Darius Williams: ABR Live Summer Send-off

Along with the Southern Kings, the Georgia Stars Augusta 17u team has long been our area's top program. And the return of Josey guard Darius Williams makes them a scary draw in July.

Williams shoots and handles the ball so well. Add explosive athletic ability and Williams is able to score better than anyone locally. He averaged over 30 ppg as a junior, and he showed why it comes so easily Tuesday during session 1 of the ABR Live Summer Send-off.

See a sampling of what Darius does in the video above. And stay tuned as we follow Williams and his Stars teammates through session 2 of the Summer Send-off and next week's Peach State Summer Showcase.

Brooks, Taylor, and Walker: ABR Live Summer Send-off

I have long been impressed with the Laney (Southern Kings AAU) trio of Jayshawn Brooks, Jalen Taylor, and Jervon Walker. I saw them consistently play hard and play well as they tore through Laney's June Summer League schedule, including an undefeated run through the Augusta Metros Summer Series. And they were at it again Tuesday at the old Columbia Middle during the first session of the ABR Live Summer Send-off.

As expected, Laney coach Buck Harris' guys play the game the right way. Brooks is a lights out shooter with very good athleticism. And he is rapidly improving his ability to create off the dribble. Taylor is long and athletic. And he can bury the mid range jumper consistently. Walker plays harder than most, sacrificing his body for loose ball and rebounds, running the court, and finishing in the paint.

Brooks is probably a future shooting guard in a division 1 program. But at the high school and AAU level, these three make up a formidable front line.

Stay tuned to this site for updates about the Southern Kings 17u an the rest of the areas AAU teams who are competing during July's evaluation period. And watch for the July 14-15 ABR Summer Send-off Session 2" schedule!

Reid Impressive in his Return

It has been 16 months since we have seen former Harlem guard Reggie Reid.  After leading Harlem to a .500+ record and a spot in the 2012 GHSA state playoffs, Reid transferred to Elev8 Academy in Florida.  Tuesday at the first session of the "ABR Live Summer Send-off" was our first look at him since the 2012 Spring Showcase.

Reid has always been an exceptional athlete who uses his quickness to attack the basket and his strength to finish in the paint.  And one look at Tuesday's pre-game lay up line was enough to verify that Reggie has continued to develop his athleticism.  But during the game, he also showed the ability to knock down the perimeter shot off the catch and off the dribble.  I look forward to seeing Reggie play this month with his Augusta based Southern Kings team.

The Southern Kings will compete in the Augusta/Aiken based Peach State Summer Showcase July 16-20.  But they will begin the evaluation period today with an 8:00 P.M. game in Atlanta against the nation's 5th ranked AAU team, the Florida Vipers.  

Stay tuned for more stories and videos about the area players we hosted Tuesday in session 1 of the "ABR Live Summer Send-off."  And watch for the July 14-15 session 2 schedule!

Team Power is Ready for the Test

The Augusta based Team Power 16u AAU team has been competitive on the national stage for years. The team features most of the area's best rising juniors.  And session 1 of the "ABR Live Summer Send-off" gave the Power the chance to test its group against the area's top 17u team, the Southern Kings.

The Kings prevailed.  But the Power represented itself well and seems poised for an impressive run during July's evaluation period.  While Augusta Christian guard Madison Williams and Monroe (Albany, GA) High School forward Napoleon Harris showed flashes, Westside guard Damontrez Hawes competed fiercely throughout the evening.  The Patriot standout did a little bit of everything, burying threes, making mid range jump shots, attacking the basket, and defending the ball.

Coach Greg Williams' squad will take on the formidable Florida Vipers in the Atlanta area Thursday to begin a month of ultra competitive basketball.  Stay tuned for updates about area teams and for the July 14-15 "ABR Live Summer Send-off: Session 2" schedule.

Top Plays - ABR Live Summer Send-off

July is the time when the area's high school aged travel basketball teams participate in the NCAA live evaluation tournaments.  Our GAIS Eagles and Augusta Metro Youth Foundation players, coaches, and volunteers decided to bring back the ABR Live video equipment and document the games we arranged for the area's top travel teams Tuesday.

The Southern Kings (17u), the Georgia Stars Augusta (17u), the Augusta Power (16u), the GA-Lina Heat (16u), Brown's Electric (16u) and the Alleluia Angels (16u) competed to prepare for this week's evaluation period.  This is the first of several videos we will share with our impressions from the evening.

And we are planning to add another session next week!  So check this site soon for the "ABR Live Summer Send-off: Session 2" schedule.  And enjoy the top plays from the area's top players Tuesday night.

Register for the 2014 Fall League!

The information needed to register for the 2014 Fall League is contained in the snap shot of the flyer here.  Don't hesitate to call, text or email.

Meet the Area's Basketballers: Patrick Lawrence

As many know, the Augusta Metro Youth Foundation, sponsor of "Will Avery Camps," "ABR Live," and "AugustaBasketball.com" activities, also sponsors the GAIS Eagles homeschool basketball program.  And expanding the scope and reach of the Eagles program this season caused Will and me to be unable to focus on the area basketball scene. But now that the season is over, we have time to not only populate GaisEagles.com with information about our homeschool team, but this site with information about the Augusta area. Evans High School's Patrick Lawrence is the subject of the first installment of our "Meet Augusta's Basketballers" series.

Highlights of Lawrence's 29 point explosion in sub-region championship game

Senior Patrick Lawrence (6'2" 180 lbs) led his Evans squad to an 18-11 record and another state tournament appearance, averaging 15 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 4 apg, earning All Region (Class 2-AAAAA) and Columbia County News Times All Region honors.  Patrick is a great outside shooter (43% 3pt FG and 82% FT) who has the athleticism to attack the basket and finish, and defend at many positions.

He is also a fine student who sports a 3.1 GPA and a 1,100 two part SAT score.  It seems that when Patrick is not honing his basketball skills he is volunteering with Will Avery and me to run the many AugustaBasketball.com events.

Patrick’s ability to shoot, score, and defend; his academic strengths; and his character will be a great asset to a college basketball program after this spring’s graduation.