202223 BOYS SEASON PREVIEW
The past two seasons, the Greyhounds have fought tooth and nail in one of the more competitive basketball regions in the state, coming agonizingly short of the state tournament each time.
Now, led by a quartet of guards and a bit more size down low and more guard depth, the Greyhounds –under fourthyear head coach Buck Harris – believe that they have the tools in place to do just that and more. “Skill level and conditioning,” the Greyhounds head coach said of the team’s biggest improvement in the offseason.
“They’ve gotten themselves in a position where they can play an X-amount of minutes without getting extremely fatigued.
They’ve been taking care of their bodies and hitting the weight room. That’ll take them a good ways down the road.”
Two seniors, Jaylen Sanford and Daethan Harris, are a year more experienced. It does not hurt at all that they represent the return of the top two offensive threats at the end of last year from the Greyhounds. Sanford wrapped up the previous season averaging 18 points, ahead of the 12-per-game clip of Harris. The two also led the team with 25 and 21 steals.
Both also averaged between three and four rebounds a game, but the Hounds will have what has been missing the past few years – size in the post.
The Greyhounds are again starting a season knowing that it may be a few weeks until a handful of football players will arrive to supplement the roster, but they’ll be getting more than just fresh legs to come off the bench. First off, Geo Wade, who emerged as one of the more tenacious players on defense last year for Jones County, will be back this season.
“I think he knows what’ll be expected of him on defensive end,” Harris said of Wade. “He’s one who is athletic and quick.
He’ll help us win some games.”
But there will also be Judd Anderson. The Greyhounds six-foot-six quarterback is also on track to come aboard.
Anderson showed what he could do previously while playing at Ridgeland, averaging 16 points
NOT PICTURED: Judd Anderson • Ja’Vion Hardaway • Zacari Thomas / PHOTOSBYMICAHHARLEYPHOTOGRAPHY and 13 rebounds a game. By comparison, no other Greyhound last year averaged more than four boards a game.
“He’s a guy we can throw it to on the inside and teams will have to be concerned about his inside scoring,” Harris said. “This summer, when we went to team camp up at Lake Point, he did just that. I’m looking forward to coaching him. He has great hands and great size. The guys all like him and can’t wait for him to get out here.”
But there’ll be more to the Greyhounds efforts than Anderson and the two premiere guards. There’ll also be Kaden Douglas and Jaden Stanley in the fold, as well.
“I call our guards my four horsemen. You take those two and throw in Kaden Douglas and Jaden Stanley and you have four guys who can handle the ball and bring the ball down the floor,” Harris said. “We’ll be able to put some people at a disadvantage, we want to make people play down to our size. They play extremely hard and do a great job of sharing the basketball. I’m looking for some big things from those four.”
That guard play will be an asset as the season goes on for Jones County as it will do anything but duck tough competition. First off, there’s the region. Woodland and Stockbridge have departed, but Warner Robins, a perennial top-10 team is in the region, joining Eagles Landing, which most seasons contends for the final four, if not a state title.
But don’t look for Jones County to pad its schedule outside the region. JCHS began the season playing Laney in one tournament and defending Class A champion Drew in last weekend’s Hooping In Middle Georgia Tournament at Jones County.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational, the Greyhounds play Westside Macon, a second-round state tournament team from last year. Also on the docket will be Class AA semifinalist Northeast as well as two others that made the postseason last year, Houston County and Northside. They’ll also be joined on Jones County’s non-region schedule by Morgan County, AAA champions in 2019.
“This is a basketball region,” Harris said. “If you don’t come to play, you’ll get beat, you have to prepare every game.”
