GREENE COUNTY
When looking at the school’s basketball program as a whole, Lake Oconee Academy has seen great development at every level since starting in 2016.
Most importantly, the Titans’ coaching staff has started to play a role in player development at the middle school level.
Varsity assistant Thomas Davis is the middle school team’s head coach, and he helped lead the Titans to a league championship where they beat Warren County 45-37.
Davis told the Lake Oconee News that he was proud of the way his boys competed all season and that they bought into the changes that were being made to the culture of Titans’ basketball.
“The guys really played hard for each other and bought into what we’re trying to do in our first year at the school, and the systems we’re trying to set up,” Davis said. “They bought into the culture of playing fast-paced and playing together. They self-managed each other and were just a great group to be a part of.”
The Titans defeated a Screaming Devils team that was undefeated until the championship game.
Davis attributed the team’s success to an all-around squad effort but noted that some of the eighth graders came up big down the stretch.
Kam Jeter led the Titans at the defensive end and acted as the floor general on the offensive end. He ended the championship game against Warren County with 19 points, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter when Lake Oconee Academy was down six.
Fellow eighth-grader Cannon Mullen also contributed on both ends of the floor and was selected as the captain of the team.
Davis acknowledged that Mullen’s leadership helped his teammates play their best basketball down the stretch.
“Overall, Mullen was our team captain and did a little bit of everything when he was on the court,” Davis said. “From defense to offense, he helped lead the guys vocally and acted as the quarterback of our team.”
Even though the Titans have won the league championship, they still have three more games to play this season.
They might not hold as much merit, but Davis believes it will be crucial to still finish the season on a positive note.
“These last few games are to get guys more experience and exposure. Winning a championship is great for the team and the school, but I asked them a question the other day,” Davis said. “Do you want to be 17-4 when it’s all said and done, or do you want to be 14-7 because both of those are very different? We’ve been practicing the fundamentals and working on being legendary and not normal.”