Score Atlanta Vol. 11 Issue 22

Time to look great!

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 22 | JUNE 12-25, 2015

Dawg Days | Pg. 4 Why this summer will be vital to the Bulldogs’ success this season.

Lutzie Field | Pg. 8 Community rallies behind Lutzie 43 Foundation to dedicate new field.

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YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

FEED THE SPEED Three weeks of work at OTA’s sets up for an even faster pace at minicamp. | Pg. 5

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Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

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COLUMNISTS

05

ON THE COVER

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PREP COVER

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock

MANAGING EDITOR Craig Sager II

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Kyle Sandy MARKETING/ Lauren Goldstein PARTNERSHIP DIRECTOR

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Brian Jones (KSU) Dan Mathews (UGA)

Craig Sager II (Falcons)

Kyle Sandy (Hawks, GSU,

G-Braves) Colin Hubbard (Tech)

STAFF WRITERS Avi Goodfriend

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Copyright 2015 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.

TEAM SCOOP AND VOICES

06 11 13

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

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF ONLINEATHENS.COM, LUTZIE 43 FOUNDATION TWITTER PAGE AND THE ATLANTA FALCONS.

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Visit our website, ScoreAtl.com, for the final rankings of each spring sport as well as stories on each of the baseball finals from the past week.

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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 the 2015 season. We will have reporters at OTAs as well as training camp and Friday Night Lights.

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SANDY’S SPIEL

PEACH STATE PRIDE ON DISPLAY AT FIFA WORLD CUP

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he FIFA Women’s World Cup isn’t as ballyhooed as the men’s version but still the T worldwide event is likely to bring fellow coun-

trymen together. FIFA has been under hot water and investigation after ex-President Sepp Blatter was accused of bribery and attempting to fix matches in previous World Cups, but the face of corruption has recently stepped down after being re-elected on May 29.

The storyline now shifts to the actual action on the pitch and the redemption the USA seeks after falling to Japan in the 2011 World Cup Finals in penalty kicks. The United States enters as a heavy favorite among the qualifying teams along with Germany, Japan, Brazil and host Canada.

The growing amount of stars load up the experienced and deep American team. Veteran

Abby Wambach heads up the scoring attack and is flanked by 25-year-old Alex Morgan.

Sydney Leroux has 35 goals in 70 appearances while Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd facilitate from the middle of the field. And of course, in goal is Hope Solo, one of the most loved yet scrutinized players on the national team due to her recent off field issues.

Solo’s sullied image includes being arrested for two misdemeanor counts of assault, harassing the police, an abusive relationship with former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens which resulted in Solo being suspended from U.S. Soccer for 30 days and private nude images being leaked. The chaos surrounding Solo could pose a distraction for the U.S. but head coach Jillian Ellis insists otherwise.

DAN’S DOCKETT

GEORGIA FOOTBALL: SUMMER WORKOUTS MATTER

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

he past two season’s we have heard about the work of quarterback’s Aaron Murray T and Hutson Mason leading these “player-led”

workouts during the summer months. As many of you know by now, the Georgia Bulldogs are without a starting quarterback at the moment.

If things hold up to what head coach Mark Richt said at the end of spring practice, we might not know until late August who indeed will be the starting signal-caller.

All this being the case, the team still needs leader’s to lead them during the months of June, July, and early August to get them ready for the start of fall camp. Richt said back in April, that he would expect those involved in the quarterback battle to be up to the task. Primarily junior Faton Bauta and redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey.

“I know that Faton being the senior man in the group, I know he’s got the skills to do that and I think Brice does too,” Richt said. “I’m not exactly sure how we’ll get that done, but that will be something that we’ve got to discuss.”

Richt at the end is alluding to the fact they rotated first team reps for those quarterbacks from practice to practice during the spring. Plus, let us also not forget that redshirt freshman Jacob Park and new transfer Grayson Lambert will probably also be looked to for leadership ability.

The quarterback position isn’t the only one that will be looked to lead the team over the summer. That said, former Georgia quarterback DJ Shockley says normally they’re the best guys for the job.

“The quarterback is the neutral guy on a

GEORGIA PEACHES ...

Two Georgia natives have stayed out of the headlines and look to contribute to this year’s team. Morgan Brian and Kelley O’Hara don’t play the prominent roles of the aforementioned players, but both have the potential to be fixtures in the lineup for years to come.

Brian, a 22-year-old midfielder from St. Simons, is the youngest player on this year’s team. She starred at Frederica Academy where she won a state title and was twice named a Parade All-American and Gatorade Georgia State Player of the Year. While in college at the University of Virginia, Brian won the Hermann Trophy twice, signifying her as the best player in the nation. She became the fifth player to ever win the award two times during a career.

