Score Atlanta Vol. 10 Issue 22

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 22 |

JUNE 6-12, 2014

TAKING FLIGHT Top Talent | Pg. 4 See what top prospects are headlining this year’s Elite Junior Classic

Corky Kell | Pg. 7 We have previews of all seven matchups of this year’s Classic

Inside the Owls’ mission to shock the nation | Pg. 5

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Vol. 10 Iss. 22 | June 6-12, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

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ON THE COVER

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INSIDE THE PREPS

GENERAL MANAGER Melanie Snare

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Marcus Nabors

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Robert Tinter (Hawks, Tech) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Matt Cason (Dream) David Norwood (GSU)

STAFF WRITERS Alex Ewalt Darrin Heatherly

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Copyright 2014 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

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SCORE LIST | NUMBERS GEORGIA STATE | KENNESAW STATE GEORGIA | GEORGIA TECH BRAVES | FALCONS HAWKS | DREAM

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENNESAW STATE ATHLETICS AND TY FREEMAN

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On ScoreAtl.com, we will continually be updating you, our readers, on the progress of the Falcons this offseason as they move towards what looks to be a promising 2014 season. We will have reporters at OTAs as well as training camp and Friday Night Lights.

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SAGER SAYS

ELITE JUNIOR CLASSIC ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF SELECTIONS

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

he second installment of the Elite Junior T Classic is slated for December 29, 2014 and the selection process is well underway.

Newly-hired Ware County head coach Franklin Stephens will be the South team head coach this year and his first 25 players have been confirmed.

Leading the offensive line is 6-foot-5, 270-pound tackle Chris Barnes. The Lee County lineman is already ranked as a composite four star and holds an offer from Ole Miss.

Spalding’s Brodarious Hamm is a two-way star on the line at 6-foot-3, 292 pounds. Macon County’s Raymond Smith, Lowndes’ Tarik Adams and Jonesboro’s Jeffrey Taylor are guards.

Veterans’ Nate Lee will likely take the center role at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds and he’ll be snapping to his teammate, Logan Byrd.

Byrd is the first South quarterback selected to this year’s Elite Junior Classic and the 6-foot-3, 229-pound passer is one of the topranked quarterbacks in the 2016 class. Byrd already holds offers from Duke, Illinois, Minnesota, Marshall and Charlotte among others.

Two receivers have been selected for the South team including Colquitt County’s Kiel Pollard. The rising junior has been catching touchdowns in the Packers offense since his freshman season. Maysoe Wiley is a towering 6-foot-4 wideout from Cook and is physically one of the top prospects in his class.

The South team snatched Jenkins running back Arkeem Byrd and will be able to utilize his ability to run and catch out of the backfield.

During Byrd’s sophomore season with Jenkins he rushed for 598 yards off of 61 carries (9.8

A WORD WITH ALEX

KIMBREL’S QUEST, HAWKS MOCKS AND PANTHERS’ CAMPERS

BY ALEX EWALT | AEWALT@SCOREATL.COM

s a Braves fan, I don’t want to invite any bad A juju with this next section. After all, we’ve seen Brandon Beachy, Kris Medlen, Tim Hudson

and others go down with various injuries in recent years. But Craig Kimbrel’s about to break John Smoltz’s franchise record for saves, and he just turned 26 on May 28. Where might the Braves fireman end up in the pantheon of closers?

To put in perspective Kimbrel’s saves total (as of Wednesday) of 154, let’s take a look at some of the greats. Mariano Rivera just left the game with 652 saves, 51 saves in front of second-place Trevor Hoffman, who is himself 123 up on third-place Lee Smith. When Rivera was Kimbrel’s age, after the 1995 season, he had … none. The legendary closer had just broken

into the league and was learning behind John Wetteland (12th all time). Hoffman at that age? Only 10. Kimbrel has more than five times as many saves at 26 and a week than did No. 5 (422) Billy Wagner, Kimbrel’s mentor during his final season in 2010.

Of course, the longevity it takes to approach this stratosphere is otherworldly. All of the top names on the list pitched until 40, or close to it. Kimbrel was the second youngest to 100 saves behind Francisco Rodriguez, who, at 32 now, is 15th all-time with 321.

The man who Smoltz recently called “unhittable” has a chance to join that group at the top. Let’s just hope we don’t ever have to hear his name and “Tommy John” in the same sentence.

yards per carry) and found the endzone eight times while adding three receiving touchdowns to his totals.

The South defense picked up 13 players in this first wave, including McEachern’s Julian Rochester. The 6-foot-5.5 defensive tackle is the top rated 2016 prospect in state and is currently the No. 3 prospect in the nation and a five star prospect according to 247sports’ composite rankings. Rochester has already received offers from Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Florida.

NORTH TEAM…

The North team is led by Norcross head coach Keith Maloof and will have Landmark Christian quarterback Stockton McGuire running the offense for much of the game. McGuire has started since his freshman season and leads the offense while participating on the cross country team and basketball team during the Eagles’ offseason.

Running back Jarvis Terrell was picked up by the North team and will be able to showcase just how fast he is against the elite competition. The all-purpose back has been outrunning his competitors since his freshman season with the Trojans and even blazed the turf at the MVP camp with a 4.39 40 last summer.

In the North secondary, Archer’s Dylan Singleton is one of four cornerbacks confirmed for the North team this year. Singleton is a composite four star athlete with offers from Duke and South Carolina.

The North’s first two wide receivers are a pair of Gwinnett standouts. North Gwinnett’s Josh Imatorbhebhe and Archer’s Kyle Davis are well-known prospects with a ton of offers. Josh’s older brother Daniel played for the North team last year in the Elite Junior Classic and they become the first siblings represented in the event. Daniel accepted his offer to Missouri this offseason and Josh already has piles of collegiate fan mail to search through. Missouri, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, California and Wake Forest have already offered the 6-foot-2 wideout and the two brothers will star in the 2013 Class AAAAAA finalist North Gwinnett’s potent passing attack this season. Davis holds offers from Boston College, Duke, Illinois, Iowa and Kentucky and is a versatile piece in the Tigers’ offense at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds.

Go to www.EliteJuniorClassic.com for the list of players.

Photo courtesy of Sonny Kennedy.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE …

The NBA Draft is around the corner on June 26, and mock drafts abound. If you love mock drafts, just dive into Google and get 1,243,746 different opinions on the lottery and beyond.

