Miller Grove boys begin quest for seventh consecutive title
The Miller Grove boys basketball team, which last season became the first in Georgia to win six consecutive state championships, opened its quest for a seventh with a 71-56 victory last week against Region 6-AAAAA rival Stephenson.
The Wolverines (28-5 in 2013-14) are led by junior guard Alterique Gilbert, who was a second-team all-state player last season, when he led the Wolverines in scoring (18.0), assists (5.6) and steals (4.1) and added 3.7 rebounds per game. Gilbert is a 5-foot-9, 150-pound point guard who is No. 14 nationally among juniors at his position in the 247Sports Composite rankings. He has reported offers from Florida State, Maryland, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Southern Cal.
Gilbert led the Wolverines with 21 points and eight rebounds against Stephenson. Lamont West scored seven of his 20 points during an 18-0 run in the second quarter as Miller Grove took control.
Miller Grove will travel to Corinth, Miss., this weekend to play the headline game in the Lighthouse Thanksgiving Classic, a second-year showcase including teams from Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. The Wolverines will face three-time defending Mississippi state champion Callaway at 8 p.m. Saturday in the last of 14 games over two days.
The Wolverines also will participate in the ‘Iolani Classic in Hawaii, which runs from Dec. 16-21. Miller Grove will open the tournament against Fuxin New Star of China.
Here are some of the other boys teams to watch in Class AAAAA this season.
*Jenkins: The Warriors finished 28-3 and ranked No. 3 in the state last season after losing to Miller Grove 69-52 in the semifinals. Jenkins graduated five of its top six scorers but returns Malik Benlevi, who averaged a team-leading 13.8 points per game. Benlevi, a 6-6, 190-pound small forward, is the state's No. 23 prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings and recently signed with Georgia State. He was an honorable mention all-state selection last season. Jenkins opens its season Saturday against North Cobb Christian in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event at Holy Innocents'.
*Allatoona: The Buccaneers face an early test when they open the season Tuesday against two-time defending Class AA champion Greater Atlanta Christian in the Jared Cook Tip-Off Classic at North Gwinnett. GAC had its 52-game losing streak snapped with an 80-66 loss to Peachtree Ridge on Monday. Allatoona must replace a strong senior class that was led by second-team all-state guard Daniel Fowler, who averaged 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds and signed with Furman. Allatoona finished 29-2 and ranked fifth in the state last year, losing to Stephenson 57-38 in the quarterfinals.
*Effingham County: The Rebels finished 20-10 and ranked ninth in the state last season, but they must replace Jakeenan Gant, who was the Class AAAAA player of the year. Gant, now a freshman at Missouri, averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.8 assists. Effingham County opened the season with an 83-70 victory over Greenbrier in the Thanksgiving Classic. Deshaun Wilkenson (17 points), Kyle Owens (16), PJ Brown (15) and Andre Brown (14) all scored in double figures in a balanced effort.