Since playing at Virginia, the exciting midfielder has been selected to the Houston Dash of the NWSL. She has made 29 appearances with the USA senior club and has scored four goals.

Lauren Holiday, a teammate of Brian’s on the national team told The Washington Post’s Steven Goff just how special of a player Morgan is. “Morgan was not just a college player when she came into this team. Her confidence, her sophistication on the ball, it was beyond her years,” Holiday explained.

Defender Kelley O’Hara at age 26 has also gained praise during her 60 caps with the na-

tional team and has worked her way into the rotation. O’Hara grew up in Peachtree City and played at Starr’s Mill High School. Like Morgan Brian, O’Hara also captured a state title after scoring 20 goals and adding 16 assists in 2006. She too was named Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year and continued her career at Stanford University. She also was awarded the Hermann Trophy in 2009 and finished her Cardinal career with 57 goals and 32 assists.

O’Hara currently teams up with the USWNT’s active leader in appearances, Christie Rampone, on defense for Sky Blue FC.

Speed and determination has helped the former forward transition into being one of the toughest defenders on the team. O’Hara was initially cut from the 2011 World Cup roster before being added on as a reserve and has used that as fuel to get better every day. She was a part of the 2012 Olympic team that beat Japan in the gold medal match, 2-1. Kelley was one of three players to play every single minute for the United States during the tournament and was a crucial part of the squad’s success.

Keep an eye on these Georgia born and bred players. Unsung heroes can be found anywhere on the big stage and there is no reason why one of these two Georgia peaches can’t come up big with the entire world watching.

Photo courtesy of Equalizersoccer.com.

team that you look at and say ‘ok here’s our leader,’” Shockley said. “If you look at any good team or look at any good program that’s had success, it’s always run by the quarterback. If you have a good quarterback as a leader in place, everybody else is going to follow that guy.”

in the work.”

At the moment, it does seem that Bauta would be the man most up for the job.

“Probably Faton (Bauta),” said tight end Jay Rome. “That guy is… I don’t know if I would necessarily say gym rat, that’s kind of a term we use in basketball. But he’s a ‘field rat.’ Faton’s always up here working and trying to get guys to come up here and work with him.”

Both sides of the ball will work out at separate times doing individual drills and then later in their voluntary workouts they’ll both come together to practice together. That is at least the way that Shockley says work was down during his playing days.

Each position will no doubt have their own leader. The natural fit for the more experienced group on the team, the offensive line would be senior tackle John Theus.

“The good thing is you tell someone on our team we’ve got this at this time and they’re going to be there,” Theus said. “It’s not like it’s a hard thing to do. But me and Kolton (Houston) will get the O(ffensive)-Line going.”

The offensive line has four starters coming back this season. They will have to find a new center with David Andrews having graduated.

Photo courtesy of onlineathens.com.

LIVE AND LEARN…

Shockley speaks from experience, if you’ll remember he would split time on the field with David Greene during his career.

“If one was doing something, we both were doing it,” Shockley said. “So there’s never a divide between the team and nobody had to pick sides. We were always running with each other, working out with each other, and doing everything that is possible so there isn’t a divide. On the outside people were trying to divide the two of us and that’s the same thing that’s going to go on here. People want people to pick sides and say ‘oh I like Faton or I like Brice’ all that kind of stuff.”

Leadership is indeed what the coaches are looking for. Shockley knows that and new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer even said as much when he met with the media earlier this week.

“Looking for the leadership,” Schottenheimer said. “Looking for these guys that are hungry, I want to see the guys obviously around the building, spending time and putting

Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015

ON THE COVER

ATLANTA FALCONS

FALCONS STEP INTO NEXT PHASE OF CRITICAL OFFSEASON

BY KYLE SANDY & CRAIG SAGER II

F

alcons head coach Dan Quinn has seen tremendous progress made since the start of rookie mini-camp but the new head coach says the team is just getting started and the pace and intensity that has impressed the media and organization through Phase 1 of the offseason is expected to pick up with minicamp next week.

“The work ethic has been outstanding,” said Quinn after Tuesday’s OTA session. “At the beginning of the offseason we told them let’s have the best offseason they’ve ever had and it starts with the things each position can work on individually each day. Whether it is a linebacker playing the hook issues or a free safety working on tackling, these sessions are very important on working on the individual’s technique to see how good they can get at them and that is really what we are trying to teach as coaches.”

Quinn’s style of practice and the pace of the drills have energized team activities and his attention to what each individual can bring to the program continues to be the first-year head coach’s primary focus in the final days of OTA’s.

“From the top of the organization with

Arthur and Thomas down, I knew when I took the job that this organization had been built with great pieces,” said Quinn. “I knew the quality of individual here so for me it was how can I find unique stuff about the pieces that are already here.”