The Hawks chose to scare the pants off the Pacers in the first round rather than play ping pong, so we’re right in the middle at pick No. 15.

The name of the moment is Kyle Anderson out of UCLA. The 6-foot-9 swingman averaged 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists for the Bruins as a sophomore last year, and reportedly impressed the Hawks at a recent workout, so much so that they want to bring him back for a second look. Anderson would give them a long, smooth-shooting wing, something they could have used against the rugged Pacers.

Other names being floated by the “experts” are Doug McDermott of Creighton (no thanks…did anyone see what an athletic Baylor team did to him in the Tournament in a Bears rout?), James Young of Kentucky and Rodney Hood of Duke.

However, ESPN’s Chad Ford reported this week that the Hawks may be one of the teams looking to move up or back in the first round, or to acquire another pick. Will GM Danny Ferry use this draft to make a splash? Something tells me he doesn’t like earning 8-seeds.

G-STATE SHAKES IT UP …

For coming off an 0-12 record, Georgia State football sure has some big names in bad moods. The Panthers’ decision to bring in Penn State head coach James Franklin as a “guest host” for a few days at next week’s GSU camp has the likes of Nick Saban up in arms. Recently, Mark Richt and Paul Johnson chimed in, too, suggesting PSU is using Trent Miles’s program to skirt the rule barring coaches from holding camps outside of 50 miles from campus.

Franklin’s the young, brash motivator that incredibly led Vanderbilt to back-to-back nine-win seasons before bolting for his home state this January. SEC coaches didn’t like him in the league, and they like him even less now when he threatens their prized recruiting waters. Vanderbilt routinely pulled in outstanding talent from the Atlanta area during Franklin’s three years in Nashville.

Miles’s take on the complaints, to the AJC: “That’s their problem. It doesn’t really affect me.” In fact, the second-year coach was thoughtful enough to invite Notre Dame to camp next summer. He doesn’t have an FBS win yet, but Miles may have the most talkedabout 0-12 team in college football history.

Photo courtesy of Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves.

Vol. 10 Iss. 22 | June 6-12, 2014

ON THE COVER

KSU OWLS

KENNESAW STATE BASEBALL SHOWING THE NATION THEY ARE NO FLUKE

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

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here is a rich history of college baseball in Georgia. UGA won the College World Series in 1990 and was runner-up in 2008. Georgia Tech was also runner-up in 1994 and has been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times.

But there is another school in Georgia that is trying to build a tradition of winning. Kennesaw State is the hottest team in all of college baseball as the Owls have won 26 of its last 28 games. They plowed their way through the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and defeated Georgia Southern and Alabama in the Tallahassee Regionals to make their way to the Super Regionals for the first time in school history. In fact, with KSU winning the Tallahassee Regional it’s the first time since 1993 any school has won a regional in its first appearance.

The Owls will face Louisville this weekend in the Super Regional to vie for a spot in the College World Series. The Cardinals are the American Athletic Conference champions and are looking to reach the College World Series for the second consecutive season. The Owls have a tough task ahead of them, but they have stood

up to strong competition all year and have no intention of backing down this weekend.

STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM…

So for those who don’t know about Kennesaw State baseball, one may think they are a one-year wonder and everything is going right for them this season. That is not the case. Head coach Mike Sansing has been working for this ever since he was hired back in 1992.

At that time, Kennesaw State was known as Kennesaw State College and all the athletic teams were playing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Sansing came to Kennesaw after spending three seasons at Shorter and compiling a 102-55 record.

Sansing’s success would carry over with the Owls as they would win the NAIA World Series in 1994.

The following year, the Owls would move up to NCAA Division II and would play in the Peach Belt Conference. They were successful in their first season as they tallied a 42-14 record and won the conference. But they were

able to improve on that the following year, recording a 48-17 overall record and winning the NCAA Division II World Series.

After winning the World Series in 1996, the Owls would make it to the World Series three consecutive seasons where they would either lose in the championship series or in the semifinals. In fact, the 1997 team could be considered one of the best teams in Division II regular season history as it won 61 games and lost only five. They lost to Central Oklahoma and Cal State Chico in the College World Series, which were the two teams that faced each other in the finals. From 2000-05 the Owls made it to the postseason five times and reached the Division II World Series again in 2003.

In 2006, the Owls made the jump from Division II to Division I and would begin play in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which is where they play today. They got off to slow start, but they were able to pick things up starting in 2012 as they reached the conference title game, losing to Belmont. They were able to reach the A-Sun title game last year and lost to East Tennessee State.

So with all the success he has had the last 20-plus years, why hasn’t Sansing moved on? Why hasn’t he made the jump to a bigger school?

“We’ve been happy here,” Sansing told the AJC before the Tallahassee Regional. “They’ve treated us great. You couldn’t ask for a better idea to be in for recruiting. The saying maybe the grass is greener isn’t true for me. Every job you take is for a lifetime, that’s the way I’ve looked at.”

STAR TALENT…

It’s good that KSU has a reliable coach in Sansing. But it doesn’t hurt that he has some talented players that are starting to garner national attention.

If there is one player to watch, it would have to be catcher Max Pentecost. The junior leads the country in hits with 110 while ranking second in batting average and total bases. But he can also play at a high level on defense as he caught 21 runners stealing, and he has a .975 fielding percentage.

Pentecost recently was named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award which is given to the nation’s top catcher. A final vote will be made during College World Series play and he’s going up against Will Allen of Ole Miss and Kyle Schwarber of Indiana. Pentecost is also a semi-

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finalist for the Dick Howser Award for breakout player of the year and he won Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year.

Pentecost is a huge reason the Owls are playing in the Super Regionals, but pitcher Travis Bergen was also clutch Tallahassee Regional and was named the Regional’s Most Valuable Player for pitching two strong games against Alabama. The Owls also have a strong closer in Justin McCalvin. He earned the save against Alabama on Monday to earn a spot in the Super Regionals. McCalvin earned 12 saves in the regular season which is a KSU Division I record.

So the Owls are not a program that all of a sudden caught fire. Sansing has built a power that has grown ever since he arrived on campus. They made noise in the NAIA, did even more damage in Division II and are looking to make national headlines at the Division I level.

Even if they lose to Louisville this weekend, they have made a name for themselves and the entire country will know the Owls are a program that will be in the hunt for the NCAA College World Series title for years to come.

