Warner Robins High School boys basketball coach Jamaal Garman and the Demons felt slighted on Friday night as the host Thomas County Central High School Yellow Jackets, a 2-22 basketball team as it were, decided not proceed in the pregame greeting. “My players told me they had their backs turned when it was our turn to shake their hands,” said Garman by phone early on Saturday morning, a night after the Demons won their regular season finale and 11th straight game 106-63. “I have been really impressed with our chemistry this season,” says Garman. “They are willing to sacrifice for each other.”
The total team efforts of this year’s Demons squad have payed off to the tune of an overall number one seed for the AAAAAA-region 1 tournament that will officially kicked off on Tuesday night with a play-in game between fourth place Bainbridge High School (3-5) and Thomas County (0-8). The winner gets Warner Robins on their home court on Friday. Congratulations. The Demons will host this year’s two-day regional tournament and that’s very bad news for everyone involved not wearing red and black. Warner Robins has lost one home game all season (9-1), that was to Perry High School by four points on December 2. This is an entirely different Demons team that will be taking the floor on Friday night looking to get the best seeding possible for the AAAAAA state tournament. “Going into the region tournament we need to focus on the defensive end and limit turnovers,” says Garman. “My stress level goes up a little more during the region tournament,” says the Warner Robins High School native, “it’s a tense time.”
There might not be too much for the coach to stress over at the moment however, the Demons have not lost a game in 2017, their last loss coming to Auburn High School (AL) by nine points at the Lake City Classic tournament on December 30. Since then the Demons have won all of their games by seven points or more points. Nine of those games were won by 10 or more points, five by 20 or more points. Not bad for a team that features five juniors.
Starting guards Jacolbey Owens and tri-captain Jalen “Champ” Dawson, forwards Nelson Phillips and tri-captain Jaydon Norman and center and tri-captain Jam’l Dillard are all juniors, seniors BJ Bradley, Tyjaah Coleman, Anthony Thomas and Kamius White are the seniors that help prepare them for the season and contribute in their own right. “They are filling their roles,” says Garman about his four seniors. “They compete so hard, lead vocally and there is no pouting about minutes or anything like that.” Practices this week, similar to the practices the Demons coaching staff have run all season, are part basketball practice and part actual game. Garman runs practice like it’s a game, better to toughen up the second unit and prepare his starters. When the first unit gets ahead on the scoreboard, Garman flips the score around in favor of the second unit. “It’s just a little trick I use,” says Garman.
Tricks or treats, practice or an actual game on Friday night, The Warner Robins Demons will be ready for the region tournament and whoever walks through that door. The ultimate goal: hosting their state tournament opening game. Winning the region tournament this weekend will guarantee that and more. “We want those home games during the state tournament,” says Garman. “I rather have my boys sleep in their own beds, eat their favorite foods at their favorite places and keep their normal routines.” From the looks of it, those “normal routines” for the Demons consist of winning games and taking names. Thomas County Central and Bainbridge, you’re up next. Congratulations.
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