In what seems like a flash, we’ve arrived at the exit ramp for another season.
The basketball regular season is winding down, and the wrestling postseason is already upon us. We’re in the season of celebrating seniors as they play their final home games, which will soon give way to tearful sendoffs.
Here are “Five Things I Think I Know” presented by Coligny.
• We have some serious girls hoops talent in the Lowco.
As of this moment, six area girls teams have at least 14 wins — Hilton Head Christian Academy (24-2), John Paul II (20-2), Bluffton (19-3), Whale Branch (17-7), Beaufort Academy (14-3), and May River (14-5) — and each of them is a threat to be playing deep into the playoffs. And these aren’t one-woman teams. The depth of talent is staggering, from HHCA’s Triple Threat to Bluffton’s dynamite duo of “TnT” with tons of standouts in between. If you’re not showing up to the gym until the final minutes of the girls games, you’re missing the best part of the show.
And speaking of talented female hoop stars…
• JPII’s Tkai DeVore is one of a kind.
DeVore is a rare talent who can take over the game in every way possible. The reigning All-Lowco Player of the Year, DeVore is averaging 18.6 points, 13 rebounds, 4.2 steals, 4.0 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game for the Golden Warriors. There is no doubt she could help a college program next season. But DeVore is choosing a different path and enlisting in the U.S. Army. Carlo Perruzza found out more about her unexpected path in this week’s Lowco Rundown.
But the dudes aren’t bad either …
• Boys hoops is also on the rise.
Let’s face it: We haven’t turned out a ton of boys basketball talent in recent years, as evidenced by the fact that no one can seem to recall the last Division I men’s basketball signee from Beaufort County before Nick Pringle. And while we still aren’t producing top-tier talent, the quality of basketball across the board is improving. Ridgeland-Hardeeville’s boys just clinched their seventh straight region title and are aiming for a third straight trip to the Class 3A state championship game, Pringle’s Whale Branch team is a serious contender in Class 2A, Hilton Head High is enjoying a resurgence in coach Chane Brown’s first season, and Hilton Head Prep is reloaded and gunning for back-to-back SCISA 2A titles. And that’s not to mention a number of other teams that could make noise in the postseason.
But don’t forget the hardest working athletes in all of sports …
• There’s going to be some great wrestling happening in the Lowco next weekend.
These dudes have been grinding all year, working on their technique and trimming down to their optimal weight classes, and it all comes down to this. Bluffton will host the Class 4A Lower State individual qualifier, and May River will host the Class 3A qualifier, so the road to the state championship goes through the Lowco. If you’re a fan of the sport — or just curious about one of the fastest-growing sports in the Southeast, and the fastest-growing in the country among girls — this is the time to check it out. Wrestling fans are a welcoming bunch who will be happy to give you a crash course in understanding what you’re watching.
One tournament I’ll miss watching …
• The Players Amateur was great, but its time has passed.
The area’s premiere amateur golf event was discontinued in December to little fanfare, which was sadly fitting. The Players Amateur got more of the sendoff it deserved from Bluffton Today this week, which made us reflect on its 20-year run, first at Belfair Golf Club and later at Berkeley Hall. The event once had great value for the Heritage Classic Foundation, which used the top-tier amateur tournament to build relationships with the PGA Tour stars of the future in hopes those bonds would help strengthen future fields at the RBC Heritage. But the only bond that seems to ensure loyalty these days is cash, as evidenced by the fact that South Carolina native son Dustin Johnson — a Players Am alum — didn’t bother to show for the Heritage during its biggest time of need (the dreaded Year Without A Sponsor) but promptly returned when he became a Team RBC Ambassador. The Players Amateur was a fantastic event that everyone loved, but the price tag simply became too high for the return, and the Heritage Classic Foundation’s funds are better spent elsewhere. It was fun while it lasted.
By Justin Jarrett