Photos courtesy of Kennesaw State Athletics Department.

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KSU Baseball

Upton Brothers

NBA Finals

The Owls won their first-ever appearance in an NCAA regional and booked their ticket to a Super Regional date with Louisville by prevailing in a slate of four games from last Friday through this Monday in Tallahassee. Sophomore pitcher Travis Bergen was named MVP after picking up two wins. KSU is 26-2 in its last 28 games.

B.J. and Justin Upton are rarely on fire simultaneously, but they do a good job of taking turns. The last time Atlanta played a game in which neither brother got a hit was on May 17 at St. Louis. Justin hit four home runs from May 18-25 and has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games. B.J. is currently on a five-game hitting streak.

The Atlanta Hawks may not be in the NBA Finals, but Miami vs. San Antonio is a dream matchup even for fans of other teams. It is a rematch of last year’s blockbuster sevengame championship series in which Ray Allen saved the Heat in Game 6 with a lastgasp three-pointer. Both squads looked scary good in six-game conference finals.

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

SUPER OWLS

Don’t look now, but the Kennesaw State baseball team will play Louisville in the Super Regionals this weekend to earn the right to play in the College World Series. KSU has won 26 of its last 28 games and shows no signs of slowing down. As an alum, I’m so proud of what they’ve done over the last six weeks.

MATTHEWS OUT

Another Georgia DB bites the dust as safety Tray Matthews has been dismissed from the team by Mark Richt. The head coach said he wants players that are going to do the right thing. I’m not sure what Matthews did, but something tells me Auburn and Louisville are giving him a call if they haven’t already.

FOOTBALL TRYOUTS

KSU head coach Brian Bohannon announced this week that he will hold another tryout session for students in the fall. The date is yet to be determined, but the paperwork has to be filled out and delivered to the coaches’ office by Aug. 1. I’m not a student anymore, but I might have some eligibility left. I wonder…

BEST CATCHER

KSU is on fire when it comes to sports. Catcher Max Pentecost is now a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award which is given to the nation’s best catcher. He has already won Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and he’s also a First Team All-American according to Louisville Slugger. I’ve seen him play and yes, he’s that good.

ELITE JUNIORS

We here at Score have started the selection process for the second annual Elite Junior Classic and it will take place on Dec. 29. Some of the players that will be taking part in the game are Chris Barnes of Lee County and Jarvis Terrell of Carrollton. Be sure to check scoreatl.com all season long for the latest updates.

WHO’S NOT

By Ricky Dimon

WHO’S HOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Georgia Tech Baseball

David Carpenter

Tray Matthews

Georgia Tech failed to get out of the Oxford Regional last weekend. Sandwiched around a win over Jacksonville State, the Yellow Jackets lost twice to Washington. The Jackets have now lost NCAA regionals six consecutive years and have reached the College World Series just once in their last 10 NCAA tournament appearances.

The Braves’ bullpen aside from Craig Kimbrel (who has tied John Smoltz’s franchise save record) has not exactly been lights out of late. Among those struggling is Carpenter, who did not record an out while giving up three hits, one walk and two runs last Saturday at Miami. He also gave up two runs on four hits in 0.1 innings last Thursday at Boston.

A tumultuous offseason, especially involving the secondary, continued for the Georgia football team on Tuesday when Matthews was kicked off the team. The rising sophomore safety was arrested back in March for cashing financialaid checks twice. Matthews started six games as a freshman in 2013, recording an interception and a forced fumble.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Ricky Dimon Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall.

Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

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TRIVIA QUESTION

WHAT YEAR DID KENNESAW STATE WIN THE NCAA DIVISION II WORLD SERIES? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

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SANITY AT LAST

“Catching and running the ball is the easy part and comes naturally, but blocking, that’s something you have to have heart in.”

Falcons rookie running back Devonta Freeman

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Saves made by Craig Kimbrel, all with the Atlanta Braves, tying him with John Smoltz for the franchise record.

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At-bats by Tommy La Stella in the majors before the Braves’ second baseman struck out for the first time on Tuesday.

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Quality starts made by Julio Teheran this year in 12 outings.

In his last three he has allowed two runs in 22.1 innings.

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Consecutive losses in interleague play by the Braves to begin this season following Tuesday’s setback against Seattle.

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Hitting streak for Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost before it was snapped in the Atlantic Sun tournament.

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Kennesaw State’s record in its last 28 games heading into this week’s NCAA Super Regional at Louisville.

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Teams since 1993 that had won their first-ever appearance in an NCAA regional until KSU did it on Monday.

110

Nation-leading number of hits this season for Pentecost, who is second in batting average (.423) and total bases (164).

Vol. 10 Iss. 22 | June 6-12, 2014

CORKY KELL CLASSIC

2014 CORKY KELL CLASSIC PREVIEW

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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he biggest Corky Kell Classic ever is slated for August 22-23 and features seven incredible matchups between some of the state’s top programs and most coveted prospects.

Day one of the Classic is packed with a double-header featuring two cross-classification matchups. Creekview has compiled a 56-28 record in its program’s short existence and included an 8-3 finish last year before falling 34-33 to East Paulding in the opening round of the playoffs. Creekview head coach Terry Crowder coached Chattahoochee in the Kell Classic before accepting the job with the Grizzlies and enters his second season at the school.

North Paulding was classified up to Class AAAAAA this year and looks to challenge the Class AAAAA Grizzlies while coming off a school-record 11-win season in 2013. Scott Jones took over the North Paulding program in 2012 and is entering his 18th season as a head coach after spending the bulk of his career at South Cobb and Kennesaw Mountain.

In the backend of the Day 1 doubleheader, emergent Class AAAAAA Archer faces a Class AAAA Sandy Creek program that has played in a national spotlight for years. However, not many teams ride more momentum than Archer into the 2014 season. Like North Paulding, Archer finished with a school-record 11 wins last season. The Tigers were the only undefeated team in Georgia’s highest classification heading into the playoffs and fell short to state runner up North Gwinnett 34-32 in a second

round heartbreaker that easily could have been theirs.

Sandy Creek won back-to-back state titles in 2009-10 and returned to the podium in 2012 with a perfect 15-0 season, including a 45-10 rout over Ridgeland in the state championship.

Last year, eventual state champion Griffin upset Sandy Creek in the state quarterfinals and snapped its streak of 27 games without a loss.

