Score Atlanta Main Issue Collaboration with Hawks Playoffs by DJ Galbiati

Get In The Game!

2 | Score Atlanta

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Publisher/Editor I.J. Rosenberg GENERAL MANAGER Bob Houghton Managing Editor Stephen Black ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Business manager Marvin Botnick Sales Rubin Reisler

SHOT OF THE

WEEK...

BEAT WRITERS Josh Bagriansky (Hawks), Stephen Black (UGA), Dave Cohen (Georgia State), Joe Deighton (Thrashers), Ricky Dimon (Falcons), Fletcher Proctor (Braves), Thomas Watson (Tech), Brian Jones (Preps) STAFF WRITERS Jay Thomason, Drew Collins, Sean Conway, Jack Morbitzer CONTRIBUTORS C.C., Brian Katrek, Alex Ewalt, Tad Arapoglou, Dean Zindler, Zander Lentz, Kevin Dankosky, Mitch Evans, Chris Dimino, Matt Stewart, Fred Kalil, Nick Cellini, Dave Marshall, Greg Smith, Steak Shapiro, Beau Bock, Roy Hickman, Dave Cohen, Bob Rathbun, Courtney Capps, Bill Hartman, Chuck Dowdle, Dan Kamal, Dennis Scott, Jeff Batten, Jeff Measor SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS Mitch Albom, Dave Kindred, Barry Bloom

School listing CHEROKEE/FORSYTH: Cherokee, Creekview, Etowah, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth, Sequoyah, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Woodstock COBB: Allatoona, Campbell, Harrison, Kell, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Marietta, McEachern, Mt. Paran Christian N. Cobb, N. Cobb Christian, Pebblebrook, Pope, S. Cobb, Sprayberry, Walker, Walton, Wheeler, Whitefield Academy DEKALB: Arabia Mountain, Chamblee, Columbia, Decatur, Druid Hills, Dunwoody, Lakeside, Marist, Miller Grove, M.L. King, Paideia, Redan, St. Pius X, Southwest DeKalb, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Tucker FULTON: Alpharetta, Blessed Trinity, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Douglass, Grady, John’s Creek, Lovett, Mays, Milton, Mt. Pisgah, North Springs, Northview, Riverwood, Roswell, Tri-Cities, Westminster, Woodward Academy GWINNETT: Berkmar, Brookwood, Buford, C. Gwinnett, Collins Hill, Dacula, Grayson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Meadowcreek, Mill Creek, Norcross, North Gwinnett, Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, South Gwinnett, Wesleyan FAYETTE: Whitewater, Sandy Creek, Starr’s Mill NEWTON: Eastside

Can’t Miss

THIS WEEK

The Fletch scrutinizes Masters coverage and gives his thoughts on a local coach said to be on the hot seat.

In our cover story, Sean Conway discusses the Hawks’ playoffs series against Orlando.

In our prep cover story, Josh Bagriansky previews the tennis state playoffs.

Our experts make their Hawks-Magic playoff picks.

Team Scoop and Voices MINOR LEAGUER:

Gwinnett Braves starter Mike Minor hurls a pitch on April 12 at Coolray Field. Minor was with the Atlanta Braves earlier this season and started a game in Milwaukee on April 6. The G-Braves are 3-3 after six games. Photo courtesy of Kayte Henderson/Gwinnett Braves.

COVER design by DJ Galbiati Cover Photos courtesy of DJ Galbiati and Jon Barash

6 SCORE LIST 10-11 Hawks/Magic 15 Score More 16 GSU 17 CALENDAR 18 Tech - UGA

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

BRAVES Chipper jones

INSIDE AT SCORE

Score Atlanta is looking for new sales associates as well as writing and graphic design interns.

ON THE

Starting Lineup

Score Atlanta | 3

For sales positions, e-mail Bob Houghton at bhoughton@scoreatl.com. For writing internships, e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@ scoreatl.com. For graphic design internships, e-mail DJ Galbiati at djgalbiati@scoreatl.com. Feel free to call 404-256-1572 to speak with someone about any of these positions.

Get In The Game!

4 | Score Atlanta

Admiring the Masters from the inside and outside; Drew on the hot seat? pring officially arrived last week as the PGA a five-way tie for the lead for about 20 min- now. Woods will be back. You can bank on Schampion rolled through Augusta and a new Masters utes. Woods showed flashes of 2002 Tiger for it. Anyone that says otherwise simply doesn’t Can You Believe... was crowned. The world descended a while before Charl Schwartzel (no, that is know golf. ...He Said That? upon Georgia once again and coverage was spelled correctly) finally pulled away from the Last thing about the Masters: how cool again limited while still amazing. Isn’t that what makes the Masters so special though? You only get a few hours per day of coverage, but there are only four minutes or so of commercials every hour so you are packed full of golf once you sit down to watch. It is like the group LMFAO: shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot.

