Special to The Tribune
MONTGOMERY — All-star squads for the 2017 North-South boys’ and girls’ basketball games North-South Volleyball games have been selected, and Hewitt-Trussville’s London Coleman has been selected to participate in the game.
Sixty outstanding junior basketball players, 15 on each team, were chosen from nominations submitted by high school coaches from across the state to participate at the 21th annual AHSAA Summer Conference and AHSADCA All-Star Games competition in Montgomery July 19-22, according to an announcement Thursday by Alvin Briggs, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA).
The girls’ and boys’ basketball games will be at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the Alabama State University campusWednesday night, July 19 at 6 and 8 p.m., respectively.
The AHSADCA All-Star Games also include in-state all-star games in football, soccer, baseball, softball, volleyball, and for the first time, cross country. Soccer, softball and baseball all-star contests will be Tuesday, July 18.
Volleyball will be played at AUM on Thursday, July 20, at 2 p.m., and the 56th North-South All-Star football game will be played Thursday night at Cramton Bowl. The inaugural North-South cross country competition will be Wednesday morning, July 19.
The AHSAA Summer Conference is a week-long conference that includes sports specific clinics and special sessions for coaches, principals, athletic directors, cheerleading coaches and officials. Also, an All-Sports Equipment Expo and other related activities are scheduled throughout the week.
Among the conference’s highlights will be the Sportsmanship Luncheon honoring all schools that have not had an ejection or fine during the 2015-16 school year and the Championship Coaches Awards Banquet that includes the naming of the 2015-16 Making A Difference Award Recipients ,Coaches of the Year, and the AHSADCA Athletic Director of the Year. Both banquets will be Friday, July 21.
Concluding the week will be the annual Officials Awards Banquet set for Saturday, July 22, at noon.
Shon Peck-Love of Paul Bryant High School and Neal Barker of Muscle Shoals will be coaching the North boys’ basketball squad. Brant Llewellyn of Lauderdale County will serve as administrative assistant for the North boys’ and girls’ teams. Coaching the North are Tony Hayes of Monroe County and Douglas Moore of Bullock County. Nigel Card of Saint James is the administrative assistant for the South boys and girls.
Peck-Love coached Paul Bryant (24-11) to the Class 6A state basketball championship last season winning their last 13 games of the season. Barker has his team in the state finals in 2016. Hayes directed Monroe County (23-5) to the 4A state championship game in 2017 and Moore has steadily built and strong program at Bullock County (18-10), which reached the South 4A Regional at Dothan.
The South girls’ coaches are Rich Bixby of Geneva and Willie Morgan of R.C, Hatch. Mike Chase of Spain Park and Lisa Bates of Sand Rock are the North coaches. Chase directed the Jaguars (22-12) to the 7A state finals last season, and Bates, one of the state’s top rebounders in AHSAA girls’ history at Locust Fork, has built a tremendous program at Sand Rock. Morgan’s Hatch girls (22-6) reached the Class 2A state semifinals, and Bixby directed Geneva (23-7) to the South Regional tourney.
Among the players selected for the South boys’ team are 6-foot-6 Anquavious Pollard and 6-7 Emmanuel Littles of two-time Class 2A state champion Lanett. Theo Akwuba of Brewbaker Tech is the tallest player on the squad at 6-9. The North features 6-9 forward Xavier Williams of Parker, 6-10 Richard Jemison of Homewood and 6-8 Logan Dye of Haleyville and 6-6 Isaac Chatman of Cordova.
The South girls’ team includes 6-1 center Tamyya Hilliard of Class 2A state champion Geneva County, Tyesha Rudolph of Hillcrest-Evergreen, who helped her team go 21-1 on the year, and 5-10 LeFlore guard Daisha Bradford. The North girls list 6-3 center Camille Buckhanon of Talladega, 6-0 center Karleigh Sledge and 5-8 guard Taylor Aikerson, who helped Deshler win 68 games in a row over the last two seasons, and Homewood guards Hannah Barber and Ajah Wayne, who led the Patriots to the Class 6A state championship in 2015 and 2017.
The South girls ended an eight-year drought with a 57-53 win over the North last summer, and the North boys won 84-73 in the 63rd North-South boys’ contest. The competition for boys was first played in 1953 and 1997 for the girls. The North holds a 47-26 edge in the boys’ series and a 17-3 edge in the girls’ series heading into this summer’s games.
The rosters for the basketball squads are below.
