North Gwinnett’s boys basketball team is 21-3 and ranked No. 5. The Bulldogs have a star player, R.J. Godfrey, who has signed with Clemson. They’re chasing a third straight region title, which would be a school record.
Still, the team has the feel of an outsider when compared with contenders such as Milton, Newton and Berkmar, each that possess multiple top-125 national recruits.
“Some of these top programs, they’ve got a handful of guys going major D-I who can throw up 30 points on any given night, but we’re not like that,” North Gwinnett coach Matt Garner said. “We have a stud in R.J. and a lot of guys that can play almost every role you can imagine and have bought into doing what they do.”
North Gwinnett’s results this season stack up well alongside anybody’s. The Bulldogs are 7-0 in region play. They’ve beaten Eagle’s Landing, Greenforest Christian and Shiloh, teams currently or formerly ranked No. 1 in lower classifications. They’ve also beaten the No. 1 public-school team in Kentucky, Male High.
North Gwinnett lost to Class 7A’s No. 1 team, Pebblebrook, by 12 points in November in a game in which Godfrey didn’t play. Other losses were to Blazer of Kentucky and McEachern. North has won 15 straight games since Dec. 10.
“I don’t think we’ve peaked,” Garner said. “I think we’re waiting for that moment. We’ve played some really good games but none that was great on both sides of the ball.”
Godfrey, the son of former UGA and NFL player Randall Godfrey, is the school’s highest-rated basketball prospect since Major Wingate in 2003. Godfrey averages 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks per game. He shoots 64% from the floor. He’s a 6-foot-7 senior without a set position for his high school team.
“He’s the only guy in the state that plays all five positions in any single night,” Garner said. “Sometimes his focus is point guard. Other times it’s a post-up center. He could average a triple-double, but he’s playing with numerous other guys that are very capable.”
No. 1 among those very capable guys is Thomas Allard, a 6-7 guard. Signed with Lincoln Memorial, Allard is the team’s other returning starter. He scored 43 points in a game against Cedar Shoals this season, making 13 3-pointers in his 27 minutes on the floor.
Dylan Gary and Gunnar Carlberg were major contributors from the 2021 team, though not starters. Gary is a 6-5 football wide receiver who’s a good shooter and attacks the rim with outstanding athleticism. Carlberg, at 5-10, is a good ball handler who earns Garner’s praise as a player always in the right position on offense or defense.
The fact that North Gwinnett returned only two starters is deceiving, Garner said. “The experience factor is definitely there. I don’t want to make it sound like it’s all these newbies doing this stuff. There’s a lot of experience, too.”
Bolstering the returning nucleus, North Gwinnett got three offseason transfers who occasionally start and always play significant minutes. They are 6-6 Duke Clayton and 6-7 Julian Walker, who are predominantly inside players, and 5-10 Amaru Grosvenor, who can play point guard and make the 3.
North Gwinnett’s state-playoff draw could be favorable if the Bulldogs win their region tournament next week. If the top four teams in the rankings (Pebblebrook, Newton, Milton, Berkmar) win their regions, none would be in North Gwinnett’s quarter. But to win a state title, North Gwinnett knows it ultimately must beat a team that has more star power. Garner says his Bulldogs are up for the challenge.
“In high school basketball, the way the game is played, you don’t need 10 of those guys to win a championship,” Garner said. “That’s what we hang our hats on – everybody plays their role so we can win the big one.”
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