MIXING AND MATCHING…

Under Quinn is a blend of coaches that was put together with a purpose. New defensive coordinator Richard Smith comes in with decades of experience and spent the last four years with the Denver Broncos. Quinn made sure to complement his coaching style with the other defensive coaches.

[Richard] Smith is always challenging and trying to draw out the best in the guys. I thought what a great balance between Richard and Assistant head coach/Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Raheem Morris. So I thought what a combination. With a guy that has the front 7 experience of Richard and the back 7 or pass game experience with Raheem I thought those two guys would be a great partnership and they certainly have been. “

Linebacker coach Jeff Ulbrich is coaching in the NFL for the first time, but it is clear to see why Quinn wanted to bring in the former 49er to lead the middle of this year’s defense.

Ulbrich was promoted to defensive coordinator at UCLA in 2014 after serving as the assistant head coach, linebackers coach, and special teams coordinator during his first two years with the Bruins. Ulbrich’s defensive unit last season was ranked third in the Pac-12 in total defense and under his guidance linebacker Eric Kendricks won the Butkus Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy after topping the nation in solo tackles per game and finishing sixth in the country in total tackles.

Ulbrich is also in a unique position because he played for coach Quinn in San Francisco and the two have a long-standing respect for one another.

“Dan Quinn has been the same guy that he has always been,” explained Ulbrich. “Obviously his knowledge of the game has grown throughout the years but he is still the same just gritty, blue collared, positive, most focused person I’ve ever been around. There’s probably no doubt he’s the best coach I’ve ever been around but on top of that, one of the best human beings I’ve ever been around and I feel fortunate to be working with him.”

Ulbrich is overseeing one of the most competitive position battles of this offseason, but his intensity and understanding of what the guys are going through is exactly what Quinn was looking for when he made the hire.

“I think that’s one of the things that is unique about DQ, in that he wants us to not only develop them as football players but really develop strong relationships and affect these guys on and off the field. And you know, it might help me a little bit the fact that I’m a little closer in age and that I’ve been through it but at the end of the day they want to know that you care, that you have something they value regarding information on the football field but also information that will help them grow as men as long as you have that I don’t know that age matters that much, said Ulbrich”

Ulbrich’s youthful age matches the pace in which he likes to coach and he has been impressed with how this year’s crop of linebackers has handled it.

“It’s awesome,” said Ulbrich about the pace of practice. “It’s like you got a group of Ferraris out here, as far as players. These guys aren’t station wagons, they’re not Priuses, they are high-performance vehicles and I don’t know if it’s very conducive to that sort of ath-

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lete to be just kind of meandering and walking around, getting them on and off so that’s how their built so let’s let them prepare and practice that way and hopefully the byproduct is the game will become very easy for them.”

HEATING UP…

Learning the terminology and working on the calls and signals on the defense throughout OTA’s is going to allow the coaching staff to begin installing certain defensive looks. We have seen the individual work the past three weeks as players fit into the system, but this next phase will be based a lot more on how well certain pieces can play together.

In the secondary, Desmond Trufant has been outstanding this offseason and his leadership and confidence is matched with a level of competitiveness that Quinn compared to Richard Sherman on Tuesday.

On the offensive side of the ball, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman will continue to be tested. Although the two will both see playing time this season, whichever player proves to be the most consistent catching the football and pass blocking will likely be the star in this year’s backfield. Quinn pointed out that the more weapons a running back has, the more the defense is going to have to commit to it when updating the media on their position battle on Tuesday.

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons and AP Images.

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Kennesaw State

UGA QB Battle

Use whatever word you want to describe him: Plucky. Dirty.

Wild. Overmatched. Tenacious.

All these words are fair to describe the undrafted Aussie but somehow he continues to defy the odds—even if it’s not pretty.

In Game 2 he shutdown MVP Stephen Curry and in Game 3 scored 20 points to help Cleveland grab a 2-1 series lead.

Kyrie who?

It has been a good week plus for the Owls. Al Skinner has quickly landed four new players highlighted by two-time state champ at Jonesboro, Tracy Hector. The baseball program has had more players drafted then all other Georgia-based colleges combined through the first 10 rounds and the football team has gone viral with their rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Three players are locked in a position battle for the starting job behind center. Brice Ramsey, Faton Batua and UVA transfer Grayson Lambert are all in hot pursuit to follow Hutson Mason as the next quarterback for the Dawgs. Jacob Park has reportedly left the program narrowing the competition down to see who will be handing the ball off to Nick Chubb this season.

By Cole Erickson

WHO’S HOT

Matthew Dellavedova

SCORE LIST

By Brian Jones

OTAS COMPLETE

The Falcons have finished their three-week long OTA practices, which gave players and coaches an opportunity to get acclimated with themselves and prepare them for the 2015 season. Players like Antone Smith and Joe Hawley came back to work after suffering season-ending injuries last year, and the competition at running back began with Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman.

