: Hardaway
9: Westminster
10: West Laurens
Others receiving votes: Northeast-Macon, Westover-Albany, Monroe Area, North Hall, Liberty County.
Class AA
1: Avondale
2: Greater Atlanta Christian
3: Wesleyan
4: Screven County
5: Laney
6: McIntosh County Academy
7: Randolph-Clay
8: Paideia and Model (tie)
10: Armuchee
Others receiving votes: Buford, Dodge County, Swainsboro, Early County, Banks County, Dade County.
Class A
1: Landmark Christian
2: Southwest Atlanta Christian
3: Hancock Central
4: Calhoun County
5: Hebron Christian
6: Bowdon
7: Calvary Day
8: Seminole County
9: Hawkinsville and Savannah Country Day (tie)
10: Jefferson
Others receiving votes: St. Francis, Lakeview Academy, Gordon Lee, Whitefield Academy, Telfair County.
BOYS
Class AAAAA
1: Norcross (8)
2: Beach
3: Wheeler and Meadowcreek (tie)
5: Peachtree Ridge
6: McEachern
7: Milton
8: Tri-Cities
9: Chattahoochee and Johnson-Savannah (tie)
10: Northview
Others receiving votes: Northview, South Cobb, M.L. King
Class AAAA
1: Columbia (7)
2: Tucker (1)
3: Cherokee
4: Cedar Shoals
5: Riverdale
6: Stone Mountain and Westlake (tie)
8: Stockbridge
9: Lithia Springs
10: North Clayton
Others receiving votes: Americus-Sumter, Chapel Hill, Miller Grove.
Class AAA
1: Dunwoody (7)
2: Glenn Hills
3: Carver-Columbus (1)
4: East Hall
5: Jordan
6: Hart County
7: South Atlanta and Northside-Columbus (tie)
9 Monroe-Albany
10: Shaw
Others receiving votes: Gilmer, Burke County, Central-Macon, Sandy Creek, Franklin County, Westover-Albany
Class AA
1: Thomasville (8)
2: Buford
3: Decatur
4: Darlington
5: Randolph-Clay
6: Coosa
7: Tattnall County
8: Dodge County
9: Manchester and Wesleyan (tie)
Others receiving votes: Early County, Josey, Lovett, Swainsboro.
Class A
1: Southwest Atlanta Christian (4)
2: Wilkinson County (4)
3: Calvary Day
4: Whitefield Academy
5: Turner County
6: Hancock Central
7: Portal
8: Wilcox County
9: Providence Christian
10: Trion and W.D. Mohammed (tie)
Others receiving votes: Atkinson County, Jefferson, Commerce.
Note: This list compiled by Derrick Mahone each week from GSWA voting results
Who’s got game? Who’s got lame? Hoops talk starts now.
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