MASTERS COVERAGE …

And the first two days of coverage set up perfectly for ESPN, which carried the first two days of the season’s first major. On Thursday, defending champion Phil Mickelson was the clear focus of the tournament, especially since first-day leader Rory McIlroy had finished before the day’s coverage began. We, the viewers, got to more or less follow the defending champion around the course and see nearly every shot from Lefty. On day two of the coverage, Tiger Woods was the focus as the four-time champion tried to put all of his off-the-course and a few on-thecourse demons behind him as he tried to make a move on McIlroy. I missed “Moving Day” aka the third round as I was actually in Augusta for the weekend rounds, but I was able to watch the coverage from Sunday upon my return and I will say that it doesn’t get any better than watching the back nine on television, jumping from hole to hole, seeing nearly every shot. The old saying “The Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday,” was certainly in play this year as leader McIlroy went triple, bogey, double to knock himself out of the tournament in just three holes. Meanwhile, how exciting was it to watch

two Aussies to win it all. The weird thing about Schwartzel beating out Adam Scott and Jason Day and a host of others: the bangwagon nature of the fans. I was walking the grounds, and yes, there were a large number of folks who I ran across that had made the trip from Australia and England, but for all of the roars that I heard every time McIlroy or Scott or even Schwartzel made a shot? Really? America does love a front-runner that is for sure. For a while it appeared that Tiger would go on to win yet another green jacket, and for ANYONE who thought the crowds would never return for Tiger, he/she was wrong. The patrons following Tiger were just as strong as the 1997-2005 era when Woods was at his peak. The attitude entering the week also differed greatly in regards to would Woods ever recapture his edge. ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote he would online and echoed as much on pre-round coverage. Locally, 680 The Fan’s Laurentino said days before the Masters that while Woods might not win, he certainly would win another and would break Jack Nicklaus’ Majors titles record. Conversely, last week on one of the Young Guns shows on 790 The Zone, one of the young guns (sorry, I still cannot tell them apart) boldly claimed that he would never win another because he isn’t sleeping around anymore and he’s lost his edge. He would try to make the point that all of the greatest athletes ever have been shady off the court, which gave them that “it’s all about me” edge that others didn’t have. He tried to use Wilt, Kobe and MJ as examples. Huh? Woods is single now. I didn’t follow then and I don’t follow

is it that EVERY YEAR, the world visits Georgia and always will? I think that is awesome for the state. The US Open, the (British) Open and the PGA all rotate, so it may return to a venue, but it could be years before that happens. Not with Augusta National. They will ALWAYS come back in early April. The course was once again beautiful and I can’t wait to get back there soon. The tour will come back in a Major way this August to Atlanta for the PGA Championship. Golf fans in the state of Georgia are lucky this year. They should take advantage.

THE DARK SIDE …

I cannot believe it but for the second straight week, I am actually on the side of 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino. Laurentino was commenting on a story from CNNSI.com’s “NBA Insider” Sam Amick, who produced a piece about various coaches on the NBA hotseat. The Hawks coach Larry Drew was listed as a coach “Nearing the end?” Here is what Amick said of the Hawks’ bench general. First, the obvious knock against the firstyear Hawks coach: His team has 44 wins with three games to go after former coach Mike Woodson won 47 games and 53 in the last two seasons, respectively. And then there is the not-so-obvious sensitive spot: the Josh Smith factor. Drew has been unable to stop the veteran from being a season-long disruption and undermining his position with his other players in the process. Add to that the relative affordability of cutting him loose (he’s owed $1.5 million for next season, lockout notwithstanding), and

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

“They are going to have Bobby Cox Relish Night at Turner Field. He’ll be handing out hotdogs.” That was from Steak Shapiro during “Things I Learned” from earlier this week. I couldn’t tell, but is this bit supposed to be funny? Steak does a great job playing food critic as well as the black hat, but comedy is not his forte. Maybe leave that to the people who are funny aka Nick (mornings) and Bell (afternoons)? Drew is looking very vulnerable unless he can lead a deep postseason run. Laurentino commented that perhaps if Smith truly was being a disruption and undermining the coach, perhaps Joe Johnson should be stepping up to quiet down “JSmoove”. Isn’t that what should be expected of a player with Johnson’s large contract, who is making more money than LeBron James or Chris Bosh? I agree with Laurentino. Isn’t that what some of that money means? If this agreement continues I don’t know what I am going to do with myself. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 5

Atlanta’s core stars get another chance to make a deep playoff run

he Atlanta Hawks are at a crossroads. In T the NBA games and playoff series are won by some of the world’s best athletes, freakish

physical specimens in baggy shorts and hi-tops. But unlike college basketball and the European game, games are rarely won by the coaches and their whiteboard strategies or thanks to problem-solving practice sessions. Salary restrictions often hamstring rosters. The big money, coupled with long-term contracts present some very difficult work-arounds, when it comes to winning and losing.

