Defending Class AAA champion Jenkins will test the waters in metro Atlanta when they play three larger schools in the Grayson Ram Classic on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Warriors will play on Monday at 5 p.m. against Buford, play Centennial on Tuesday at 11 a.m. and play Kennesaw Mountain on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
“We like to play against bigger schools and different styles,” Jenkins coach Bakari Bryant said “We’re just trying to get prepared for the state playoffs.”
Jenkins (7-2) is 0-2 on its previous trip to Atlanta this year, losing to Lee High of Huntsville, Ala., and Class AAAAAA power Berkmar. The Warriors are fresh off winning the Memorial Holiday Classic in Savannah, essentially the city championship.
The Jenkins program has emphasized defense since Bryant took the helm. He was tutored by Savannah coach Tim Jordan, whose teams have made defense a hallmark. Bryant and his staff even sell it by “making defense sexy.”
It has taken this year’s team more time to buy into the defensive philosophy, so Jenkins has been winning with offense. The Warriors are averaging 76.7 points per game and have scored fewer than 74 points only once, the 70-62 loss to Berkmar.
"Our offense is more powerful than it has ever been," said Bryant, who won his 100th game earlier this month. "Our defense has been struggling, but it's just a matter of coming along on the defensive end."
The Warriors aren’t overly big (their tallest player is 6-foot-7) but they’re big when it comes to court-sense.
“We just play smart,” Bryant said. “Their basketball IQ is very good. I tell people that basketball isn’t like football, where you get to huddle before the next play. In basketball you have to think on your feet and know how to react.”
The offense has been led by 6-8 junior guard Zion Williams, 6-5 junior wing Trevion Lamar and 6-3 senior wing Michael Coffee. Each averages double figures in points.
The team has benefited from the return of 5-11 shooting guard Dimetri Chambers, a pure shooter who has missed time because of an ankle injury.
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