Rod Hall Jr. is on the Right Track

Rod Hall Jr. scores 2 of his team high 16 points here

Last night I watched Augusta native and former Laney Wildcat Rod Hall Jr. score a team leading16 points, dish out 4 assists, and nearly lead his Clemson Tigers to a win over UMass in the championship game of the Charleston Classic.  Hall, the Tigers' Junior point guard, has been a major contributor since stepping on campus two seasons ago.  He has carved out a niche for himself as a defensive stopper.  And after five games, he is proving to be a reliable scoring option for this season's team.

Rod is averaging just under 12 points per contest, second on the team.  And his best scoring nights have come in the team's three most competitive games (16 versus UMass, 14 versus South Carolina, and 13 versus Temple).  Seeing him take and make jump shots consistently is great.  I've known he can shoot from deep since he was making threes as a nine year old at the Dogwood Terrace Boys and Girls Club in Augusta.  His patience and demeanor have served him well as he has taken the time over the past two seasons to learn to run an ACC team.  Now he seems to be putting it all together for the 5-1 Tigers.

But as good as it is to see Rod playing well, it is so much better to see him doing well.  There is not a kinder young man than "Junior."  By the time he had led Laney to its second consecutive final four and signed a scholarship to play basketball at Clemson, he had reached "local celebrity" status in our town. But you would never know it by the way he carries himself.  He is humble and focused on succeeding on and off the court.  It is impossible to know him well and not love him.

And if there is any doubt about whether Rod's bigger offensive role will detract from his defensive performance, he held Chaz Williams (UMass's leading scorer at 18.4 ppg heading into the contest) to 4 points on one field goal Sunday!

*Below are some highlights I found on Clemson's website.

This Week in Jags Hoops - Episode 2

Will Avery, Keenan Mann, and I spent last weekend hosting the Player360 Middle School Invitational (see here and here) and co-hosting the Wolfpack/Eagles Jamboree (see here, here, and here).  But Keenan made time to see both of the GRU Jaguars' home opening games in person while I watched online.  And all three of us watched the featured games (Kansas vs Duke and Michigan State vs Kentucky) of the marathon of college hoops games on ESPN Tuesday.  So in episode 2 of "This Week in Jags Hoops," two former Jags and a former Blue Devil break down the action from the opening games of the college hoops season.

This Week in Jags Hoops - Episode 1

In part one of our first episode of "This Week in Jags Hoops," Keenan Mann, Will Avery, and I talk about the 2013-2014 GRU Jaguars.  Keenan and I give our impressions of a practice we recently visited.  And we all have fun talking about coach Dip Metress's dance and AJ Bowman's dunk (in street clothes) at the recent GRU Jaguars Madness event.



During part two we bring in the man of the hour, GRU head coach Dip Metress, fresh off his performance of the "Tootsie Roll" Thursday night.  Dip takes a few shots from Keenan and Will before giving it right back to Keenan, providing the evidence needed to give the AC/ASU/GRU legend a new nickname.  Enjoy these videos and recent articles about the Jaguars.  And expect Keenan, Will, and me to keep the basketball community updated throughout the season with all the news from the local basketball community!

GRU Jaguar Madness - Dip Baby Dip!

Metress, A.J. Bowman
and Keenan Mann

"They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is a quote coaches use to stress the importance of passion and hard work in effective leadership.  I have always pictured a coach sweating it out on the court with his players when thinking about this idea.  But Dip Metress's performance at Thursday's "GRU Jaguar Madness" is a better application of this message.

Many of my fellow former Jaguar players and I know what it is like to play in front of a small crowd.  Dip has long since changed that for the current GRU crew.  Winning consistently has certainly helped.  But Dip has also engaged the community with his passion for his team, his school, and his sport.  I know with certainty that it does not come naturally for Metress to "Dip baby Dip" while doing the "tootsie roll" (see video below).  But his dance ignited a fun evening at Christenberry Fieldhouse Thursday.  Jaguar students and supporters followed suit by cheering (and buzzing about Metress's dance!) during the various shooting competitions before Augusta native Harold Doby captured the dunk contest crown.  Doby jumped over his young daughter and threw down a two handed monster dunk.

But second only to Metress's dance was former two time NCAA All American and Jaguar legend A.J. Bowman's late entry into the dunk contest.  Dressed in jeans, Bowman decided to grant the crowd its wish and throw one down after serving as one of the "celebrity judges."  Bowman stole the show by throwing down a one handed windmill dunk off of one bounce and no warm up!

Passionate Jaguar Fans!

The number of Jaguar players with their jersey retired can be counted on one hand.  And Bowman was not the only one in attendance Thursday.  Keenan Mann, who will join me in following the Jags and the greater Augusta basketball community throughout the next several months, was also in attendance Thursday.  Coach Metress's passion and leadership creates good teams.  But it also creates excitement.  Thursday's event proves there is plenty of built up excitement for the inaugural GRU basketball season.  Keenan and I, along with the rest of the Augusta basketball community, will surely enjoy the ride!

First Look at the GRU Jaguars

After spending so much time coaching and watching high school basketball, I was thoroughly impressed by every aspect of the GRU (formerly Augusta State) Jaguars' early season practice Tuesday at Christenberry Fieldhouse.  The team's talent and depth; the eagerness of virtually every player to compete, communicate, cooperate, and learn; and the efficiency of coach Dip Metress's practice certainly reinforced my belief that we area high school coaches (and players) have a wonderful benchmark nearby to compare ourselves to.

The main thing on my mind entering the gym was not the Jaguars' team. Being an Augusta guy, and an "Augusta Metros" guy, I think of Laney and Metros alum Harold Doby when I think of Augusta State basketball. Harold's return to the hardwood after sitting out much of the second half of last season (due to legal troubles that have been resolved) was reason enough for Augusta College alum Keenan Mann (another Metros long timer who met me at the practice) and me to believe that the Jaguars would quickly return to championship form.

 But we quickly realized this year's group potentially has more good players than even Metress can figure out how to use. It's probably true that Metress understated the likely impact of the freshman/senior, point guard/post brother combo of Keshun and K.J. Sherrill when he recently gave this quote to the Augusta Chronicle: "Last year, we saw what the Sherrills could do in practice.”

Jags fans will be pleased to see Doby is one of many
Jags poised to make an impact.

Add proven contributors Ryan Weems, Devon Wright Nelson, and Devonte Thomas, and a pair of 6'9" freshman who look ready to contribute, and Doby goes from being the main point of interest to one of 8-9 players who may impact the game on any given night.

Teams often look good before encountering the real adversity that comes with game competition. And it may be argued that having 2-3 standout performers surrounded by experienced players who know how to fit in is better than having a large number of talented players who are accustomed to a lot of shooting and scoring responsibility. And because I have been watching very little live college basketball, I may be naive in thinking the Jaguars have a chance to be special. (Note: according to the "Division II Bulletin" and several in attendance Tuesday, Peach Belt rival USC Aiken is the team to watch).

But I'll trust my instincts and predict that the Jaguars are returning to the top portion of the Peach Belt race and eventually into the national tournament. After watching Harold Doby play most of his life, I do know how good he is. And I think Keenan would agree that Harold has many comparable teammates. (Even Harold seems to agree after stating that he "had a bad practice" afterwards.) And that kind of talent and depth mixed with Metress's experience teaching and winning will spell trouble for opponents.