THE FIRST OBSTACLE …

When the Hawks travel to tip it off in the first round of the playoffs beginning Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN, they will have the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Con-

ference. The Hawks are a talented team of young, but veteran players. That’s the good news and the bad news. Until this season, the Hawks had improved step-by-step in the win column year after year with their “core” since 2007, when forward/ center Al Horford was drafted. The core consists of All-Star guard Joe Johnson, small forward Marvin Williams, power forward Josh Smith and Horford (now an All-Star fixture as well). Point guard Kirk Hinrich, acquired in a trade with Washington in February and shooting guard Jamal Crawford, in Atlanta for two seasons are the other two heavy minutes grabbers and influencers in the rotation. When Atlanta plays “big,” nine-year veteran center Jason Collins mans the paint. This group will decide how deep a playoff run the Hawks will make this spring (and hopefully into summer). Because of the contracts involved, the core is also likely to determine the franchise’s direction for the next few years, assuming the Atlanta Spirit Group maintains ownership. (Yes, that is a precarious assumption). After last season management let head coach Mike Woodson walk, despite his ability to weather the low times of the salary purging mid-2000s and steer the Hawks. And, as is the current fashion in the NBA, the core players had plenty of input choosing his successor (and former assistant) Larry Drew. No expert is likely to predict that this team will suddenly solve the riddle of the Eastern Conference’s electric and emerging Chicago Bulls or super star-studded uber-teams in Miami and Boston. That said, this team can do what it did not do last season in the playoffs when they were swept in four games by the Orlando Magic.

REVENGE …

The Hawks can easily avenge that sudden exit. In some respects they already have. Atlanta won three of four regular season contests, including the

last three in a row. The lone loss was a close one in Orlando, with the Magic winning 93-84. After the Hawks beat his Magic for the third time, head coach Stan Van Gundy explained that it Atlanta doing the tricks, “They are better than us right now. Doesn’t mean they will be in the playoffs. We’re not scared of them, but right now I have to say they’re better than us.” There are two keys to the Hawks’ sudden mastery of the Magic. The core has played balanced patient basketball on the offensive end of the floor. Three different players have led the Hawks in scoring in the four games. Early in the season, Johnson put up 23 in a losing effort. In early December, the Hawks defeated Orlando without Johnson playing, when Smith led all Atlanta scorers with 19. He was followed by Horford’s 16 points and 15 off the bench by Jamal Crawford. Just before Christmas, Horford’s 24 points led the Hawks while Johnson had returned from the elbow injury and poured in 17. In each of the contests, Atlanta has also had a different player lead the team in assists. This even style of play also helps the athletic perimeter Hawks players save energy to combat the Magic’s never ending rotation of jump shooters. The other key is the continued physical play of Hawks’ big lineup. Inserting Collins against the game’s best center, Dwight Howard, has been Drew’s best chess move all season. Marvin Williams has still been effective off the bench to contributing double digit scoring, but more importantly, Collins’ physical, “you don’t scare me demeanor” has frustrated perennial All-Star Howard. Collins has started less than half of Atlanta’s games, but has started all four versus Orlando. After the March 30 contest between the rivals, Orlando’s head coach was practically gushing about Collins’ defensive effort all night. “That’s the best defense I’ve seen all year on Dwight. Against Collins, he didn’t get a lot of good shots. I thought he did a great job on him. [Collins is] big and physical. [Collins] doesn’t give you anything easy. Dwight had trouble getting good, on-balance shots.”

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Clearly the big lineup works. Against Atlanta, Howard’s scoring average drops over six points a game. Superman becomes super-mortal. If the Hawks continue to share the offensive load and torment Howard, they can win a game on the road and carry a Delta plane load of momentum back to game three of the series at Philips Arena next week.

DOUBTERS … There are some other reasons to believe that these Hawks won’t advance past Orlando and the first round. Their win total shrunk by 10 games in 2010-2011 compared to 20092010. They were the third seed in the conference a year ago, this year they finished third in the division. Joe Johnson is not the dominant scorer on this team. If trend continues, it is very conceivable that he won’t even be the leading scorer next season. If he brings the same mojo to this series that he brought to last year’s postseason match-up, that’s not good. Last year he averaged 21.3 points in the regular season but less than 13 against the Magic in post season. If the Hawks can pull the slight upset and bounce Orlando (the No. 4 seed), they have a tough playoff road ahead of them. In all reasonable scenarios, they would face the top-seeded Bulls. Likely MVP point guard Derrick Rose has successfully meshed with the now healthy big men Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. In March, the Bulls took two of three from the Hawks. On March 22, they cruised past the Hawks 114-81 at Philips. For the Hawks’ core, the future is what they make it. They have proven that their collective strength trumps the coaching will power of Larry Drew. He works for them. Ownership has chosen to forgo the blueprint that has become the vogue trend in the NBA: assembling a team superstars and hoping that the spotlight is bright enough for everyone. Photo of Josh Smith courtesy of DJ Galbiati. Conway can be reached at 404-256-1572.

