By Robert Alfonso Jr. Suwanee, Ga. — In February, style points disappear. Possessions tighten. Seasons hang in the balance. On Wednesday night, Peachtree Ridge didn’t chase perfection. The Lions chased survival — and earned another chance to play for a championship. Behind timely stops, clutch shot-making and a game-sealing alley-oop that rattled the gym, Peachtree Ridge outlasted rival North Gwinnett […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. Savannah, GA — Long before the milestone, before the banners and the streaks, Mel Abrams Jr. understood the assignment on his life. For Abrams, basketball has never been just about the scoreboard. The game is a vehicle — a classroom where young men are shaped, challenged and prepared for the future. The wins, as he’ll tell you, […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. Tiger, GA — A winter snowstorm paralyzed Northeast Georgia a few weeks ago, which was the only thing keeping two of Class A Division I’s heavyweights on the sideline preparing for something else entirely — a showdown that could shape the Region 8 title race. Weather permitting, Commerce will make the trip through the cold to Rabun […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. MABLETON, Ga. — The game keeps changing. George Washington never stops changing with it. Schemes evolve. Players evolve. Even coaching styles bend with time. But at Pebblebrook High School, one thing has remained immovable for 15 years under Washington’s watch: the standard. “What excites me still about coaching is just turning these young men into men […]
By Robert Alfonso Jr. Lawrenceville, GA — Long before the milestone, before the handshakes and the box scores, Antoine Stroud understood what standing on the sideline truly meant. For Archer High School’s boys basketball coach, the job was never just about drawing up plays or cutting down nets. It was — and still is — about shaping lives. This season, that […]