MINICAMP BEGINS

But the Falcons aren’t done yet because they will now have a mandatory minicamp which will begin on Tuesday. This will be open to the public, so fans will finally get a glimpse of what the new-look Falcons have been doing the last month. I think they will like what they see because the atmosphere will be much better than it was in the past.

NO RELIEF

The Braves relievers are having some growing pains right now. So far this season, the Braves have lost 13 games when either leading or tied after the seventh inning, and it all has to do with the relief pitching not coming through. It may be a rebuilding year, but nobody expected these group of pitchers to struggle this much.

PARKVIEW UNDER INVESTIGATION

The Parkview baseball team, who won the state and national title this season, is under investigation that has to do with a hazing incident in South Carolina. Six upperclassmen are being accused of harassing the younger students during a travel league tournament. This could be very bad for a school that had so much success this year.

AIN’T NO OWL HIGH ENOUGH

The KSU football team made national headlines this week after singing “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough”.

The rendition, which is similar to what was done in the movie “Remember the Titans,” was aired nationally on Good Morning America Wednesday morning. This is what the Owls needed as they get ready for their inaugural season.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Danny Ferry

Logo Creativity

Daz Cameron

The AJC is reporting it is unlikely that Atlanta retains General Manager Danny Ferry moving forward. Ferry, who took a leave of absence after making racial remarks in the offseason, was an integral part in piecing together the Hawks’ 60-win roster. With new ownership coming aboard, it will be interesting to see who the franchise names as GM if Ferry is let go of.

The Hawks revealed their new secondary logo and it isn’t much to get excited about. The silly flaming ball with wings doesn’t seem to fit with the stylish PacMan logo. All the latest logo updates in the NBA have gotten lazy and follow the same circular design while the NFL has gone with graphics with no texture. Sorry, but I’m not a fan.

Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy star outfielder Daz Cameron was a top 10 talent entering this week’s MLB Draft, but slipped due to signability to the No. 37 pick. Agent Scott Boras is known for getting his clients paid, but is a headache to negotiate with. The son of former big leaguer Mike Cameron was just named AJC Baseball Player of the Year.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

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

“

SANITY AT LAST

WHAT FALCONS ASSISTANT COACH PLAYED FOR DAN QUINN ON THE 49ERS?

“I’m more impressed with Trufant above the neck than anything. What he brings to the game, how smart he is, how detailed he is about his work, how good he wants to become”

ANSWER ON PAGE 14

- Falcons assistant head coach Raheem Morris on Desmond Trufant.

67

Hits by Freddie Freeman through Atlanta’s first 58 games

38

Total home-runs hit by the Braves this season (29th in the Majors)

79

Total home-runs hit by the Astros this season (1st in the Majors)

1

Week until the second Corky Kell 7-on-7 Tournament

2

Weeks until the 2015 NBA Draft

4

Opponents faced since the Braves last series win

10

Weeks until the Corky Kell Classic

12

Weeks until the Falcons season opener with the Eagles

Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015

SEMIFINALS

Wednesday, July 22 Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA

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their loss. No parent should have to endure the death of a child.”

Lutzenkirchen’s death came as a result of being a passenger in a drunk-driving incident.

The driver was at a blood-alcohol level of .17, more than double the legal drivers limit of .08.

Lutzenkirchen, who was seated behind driver Ian Davis, had been drinking and was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the police report.

Davis was also killed in the crash and there were two other passengers that both survived.

PREP NEWS

LUTZIE FIELD PROJECT PUT ON HOLD BY COBB CHAIRMAN BY: CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

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fter nearly a year of fundraising efforts by the Lutzie 43 Foundation, Cobb County Board of Education Chairman Randy Scamihorn made a surprise decision last week by taking a proposal to resurface the eight-year old turf at Frank Fillmann Stadium at Lassiter High School off the county agenda.

The Lutzie 43 Foundation was founded following the tragic death of former Lassiter star and Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen in a car crash on June 29 of last year. The project was put in place to dedicate the field in honor of the Foundation.

The financial goal for the project was surpassed with $370,000 raised and the plan was on schedule to begin work on June 15 before a dedication ceremony on August 14 when the Trojans scrimmage North Cobb.

With the planned starting date less than a week away, many in the Lassiter community

were shocked as well as the Lutzie 43 Foundation to see Scamihorn take the proposal completely off the agenda only days before the June 10 board meeting.

Mike Lutzenkirchen, the founder and president of the Lutzie 43 Foundation, said in a statement, “On behalf of the Lutzie 43 Foundation and my family, we are so humbled by the generous support we have received for the Lutzie Field project. While we are saddened by the delay in the project, we hope the project can be reviewed and approved by the CCSD Board of Education as soon as possible.”