Get In The Game!

6 | Score Atlanta

Score crunching the List NUMBERS BY BRIAN JONES

1 2 3

SATURDAY IN ATHENS: The

Georgia Bulldogs will hold their annual G-Day spring game on Saturday at Sanford Stadium. I don’t expect to see players such as Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin see a lot of playing time, but I’m curious to see how quarterback Christian LeMay is looking since enrolling early to get a head start. It should be a fun afternoon.

RELEASE THE GAMES: A 2011 NFL

season is still up in the air, but that’s not going to stop the Falcons from releasing their preseason schedule. They will start the preseason at home against Miami and will be on the road the following week against Jacksonville. Their last two games will be at Pittsburgh and at home against Baltimore. Early prediction: Falcons will go 2-2.

TIME FOR REVENGE: The Hawks’

regular season has come to an end and they have struggled down the stretch. But they did clinch a playoff spot and will face the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs starting this weekend. I know they have played uninspired basketball the last week, but if they can stay focused and play hard, I can see the Hawks taking down Orlando.

SEASON OVER: The Thrashers sea-

son came to a disappointing end on Sunday as they lost to the Boston Bruins at Philips Arena. After a solid start to the season, the Thrashers faltered after the all-star break and could never recover. In their 11-year history, Atlanta has only reached the playoffs once and have yet to win a playoff game. What needs to be done to get this fixed?

MINNESOTA MAYA: Former Col-

lins Hill High School standout Maya Moore had a stellar career at Connecticut and she will look to have the same success in the WNBA as she was chosen by the Minnesota Lynx at No. 1 in the WNBA draft. She helped UConn win two national championships and was named 2011 AP Player of the Year. I think Minnesota is happy with their new addition.

TRIVIA

QUESTION

The Georgia men’s tennis team leads the SEC with 33 conference championships. Which school has the second-most men’s tennis titles?

Answer on Page 18

BY RICKY DIMON

Charl Schwartzel’s standing in the World Golf Rankings before the Masters

Schwartzel’s current world golf ranking after his victory at the Masters

Schwartzel’s previous best finish at a major prior to last weekend

Three-putts by Tiger Woods during the Masters, tied for most in the field

Rory McIlroy’s place in the final standings despite leading early on Sunday

3-1

The Hawks’ record against Orlando during the regular season

14-26

The Hawks’ record against teams that are over .500 this season

1-11

Kirk Hinrich from the floor in his last two games as of Wednesday

The Hawks’ losing streak as of Wednesday following Monday’s loss to Miami

12.8

Joe Johnson’s PPG in last season’s playoff series loss to the Magic

Thumbs up TO Racin’!

Dega, baby, Dega!

We’re renaissance men around here. Last week, the understated Masters golf a couple hours east of Atlanta was hot. This week, we applaud the more spring breakthemed Aaron’s Race Weekend a couple hours west as the NASCAR caravan rolls in to Alabama. Keep turnin’ left, boys. Braves Veteran Aces The old guys are not the reason the braves have started off 2011 slow. Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson may both over 35, but they’re leading the rotation. The right-handers were the pitcher of record in three of the Braves’ four wins, have ERAs under 2.00, and are pitching over six innings every start.

Playoff basketball

Yes, it’s true the Hawks didn’t exactly Rise Up this winter and spring. And yes, ownership saddled the franchise with Joe Johnson’s monster contract last offseason to protect its potential sale value. That said, the Hawks have given the ATL something the Falcons could not: two home playoff games.

my t wo cents Time for redemption. After last season’s embarrassing playoff sweep by Orlando, Hawks fans wanted revenge. We never knew if we’d get it or not, but we certainly wished for it. Lo and behold, the Hawks will face Orlando in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs. And this time, the Hawks have a reasonable chance to win. Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia contained Magic star center Dwight Howard in the four-game regular season series, which the Hawks won 3-1. If they can continue this type of effort during the playoff series, the Hawks may make round 2.

