High school basketball teams don’t choose to play national schedules. National schedules choose them. And more and more Georgia teams are making the cut.
Four teams that are ranked No. 1 in Georgia this week are playing out-of-state games between now and the M.L. King holiday. Two others are playing out-of-state teams locally.
The privilege, which includes having airfare and most expenses paid for, requires credentials.
“If you’ve got a team that’s had a lot of success and players that are major recruits, generally you’ll be invited,’’ said Miller Grove coach Sharman White, whose boys team is 13-0 and ranked in the top four of three national polls. “We’ve been fortunate to have a couple of those. It’s worth our while to test the waters. We like to see where we stand around the country.’’
Georgia’s Class AAA boys champion the past two years, Miller Grove will play on Monday in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the Flyin’ to the Hoop Classic. Also playing in Dayton will be Wheeler’s boys, ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA.
Milton’s boys, No. 1 in AAAAA, are playing Saturday in Springfield, Mass., against Oak Hill of Virginia in a game televised by ESPNU. No. 1 Columbia of AAA is in Anchorage, Alaska, through Saturday for a three-day tournament.
A couple of Georgia girls teams are playing out-of-state teams closer to home Saturday at Wesleyan in the Peach State Battle of the Southeast. No. 1 Buford (AA) is matched against Oak Hill, while No. 1 Wesleyan (A) is playing Oak Ridge, Tenn.
“It’s maybe not as fun as playing a team you know, but it makes you better in the long run,’’ said Wesleyan coach Jan Azar, whose team traveled to South Carolina for a tournament last month. ‘’Going in blind where you don’t have as much scouting, you have to do more thinking on the court."
New to the national scene this year is Greater Atlanta Christian, the No. 1 boys team in AA. GAC last year won its first state title since 1977 and its best player, Malcolm Brogdon, has committed to Virginia, which makes GAC more attractive out of state.
Unlike Miller Grove, which is playing one game, GAC was invited to a prestigious three-day event in Columbia, Mo., called the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions. It draws some of the biggest crowds for any high school basketball event in the country.
GAC coach Eddie Martin was a frequent flier when he was coach at Norcross, which won 2006 and 2007 state titles under him.
“I like to do it because it makes our kids mentally tougher,’’ Martin said. “We’re going to have good games in our region, but we’ve always had some 20-, 30-point games. Kids have got to learn to play for 32 minutes. That’s one of the biggest assets I see in traveling.’’
Basketball isn’t the only attraction, though.
While in Anchorage, coach Phil McCrary said his Columbia players would be attending classes with players from the local Alaska schools. They also had planned some ice fishing.
Miller Grove likes to tour colleges when it travels to plant seeds in the players’ heads about their futures. White said his team will visit Ohio State on Sunday.
Miller Grove’s schedule is probably the most hectic. The team has games in Georgia on Friday and Saturday, the latter one a makeup game from the snowstorm. Miller Grove will fly to Ohio on Sunday morning and return immediately after its 4:15 p.m. game Monday against Dayton's Thurgood Marshall, ranked No. 11 in Ohio.
Then on Tuesday, Miller Grove is back on the court for a 7 p.m. home game against Region 6-AAAA rival Dunwoody.
“These guys travel so much in the summer with their AAU teams, they’re accustomed to it,’’ White said. “They’re playing basketball and they love it. It’s something they wish they could do as much as they could.’’
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