The details and reason behind taking the proposal off the agenda is still unknown and little information was provided by the county on Tuesday. A statement sent to Score Atlanta from Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale read: “I have met with the family and The Lutzie 43 Foundation and I am deeply sorry for

A POSITIVE MESSAGE…

His father, Mike Lutzenkirchen, and many in the Lassiter community, see the Foundation’s stamp on the field as something to remind everyone about drinking and driving. The Foundation also wants to remember Lutzenkirchen’s positive impact on his teammates at Lassiter and Auburn as well as the community.

“The sponsors in the community want Philip’s name connected to the field to help push this message,’’ said Lassiter athletics director Art O’Neil.

Through social media and the support in the community, the project’s organizers hope that the Lutzie Field Project will be brought back to the board before the Cobb County school district’s next meeting on June 25. According to the Lutzie 43 Foundation, this would still allow enough time to complete the project

before the scheduled dedication on Aug. 14.

“Philip Lutzenkirchen embodied the values of leadership, compassion, hard work and faith that resonate in our community and that make this area such a special place to live and raise a family,” reflected Kyle Cooper, chief executive officer of Property Masters, a local landscaping business. “As a local business owner and Lassiter alumni, I would be proud to see my high school alma mater rebrand its stadium field as Lutzie Field.”

At Lassiter, Lutzenkirchen was one of the best players to ever come out of Cobb County and recorded 72 receptions for 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns his senior season. As a junior, he hauled in 46 receptions for 496 yards and seven scores while adding 48 tackles, an interception and a blocked punt. He was named a consensus Class Class AAAAA All-State as a senior by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association and appeared in all 13 games his freshman season at Auburn. Lutzenkirchen signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent after college but eventually began working and volunteer coaching at an Alabama high school.

Photos courtesy of Lutzie 43 Foundation Twitter Page.

Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015

A young athlete’s brain is still developing, so don’t take chances with a head injury. Bring him to Children’s, where doctors have the expertise to diagnose and treat concussions. And with ImPACT testing, we can compare a patient’s progress to a normal baseline score to help determine when he’s ready to play again. To schedule a baseline ImPACT test for your athlete or team, visit choa.org/baselinetesting.

TM

©2014 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved.

TM

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015 UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

QUARTERBACK JACOB PARK LEAVES GEORGIA

BY DAN MATHEWS | DMATHEWS@SCOREATL.COM

A

ccording to at least two reports Tuesday night, redshirt freshman quarterback Jacob Park has decided to leave the Georgia Bulldogs football program. Coming out of spring practice, it looked like that Park would be the third man on the depth chart heading into fall camp.

Dawgs247.com reports that Park could be thinking about playing at a junior college this coming season. It was reported earlier

by UGASports.com’s Radi Nabulsi that Park had already spoken with former UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo over the weekend.

Nabulsi has since reported that a source tells him that actually has NOT happened.

Nabulsi is also reporting through an anonymous source that Park cleaned out his locker and told Georgia coaches “I quit.”

Another twist in this story, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chip Towers spoke with Park’s father and says that no such decision has been made to his knowledge.

If Park is leaving Georgia, he is a redshirt

GEORGIA STATE

LADY PANTHERS LAND VETERAN ASSISTANT COACH

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

he women’s basketball program added an T experienced voice to the bench last week to help guide the Panthers with the hiring of

Latricia Trammell. The former NAIA Coach of the Year won back-to-back national championships at Oklahoma City University before inking a deal to bring her winning pedigree to Atlanta. Trammell compiled an 85-10 record through three seasons and ruled the Sooner Athletic Conference with a total record of 513. Combining her college and high school head coaching careers, Trammell is 255-131 (.661).

Trammell has seen Oklahoma City produce nine All-Americans and 23 All-SAC honorees under her guidance. She joins coaches Erin Batth and Cameron Sealey as assistants to head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener.

TRACK & FIELD MAKE STRIDES IN 2015 ...

With the track and field season officially over, head coach Chris England could not be more proud of his girls’ effort this season. “If I had to use just one word to describe the 2015 Georgia State track and field season, that word

freshman and still has credit to complete toward his undergraduate degree. That means he would not be eligible to play right away at another FBS program. He would sit out a season and lose that year of eligibility should he decide to go that route.

That said, if Park decided to go to junior college or drop down to the FCS level he would be eligible to play right away.

THREE’S COMPANY...

Now that Park has reportedly left the program, Georgia has three quarterbacks under scholarship heading into fall camp. This means that redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey, Junior Faton Bauta, and Virginia transfer/junior Grayson Lambert will be up for the job.

