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Tuesday, January 15, 2008
10 dream ‘Time Machine’ matchups
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All the buzz about the matchup between Greg Monroe from Louisiana and Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu in another ESPN fest last week got us to thinking about great all-time matchups. Of course, we’re not satisfied with just looking around at this awesome selection of players we have in the metro area right now because we’re nothing if not greedy. So we’re firing up the Take Ten Time Machine, kidnapping some players from the past and dragging them to the present to match them up against some of today’s best players. Here are the 10 we’d most like to see.
10: Horace Grant (Hancock Central, 1983) vs. Chris Singleton (Dunwoody) — Grant was a skinny, 6-foot-8 forward who rebounded very well and could score around the basket, not too unlike Singleton is today. Grant, of course, eventually bulked up to more than 200 pounds, grew a couple of inches and became an NBA All-Star. How that early version would match up against Singleton would be interesting, though.
9: Tony Flanagan (Southwest Atlanta, 1974) vs. Noel Johnson (Fayette Co.) — Many consider Flanagan the best athlete to come out of Atlanta, leading both the football and basketball teams to state titles during his time at Southwest. Johnson does a lot of things well, working closely with former NBA players to improve his game and using his 6-7 size to create mismatches on the court.
8: Shernard Long (Tucker, 1996) vs. Raymond Willis (Westlake) — This would be a shootout between two tall, high-scoring guards. Long averaged 22 points, seven assists and shot 63 percent from the field in leading the Tigers to the 1996 state title. Willis is 6-7 and is averaging 27 points right now for the No. 2 Lions.
7: Dale Ellis (Marietta, 1979) vs. Trae Golden (McEachern) — More scoring. Ellis was a sharpshooter and one of the best players in the country at Marietta before making his mark at Tennessee and then for many years in the NBA. Golden, only a sophomore, may be the best pure scorer in the state. This one would be fun.
6: James Forrest (Southside, 1991) vs. Tony Woods (Rome) — No, this isn’t just for the Forrest/Woods reference, although that’s clearly a factor. Forrest was an excellent big man for Southside’s 1990 championship team and had 55 in a semifinal victory against Dougherty the following year, a performance that still stands among the state’s best ever in the playoffs. Woods may be the best senior center in the state and would be a good matchup for Forrest’s talent and size.
5: Walt Frazier (Howard, 1963) vs. Mfon Udofia (Miller Grove) — Despite having to play on dirt playgrounds growing up in segregated 1950s Atlanta, Frazier became a premier athlete at Howard, becoming one of the state’s best guards during the early 1960s. Today, Udofia is arguably the best point guard in the state, with many of the same ball-handling and game-savvy skills Frazier brought with him to the game more than 40 years ago.
4: Dwight Howard (SACA, 2004) vs. Howard Thompkins (Wesleyan) — Howard, of course, was a star and a freakish athlete at SACA before the Orlando Magic picked him with the first overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. He has done nothing to disappoint after that choice. Thompkins has learned some skills from his year at Oak Hill Academy (Va.), and now he’s back at Wesleyan as one of the state’s best big men. Whether he could stand up to Howard or not is questionable, but it’d be interesting as a measuring stick.
3: Joby Wright (Johnson-Savannah, 1968) vs. Al-Farouq Aminu (Norcross) — Wright was a skilled 6-8 big man who led the Atom Smashers to the 1968 state title before starring at Indiana and eventually playing on Bobby Knight’s first team there in 1971-72. Aminu is one of the most versatile 6-8 players in the state and had his breakout game last week in front of a national ESPN audience.
2: Darrin Hancock (Griffin, 1990) vs. Wesley Witherspoon (Berkmar) — At 6-6, Hancock would be giving up two inches to the Berkmar senior, but both of these guys were long, athletic and as explosive as anyone you’ll see on the court. Hancock might have been one of the all-time great high school players this state has seen, and Witherspoon might be one of the most underappreciated.
1: Dontonio Wingfield (Westover, 1993) vs. Derrick Favors (South Atlanta) — Some people say Wingfield is the best player to ever come out of the state. He led Westover to four straight state titles and was an unstoppable force with the ball in his hands. Favors has been dubbed the No. 1 junior in the country and can match Wingfield’s 6-9 frame inch for inch. This would give us an idea just how good Favors is.
Go ahead. Take 10. What historical vs. current matchup would you most like to see? Where would you like to send us in the Take Ten Time Machine? How much would you pay to check some of these matchups out? Let us know.
