Asia Durr of St. Pius and Te’a Cooper of McEachern, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s girls co-players of the year in basketball, were the leading scorers for their teams this week at the McDonald’s All-American Game at the United Center in Chicago.
Durr, who has signed with Louisville, scored 14 points and had six rebounds for the East team, which won 89-87 on Wednesday. Durr awon the event’s 3-point competition earlier in the week.
Cooper, who has signed with Tennessee, scored 21 for the West and was her team’s most valuable player.
Jaylen Brown of Wheeler, the AJC’s boys player of the year, was the lone Georgia player in the McDonald’s boys game. Brown, who is uncommitted, scored nine points and had six rebounds.
Brown’s Wheeler team on Thursday began play in the eight-team Dick’s High School Basketball Nationals in New York.
GHSA may limit contact in football practice
The Georgia High School Association’s football committee met this week to discuss recommendations by the national federation to limit full contact during football practices.
A National Federation of High Schools’ task force suggests limiting contact to 90 minutes per week and a ban on consecutive days. The federation’s ideas could get serious consideration at the GHSA’s executive-committee meeting April 13.
Most Georgia coaches welcome the debate, but not all are eager to see a bylaw that takes that responsibility away from the coaches.
‘’We don’t do that much contact anyway,’’ McEachern coach Kyle Hockman said, “but I hate be told when and how.’’
Griffin coach Jarrett Laws had a similar viewpoint. ‘’I admire the NFHS for being at the forefront of safety and precautionary measures, but I feel that it begins and ends with us as coaches,’’ Laws said. “I trust that the high school coaching community can safely gauge the tone and tempo of their own individual practices.’’
GHSA to consider neutral site for baseball finals
Another proposal before the GHSA would put the state baseball championship series in a single host city. Rome and Columbus have approached the GHSA about staging the seven finals, the GHSA confirmed.
Most other sports play their championships at neutral sites, but baseball plays a best-of-three series at one host school, a double-header the first day and a third game if necessary the next.
Softball brings together the top eight teams in six classifications for what is called an elite eight, held in Columbus. There is a proposal to have those numbers cut in half, making it a final four in each class.
Also proposed is making the softball and tennis tournaments a true statewide bracket. Softball and tennis are the only sports that use the old format that guarantees two teams from regions 1-4 and two from regions 5-8 in the semifinals.
Archer has new boys basketball coach
Archer promoted assistant coach Joel Lecoeuvre to lead its boys basketball team this week after Tim Watkins resigned. Watkins, who led the team to a 20-9 finish in 2015, will remain as athletics director. Lecouerve is a North Gwinnett graduate who was head coach at Windsor Forest from 2008 until coming to Archer in 2013.
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