DAY TWO …

Friday’s double-header is followed by a five-game marathon Saturday with four Class AAAAAA matchups and one Class AAAA vs.

Class AAAAA tilt. The action starts bright and early with a 9 a.m. kickoff between the Kell Longhorns and the Carrollton Trojans.

Carrollton is one of the most storied and successful programs in the nation and owns an all-time record of 632-213-28 (.740) and seven state championships. New head coach Ed Dudley, who replaces Rayvan Teague, spent his previous five years at Ware County. Dudley is familiar with the Trojans program and spent the 1988-91 seasons as Carrollton’s defensive coordinator under head coach Ben Scott. In his four seasons as coordinator, Dudley’s defenses held 35 opponents to single digits, including 21 shutouts.

Kell comes off a school-record 13-1 season that ended with a semifinals loss to eventual state champion Creekside. The Longhorns are led by head coach Derek Cook and have compiled a staggering 44 wins the last four

seasons. This is Kell’s fifth time in the Classic and they are 3-1 in their previous appearances including a 26-16 win over Chattahoochee last year.

In the 11:45 am timeslot, Mill Creek will kick off Game 2 with Colquitt County. Mill Creek is led by an offensive attack quarterbacked by Daniel David and powered by Kaleb Kim and Josh Fannin on the offensive line. The majority of the unit returns from last year after averaging 40.2 points per game. Colquitt County has been one of the top programs in the state the past several seasons, but the Packers are still looking for a championship season. Head coach Rush Propst has led the school to five straight semifinals.

In Game 3, Valdosta tees off with Brookwood at 2:45 p.m. Brookwood has appeared in all 23 Corky Kell Classics but has lost threestraight. Valdosta’s only Corky Kell appearance came in 1996 against Brookwood and it resulted in a thrilling 31-28 victory over the Broncos.

Tucker and Norcross highlight Game 4, pinning two of the state’s most successful programs the past few seasons together. Tucker is making the jump to Class AAAAAA this season and is coming off a 14-1 season that ended with a loss to Creekside in the finals. Norcross defended its only state title in program history last year with a 31-14 win over rival North Gwinnett. The Blue Devils are 28-2 the past two seasons while Tucker is 24-4 and an outstanding 88-10 the last seven years. The Tigers have notched double-digit victories 12 of the last 14 seasons.

The final game of the Kell Classic matches up North Gwinnett and McEachern. This will be just the third time these two teams have faced and it will paint a rematch of last year’s Class AAAAAA semifinals that resulted in a 27-21 victory for visiting North Gwinnett. The Indians offense is led by USC-commit Chuma Edoga on the offensive line and fellow Pac 12 commit Taj Griffin (Oregon), one of the fastest players in the country. On the defensive line, McEachern junior Julian Rochester is the player to watch. The 6-foot-5.5, 280-pound tackle is listed as the No. 1 prospect in the state and No. 3 recruit in the nation by 247sports for the 2016 class.

North Gwinnett leads its traditional potent passing attack that features brothers Daniel and Josh Imatorbhebhe and Almonzo Brown at receiver. In the trenches stands 6-foot-5.5, 270-pound offensive tackle and Clemson commit Mitch Hyatt, who is one of the most coveted prospects in the nation.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

SPORTSOUTH NAMED EXCLUSIVE TV PARTNER OF CORKY KELL CLASSIC TLANTA (May 29, 2014) – SportSouth, a A FOX Sports Regional Network, will be the official television partner of the 2014 MetroPCS

Corky Kell Classic and will televise all seven Georgia high school football games played on August 22nd and 23rd. In addition, SportsRadio 92-9 The Game will broadcast the games via radio for the second straight year. All games will air live on both television and radio.

“We are thrilled to have SportSouth and 92-9 The Game as media partners for the 23rd Annual MetroPCS Corky Kell Classic,” said Dave Hunter, Executive Director. “As we continue to move forward, we see this event growing to a more regional television audience and we’ll be able to do this with the FOX Sports Regional Networks and CBS Radio.”

Said Jeff Genthner, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SportSouth, “As it is our mission to deliver the best in local sports across the Southeast region, we think high school football should play a part in that equa-

tion, and especially so in Georgia.”

“Having the largest sports radio signal in North Georgia, we have a responsibility to deliver the best in live and local content to our listeners. We believe the Metro PCS Corky Kell Classic fits this goal perfectly,” said Terry Foxx, 92-9 The Game Program Director.

In addition, sports media company PlayOn Sports is the Classic’s new production partner. PlayOn Sports is the largest rights holder, producer and aggregator of high school sporting events distributed across television, the internet and mobile devices.

The Classic will be played at the stateof-the-art Walter Cantrell Stadium, located at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA. The stadium is the largest of its kind in Georgia with first-class facilities and holds the title of having the largest high school video scoreboard in the world. The Classic will return to the Dome for 2015 and 2016 games before moving to The New Atlanta Stadium in 2017.

ABOUT THE CLASSIC ...

Launched in 1992, the MetroPCS Corky Kell Classic is a Georgia high school football event and was the first event ever to be held at the Georgia Dome. The Classic kicks off the highly competitive high school football season in Georgia every August with partial proceeds benefitting the Kell Foundation to fund scholarships. Throughout the years the games have included top talent in both Georgia and across the nation. Marketed and operated by Score Atlanta and a group that includes former successful high school coaches Dave Hunter and Jim Dorsey, in the past three years the Classic has reached more than 2.1 million television and internet viewers with a total game attendance of more than 100,000 fans. For 2014, the Classic has grown from five to seven games with 14 teams in participation. The Classic will return to the Georgia Dome in 2015 and 2016 before moving to the new Falcons stadium in 2017. For more information, visit www.corkykell.com.

SPORTSOUTH’S AUDIENCE ...

The FOX Sports regional networks serving the Southeast – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports Carolinas and SportSouth – collectively reach more than 13 million cable and satellite households in seven states across the Southeast. They are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Hounds, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Cincinnati Reds, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, and St. Louis Car-

dinals, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, Southeastern Conference, and Big 12 Conference. Combined, the four networks produce more than 800 live local events and televise more than 1400 live local events each year. For more information, please visit FOXSportsSouth.com, FOXSportsTennessee.com, and FOXSportsCarolinas.com.