2017 NORTH-SOUTH BASKETBALL ROSTERS | ||||
NORTH BOYS | ||||
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. |
Xavier Williams, Jr. | A. H. Parker | F | 6’9 | 185 |
Fabian Bell | Austin | G | 6’1 | 190 |
Isaac Chatman | Cordova | G | 6’6 | 185 |
Jaylen Cole | Gadsden City | PG | 6’0 | 160 |
Logan Dye | Haleyville | F | 6’8 | 230 |
Richard Jemison | Homewood | C | 6’10 | 233 |
Jamari Blackmon | Hoover | G | 6’0 | 175 |
Travarus Carroll | Huffman | PG | 6’2 | 178 |
Justin Allison | Pelham | PG | 5’11 | 165 |
Jeffery Armstrong | Plainview | PG | 5’11 | 175 |
Diante Wood | Sacred Heart | SG | 6’5 | 185 |
Christian Peterson, III | Saint Bernard | PG | 6’0 | 165 |
Malik Crawford | Sylacauga | G | 6’2 | 200 |
Taquavian Drake | Wadley | F | 6’0 | 155 |
Carlos Rogers | Wenonah | SG | 5’10 | 195 |
NORTH COACHES | ||||
Shon Peck-Love | Paul Bryant | |||
Neal Barker | Muscle Shoals | |||
Brant Llewellyn | Lauderdale County, Adm. | |||
SOUTH BOYS | ||||
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. |
LaDarius Knight | Ashford | G | 6’5 | 170 |
Christian Brandt | Auburn | G | 6’2 | 177 |
Theo Akwuba | Brewbaker Tech | C | 6’9 | 180 |
Jalen Gaston | Carver – Montgomery | SG | 6’3 | 175 |
Kentravious Dudley | Central – Hayneville | SG | 6’5 | 165 |
Justyn Ross | Central – Phenix City | PG | 6’4 | 190 |
Kendrick Buskey | Daphne | PG | 6’0 | 160 |
Tony Johnson | Eufaula | G | 6’3 | 180 |
Calen Murry | Headland | SG | 6’1 | 190 |
Anquavious Pollard | Lanett | F | 6’6 | 210 |
Emmanuel Littles | Lanett | C | 6’7 | 210 |
Isaiah Scott | Linden | PG | 6’1 | 168 |
Tyler Stallworth | Monroe County | SG | 6’4 | 195 |
Azariah Seay | Prattville | G | 6’3 | 180 |
Mark Wilcox, Jr. | St. Luke’s | SF | 6’4 | 198 |
SOUTH COACHES | ||||
Tony Hayes | Monroe County | |||
Douglas Moore | Bullock County | |||
Nigel Card | Saint James, Adm. |
NORTH GIRLS | |||
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. |
Alexis Woods | Athens | F | 5’11 |
Taylor Aikerson | Deshler | G | 5’8 |
Karleigh Sledge | Deshler | C | 6’0 |
Whitlee Flannagin | Hatton | G | 5’9 |
Brooke Hampel | Hazel Green | G | 5’10 |
Caitlin Hose | Hazel Green | G | 5’10 |
London Coleman | Hewitt Trussville | G | 5’8 |
Hannah Barber | Homewood | G | 5’6 |
Ajah Wayne | Homewood | G | 5’10 |
Eboni Williams | Hoover | F | 6’0 |
Allie Cruce | Lauderdale County | G | 6’1 |
Claire Holt | Spain Park | G | 5’7 |
Tiyonna Rogers | Spring Garden | F | 5’10 |
Camille Buckhanon | Talladega | C | 6’3 |
Faith Reynolds | Wenonah | G | 5’8 |
NORTH COACHES | |||
Mike Chase | Spain Park | ||
Lisa Bates | Sand Rock | ||
Brant Llewellyn | Lauderdale County, Adm. | ||
SOUTH GIRLS | |||
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. |
Adiya Matthews | Alma Bryant | G | 5’7 |
Jermecya Harris | Blount | F | 6’1 |
Tiara McLeod | Carroll | F | 6’0 |
Destiny Ramos | Faith Academy | G | 5’9 |
Lakhlian Rankins | Faith Academy | G | 5’4 |
Tamyya Hilliard | Geneva County | C | 6’1 |
Tyesha Rudolph | Hillcrest – Evergreen | G | 5’8 |
Shatavia Moore | Keith | G | 5’10 |
Daisha Bradford | LeFlore | G | 5’10 |
Amber Richardson | Linden | F | 5’8 |
Anita Payne | Opelika | F | 5’8 |
Patiniquia Collins | R. C. Hatch | G |