“I just want to say thank (you) dawg nation and everyone else who made my stay in Athens special. Never will forget the people and friends. Time to move on and turn the page to the next chapter. Go Dawgs.”

Dawgs247.com was the first report that Park was leaving and said the 6-foot-4, 202-pound redshirt freshman was destined for junior college.

Park did not answer phone calls or return text messages. His father, Adam Park of Goose Creek, S.C., insisted he knew nothing of it.

Jacob Eason of Lake Stevens, Washington is the No. 1-ranked quarterback prospect in the country and will be enrolling at UGA in January and that influenced the decision as well.

would be success,” said England. “From the team standpoint, we battled to the last event in the outdoor conference championship meet with a chance to win and we scored our program’s most points in the indoor conference championship,” the sixth-year head coach noted. “From an individual perspective, the accomplishments have GSU on the map and being noticed.”

The team missed out on an outdoor Sun Belt title by just nine points as they finished with 129. The Panthers won seven events during the conference meet and had nine competitors earn All-Sun Belt honors with top three finishes. Junior Ravin Gilbert was named Most Outstanding Track Performer after accumulating 24 points at the conference meet along with two titles. LaPorscha Wells also gained high honors by being named the Most Outstanding Field Performer after tallying 20 points and two titles of her own.

JONES A HIT IN FIRST YEAR ...

Justin Jones was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team after playing a starring role for the Panthers at shortstop. Jones hit .297 with 35 runs scored and 28 runs batted in, ranking first among Sun Belt Conference freshmen in batting average, hits and runs scored and second in RBI. The former state champion at Houston County is Georgia State’s third Freshman All-American in the last three years. Off the diamond, Jones was also a star, earning Dean’s List recognition in the fall and President’s List honors this spring.

GEORGIA TECH

WICKER THE MAN FOR THE JOB

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

J

ohn David Wicker was named Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations on Monday after a four-year stint at San Diego State.

Wicker brings over vast experience to Atlanta.

He was Senior Associate AD/Chief Operating Officer before moving to Deputy AD his final year out West. There, he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations including business operations, human resources, events and facilities, capital projects and more.

“I’m very pleased that John David is joining our senior leadership team,” Athletic Director Mike Bobinski said. “He’s an accomplished professional who will bring extensive experience and new perspectives to our athletic program. I’m excited by the positive impact John David will have and welcome him and his family to Georgia Tech.”

Wicker graduated from Mississippi State in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in professional accountancy. He later went on to receive his master’s in education with an emphasis on sports management from Georgia in 1997.

KENNESAW STATE

TWO OWLS PICKED UP IN MLB DRAFT

BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

T

he baseball season may be over for the Owls, but for a few players, their careers are only beginning.

The 2015 MLB Amateur Draft took place this week and two Owls were selected on the second day. Travis Bergen was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh round while Kal Simmons was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth round. Both players were selected 14 picks apart.

Bergen was able to have a great season for the Owls at the mound. He made 14 starts, won six of them and put in 100 innings of work.

He also led the Atlantic Sun Conference in innings pitched and he was named to the Atlantic Sun First Team All-Conference. Bergen tallied 84 strikeouts and two complete games.

Simmons also had a strong year as he started in 55 of the possible 56 games. He hit a career-high 10 home runs and a .269 batting average. Simmons also notched 57 hits, which was second-best on the team, and stole 15

11

BOBBY DODD GETS SOME SATISFACTION ...

The Rolling Stones rocked Bobby Dodd Stadium on June 9 for a historic performance the city of Atlanta will not forget. The Hall of Fame group invaded the Georgia Tech campus for the first time since Nov. 21, 1989 and did not disappoint. Score Atlanta’s own Craig Sager II was in attendance and simply described the event as “epic.”

THE PODIUM AWAITS ...

Samantha Becker, a senior from Atlanta, is set to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon this Thursday. The former Milton Eagle has pole vaulted her into a shot at capturing a national title. She was the 12th qualifier for the pole vault in the 2015 NCAA East Preliminaries, hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. Becker qualified with a height of 4.18m (13-8.50) to punch her ticket for her first ever trip to the national meet.

HEAD WEST ...

The Yellow Jackets offered Norco High School quarterback Victor Viramontes on Tuesday. Listed as an athlete, Viramontes is a fast rising athlete who fits the mold coach Paul Johnson looks for. Not only does Viramontes take snaps, but he also lines up at both safety and linebacker.

Athletic versatility has been a staple during Johnson’s fruitful tenure at Tech. The 6-foot-2, 220 pounder is regarded as a three-star prospect according to 247Sports. Wisconsin, Washington State, Colorado and Nebraska are among the schools to have offered the rising senior.

bases on 19 attempts. The career batting average for Simmons was .276 in 169 games. He also compiled 183 hits, 23 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 88 RBIs. Bergen will join former Owl standouts Max Pentecost and Chad Jenkins in Toronto.