92.9 THE GAME …

SportsRadio 92-9 The Game is the only Live and Local 24 hours a day, seven days a week station in Atlanta. The Game delivers the best news and entertainment from celebrity hosts who have made history in the world of sports. The station can be heard on-air at 92.9FM, online at www.929thegame.com and through the Radio.com app for mobile devices.

SportsRadio 92-9 The Game is owned by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States, with 126 stations across 27 markets, including all of the Top 10.

CBS RADIO pioneered the sports radio format more than 25 years ago and has more than two dozen all-sports stations among its portfolio, the majority of which are in the Top 15 markets nationwide. Several of these CBS RADIO stations serve as the flagship broadcaster of a major league sports team, including full coverage of six NBA teams across the nation.

Photos courtesy of Ty Freeman.

Score Atlanta/AJC Lacrosse Final Rankings BOYS

GIRLS

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1............................Roswell 2...........................Lambert 3.............................. Milton 4............................. Walton 5.......................... Harrison

1........................Northview 2...............................Lovett 3....................Westminster 4............................Decatur 5................ Blessed Trinity

6.......................Centennial 7....................Johns Creek 8............. Peachtree Ridge 9................Chattahoochee 10..............North Gwinnett

6................................ Pope 7.............................. Marist 8..................................GAC 9......................... Allatoona 10.......................St. Pius X

Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA-A

1.............................. Milton 2............................. Walton 3........................... Lassiter 4................Chattahoochee 5.......................Centennial

1.................................. Kell 2....................Westminster 3...................... Cambridge 4.........................St. Pius X 5................ Blessed Trinity

6.......................... Harrison 7................... West Forsyth 8.............................Etowah 9........................Mill Creek 10..................... Collins Hill

6......................... McIntosh 7................................ Pope 8........................Northview 9.......................Starr’s Mill 10.............Holy Innocents’

Vol. 10 Iss. 22 | June 6-12, 2014 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SUMMER RACING HEATING UP AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

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ast Friday served as the first point series set of races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This week AMS is getting ready for the first Thursday Night edition of Thursday Thunder, the race of legends and bandalero cars.

Atlanta Motor Speedway Director of Marketing and Promotion Dustin Bixby says the track is excited about all the upcoming.

“It was our opening night for our points and we had a lot of tight competition, as we expected coming into the season,” Bixby said of the Friday night races. “We’re really looking forward to another great season of our Friday night drags and Show-n-Shine presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts this year.”

The drag racing part of the O’Reilly Auto

Parts Friday Night Drags and Show-n-Shine involves 18 different divisions of racing, from high-powered vehicles all the way to cars you might see on the street. The races continue this week, with drivers trying to rack up high point totals.

In order to participate in the drag races, you must sign a safety waiver, wear a Department of Transportation approved helmet and have your vehicle pass an inspection by the AMS mechanics on site. The entrance fee for the drag races is $20. Registration starts at 6 p.m. on the night of the races at the main infield tunnel. Minors ages 16 and 17 must have a safety waiver signed and on file with Atlanta Motor Speedway before they can take part in the event.

As for the Show-n-Shine portion of the

Friday night event, you can register at the main infield tunnel at 6 p.m. The fee to show your vehicle off is also $20. However, drivers who want to take part in both events can do so by paying $30.

One race of the Thursday Thunder series for 2014 is already in the books, taking place back on May 17. This week is the true start to the event on its usual night.

This series of racing features legends and bandalero cars at the speedway. This event has been a springboard for many of professional racing’s young promising stars.

“We’ve had a lot of graduates, over about 60, that have gone on to race in a national touring series in NASCAR,” Bixby said. “Anywhere from the K&N Series all the way up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Some of those big names have included Joey Logano, Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, as well as Chase Elliot now making his way up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is currently driving in the Nationwide Series and is doing extremely well.”

You could be watching the next racing superstar down the road in NASCAR getting his start in the Thursday Thunder series at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Friday Night

Drags and Show-n-Shine and Thursday Thunder are very affordable for the family. Pricing information on these events can be found by heading over to www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

We all know the largest event of the sea-

son for Atlanta Motor Speedway is the Labor Day weekend of races that leads up to the Sunday Night Sprint Cup Series race under the lights of the speedway.

Right now, people can find great deals on

purchasing tickets for the weekend of events by heading to the speedway’s website. A perfect example of this is their current deal of $48 pre-race pit passes for the Sunday night race, in honor of No. 48 car Jimmie Johnson’s recent win at Dover International Speedway.

These passes allow you to get up close

with the drivers before the race with the purchase of a grandstand ticket.

The Sunday night race is also very afford-

able for families. Children under the age of 12 can get into the race for half price on a grandstand ticket.

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ALABAMA

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Score Atlanta/AJC High School Final Baseball Rankings Class AAAAAA 1...................... Lambert 2.......................... Milton 3.....................Parkview 4................Johns Creek 5.........................Walton

Class AAA 6...Kennesaw Mountain 7..........................Coffee 8.......................... Luella 9....................Mill Creek 10.................... Valdosta

Class AAAAA 1.......... Houston County 2................. Whitewater 3.................. Greenbrier 4.................. Gainesville 5................... Loganville

6............. Pierce County 7.....................St. Pius X 8....................North Hall 9..................... Callaway 10....................Ringgold

Class AA 6............North Paulding 7.................. Starr’s Mill 8.................Stephenson 9..............East Paulding 10............Harris County

1.................Benedictine 2..............................GAC 3............... Westminster 4.................... Wesleyan 5.......................... Lovett

6.......................Calhoun 7............................Cook 8........................Berrien 9.....................Jefferson 10..................... Bremen

Class A

Class AAAA 1....................Carrollton 2............... Crisp County 3......................Veterans 4....................Alexander 5.............. Walnut Grove

1............Blessed Trinity 2................. Cartersville 3......................... Buford 4.................Hart County 5.................Pike County

6.............Wayne County 7..........................Lanier 8..........................Marist 9..........................Redan 10..................Columbus

1........ King’s Ridge Chr. 2............................ELCA 3..........Charlton County 4................. Gordon Lee 5............... Mount Paran

6.........Hebron Christian 7...............................ECI 8.......................Treutlen 9.............Schley County 10.. Savannah Christian

