After a first week of long bus rides to play on home courts, this week the GHSA State Basketball Tournament will move to neutral floors for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. You could call it the week of higher learning, as 7 state universities will host some of Georgia’s most talented high school basketball teams as the March To Macon kicks into overdrive.
This week the Georgia University System will get to display some pretty impressive on campus facilities:
West Georgia – AAAAAA
Columbus —– AAAAA
Ft. Valley —-AAAA
Augusta ——-AAA
Georgia College-AA
Kennesaw State–A Private
Valdosta State- A Public
The Georgia High School Association has placed their tournament games in locations around the state, so that fans everywhere can get a chance to see tournament play. For the teams it’s a chance to play on neutral floor and get a taste of what it feels like to play college basketball. It seems to be popular with the players and the coaches. “I have several guys who will be playing at the next level next year, so this chance to play at a college arena will be good for them and our program,” says McIntosh Coach Jason Eisele.
McIntosh will be playing at Columbus State along with Allatoona and Miller Grove. “It’s a neat experience for players to play on a college campus,” Says Allatoona Coach Markus Hood.”We always play at multiple college campuses in the summer, so it is not as big of a deal for our kids.” Miller Grove Coach Sharman White likes this round of the state tournament. ” Always a great experience for our guys and something they look forward to as this is a privilege earned.”
Class AA will play at Georgia College and State University and Wesleyan Coach Jan Azar will feel right at home. ” The first state championship I ever coached was as an assistant at Mount De Sales, and we played and won at GCSU,” says Azar. The facility is Great !!!.
The drive from Calhoun to Augusta is a long one and while it might seem a bit unfair for a team with a 27-0 record, Coach Vince Layson looks at the bright side. “Playing at a college campus is different than what we have done in the past for the Elite Eight,” says Layson.” I like the change. It keeps potential home court advantage away from going to a coin toss and levels the field. Plus the kids deserve to play on a big stage.”
No doubt about it, it’s showtime for high school hoops and don’t be surprised if the the stars come out to see Georgia’s best.Just ask the McIntosh Chiefs who beat Gainesville in a classic second round game, then enjoyed a post game visit from music icon Jermaine Dupri. So keep you eyes open when you go to watch the tournament this week. You never know who you might see on the March To Macon.
Be sure to tune in for the Power Hour during the 7 O’Clock hour this Saturday morning on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game.