Joe Johnson needs to show up this time. After averaging under 13 points in last year’s series, Johnson, the Hawks’ leading scorer, needs to step it up. We’re not asking for a Jordanesque performance out there, but 20 points per game would help a lot. We know what we’re getting with Al Horford, the heart and soul of the team. J-Smoove will provide his usual emotional play, and Jamal Crawford will come off the bench and socre points. But will it be enough for the Hawks to take the series? We think so. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Thumbs down to morons

Stephen Garcia

Somebody help this kid. College kids drink like fools do at Talladega. They occasionally get caught and embarrass themselves. The Gamecock quarterback has been living too much of the high life. He has been suspended twice just this spring. His lack of self control may have cost the Carolina a shot at the SEC title. Braves bats

The Braves have two regulars hitting above .300, Brian McCann and Chipper Jones. Check out other these batting averages: Alex Gonzalez .250, Nate McLouth .237, Freddie Freeman .194 and Dan Uggla .167. Combined, those four guys have nine RBI … nine. And, at press time, the bench had accumulated two hits all season. That’s ugly.

The Thrashers

Giving a “thumbs down” to the Thrashers is easy, cheap and repetitive, but their history tells us they won’t be making many headlines in the offseason. So, this thumbs down is simply the swan song to the 2011 season, unless of course, the team is sold this summer.

SANITY

at last

“I think we have a pretty good situation. We obviously don’t have a perfect situation. What I see that we don’t have currently, that a lot of teams have, is a guy who scores with regularity.” - Thrashers General Manager Rick Dudley during the team’s postseason wrap-up

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 7

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Get In The Game!

8 | Score Atlanta

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta helps to prevent sports injuries before they occur using this software. he Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sports the elbow during pitching will increase stress differences in their technique. T Medicine Program uses Dartfish—a mo- across the joint and lead to injury. Visit www.choa.org/sportsmed for more Contact the Children’s Sports Medicine tion analysis technology to detect mechani- Addressing mechanical errors will not Program at 404-785-7570 if you are inter- information. cal flaws in sports activity, which ultimately helps doctors, athletic trainers and physical therapists prevent or treat pediatric sports injuries and improve performance. Motion analysis technology is computerbased software originally designed for digital image enhancement. The success of the software in detailing image features has led to other ventures, including sports performance enhancement. The Sports Medicine Program has expanded the use of motion analysis technology as a tool in the rehabilitation process to help athletes recognize sport-specific mechanical flaws. Sports movements are often difficult to see in real time. Video footage of athletes in various sports activities and movements— jumping, throwing, running, kicking—can pick up these mechanical flaws that may be missed by the naked eye. This immediate, visual feedback allows athletes to see exactly what their body is doing. For example, using motion analysis technology to analyze a baseball pitcher’s throw may show he is dropping his elbow. Dropping

only help to reduce the risk of injury but may also benefit performance, including increases in accuracy, speed and agility.

ested in learning more about motion analysis technology or having your athlete analyzed

How it works ...

Images can be analyzed in several different ways: Live—Different recordings of the athlete can be placed side-by-side to show improvement or change in the motion. Analyzer—This allows clinicians to watch an athletic movement unfold in a frame-by-frame sequence. Technical movements can be broken down and studied in precise detail. For example, a golf swing can be analyzed to show every angle of an athlete’s body and club throughout the movement. SimulCam—This creates a direct comparison of two performances layered upon each other, allowing coaches to analyze small technique differences for skill development and repeatability of a skill. For example, a high school pitcher could be superimposed on top of a professional pitcher to analyze the

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Content provided Healthcare of Atlanta.

Children’s

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 9

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Get In The Game!

10 | Score Atlanta

2011 ATLANTA HAWKS/OR 0 • Jeff Teague • G

15 • Al Horford • F/C

2 • Joe Johnson • G

19 • Pape Sy • G/F

3 • Damien Wilkins • G/F

24 • Marvin Williams • F

5 • Josh Smith • F/C

27 • Zaza Pachulia • C

6 • Kirk Hinrich • G

31 • Hilton Armstrong • F/C

11 • Jamal Crawford • G

34 • Jason Collins • C

12 • Josh Powell • F

36 • Etan Thomas • C

A second-year point guard out of Wake Forest, Teague is averaging 5.1 points per game in just over 13 minutes per game. The Indianapolis native has played in the team’s last nine games, including the March 30 win over Orlando.

One of the top scorers in the league, Johnson leads the Hawks by averaging 18.5 points and 4.8 assists per game. The former Arkansas Razorback dropped 18 points on Orlando in Atlanta’s 85-82 win on March 30.

The former Georgia Bulldog has made his uncle Dominique proud while suiting up for the Hawks. Wilkins is averaging 3.3 points per game in about 12 minutes of action. In a March 18 game against Miami, Wilkins scored a season-high 14 points.

