Based on the results from two recent tournaments, the Kell boys are heading in the right direction when it comes to defending their Class 5A championship.
The Longhorns won the 37th Kreul Classic in Coral Springs, Fla., before Christmas and followed that up by finishing first in 40th annual Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tenn., an event that is widely considered to be one of the crown jewels of elite high school tournaments.
“These tournaments help you get closer as a team,” Kell coach Jermaine Sellers said. “Traveling like that, you spend a lot of time together, so it’s good for team chemistry. You get to play a lot of different styles of basketball and that prepares us for the late-season run when it comes to tournament play. It helped us deal with who we are as a team and identify our strengths and our weaknesses.”
Kell became the seventh team from Georgia to win the Arby’s Classic. Eddie Martin’s Greater Atlanta Christian team from 2013 was the most recent. Others were Columbia (2010), Mays (2004), Wheeler (2002 and 1997) and Westside Augusta (1994).
At the Arby’s Classic, Kell defeated Greeneville (Tenn.), 92-42, defeated Harlan County (Ky.), 93-68, defeated Mentor (Ohio), 93-67, and defeated Jackson-Reed of Washington, D.C., 75-68.
“They’re buying into playing the right way,” Sellers said. “They’re playing good defense and shooting the ball well. It shows we’re trending in the right direction.
Kell’s C.J. Brown was named Arby’s MVP and Chris McLavish Jr. and Cannon Richards were named to the all-tournament team. Jaylen Colon, who Sellers said could easily have been on the all-tournament team, won the 3-point contest, beating teammate Zachary Graves. Colon was named MVP of the Kreul Classic, with Brown and Cannon on the all-tournament team.
The success also showed the team could succeed without 7-foot, 300-pound senior Peyton Marshall, who skipped his senior season to play in the Elite league. The team has been able to create an identity without the big guy in the lineup.
“We had to figure out what kind of team we have,” Sellers said. “We tried to use speed and quickness and pressure defense. We felt like if we shared the ball and played together we would be fine. After the fourth game we had a week to prepare for our next game and we really focused on fixing the areas we were struggling in. Now you’re seeing the result that came from buying in.”
Kell started the season 1-3, the losses coming against 7A powers McEachern, Newton and Grayson. Since then the Longhorns have won 10 straight, including a victory over Wheeler.
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