The 2017-18 Warner Robins Demons boy’s basketball
team has no excuses this season. There is no writing on the wall about how they
will not repeat their region title or make the state playoffs or make another
Sweet 16 or Elite 8, and it’s a good thing too because their head coach doesn’t
have any excuses for his team either. “I expect us to have a professional-like
approach every day in practice because we remember how the season ended last
year,” said Garman earlier this week. “Whether it’s a game or practice, even on
a day off I expect them to be in the gym somewhere.”
The Demons are coming into the new season with all
of the boxes checked.
Guards, check. Warner Robins is coming to the court
with a trio of senior guards that all have chips on their shoulders and
something to prove. Guards Champ Dawson, Jacolbey Owens and Jaydon Norman are
back at work and give the Demons an advantage that most high school programs
don’t have; senior guards that not only handle the bulk of the ball-handling
responsibilities but the defensive pressure on the opponent’s best players as
well. “I expect them to be leaders,” says Garman. Our younger players are
looking up to them.”
Dawson, the son of Central Georgia Technical College
men’s basketball coach Reco Dawson, is a player Garman knows he can count on in
the clutch. “Champ is a kid that has a basketball pedigree and I’m glad to have
him,” says Garman of the 6’2”, 180-pound guard. “He has a feel for the game and
I really do trust Champ to run the team for me. That’s huge for a team with so
many seniors.”
Forwards, check. Georgia State University signee
Nelson Phillips may be the most athletic forward in middle Georgia along
with Upson-Lee High School senior Tavias Fagan. Nelson has the ability to go
off for 30 points or have a more pedestrian scoring night while rebounding at a
high rate, blocking shots and shutting down his man on defense. He was the
1-AAAAA player of the year as a junior and there’s no reason why he won’t be
again at the close of this season.
On Owens and Nelson, Garman says, “They have to
bring it everyday. They have to be on their game because people are watching
them. This is their last year and there is no more ‘next year’.”
Bench, check. Seniors Jaron Sanders, MJ King,
Jacobi Coleman and footballers Bobby Kelly and Tyler Fromm will all be adding
to the depth that had the Demons coming at their opponents on defense last
season. “There are no ‘homeboy’ spots on this team,” adds Garman. “They know
when they get an opportunity they have to take advantage of it.” The starters
may get the immediate recognition but Garman understands that a good bench
makes for a better team, especially later in the season. “That’s huge,” he says
of having good players to bring into the game in order to rest starters or to
replace them. “There will always be lulls in games and times
we might not be on track on offense or defense.
These guys on the bench, all 14 guys on team in fact, can contribute to the
game.”
The biggest edition to the team may be sophomore
Keshun Houser, an athletic 6’0” guard that has his coach excited about the very
near future. “He’s going to be outstanding,” gushes Garman. “Keshun is very
athletic, super-explosive and plays good defense.”
Warner Robins is a premiere basketball program
-both the boys and girls programs in fact have a Division I signee in Norman
and senior forward Shynia Jackson who signed with East Tennessee State
University on Thursday- and their early season schedule reflects it. The Demons
are playing a number of high-profile teams this winter, including next Saturday
at Northeast High School in the Border Showdown against Stockbridge High
School.
They will also be playing in the Adidas HoopsGiving
tournament in November in Atlanta where the Demons will be playing Grayson High
School [at Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta]. The two teams will meet
again almost two months later on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 15 at
Forbes Arena on the Morehouse College campus.
The Demons will play a home-and-home series with
the Westside High School (Macon) Seminoles and their senior All-American
candidate Khavon Moore., who is currently being recruited by teams in the SEC
and ACC including Alabama, Clemson and the University of Georgia. The December
5 matchup was moved to the gym at Veterans High School due to the massive
crowds of fans and college recruiters that will be attending.
The new year will kick off with a Jan. 2 meeting
with the Gainesville High School Red Elephants and 6’6” twin brothers Jarred
and Jarrel Rosser in a tournament at Duluth High School. The Red Elephants are
coming into the season with as much hype as the Demons and will make for a good
pre-region test. “We will be a different team by then,” says Garman.
This is the season of ‘No Excuses’ at Warner Robins High School and not
just for the county and region championship football team who will be opening
their playoff season on Friday night, but for the boy’s basketball team that
has everything, at least on paper, going for them.
HHJ News