Score Atlanta/AJC Final Soccer Rankings AAAAAA Boys

1..................... Brookwood 2....................... Mill Creek 3.............. Douglas County 4..........................Harrison 5........................ Campbell 6.............................Walton 7...........................Lassiter 8.............Central Gwinnett 9......................... Hillgrove 10................. Johns Creek

AAAAA Boys

1.........................McIntosh 2......................Greenbrier 3.............. Houston County 4................ Clarke Central 5......................Gainesville 6.............. Glynn Academy 7........... Lakeside-DeKalb 8............... Warner Robins 9.......... Heritage-Conyers 10.................... Riverwood

AAAA Boys

1..............................Dalton 2......Johnson-Gainesville 3......................... Spalding 4........Southeast Whitfield 5........................LaGrange 6...............................Perry 7...................... Statesboro 8............................. Lanier 9.............................. Grady 10..................... Chamblee

AAA Boys

1........................ St. Pius X 2............... Oconee County 3.........................West Hall 4...............Dawson County 5......Woodward Academy 6........................North Hall 7................Savannah Arts 8...............Coahulla Creek 9..................Peach County 10..........................Islands

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2................... Westminster 3...........................Calhoun 4.................... Thomasville 5........................ Wesleyan 6.................... Benedictine 7.................Lamar County 8...............Toombs County 9..............................Lovett 10...................... Jefferson

A Boys

1............................Paideia 2.......Atlanta International 3............ Hebron Christian 4.....................Brookstone 5..........Our Lady of Mercy 6................Pace Academy 7...... Fellowship Christian 8........Pinecrest Academy 9.......... First Presbyterian 10.................Mount Paran

AAAAAA Girls

1..........................Harrison 2.......................... Grayson 3.........................Parkview 4....................East Coweta 5..................... Brookwood 6.............Peachtree Ridge 7.............................Walton 8...................... Centennial 9...........................Lassiter 10............................Milton

AAAAA Girls

1.........................McIntosh 2...................... Starr’s Mill 3................................Pope 4........................Northgate 5....................... Northview 6.......... Heritage-Conyers 7.......................Loganville 8............... North Paulding 9.........................Allatoona 10................ North Atlanta

AAAA Girls

1..............................Marist 2......................... Veterans 3....................... Columbus 4....................... Alexander 5......................... Spalding 6.....................River Ridge 7.............................. Grady 8.................. Locust Grove 9....................... Chamblee 10............................. Cairo

AAA Girls

1........................ St. Pius X 2................Blessed Trinity 3............... Oconee County 4.............................Buford 5......Woodward Academy 6...........................Decatur 7...............Dawson County 8..................North Oconee 9.................Pierce County 10.................. Pike County

AA Girls

1................................. GAC 2..............................Lovett 3................... Westminster 4........................ Wesleyan 5...........................Calhoun 6....................St. Vincent’s 7.......................Armuchee 8.................. East Laurens 9.............................Vidalia 10...........................Jordan

A Girls

1................Pace Academy 2.......... First Presbyterian 3...... Fellowship Christian 4.............. Holy Innocents’ 5............................Paideia 6............ Hebron Christian 7.......Atlanta International 8.................... Calvary Day 9........ Mt. Paran Christian 10... Providence Christian

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UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

MATTHEWS DISMISSED FROM TEAM

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

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ews came down on Tuesday that sophomore safety Tray Matthews will no longer be part of the Georgia Football program. Matthews first tweeted out the news that he was gone and soon the athletic department confirmed.

“We are trying to make room for guys who want to do things right,” head coach Mark Richt said in a statement released by the school.

“I’m sorry UGA family,” Matthews said via Twitter. “I swear to God I love yal (sic). I’m crying right now but I won’t forget. Love the Dawgs. Auburn or Louisville will be my home.”

Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald reported that he spoke with Matthews but that Matthews wouldn’t say what led to his dismissal from the program. Weiszer also added that Richt has not commented further on the reason for Matthews being dismissed.

Louisville seems like a natural fit for Matthews after defensive coordinator Todd Grantham left Georgia to head for the Cardinals sidelines this offseason. Fellow 2013 signing class member Shaq Wiggins, a cornerback,

decided to transfer to Louisville this offseason, and safety Josh Harvey-Clemons is also a Cardinal after being dismissed from the Georgia program in February.

Matthews played in eight games in his freshman season with the Bulldogs, including six starts. During his one season in Athens Matthews racked up 36 total tackles, four pass breakups and an interception.

CLEMSON GAME TIME SET …

It was announced last Friday that Georgia’s Aug. 30 opener at home against Clemson will kick off at 5:30 p.m. The contest between the Bulldogs and Tigers will be broadcast that Saturday evening on ESPN. Earlier last week, CBS announced that Georgia’s Sept. 13 game on the road against South Carolina will be its first nationally televised game. That kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m.

EXPERTS RANK THE DAWGS …

Many preseason college football magazines have already reached newsstands, with several picking the Bulldogs in the top 10.

Both USA Today and Athlon picked Georgia to start the season ranked No. 8 in their top 25s. Both of these magazines also picked the Bulldogs to win the SEC East.

Lindy’s has Georgia in the 12th spot of its preseason rankings and believe that Georgia will finish second in the east behind South Carolina. Sporting News has the Dawgs at No. 15 and also picked UGA to finish second in the division behind South Carolina.

GEORGIA STATE

interim athletic director before July 1 while it searches for a permanent replacement.

LEVICK STEPS DOWN AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

BUCHANAN BREAKS THROUGH …

Former Georgia State pitcher David Buchanan became the first Georgia State baseball player in school history to make it to the Major Leagues when he made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on May 24. Buchanan picked up the 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in his debut, pitching five innings and giving up five hits, two earned runs and no walks. In his second start on May 29, Buchanan logged a quality start with 6.2 innings pitched, seven hits and three earned runs, but took a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets. He lost his third start on Tuesday after giving up seven earned runs in six innings to the Washington Nationals.

Buchanan played his junior season at Georgia State in 2010 after spending two seasons at Chipola Junior College, and was drafted by the Phillies in the seventh round.

BY DAVID NORWOOD | DNORWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

S

tarting July 1, Georgia State will have a new face at the athletic director position. Current athletic director Cheryl Levick announced her plans to step down to become a special assistant to Georgia State president Mark Becker.

“I am proud of the many accomplishments that we have achieved at Georgia State and this decision did not come without a lot of thought and several good discussions with President Becker,” Levick said in a press release. “We both want what is best for the Department of Athletics and this is the right time for me to transition to the next stage in my athletics career.”

