Bradenton, Fla - The Florida vs Georgia Thanksgiving Classic comes to a close at Hal Chasey Gymnasium as the SCF basketball team (9-3) finished with a clean sweep after defeating Albany Tech (6-2) 73-67. As a result, the Manatees were named co-champions with #9 Indian River State (10-1), who defeated #17 South Georgia Tech (6-3) 94-82. RV Georgia Highlands (4-5) would upset #7 Eastern Florida State (6-3) 75-70 to wrap up the classic.
“It feels good to go 3-0 against three really good teams,” said head coach Tom Parks. "We wanted to do this classic for many reasons, but I think Georgia was getting sick and tired of hearing how good Florida JUCO basketball is. I think there is some really competitive teams and some of them didn't come to the classic, but I'm really thankful for all the teams that came out in terms of getting those wins."
"The other reason was we wanted to play three games in three days and depending on the year it is, a lot of times in the state tournament you have to win three and three. It gets crazier at the national tournament where you have to win five games in a very short amount of time, depending if you get a bye or not, so we're just trying to do our best to help prepare the guys for a potential postseason run and to be able to have them feel what it's like to play three games in three days, know how to recover, treat your body and do what you have to do to make sure you're ready for the next day and I thought our guys did a really good job at being prepared, studying the scouting reports for a very quick turnaround, so it feels good to end up with three wins in three days."
“It felt good,” said freshman Jacari White. "We had some momentum going in and coming off and it felt great to play as a team. We came out a little slow in the game tonight and we need to try and break that cycle from the last three games, but overall we came back, played defense and we got stops when we needed them to get the win."
“Today's game was a tough one,” said freshman Ametri Moss. "They (Albany Tech) are a good team and we had to come out with intensity, which we did in the second half. We didn't let our foot off the brakes and we just got the victory tonight."
"Out of all the games from the tournament, I was really concerned on this one particularly," said Parks on facing Albany Tech. "I think Albany Tech came in as a team that didn't have much notoriety in recognition or rankings, compared to Georgia Highlands, who was receiving votes in the national polls. Obviously, South Georgia Tech came in as the #17 team in the country. People thought that Albany Tech is an afterthought because if you watch them play for a few possessions the very first game, they're a very good team and very well-coached and you can just tell with certain teams where they're on the same page when we play for each other. Albany Tech is a very selfless team that did things offensively and defensively that showed how together they were and they never stopped playing, so for that game to be the third one, and potentially one of the toughest games we played against a scrappy team that doesn't quit, is always scary, so it felt good to get the win over them."
In the first half, the Manatees got off to a slow start and were constantly battling with lead changes and ties, but after a few changes in plays the Manatees were able to take the first half 34-31.
The second half proved to be much edgier for the Manatees as they battled to keep the lead in their favor and after modifications to their plays and defense, the Manatees were able to seal the deal and claim the sweep.
"It felt good being co-champions, especially when we're hosting it," said Moss. "It's a big accomplishment for us and I feel like it will put us out there when we went 3-0 against the top teams in Georgia, so I felt like it was a great opportunity for us and the program."
Five players scored in double figures for the Manatees. Sophomore James ‘Pop’ Weathers would lead the way with 19 points (5-for-14 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 8-for-10 FT), four rebounds, four assists and one block. White would follow with 15 points (5-for-11 FG, 4-for-8 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), four rebounds and one block off the bench. In fact, White was the only Manatee to score off the bench.
"I just had a lot of confidence tonight," said White on his game. "I just kept shooting and knew my ability to make shots and that's what I did."
"Jacari is a special player and he is very talented," said Parks on White. "He's another freshman that is learning every day, but the beautiful thing about him is he plays such good defense that we need him on the court late in the game to finish games and he's someone who makes mistakes but plays through them and learn from them. He's good as well as he shoots the ball, even though he started off shooting slow and I told him to stick with it and he's being hitting the gym a lot more, but the biggest thing with him is his on-ball defense and defensive intensity is on another level and him and 'Pop' really play well off each other from the defensive end and get each other going, which is really nice compared to last year where we didn't have any elite defenders and Jacari likes taking on that role with a lot of pride, which is really cool."
