The summertime has a handful of phases for basketball teams in the state of Georgia, with June being mostly comprised of team camps and tournaments. In this setting, coaches can get a strong look at their roster from the top to bottom.
The Greyhounds got that to a degree earlier this month at a GHSA team camp hosted by Lakepoint Sports where they went 4-0 to win their bracket, taking down one defending champion, Cross Creek as well as perennial power and an Elite 8 team from this past season, Beach of Savannah.
One thing that set that tournament apart for the Greyhounds was that it was one of few times during the past month that they had their full roster of players to work with. It’s been part of a challenge that Greyhounds head coach Buck Harris has confronted much more than in the past. With two expected starters, Judd Anderson and Jaylen Sanford, also being part of the Greyhounds football workouts this summer, those two are among those to have not been with the Greyhounds for all of the summer as this time of year is also key for the Greyhounds football offseason.
Anderson led the Greyhounds first-team offense in the spring scrimmage at quarterback with Sanford logging time in the defensive secondary.
“We were missing some guys throughout June, and we also had one playing baseball. When everyone showed up, we were pretty good,” Harris said. “It’s been a challenge. This is probably the first time that I’ve been had to reschedule or play without kids in the summer due to other requirements. You just try to focus on getting the kids better that you have there at the time.”
As a result, young players, namely rising freshmen, got more playing time in camps and tournaments. That could loom large in the early throes of the season assuming Anderson and Sanford are not able to join the team until December or so due to a deep run into the football state playoffs.
“It helps a lot. They have a chance to see and play some tough games and adjust to the speed and quickness,” Harris said. “When it comes to around November, they’ll be more used to it.”