Levick has served as athletic director at Georgia State since 2009. She cited health issues as one of her reasons for stepping down, saying she would not be able to commit to the school’s proposed project of turning the Turner Field area into a sports complex and mixed-use development in partnership with the city of Atlanta.

Georgia State said it is looking to name an

TENNIS MAKES HIRE …

Former Wake Forest men’s tennis assistant coach Brett Ross has taken the men’s head coaching position at Georgia State. Ross helped lead the team to a third-place finish in the ACC and final No. 19 ranking this season.

The reigning Sun Belt Coach of the Year for women’s tennis, Robin Stephenson, will be back for an additional season after Georgia State renewed her contract through 2014-15.

Stephenson led the Panthers to their first Sun Belt Conference championship this season.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS COVERAGE INCREASES WITH NEW RADIO DEAL

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

A

tlanta’s Sports Radio 680 The Fan (93.7 FM) and Georgia Tech athletics have agreed on a multi-year agreement. This deal gives the Yellow Jackets an AM and FM platform to reach their fans and is a content-based partnership which makes 680 The Fan “The Official Sports Flagship Station of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.” The radio station will air all play-byplay of Georgia Tech football and men’s basketball Games. Coaches Paul Johnson, Brian Gregory and Athletic Director Mike Bobinksi will all partake in shows.

JACKETS OUSTED …

The Yellow Jackets competed in the Oxford NCAA Regional this past weekend. The Yellow Jackets opened with an 8-0 loss to Washington while managing just four hits.

Tech faced elimination against Jacksonville State but Matt Gonzalez broke a 1-1 tie with a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning. Thomas Smith singled home Gonzalez to make the score 4-1. Tech held on for a 4-2

KENNESAW STATE

BASEBALL HEADS TO SUPER REGIONALS, FOOTBALL TRYOUTS IN THE FALL

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

A

nother weekend down, another stamp in history for the baseball team. The Owls took part in the Tallahassee Regionals and they started off with a bang by beating Alabama 1-0 on Friday. That led to a matchup with a familiar foe in Georgia Southern and while it took 11 innings and overcoming two rain delays to get the game done, the Owls were able to top the Eagles 13-5 and advance in the Regional finals.

The Owls would face Alabama again on Sunday and all KSU had to do was win to advance to the Super Regionals. However, the Crimson Tide stayed alive by edging the Owls 4-1. So that led to an elimination game on Monday and the Owls jumped out of the gate with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.

The Crimson Tide would take a 2-1 lead in the fifth, but the Owls would tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom half of the inning.

Kennesaw broke the tie in the seventh inning when Jacob Bruce and Jeremy Howell

win to eliminate Jacksonville State and set up another game against Washington.

Tech’s meeting with Washington started well for the Yellow Jackets as they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but a two-out walk in the third gave the Huskies life and Andrew Ely hit a three-run homer to give the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish. The 4-2 loss eliminated the Jackets, who finished the season 37-27.

BURNING RUBBER …

Four Yellow Jacket Track and Field Athletes qualified for the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships that will take place June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore. The four athletes competed this past Saturday at the NCAA East Preliminaries.

Julienne McKee qualified for the championship in long jump and two days later qualified for her second NCAA event in triple jump.

McKee had a career-best leap of 13.25 meters.

Junior Jeremy Greenwald qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career, running the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:45.79 and a top-five finish.

Nikita Kirillov was the third Yellow Jacket to qualify Saturday. Kirillov pole vaulted a height of 5.32 meters, good for a third-place finish.

Jonathan Gardner rounds out the Yellow Jackets that will travel to Eugene. Gardner qualified Friday in the triple jump with a jump of 15.86 meters. This will be the second time Gardner competes in the NCAA Championships.

drove in runs to give the Owls the 4-2 lead.

The Owls held on to the lead thanks to Justin McCalvin earning his 16th save of the year and now will play Louisville in the Super Regionals starting on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

“It was an unbelievable experience here,” KSU head coach Mike Sansing told ksuowls.com. “The city’s been great, Florida State’s been great in hosting this tournament. I am proud of our guys. It was an unbelievable effort – the whole time, not just today. But we came back today after last night and it was rough. I’m just proud of these guys, I love them all.”

KEEP ‘EM COMING …

Max Pentecost played a big role in the Owls’ success all year and this week he was named as a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given to the nation’s best catcher. Pentecost has already been named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award for breakout player of the year.

The football team is hoping to get a breakout player when it starts play next season. That’s why the Owls are holding another tryout session in the fall for students. The date has yet to be determined, but the paperwork for participants has to be filled out and delivered to the coaches’ office by Aug. 1.

Vol. 10 Iss. 22 | June 6-12, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

STEPHENSON AN INTRIGUING OPTION FOR HAWKS

BY ROBERT TINTER | RTINTER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Hawks are one of the many teams that will be questioning whether or not to pursue Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson this summer during free agency. As a basketball player, Stephenson would definitely help the Hawks. He is coming off a breakout year in which he averaged 13.8 points, 4.6 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game. Stephenson finished second in Most Improved Player voting this past year and led the NBA in triple-doubles with five.

At only 23 years old he still has room to improve. Stephenson is a tenacious defender and will do whatever it takes to win, but his intensity for the game can sometimes be a negative. His on-the-court antics in the Eastern Conference Finals were criticized almost universally.

Pacers President Larry Bird made it clear Stephenson’s antics were not what the Pacers are about. Stephenson’s actions on the court have been hovering over the line between dirty plays and tough defense. When asked after the Conference Finals if he would want Stephenson back as a teammate next year Pacers star Paul

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES CONTINUE TO BLOW HOT AND COLD

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Braves remain one of the streakiest teams in all of Major League Baseball.

Two months into the season, they have produced winning streaks of five, four, four, three, three and three games while enduring losing streaks of seven, four and three games.

Starting last Monday, Atlanta dropped four consecutive contests to a Boston squad that had just lost 10 in a row. The Braves promptly bounced back for a three-game road sweep of Miami last weekend. Sunday’s finale proved to be the most thrilling of three competitive games, as the visitors broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning with a two-run blast by Evan Gattis. Shae Simmons filled in for a heavily-worked Craig Kimbrel and toughed out a save.

