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DEL.ICIO.USGimme Five: Best-ever hoopsters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Don’t look now, but Gwinnett County, once known exclusively as a football hotbed, has become a must-stop for major Division I basketball programs as well.
The county is enjoying a Golden Age in the sport, currently rivaling it on some levels with such fabled places as New York City, Detroit, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as breeding grounds for outstanding basketball talents.
Defending Class AAAAA state champion and nationally ranked Norcross is currently at the top of the pecking order, but Peachtree Ridge and Meadowcreek stand as some of the state’s best as well.
Great players abound all over, as more people flock to the county and the quality of coaching remains on the rise. Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu and Central Gwinnett’s Richard Howell are among the next crop of future Division I stars.
The county has produced some of the state’s top players in recent years, most of whom can be found playing on TV on any given night.
No disrespect intended for some of the older players who may have come through years ago, but here’s my take on the five best players to ever hail from Gwinnett County. Tell me what you guys think.
1: Louis Williams - Yeah, he’s not doing a whole lot these days with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, but the former South Gwinnett star is the ONLY Gwinnett player to have reached the league. The explosive shooting guard was virtually unstoppable as a senior at South, earning All-American honors and leading the Comets to the 2004 state title. He was always a highlight waiting to happen. Skipped college altogether before being selected by the Sixers in the second round (45th overall) of the 2005 draft.
2: Jodie Meeks - The state’s 2006 Player of the Year is now starring as a key freshman reserve at Kentucky. The 6-5 guard displayed a great feel for the game in helping lift the Blue Devils to the school’s first state crown last spring. A team player first and foremost, Meeks could play either guard spot and defend virtually any position on the floor.
3: Mike Mercer - Much like Scottie Pippen never received the kind of love he deserved while playing Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman, Mercer was never really appreciated by the public as much as he should have been. A rangy 6-4 point guard with great athleticism and court vision, he could dominate games on either end. Offensively, he was a tough guard for smaller point guards and able to get to the rim whenever he felt like it. He was a one-man wrecking crew defensively, able to wreak havoc on opposing offenses with his quickness and long arms. Now starring at Georgia.
4: Chris Allen - Meadowcreek’s smooth 6-4 shooting guard and Michigan State signee just might be the best shooter in the nation and would be a very welcome addition to the Spartans right now. Nobody boasts more range and the physically-gifted Allen comes with a nasty cross-over as well. Has only helped his stock by showcasing his ability to play point guard as well this winter. Allen made the prestigious Team USA U-18 team last summer that won the gold medal in the U-18 Men’s Tournament in San Antonio. The NBA beckons.
5: Tony Akins - The left-handed former Berkmar star was a shooter in a point guard body, but few did it better than this 6-foot dynamo. Akins had few rivals while starring for the Patriots and went on to enjoy a brilliant career at Georgia Tech, earning All-ACC honors as senior. Has made a variety of stops playing professional basketball overseas the last few years.
Give us five: List your top five best-ever Gwinnett basketballers. Or give Hollis five reasons why you nixed his picks.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Gimme Five
Comments
By jsleazy
January 27, 2007 01:50 AM | Link to this
If youre going rank anyone from Norcross, it should be Archie Miaway, not Meeks or any of the transfers. Miaway was a 3-year starter and was on the only team to beat that South squad in 2004. That team set the table for everything that happening for Norcross today. Meeks was good, but he only played at Norcross 2 years. Don’t take that as reason to discredit anything that Meeks did though; he did reach the title game twice, but he stepped onto a winner. But really to replace Weeks, I would say Billy Humphrey from Dacula should make this list. He averaged more in a single season than any player on this list, and was as potent a scorer as Williams was without the flair. My Top 5 1)Williams 2)Allen 3)Mercer 4)Humphrey 5)Akins
By G. Curry
January 27, 2007 02:29 AM | Link to this
Hollis didn’t place a gender restriction on us so my #3 goes to Maya Moore. She’s the most decorated female basketball player ever in Gwinnett and would go straight to the WNBA if it were in her best interest. She has a four-year stop at UConn though, and she’ll dazzle there too.
By Superstar
January 27, 2007 10:27 AM | Link to this
What about Dwight Howard, Javaris Critterdon…Are you being biased for 5 AAAAA… Come on man…Thats Garbage
By nhskeeper
January 27, 2007 04:43 PM | Link to this
what about Norcross’s Al-Faruq Aminu…He is only a junior and has broken Lebron James’s record for rebounds in the Primetime Tour
By G. Curry
January 28, 2007 11:01 AM | Link to this
Superstar, the blog author asked for the best five players ever from Gwinnett County. Something you want to tell us?
By RAMS#33
January 28, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this
does anyone remember Wayne Arnold from Berkmar
By Big popa
January 28, 2007 08:59 PM | Link to this
Forget Gwinnett. WhaT ABOUT
By lazyboy
January 28, 2007 09:51 PM | Link to this
How can you put somebody with a broke jumper in front of Chris Aleen mercer can’t shoot a lick. Did you see Meeks try to guard Allen one on one at Morehouse last year it was a joke.
By Richard Howell
February 1, 2007 02:16 AM | Link to this
I MAY BE BIASED, BUT I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE YEAR 2010 TO SEE WHERE RICHARD HOWELL IS RANKED!