An Atlanta native, “J-Smoove” has been nothing short of a sensation for his hometown team. Smith is second on the team in rebounding (8.6) and scoring (16.7) and is making 33.7 percent of his three-point attempts this year.

The Kansas product was acquired midseason in a trade with Washington and has not disappointed. Hinrich has averaged 8.5 points and 3.3 assists while also starting the team’s last 20 games. He is shooting a remarkable 42.7 percent from behind the arc.

Last year’s sixth man of the year has come off the bench this season to average 14.2 points per game. The sharpshooting guard is hitting 34.3 percent of his three-point attempts this season and is shooting 41.9 percent from the field.

The N.C. State product was signed by the Hawks in the offseason after a stint with the Lakers. Powell is averaging 3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. The power forward has played at least 14 minutes in the last three games.

Horford leads the team in rebounding with 9.4 per game and leads the team in field goal percentage at 55.8 percent. The native of the Dominican Republic is third on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game.

A rookie from France, Sy has gotten into just two games this season. Both games came in April, including a game against the Wizards when Sy scored seven points. Loaded with potential, the Hawks like what they have in this guard/forward.

The sharp-shooting forward has made 33.6 percent of his three-pointers this season and is averaging 10.5 points per game. The former North Carolina Tar Heel is fifth on the squad in scoring and third in rebounding, averaging 4.9 per game.

The native of Tbilisi, Georgia plays about 15 minutes per game, but is fourth on the team with 4.1 rebounds per game. Zaza averages about 4.5 points per game. In the March 30 win, he scored five points and pulled down seven boards.

The former UConn Husky is averaging 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in limited action this season. After starting the year with Washington, Armstrong has been with Atlanta for 12 games and is averaging 1.3 points for the Hawks.

The seven-foot backup center played significant minutes last time the Hawks played the Magic. Collins defended Dwight Howard and held the Magic star to 4-of-13 shooting. The Northridge, Calif. native is averaging two points and 2.1 boards this year.

A nine-year pro out of Syracuse, Thomas is averaging four minutes per game. He has participated in 12 games in his first season with Atlanta. Thomas has played in three games this April, and scored a season-high five points against Indiana.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 11

RLANDO MAGIC ROSTERS 1 • Gilbert Arenas • G/PG

15 • Hedo Turkoglu • F

3 • Earl Clark • F/C

23 • Jason Richardson • G/F

5 • Quentin Richardson • SG

25 • Chris Duhon • PG

Arenas has been plagued by knee problems in recent years and is still struggling despite a change of scenery. Orlando acquired him from Washington in December and he is averaging just 8.0 points per game on 34 percent shooting (28 percent from long range).

In his second NBA season, Clark was part of Orlando’s trade-deadline deal with Phoenix. The former Louisville star is averaging 4.0 points in 32 appearances with the Magic, although he often does not see action when the team is healthy.

Richardson saw his minutes evaporate when Orlando traded for Arenas and a back injury suffered earlier this month does not help his cause. He was also suspended two games in early April for shoving Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson.

7 • J.J. Redick • SG

Redick has not played since March 9 due to an abdominal strain, but he says that he is optimistic about being ready for the playoffs. When healthy, Redick is a valuable role player. He scores in double-figures and is shooting 40 percent from three.

12 • Dwight Howard • C

Just about the only thing that can stop Howard this season is a suspension—he has been docked a total of three games for flagrant and technical fouls. However, the big man is averaging 23.0 points and 14.1 rebounds per game.

14 • Jameer Nelson • PG

Nelson had some knee issues earlier this month, but he will be good to go for the playoffs. The shifty point guard is scoring 13.2 points while dishing out six assists per contest. He scored 20 against the Hawks on March 30.

This is not the same Turkoglu who was a force for the Magic in five seasons from 2004-2009. But the 32-year-old forward, who also came over from Phoenix, is scoring 11.4 points per game in Orlando and is shooting at 45 percent.

Another acquisition from Phoenix, Richardson has been a consistent performer since arriving in Orlando. Although he has cooled off since a hot March, Richardson is averaging 14.0 points on 44 percent shooting in 54 games with the Magic.

Duhon is enduring his least productive year as a pro in his first campaign with Orlando. The seventh-year guard is averaging just 2.9 points in 14.3 minutes per game and is not a real factor behind Jameer Nelson and Jason Richardson.

30 • Brandon Bass • F/C

Bass has recovered from an ankle injury that troubled him in February and he forms an imposing frontcourt along with Anderson and Howard. He is averaging 13.3 points in his last 12 outings and 5.6 boards in 76 total games.

33 • Ryan Anderson • F/C

Anderson has blossomed in his third NBA season, second with the Magic. The former Cal star is averaging 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 63 games, including 13 starts. He made five of 15 shots for 13 points in a March 30 loss to Atlanta.

