Two MLK events showcase local basketball talent

Basketball is on the calendar Monday to celebrate and honor the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday at Albany State University. Two different MLK Classics will be happening simultaneously at Albany State – one at ASU East, the other at ASU West.

Albany Elite Sports and Dougherty County Schools are sponsoring the MLK event at ASU East with the motivation to showcase high school seniors and try to get scouts down to Albany to watch area players. “A lot of scouts won’t come to down to south Georgia for just one game, ” said Albany Elite’s EJ Brown. “This is an effort to put together games that will bring scouts to come to Albany. They won’t come for just one game, but they will come to see eight different teams,” he said. “It is about getting exposure for some of these athletes.”

Those seniors who will be on the floor include three Westover seniors Jordan Brown, Michael Isler, and Antonio Jackson, as well as Deerfield Windsor senior Ronald Bates. Thomasville will also bring three top prospects in Vonterius Woolbright, 6’9” Titus Wright and Quindarious Thomas. Central High from Phenix City, AL will bring 6’8” Tremere Brown, two prospects from Northeast Macon in Darius Dunn and Tyree Gilbert. Carver (Columbus) has three prospects as well in AJ Watts, Devin Flowers, and Jalen King. “Next year we would like to get all of the local teams in the classic, that is the goal,” said Brown.

Games at ASU East will begin at noon when the Deerfield Windsor Knights will face St. Anne-Pacelli of Columbus. The NE Macon vs. Central Macon will follow at 1:30 and then Carver Columbus will take on Warner Robins. The main event will close out the MLK Classic when the Westover Patriots take on defending AA state champion Thomasville.

The event at ASU West is meant to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King and raise funds for ASU Athletics. The ASU High School Classic will feature both boys and girls teams from close by. The Monroe High girls and boys, the Lee County boys and girls, the Dougherty girls, the Worth County boys and teams from Colquitt County highlight the schedule.

The Lee County girls will open the day with a 12:30 game with Brunswick. Later in the afternoon, the Lee County boys will take on Worth County, which features a game of two coaches who were teammates at Albany State Univesity. There are games all day long with the highlight being the closing game at 8:00 pm when #8 ranked Monroe Golden Tornadoes in Class AAA take on the #4 ranked Americus-Sumter Panthers of Class AAAA.