Pentecost won the Johnny Bench Award last year and was drafted 11th overall. Jenkins was drafted 20th overall in the 2009 draft.

Simmons will join former Owl Ronnie Freeman in Arizona. Freeman was drafted in the fifth round in the 2012 draft, and he’s currently playing for the Double-A affiliate Mobile Baybears.

Bergen and Simmons are now the 57th and 58th players from KSU to be drafted since the baseball program began 32 years ago.

FOOTBALL REMEMBERS THE TITANS…

The football team has started summer workouts, which can be a drag at times. But the team made it fun at the end of one workout last week as the entire team began singing “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough”, and it was all caught on video.

The football team’s rendition of the classic song was so well-done, media outlets such as USA Today, E! Online, Fox Sports, CBS Sports and NFL.com all shared the video because it was just like the scene in the movie “Remember the Titans.”

The team will kick-off its inaugural season on Sept. 3 when they travel to Johnson City, Tennessee to face East Tennessee State.

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

Vol. 11 Iss. 22 | June 12-25, 2015 ATLANTA HAWKS

FERRY NOT EXPECTED TO RETURN

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

S

ometimes life isn’t fair and one mistake can cost you the opportunity of a lifetime. A recent report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution suggests that General Manager Danny Ferry will not remain with the team moving forward. Ferry, who helped construct a Hawks team that was mired with bad contracts such as Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, was a part of the front office that laid the foundation for this year’s record breaking season. The acquisitions of Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll and others can be linked to Ferry and his work as general manager.

The GM caught a raw deal when it was leaked that he had read a scouting report on then free agent Luol Deng that said, “He’s a good guy on the cover but he’s an African. He has a little two-step in him=says what you like to hear, but behind closed doors he could be killing you. Con isn’t bad, but it’s there.” Ferry expanded on the report during a phone call saying, “He’s a good guy overall, but he’s not perfect. He’s got some African in him. And I

don’t say that in a bad way.”

Ferry has since apologized for reading the scouting report which he did not compose. He explained that he was “repeating comments that were gathered from numerous sources during background conversations and scouting about different players.” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has previously come to Ferry’s defense stating “In my view, those comments, taken alone, do not merit him losing his job,” using the reasoning that the words were taken out of context.

JUDGEMENT DAY ...

Coach Budenholzer’s court date has been set for July 29 regarding misdemeanor charges stemming from driving under the influence and defective or no taillights. Bud was arrested on Aug. 28, 2013 and faces up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine, a suspended license and community service. Chris Vivlamore reports that it is most likely he is suspended by the NBA for two games similar to the punishment current Bucks head coach Jason Kidd received.

WATKINSON WALKS ...

Conditioning coach Jeff Watkinson is no longer a part of the Hawks staff and will now call Salt Lake City home. Jazz head coach Quin Snyder has worked with Watkinson in Atlanta and also in college at Missouri, making the familiar face a logical target. He will now be faced with the tall task of putting meat on Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

T

it mildly. Atlanta has blown a whopping 11 saves in 2015 and it has already used 17 different pitchers out of the ‘pen. How many is that? Well, the Braves have played 58 games and have already showcased more relievers than they did throughout the entire 162-game slate in 2014. Prior to the win over San Diego, the bullpen was sporting a disastrous 4.90 ERA. During the recent stretch in which they lost five of six contests, the Braves’ lone victory came on a Christian Bethancourt walk-off homer after…you guessed it…a blown save had given the Pittsburgh Pirates new life.

THE ‘PEN IS NOT MIGHTIER …

Tuesday’s bullpen success was an aberration as opposed to the recent rule, to put

DRAFT DAY …

The Braves selected high school pitcher Kolby Allard with the No. 14 overall pick of the draft on Tuesday. Allard had once been projected to go off the board much earlier, but a back injury forced him to miss almost all of his senior season and put a dent in his value. The southpaw had committed to play for UCLA, but he has confirmed that will now bypass college and sign with Atlanta.

As owners of five picks in the draft’s first 75 slots, the Braves had an opportunity to stockpile talent on Day 1. Another one of those five turned out to be Allard’s teammate— catcher, in fact—at San Clemente High School in California. Atlanta selected Lucas Herbert at 54th and a photo of the two friends in Braves gear was circulating on Twitter later that night.

