Replacing a senior class that helped deliver a state championship is never easy.
Still, Morgan County head coach Cody Anderson believes the Bulldogs are proving this summer that the program’s foundation remains firmly in place.
Coming off the GHSA Class 2A state championship, Morgan County graduated key contributors, including Zeki Locus, Jacoby Simmons, and Kobi Jeffries. While those departures leave significant production to replace, Anderson has been encouraged by how his returning players have embraced larger roles throughout the offseason.
“This has been a great summer,” Anderson said. “It’s one that I’ve looked forward to for several years now because our standard bearers, our flag bearers for how we want to play and how we want to operate, are gone. The question was, what does that look like now? Are we going to have the same identity about us?”
So far, the answer has been yes.
Anderson said one of the biggest takeaways from the offseason has been seeing Morgan County’s culture continue to thrive despite the program's graduation of some of its most accomplished leaders.
“Although individual players graduate, our culture doesn’t,” Anderson said. “The foundation that we’ve laid and how we operate on a day-to-day basis has continued to shine through.” The Bulldogs have challenged themselves against some of the state’s top competition during June’s live periods.
Morgan County recently participated in the Georgia Coaches Basketball Association live event in Emerson at LakePoint Sports Complex, where Anderson specifically requested a difficult schedule featuring schools from larger classifications.
“I wanted to play 6A and 7A schools,” Anderson said. “I wanted to really test ourselves.”
The Bulldogs opened the event against Lassiter before falling to Carrollton on a buzzer- beater. Morgan County bounced back with a strong performance against North Gwinnett and closed the weekend with a convincing victory over Baldwin, finishing 2-2 against a challenging slate.
While the record was respectable, Anderson was more focused on the growth he saw as the roster adjusted to life after its championship senior class.
Against North Gwinnett in particular, Anderson said he began to see the team’s cohesiveness emerge.
“In that game, I really started to see our identity come out again,” he said.
Several returning players have been at the forefront of that transition.
Garrett Ward and Trey Carter, both key contributors during last year’s title run, have continued to elevate their games while also taking on increased leadership responsibilities.
Anderson also praised his senior class for stepping up throughout the summer.
“SJ Odoms has been as consistent as anyone in our program this summer,” Anderson said. “King Hardy has been fantastic.”
Another player drawing praise is Gavin Williams, who Anderson said has approached the offseason with a renewed mindset.
“He has had to really look in the mirror a little bit and recognize some things he needed to change about his game,” Anderson said. “His mentality and his approach have been worlds different this summer. As a result, he’s put together a fantastic summer and surprised a few people.”
Grant Peaster and Dreylon Brown have also delivered strong performances, while several younger players have emerged, continuing the trend of underclassmen making an impact within the program.
Still, Anderson believes the Bulldogs’ greatest strength won’t be any individual player.
“The strength of our team the last two years has been our team,” Anderson said. “The strength of this team is going to be just that — our team.”
Morgan County will wrap up its June schedule at the Southeast Regional Live Period before players shift their focus to AAU basketball in July. The coaching staff will continue to offer open gyms and skill sessions. Still, Anderson said the month provides a brief opportunity for players and coaches alike to recharge before preparations for another season begin.
For now, the Bulldogs appear well on their way toward writing the next chapter of a program that has become one of the state’s most consistent winners over the last decade.