35 • Malik Allen • F/C

A 10-year veteran, Allen does not see many minutes unless Dwight Howard is out or fellow forwards Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass need some rest. He has appeared in just 17 games this season and has scored 17 total points.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

BY Josh bagriansky

he GHSA State Tennis Playoffs begin the weekend of April 22, and there are a host of teams across the state and all classifications thinking they have a chance to win some silverware. The metro area boasts plenty of the postseason favorites, with a few returning champions among them looking to repeat. Meanwhile, others look to assert their presence in the tennis world with their first ever state championship. Clearly, we are in for a wild ride when the playoffs get underway.

THE HUNTED …

At Marist, state championships have become the norm. Head coach Francis Kissel’s girls are a nice example of the War Eagles’ dominance. They won the region title earlier in the week and the back-to-back state champs head into the state tournament as heavy favorites. The experienced squad took home a state

title last year, beating Bainbridge in the final. This season, the War Eagles are undefeated, having beaten the likes of Johns Creek, St. Pius X, Westminster, and in convincing fashion. Scarily, this team might be even better than the 2010 squad with increased experience across the board. “Last year it took a while to mold the team together,” Kissell said. “This year, there really wasn’t much mix and match. We had everyone back.” Heading up Kissell’s star-studded lineup is Indiana University commit Shannon Murdy. Murdy was one of the state’s top players last season and has mostly dominated the competition at her No. 1 singles position in 2011. “Everyone just respects her because she plays so well,” Kissell said. “They look to her for leadership.” The Lady War Eagles have another Division 1 commit in Creighton-bound Elizabeth Vermillion, who Kissel said would be playing

at No. 1 singles for most teams statewide. The Starr’s Mill boys team are hoping to accomplish a similar feat to Kissel’s team. They won their first ever state championship last year and hit the tournament trail this weekend ranked No. 6. Ron Mann’s team lost a close one for the region title to McIntosh. However, that may be a good omen for the Panthers, as they lost by the same score to the Chiefs in last year’s region final before running the table in the state playoffs. Jonathan Lee is back from last year’s title team and is one of the top singles players. Ian Lennox also returns from last year to anchor the No. 1 doubles side that won convincingly in last year’s state title victory. Other returning champions on the girls side include Walton, Woodward Academy and Blessed Trinity. Meanwhile, Alpharetta, BT, and Walker will shoot for back-to-back in the boys bracket.

THE HUNTERS …

Class 4A is up for grabs, as defending 3A champ Johns Creek moved up this year and enters the state tourney ranked No. 1. Pope, Starr’s Mill and undefeated McIntosh will be their main challengers. Walton and Alpharetta met in last year’s Class 5A state final. They appear to be on a collision course again this year, being ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the state, respectively. Walton won the regular season matchup, 3-2. Anish Sharma and freshman Ian Zheng lead the way for the Raiders in singles. Westlake is an interesting wild card. Not exactly known for its tennis, Herman Fletcher has built a perennial state tournament team over the past few years, and this season the Lions enter the postseason ranked No. 7 after winning their region title. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 13

Local coach notches milestone victory Longhorns outlast Osborne in soccer ose Kennedy said “Life isn’t a matter of ing 10-4 victory of Chattahoochee to give ne of the biggest soccer games in the home run by the Trojans Reed Anthes, Lasmilestones, but of moments.” When mea- Lambert sole possesion of first place in Re- O area took place last Tuesday as the Kell siter was able to inch past Hillgrove 3-2. HillR suring the career of a coach with 500 victo- gion 7-4A, coach Jamie Corr commended and Osborne boys soccer teams did battle at grove’s Tyler Graham pitched five innings, ries there are plenty of memorable moments that mark the achievement. And so is the case with the career of West Forsyth baseball coach Byron Orr, which is marked with notable milestones that spanned 31 years with three different schools, two different sports and three state championships. However, the crowning moment of Orr’s career, which has all been spent in the Forsyth County school system, might be the fact that win No. 500 was notched with his son, Brodie, pitching and securing the victory for the Wolverines. As usual with the plain-spoken coach, Orr was quick to downplay the achievment when asked if he had such lofty goals of winning 500 games when he began his career “At the time I didn’t know,” said Orr. “I never had any thought of that kind of stuff.” Orr told The Forsyth News, “I was just going to go and try to do the best we could.”