ATLANTA BRAVES

BRAVES TRYING TO PERSEVERE THROUGH BULLPEN WOES

BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

he Atlanta Braves stormed back from a fiverun deficit against the San Diego Padres to pick up a much-needed win on Tuesday at Turner Field. Atlanta had lost five of its previous six games, in part because of a struggling bullpen that was especially inept last week in Arizona in the opener of the series with San Diego. Another loss seemed to be in the cards at the hands of the Padres, but the Braves stormed back from 5-0 down to win 6-5. Andrelton Simmons ignited the rally with a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning and Joey Terdoslavich’s first career major-league home run in the eighth proved to be the game-winner.

Surprisingly, if not shockingly, relievers got the job done in a big way. Five different men came out of the ‘pen and combined to hurl 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Jason Grilli recorded his 16th save of the season.

ATLANTA FALCONS

FANS TO GET FIRSTHAND LOOK AT MINI-CAMP

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Falcons will enter a new phase next week as OTA’s come to a close and the fan base will get its first chance to see the 2015 team in action as mini-camp opens to the public. The Atlanta Falcons minicamp built by The Home Depot will take place at the club’s Flowery Branch training facility, located at 4400 Falcon Parkway, beginning on Tuesday, June 16 and concluding on Thursday, June 18. Children 17 and under are invited to attend Kid’s Day at minicamp on Wednesday, June 17, which will include giveaways, prizes, and appearances by Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders and Freddie Falcon. On Tuesday the gates open at 12:30 p.m. and practice begins at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday’s practice also begins at 1:30 p.m., but the gates will open at noon. The final day open to the public is Thursday and practice is at 11:30 a.m.

The gates will open at 10:30 a.m. for the morning session.

Mini-camp’s arrival means the close of

ATLANTA DREAM

FORMER DREAM TURN HOME OPENER INTO NIGHTMARE

BY KYLE SANDY | KSANDY@SCOREATL.COM

T

he Dream (0-2) dropped a pair of games to open up the 2015 season, falling in New York to the Liberty 82-73, then at home to the Connecticut Sun 75-70. It is a slow start to the season after the Dream captured an Eastern Conference best 19-15 mark a year ago.

Atlanta trailed early on Friday and allowed 30 points to the Liberty (1-1) in the first period.

Four players scored in double figures for New York led by Tina Charles’ 17 points and 12 rebounds. Swin Cash chipped in 15 points as the Liberty shot 48 percent from the field. Angel McCoughtry poured in a game-high 27 points, but the Dream struggled to find easy buckets. Tiffany Hayes scored 17 points going 5-of-18 from the field while the entire team shot under 36 percent.

Veteran bigs Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza, who will play key factors in the Dream’s success this season, could not get anything going against Charles and the rest of the Liberty frontline. The two combined to shoot 3-of-11 from the field with nine points and nine fouls.

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three weeks of OTA’s and new head coach Dan Quinn has been happy with the work ethic and development seen within from Day 1. Another positive of OTA’s was seeing the return of players that suffered injuries last season. William Moore, Jalen Collins, Peter Konz, Jake Matthews and Brooks Reed returned to practice in limited capacities.

Tuesday’s practice unique as former players were brought in to meet the new coaches and talk with the team. A number of former Falcons attended the practice, including Tommy Nobis, Bob Whitfield and Brian Finneran.

“It was nice to have so many of the alumni players out there today,” Quinn said. “To get connected with a guy like Tommy Nobis and Bob Whitfield and Brian Finneran … I really enjoyed talking to those guys.”

EMERGING LEADER…

Desmond Trufant has been stepping up as a leader and has been one of the most impressive playmakers through the first three weeks of OTA’s. Trufant has embraced this role and helped rookie Jalen Collins as well as the other young players.

“I know when I first came in, I had guys like Robert McClain,” Trufant said, “guys that were helping me as a rookie. So it’s only right that I do that for (Collins).”

HOME OPENER SPOILED ...

On Sunday the Dream saw a five point halftime lead turn into a five point loss, 75-70.

The Sun hit seven three-pointers led by Chelsea Gray’s 3-for-3 shooting from deep, a part of her 14 point performance. Alex Bentley, who player her rookie season in Atlanta, scored a game-high 17 points to lead Connecticut.

Former Dream guard Jasmine Thomas suited up for the first time since being traded on draft night for the No. 19 pick. Thomas had fallen out of favor with Atlanta after she shot just 32 percent in 2014. The four-year guard out of Duke put on a defensive clinic and provided an offensive spark with 13 points, six rebounds and seven steals against her former teammates.

The Dream turned the ball over 25 times led by McCoughtry’s six. Angel finished with 10 points and six rebounds forcing Sancho Lyttle to pick up the slack with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Erika de Souza pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with her eight points in the loss and first round pick Samantha Logic logged her first minutes and points of her career when she drilled a three.

UP NEXT ...

The San Antonio Stars (0-1) visit Philips Arena at 7 P.M. on Thursday before the Dream ship out to Washington to play the Mystics (20) on Friday.

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