Freshman Djorde Gobovic and sophomore Clarence Cummings III would each finish with 11 points. Gobovic (5-for-9 FG, 1-for-2 FT) added eight rebounds and one block, while Cummings III added three rebounds, four assists and one steal.
"We still have to keep figuring out way to incorporate Goba offensively," said Parks on Gobovic. "He's similar to Marshall Kearing in a sense of a unique skill set, and as a coach they are different and I have to adjust how to play in order for him to get touches to be successful. He's successful on the block, but he can also do special things on the perimeter and play through some mistakes, but he's a competitor. The thing about Goba is he doesn't care who he plays against. You can bring in the Los Angeles Lakers and he would be fired up and not scared at all with a different mentality about him, so when we play a physically opposing team he gets fired up, which I love, and he gets guys going, he's goofy, fun and plays hard."
Moss would round out the order with 10 points (4-for-10 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
"I felt like I had a good game, even if I started slow," said Moss on his game. "I picked it up in the second half where my team needs me and that's how it went tonight."
"The thing with Meech is that he is learning so much right now and is getting better every single game," said Parks on Moss. "People don't know how good he is and he is special and works really hard on the defensive end and I can appreciate that. He wasn't always pushed that way in high school and had some bad habits coming in, primarily from the defensive side and he wants to be on the floor and learns as quick as possible so he can more. He went from someone who would finish one game on the season for us in terms of being at the end of the game to finishing the last four for us."
Sophomore Kwo Agwa (two rebounds and one assist) and freshmen Cobey Harraway (eight points, three rebounds, one block and four steals) and Ronnail Tape (five rebounds and one assist) also contributed in the game.
For the Titans, sophomore Jalen Nesmith lead the way offensively with 26 points and five assists and two rebounds, while classmate John Egbuta followed with 15 points and six rebounds and Zeff Felton lead with 12 rebounds and five blocks to go along with six points.
Final Classic Standings:
#9 Indian River State (3-0)
SCF (3-0)
#7 Eastern Florida (1-2)
RV Georgia Highlands (1-2)
Albany Tech (1-2)
#17 South Georgia Tech (0-3)
Notes:
The inaugural Florida vs Georgia Thanksgiving All-Classic Team was later named with 12 players (two from each team) as listed:
Marvin McGhee III (South Georgia Tech)
Jalen Reynolds (South Georgia Tech)
Christian Jackson (Georgia Highlands)
TJ Porter (Georgia Highlands)
Jalen Nesmith (Albany Tech)
John Egbuta (Albany Tech)
AJ Cajuste (Indian River State) Co-All-Classic MVP
Bendji Pierre (Indian River State)
Brody Boyer (Eastern Florida State)
Justin Reid (Eastern Florida State)
James 'Pop' Weathers (SCF) Co-All-Classic MVP
Ametri Moss (SCF)
With his 19 points, Weathers now has 588 in his career and need 412 to reach 1,000 career points.
Other Southern Conference Scores:
Miami Dade (4-4) would fall to #12 Northwest Florida State (8-1) 78-56. The Sharks will play #4 Chipola College (7-1) Sunday afternoon in Niceville.
Hillsborough (5-3) defeated St. Pete (3-6) 49-48. The Hawks will take on Santa Fe College (8-1) Wednesday night, December 1.
Upcoming Southern Conference Schedule:
11/30:
RV Florida Southwestern vs Polk State
12/1:
Hillsborough @ Santa Fe
12/4:
#9 Indian River State @ Pasco-Hernando State
Hillsborough vs Albany Tech
RV FSW vs Daytona State
Miami Dade @ #7 Eastern Florida State
Up Next:
The Manatees return to action next weekend as they face Daytona State (4-5) at home Friday night, December 3 at 7 pm before heading on the road to Gainesville to take on RV Santa Fe College (8-1) Saturday afternoon, December 4 at 2 pm.
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