The Braves lost their opener of a twogame series to Seattle 7-5 on Tuesday night at Turner Field, so they could only hope that the start of another stretch of notches in the ‘L’ column was not developing. They have a

George hesitated and then said he wasn’t sure.

PROTECTING CHEMISTRY …

The Hawks are coming off a season in which each player lauded the new coaching staff for their strategy and ability to really emphasize team chemistry. Signing Stephenson could hurt the Hawks’ chemistry on and off the court, but it could also bring the Hawks to a whole other level, and push them toward contention. Stephenson would add a much needed attacking wing to help create plays with Jeff Teague.

Stephenson is the definition of a high-risk high-reward player. General Manager Danny Ferry will have a tough decision to make, but financially and on the court the signing makes great sense.

LUCKY NUMBER 15 …

The Hawks have the 15th pick in this month’s NBA Draft. The upcoming draft is a very deep one and should give the Hawks an opportunity to get an impact player.

Some great players have been picked in this spot. Steve Nash, who has won two MVP awards and is currently third all-time in assists, was picked with the 15th pick. Charlotte Hornets all-time leading scorer and 1994 Sixth Man of the Year Dell Curry was also picked at the midway point. More recently the Celtics drafted Al Jefferson with the 15th pick. Jefferson has blossomed into a force in the paint and is a consistent 20-point 10-rebound guy. Spurs lock-down defender Kawhi Leonard was also the 15th pick in the draft.

seven-game road trip at Arizona and Colorado starting on Friday.

SAVE IT FOR LATER …

Tuesday’s setback against Seattle was the Braves’ first chance to help send Kimbrel to the top of the franchise chart for saves. It came and went with no opportunity for the flamethrowing closer, of course, as the Mariners took the lead for good in the top of the seventh inning. Kimbrel had tied John Smoltz’s record three days earlier in a 9-5 win over the Marlins with his 154th save.

“I know if John had (closed games) his whole career, he would have had a lot more,” Kimbrel said in a post-game interview after tying the mark. “It is nice to say I’m part of something like that. But then again, I’ve had a lot of opportunities, played on good ball-teams here my first three or four years. If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about this right now.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity and the chance and hopefully have a lot more opportunities to help us win a lot more ballgames.”

“He’s going to double the number,” Smoltz told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “You cross your fingers he stays healthy and he’s going to save a lot of games. Kimbrel is what you would define as unhittable. When you want to get out of a jam, when you have the game on the line, he’s that good.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

OFFENSE TAKES FLIGHT AT OTAs

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

O

TAs continue to highlight early June’s action and Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter revealed what he expects from his offense this season.

For the first time in eight seasons, running back Steven Jackson failed to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing as he battled injuries and settled for a mere 543 yards, the lowest total of his career. According to Koetter it was not just injuries that held back Jackson’s rushing yards, but the team’s overall lack of commitment to the ground game.

“I don’t feel like we ever really gave Steven Jackson a great chance to get going last year,” admitted Koetter. “He got hurt in that second game, missed three or four games until he came back. We’ve just got to commit to running the ball more, give it to Steven and that’ll help us get better fast.”

BACKFIELD BATTLES …

Fullback and Atlanta’s do-it-all guy Ja-

ATLANTA DREAM

DREAM ACTIVATE FRENCH STAR CÉLINE DUMERC

BY MATT CASON | MCASON@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Atlanta Dream announced Monday that point guard Céline Dumerc was removed from the suspended list after Dumerc fulfilled her playing commitments for her French club team. Dumerc made her debut against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. To make room on the roster for the European standout, the Dream placed rookie guard Inga Orekhova on waivers.

Dumerc experienced a successful season with Bourges, leading the club to the EuroLeague semifinals as well as the finals for the French league playoffs. The two-time EuroLeague All-Star averaged 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists in French League play and looks to bring international success to Atlanta. Among other international accolades, Dumerc captained the French national team in the 2012 Summer Olympics, leading them to the silver medal. This effort led to her being named the 2012 FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year.

13

son Snelling retired this offseason and rookie Devonta Freeman will get an opportunity to fill some of those roles while teaming up with Jackson. Freeman’s been a standout in the early action of OTAs and wore his confidence while previewing his first professional season.

“I feel like I can come in and make a great impact because I know how to make guys miss in small areas and small creases and for my size I feel like I’m physical.” said Freeman “I can be a 3-down back… If you can block and protect the quarterback then that’s the main part.

Catching and running the ball is the easy part and comes naturally, but blocking, that’s something you have to have heart in. I take a lot of pride in that so it’s one of the things I work at the most.”

HD OFFENSE …

Perhaps no player on the Falcons got more out of Atlanta’s injury-plagued 2013 season than Harry Douglas. The 2008 draft pick typically took the field as the No. 3 option behind Roddy White and Julio Jones but stepped into the number one role with a team- and careerhigh 85 catches and 1,067 yards. Douglas gained confidence and so did the team “Harry’s confidence has to be sky-high right now after going for over 1,000 yards last year,” said Koetter. “I think one of the things that really helps us a lot as a team is that Matt Ryan really gained a lot of confidence in Harry as well.”

RAINING HAYES …

Tiffany Hayes scored a season-high 20 as the Dream defeated the Seattle Storm 80-69 to end a two-game skid last Friday. The Storm led 48-41 early in the second half until Atlanta put together a 10-0 run kicked off by consecutive baskets by Angel McCoughtry to gain a lead it wouldn’t relinquished. McCoughtry finished with 18 points and eight assists. The Dream outscored the Storm on fast-break points 155, part of an emphasis set by first-year coach Michael Cooper to carry an up-tempo offense.

“We’re a running team, so we try to do that to all teams,’’ Hayes said. ‘’Hopefully, that was the case.’’

FIGHTING FATIGUE …

A 10-0 run in the final 1:30 was not enough as the Atlanta Dream fell to the Connecticut Sun 85-76 on Sunday. Hayes led the effort for the Dream, which fell to 3-3 with the loss, with 17 points while Erika De Souza contributed 15 with eight rebounds. McCoughtry, Atlanta’s leading scorer, went 2-for-14 from the field, compiling seven points in the loss. McCoughtry’s struggles could, according to Cooper, be a result of her playing schedule overseas.

“I think it’s a little bit of a residual effect from playing overseas (in Turkey) all that time (during the offseason). That’s probably catching up with her,’ Cooper said.

14

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