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Notes from the 5-AAAAA tourney, etc.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wrestling writer Kurt Aschermann Jr. ranks the top wrestling teams in the state, regardless of class: Week of Jan. 14.
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
So many intriguing area duals, only one used Toyota Corrola. The Pound for Pound front office set up shop at Kennesaw Mountain for Area 5-AAAAA’s tournament and a three-way battle for a crown eventually won by Harrison. But we could’ve landed anywhere on the Georgia wrestling map and enjoyed some fine wrestling. Here’s a taste of what went on and little of what to expect this weekend in Macon.
Who’s overrated?
• Seems silly for Harrison to keep having to prove itself, but the Hoyas did so again last weekend at the Area 5-AAAAA Duals. Talk of a possible Murray Co. or Kennesaw Mountain area title were squashed in Harrison’s 32-22 victory against the Mustangs and 42-24 victory against the Indians in the dual final. No surprise here that 160-pound Josh Condon led the way, but 119-pound Peter Mosher, Alex Medved (140) and 215-pound Brian Floyd all looked good.
• Tucker continued to silence some critics in Class AAAA, clipping the field in Area 6. The Tigers won a 42-22 dual against Marist to claim the area’s top spot and head into the state duals as the favorite to come out of the bottom half of the bracket. Nine wrestlers have 30-plus wins and one, 103-pound Pawlloes Belete, is 40-2.
Pound for Pound Top 10 (Last week’s rankings in parenthesis)
1: Collins Hill (1) — Area 7-AAAAA champs roll into Macon.
2: Union Grove (2) — Wolverines could be without Tyler Floyd, among others, this weekend.
3: Jefferson (3) — Class A juggernaut looks for seventh duals title.
4: Harrison (4) — Hoyas silenced the critics for another weekend with impressive victories against Kennesaw Mountain and Murray Co. in 5-AAAAA.
5: Pope (5) — 6-AAAAA champs a good bet to get to the AAAAA semis and a meeting with No. 1.
6: Cass (6) — Area 6-AAA winners for the fourth consecutive season.
T7: Eastside (7) — Like last season, a front-runner in Class AAAA.
T7:Stockbridge (7) — Defending duals champs go for back-to-back this weekend.
9: Gilmer (9) — Bobcats dominated 7-AAA duals.
10: Lafayette (10) — Ramblers look to reverse last season’s runner-up finish in Class AA duals.
At least we got a pin
Jefferson reached another high in its domination of Class A at Landmark Christian. The Dragons, who will move to Class AA next season, lost one match in three dual victories against Landmark (84-0), Eagles Landing Christian (81-0) and Commerce (75-6). “I’m proud of them; they did real well,” said Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond. “But we’re going to see how [winning Area 2-A handily] fares next week. We try to keep our guys focused making sure they understand that they have a big bulls-eye on their back.”
Warhawks drop name in hat
Henry Co. is a darkhorse in the Class AAA race after an up and down last two months culminated with an Area 4-AAA title. The Warhawks, who have rebuilt around defending state champion Evan Warrington (103) and blossoming Anthony Fretwell (145), clipped local foe Ola, 42-35 in the area final. “Starting 10 first-year wrestlers, I’m real proud,” coach Marty Hutsell said afterward.
Milestones
• At the Area 2-AAAA Duals, Fayette Co. coach Jim Bailey picked up his 300th career dual victory.
• In Peachtree Ridge’s fourth-place finish at the Area 7-AAAAA duals, Kendall Albert won his 200th match, and Andrew Sartain collected career victory No. 150.
On the record
“We just have to prove ourselves. We use it as fuel to the fire.” — Harrison’s Josh Condon on the Hoyas’ being considered overrated
“If we’re the best team, we’re going to win. We wrestled Gilmer earlier this season and they really jumped on us, I think we lost by 24 points; since that weekend we’ve stepped it up. We’re definitely not looking past Oconee Co. or South Effingham.” — Cass coach Jason Faklaris on the Colonels’ path to a possible Class AAA state title
Duals cheat sheet
• Best first-round matchups: Centennial vs. Parkview; Ringgold vs. Cherokee; Woodland vs. Northwest Whitfield; Hardaway vs. Henry Co.
• Upset special: Ola over LaGrange, Class AAA first round
• Finals picks: Class AAAAA — Collins Hill over Harrison; Class AAAA — Eastside over Tucker; Class AAA — Cass over Henry Co.; Class AA — Lafayette over Wesleyan; Class A — Jefferson over Commerce
Pin it down and rank the rankings: Let us know who YOUR Top 10 are and how they stack up against Kurt’s picks.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Pound For Pound
