Male Student Athlete of the Month

By Kevin Price

The Richmond Hill boys basketball team put an

experienced starting lineup on the floor when the

current high school season started.

And the combined skill and know-how among the first

five made the Wildcats a tough team to beat from the

start.

One of the team’s experienced players is senior Jaeden

Marshall who 912 Sports has selected as the Coastal

Pines Technical College Student-Athlete of the Month

for January.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior guard has been a steady

player for the Wildcats throughout the season which is

approaching the final regular-season game.

Marshall currently leads the team in scoring with 15.5

points per game while ranking third on the squad in

rebounding with 6.1 boards per contest. Marshall also

leads the Wildcats with 51 assists per game.

“He does a little bit of everything for us,” said Richmond

Hill coach Bill Henderson. “He’s a a big-body and he’s

physical. He scores from outside and around the basket.

He’s done a better job rebounding this year and has just

matured and developed his overall game.”

And Marshall’s drive to success has served the Wildcats

well as they are the favorites to win a second

consecutive Region 2-AAAAAA championship before

having a good chance to make a deep run in the Class

AAAAAA state tournament.

The Wildcats entered this week ranked sixth in the state

and they are currently 16-1 overall and 8-1 in region

play with three games to go in the regular season.

They will close out the regular schedule with home

games Friday against Brunswick and Saturday against

Glynn before playing at Effingham on Tuesday in the

season finale.

The Wildcats won 16 in a row before falling 54-49 last

Friday at Statesboro which has lost only twice in 18

games this year.

Marshall actually did not play in the loss to the Blue

Devils, a game that was deadlocked at 49-all late. He

also missed the Wildcats’ previous game last Tuesday

which the team managed to win 60-55 over a struggling

South Effingham team.

He is likely looking forward to facing off with Brunswick

again on Friday. The last time the teams met, Marshall

scored 29 points and grabbed 10 boards for a double-

double while also notching seven assists.

The Wildcats topped Brunswick 86-70 earlier and their

point-total was their largest of the season.

“We don’t usually score like that,” Henderson explained,

“so we don’t normally have guys averaging 20 points.

This year, we have five guys averaging in double-

figures.”

Of course, Marshall is one of them. And he knows when

it’s time to turn it on and get the job done, whether the

Wildcats are on offense or defense.

“He’s started since he was a sophomore,” Henderson

said. “He’s played in a lot of big games as has everyone

in our core group. And really, this group’s togetherness

is part of the reason we have the success we’ve had this

year.”

By Kevin Price

             The Statesboro girls basketball team is                                    close to finishing out a

              perfect regular season, and senior guard                   Jamiah Jones has

                    given the Lady Blue Devils one solid                 performance after another

to help the team keep its unbeaten record in place.

               The 5-foot-6 standout, who wears No. 10,                            is averaging a team-

                 best 10.3 points while also sharing the                          team lead with 43 steals

                  and ranking second on the team with                                   30 assists for the season.

                   But all of what she does to help the                                 Lady Blue Devils succeed on

               the court doesn’t show up in a box score                          as her coach points out.

            “She is a huge part of our program’s success,               ” said Statesboro

              coach Marty Holder. “She is our captain and               senior leader. She

serves as a role model for our underclassmen.”

              With Jones leading the way, Statesboro is                   currently 17-0 on the

            season with a 11-0 ledger in Region 2-AAAAAA.              The Lady Blue

             Devils are ranked eighth in the class rankings                that are topped

by some serious heavyweights.

The team will step outside the region to                         face Northside this Friday before finishing out the regular-season schedule next

Tuesday at Brunswick.

             “(Jamiah) has sacrificed some of her scoring                   and learned to

                       trust her teammates,” Holder said.                                  “She has really bought into

                        what we are trying to do this year.                                   She has a high basketball IQ

                 and actually offers suggestions to the                       coaching staff about schemes and plays.

“ She is a gym rat and continuously wants to get better. 

I’m grateful that I am able to coach Jamiah Jones.”

Holder said Jones is currently drawing interests from several colleges who are recruiting her to come play for them, but she has not yet decided on which one to accept. Jones has a 4.0 GPA.

“She is an amazing student-athlete,” Holder concluded.