MORGAN COUNTY
Even though the 2022-23 school year just ended less than a month ago, the Morgan County girls basketball team has already been putting in work to get better this offseason.
Multiple different Lady Bulldogs have been attending workouts and different camps this summer, and second-year head coach Milfred Franklin acknowledged they’ve all been doing well.
“The girls have been participating in the PRO Movement Basketball camps this summer, and they’ve been doing very well,” Franklin said. “Those are exposure camps where the girls get worked out by various coaches on their fundamentals. College coaches are allowed to come in and see them as they work out and play competitive games against each other.”
Rising upperclassmen such as Kymora Smith, Kenwanna Lane, Jaden Young, and Cydney Burke have all participated in these PRO camps and have been gaining recognition.
After its first camp in June, Young and Smith were recognized for their talents by PRO Movement staff on social media.
“Known as a knockdown shooter, Jaden Young showed she can impact the game in other ways,” PRO Movement’s official Twitter page reads.
“Young showed to be a high-level passer, making excellent decisions reading the defense today.”
“Kymora Smith of Morgan County can guard the one through four positions with her length and willingness to be the best defender on the court,” PRO talent scout and former Greene County assistant Brandon Johnson said. “At 5-foot-8 with a motor that doesn’t stop, she will have coaches stopping by to see her just off her effort on the court.”
Exposure across social media platforms is just one of the reasons Franklin advocates for his girls to go out and participate in these events over the summer. He believes they not only help get the current girls noticed but will help get future players in the program noticed easier.
“Having these girls go to camps definitely helps with the program’s exposure and getting our girls names out there,” Franklin said. “Once our girls get noticed and coaches start realizing they’re from Morgan County, that will help our rising girls realize they have a chance to play at the next level or at least get recognized.”
Most of the Lady Bulldogs also play on the same AAU travel team: The Northeast Georgia Basketball Academy.
Competing in tournaments since as early as April, Morgan County has been able to build up team chemistry before the regular season even begins.
Burke averaged 10 points and seven rebounds over the course of four games at the Leopard Shootout a few months ago, and Lane scored 11 points in the one game she played in as well. Combine their play with that of Young and Smith, and the Lady Bulldogs have most of a strong starting five ready for next year.
Ultimately, Franklin wants his girls to continue to work hard during the offseason, because he believes their overall game will be so much better heading into the season opener in November.
“It’s good for them to get to experience the competition on all different levels from all types of schools,” Franklin said. “I believe that it’s going to help them with their overall game going up against different athletes. It helps them identify what they need to continue to work on, and it also helps them identify what their strengths are and how they could utilize them during the season.”