The 2010 Class 5A boys champion Milton Eagles returned nearly all of its roster in tact, having lost zero seniors and even added a huge piece off of the bench to give the Milton faithful hope of a mythical national championship. Despite two losses early on in the season, Milton is still the top ranked team in the state’s highest classification and top five in several national polls as the team enters the 2011 GHSA state semi-finals. The Eagles boast six players with Division I offers and a coach with five state titles and have to be considered the one of the best collections of talent ever to be assembled in the history of Georgia high school basketball. But are they THE best ever?
The Milton Eagles attack is headed up by Shannon Scott, a dominating point guard that at 6’2 can see the floor well and has enough size to post up a defender as well as break him down. ESPN.com’s recruiting service has him receiving a grade of 96 and calls him “an excellent floor general that does a good job of running the team.” Scott is headed to Ohio State, where he should slide right up the list of top point guards during Thad Matta’s tenure with the Buckeyes. Scott has been hailed as the top college prospect in the state of Georgia by Score Atlanta and GPB recruiting expert Scott Janovitz, who likes Scott’s ability to glide to the hoop and the nice mid-range game Scott brings every night. Every strong team needs some one fearless enough to bring the ball up the floor and at 6’2, Scott has a size advantage over nearly every defender he sees matching up against him. He will play in the McDonald’s All-American game on March 30
Who does Scott dump the ball to once the offense is initiated? For starters, how about Georgia Tech-bound power forward Julian Royal? Standing 6’8, Royal can face up to the basket like few other high schoolers with his size, and this season Royal has added a few back-to-the-basket moves that will benefit him at the next level. Royal is one of the top 60 players in the country and he alone would be enough to make folks come out to the games if not for his uber-talented teammates hooping it up beside him.
Scott is joined in the backcourt by a defensive whiz who is heading to Vanderbilt next year in Dai-Jon Parker. The 6’2 off-guard has amazing athleticism and can jump out of the building. Parker had offers from most SEC programs and even had Duke’s Coach K interested before he decided upon Vanderbilt. The defensive dynamo can score in bunches too if his team needed it, but his intensity as a defender may very well lead to a stellar career in Nashville where he could wind up being one of the best Commodores ever.
Jordan Loyd is another senior on the team and the self-less guard is headed to Furman. Loyd is sometimes forgotten about with Royal, Scott and Parker trotting around the court, but if you forget about him for too long, he makes you pay. It was Loyd that led the team in points and rebounds in its quarterfinal victory over Mill Creek.
Then you get to the juniors, who might be even better than the seniors. Shaquille Johnson is the first player off of the bench for Milton and Johnson is known across the south for his “prowess at leaping and dunking” according to one writer from the Huntsville Times. A YouTube video of Johnson breaking a backboard in an AAU game was also very popular earlier this year. Johnson is headed to Auburn and has grown into an all-around player, not just a thunder-dunker during his time with Milton.
Perhaps the best player currently on Milton’s roster is junior small forward Evan Nolte, who as a sophomore was receiving interest from Duke, UNC and a host of other colleges. Nolte earned his stripes by knocking down three after three in last year’s playoffs and he can move without the ball to get into a better position. At 6’8 he is a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches and he has a very special skill-set that is hard to match on the prep level. Nolte admitted recently that Milton is the best high school team in the nation. “We are playing well right now.”
But is this team, coached by one of the nation’s best in David Boyd, the greatest ever in Georgia history? Royal thinks you’d have to consider the team to be because of its success against the tough schedule. “We (played) more of a national schedule, perhaps even (competed) for a ‘national title.’”
Some recent teams might have an argument or two though. The 2006 Norcross boys team went 28-4 en route to the school’s first of three straight state titles in Class 5A. The squad was coached by the legendary Eddie Martin and starred eventual Kentucky standout Jodie Meeks, Georgia Tech star Gani Lawal and future NBA lottery pick Al-Farouq Aminu.
Another team from the 2006 season was Columbia, which went 32-1, including winning its last 31 games to take a GHSA state crown. Jeremy Price and Travis Leslie went on to Georgia and Lance Storrs plays in the ACC for Georgia Tech.
There would have to be some girls teams also to enter the discussion as best ever. The 2007 Collins Hill girls team went undefeated and was led to the school’s third straight title by senior Maya Moore, who has since gone on to star at UConn. The 2010 Norcross girls were buoyed by two sensational freshmen Kaela Davis and Diamond DeShields as well as a fine supporting cast of juniors and seniors.
The Wesleyan girls program has also been a force for the last decade, winning at both the Class AA and A level. It is hard to single out one team but the 2009 Wesleyan girls were led by Anne Marie Armstrong, Grace Leah Baughn, Erin Hall, and Holli Wilkins, which might have been the most talented roster the Lady Wolves have ever assembled.
But perhaps one of the two teams to beat Milton this season should also be in the discussion for best ever. The 2011 Miller Grove Wolverines are bursting with talent including Devon Provost, Henry Brooks, Brandon Morris and the dynamic junior center Tony Parker. Of course the 2009 Miller Grove team featured these players plus Mfon Udofia, Stephen Hill and Donte Williams that went on to the team’s first of two straight state titles.
The 2011 Milton Eagles have one of the greatest collections of talent in Georgia basketball history. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles can finish off a repeat and stake claim to perhaps the greatest ever tag.
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