LAMBERT LAMENTS …

After completing the first half of the region schedule last week with a convinc-

his team. “This week our kids have really shown that they are a resilient team,” Corr told The Forsyth News. “I’m just proud of our kids for never losing their composure and coming back to fight through in the end.” However, the start of the second half of region play began with two losses Cass and South Forsyth. The losses drop Lambert to (93) in region play and may be indicative of how the rest of the season plays out, as coach Orr has had to piece together a pitching staff that is getting low on arms. “This was our sixth game in eight days,” Corr said. “We knew it was going to take a lot of runs to win it, and I thought our offense did a good job of putting up a good number. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t hold a very good hitting Cass ball club.” The two losses drop Lambert to second place, one-half game behind Creekview in Region 7-4A with eight region games remaining. Thomason can be reached at 404-256-1572.

the Cobb Energy/Corky Kell Stadium. The score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, but Kell was able to win the battle of penalty kicks which resulted in a 2-1 win for the Longhorns. Kyle Morris scored the lone goal for Kell in regulation. But the Cardinals were able to tie the game with less than 17 minutes left with a goal scored by Claudio Hernandez. With the win, Kell improved its record to 14-0 and they only need one more win against one of their last two region opponents to lock up the Region 5-4A title. “This is a great situation for Kell, especially coming into 4A for the first time and starting up with a new region,” Kell head coach David Penny told the Marietta Daily Journal. “Everybody’s excited and we’re hoping to make history for Kell. We’re looking forward to trying to lock up the No. 1 seed and win the region.”

ON THE DIAMOND …

The Hillgrove baseball team won six of their last seven games before its contest against Lassiter last Friday. But thanks to a

striking out eight batters, allowing one hit and one walk. Hillgrove went on to lose to Etowah in a 17-16 barnburner the following day, but bounced back with a 12-4 win against Kennesaw Mountain on Tuesday. The No. 10 team in 5A according to Prep Country will face North Cobb on Friday. Kell has been playing some solid baseball as of late, winning their last three games to improve their record to 15-5. Last Saturday, the Longhorns defeated Cherokee 101. Reid Michalek hit a homer and Bradley Taylor drove in three runs for Kell. Benjie Grifenhagen was on the mound for the Longhorns as he was able to earn his fifth win of the year. He pitched four innings, striking out four batters and allowing only one earned run. On Tuesday, the Longhorns got an important Region 5-4A win, defeating Alexander 4-3. Austin Petrik hit a homer and drove in three runs. They improved their region record to 5-2 and will look for region win number six when they face Sprayberry on Friday. Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.

Dunwoody takes county gymnastics title Soccer success continues during break he DeKalb County gymnastics title was son undefeated last week with a 4-1 victory pring Break in Gwinnett County doesn’t ON THE DIAMOND … claimed by the Dunwoody Lady Wildcats over Lovett on Wednesday. The Lady War Smean the top teams get a breather and a T On the baseball diamond, North GwinEagles defeated Tucker 3-0 in the first round week off. Several teams hit the road to take nett for the third year in a row last week. nearly blew a 9-0 lead before holding on The meet was held at Dunwoody last Wednesday and the host school beat second place Lakeside (DeKalb) by a mere 2.075 points. It is the Lady Wildcats’ seventh county title, all of them coming since 1996. Lakeside has the most championships with 16. The top three spots in the All-Around went to freshmen. Camille Cassar of Arabia Mountain captured the All-Around title with a 33.150 point total. Lizzie Mara of Dunwoody came in second with 31.6 points and Lakeside’s Lindsey Bergstrom came in third with a score of 30.650. Rounding out the top five was Tucker in third, Chamblee at fourth and Arabia Mountain in the fifth spot.

NET NEWS …

In tennis, the DeKalb County championship began Monday. The Dunwoody girls team came into the tournament having won their last two matches against Riverwood and Chamblee last week. The Lady Wildcats won their first-round match against Miller Grove 3-0, then lost in the second round to Marist. The Marist girls finished the regular sea-

before taking on Dunwoody. Coach Frank Kissel’s girls hosted Lakeside (DeKalb) in the region finals this Tuesday.

DIAMOND NOTES …

In baseball, Lakeside (DeKalb) (12-7-1, 4-4-1) defeated Stephenson last Friday 4-3 and then beat M.L. King the next day 8-3. The Vikings then played Redan on Monday in a game that ended in a 10-10 tie after seven innings. The Vikings then lost to Dunwoody 11-1 this past Tuesday. With the victory over Lakeside the Wildcats (14-5, 7-1) are now on a three-game winning streak and are second in the region standings only to Marist. After only their second loss of the season last Monday, the War Eagles bounced back to defeat Class 5A foe McEachern 8-1 last Friday, then dismantled Douglass 19-0 on Monday. The victory over Douglass was Marist’s sixth shutout of the season. After starting off 1-6, the Redan Raiders had reeled off six straight wins before the tie with Lakeside. The Raiders were averaging 13 runs per game during the streak. Collins can be reached at 404-256-1572.

on out-of-state foes or opponents from south Georgia in an effort to gear up for the playoffs.

ON THE PITCH …

In girls soccer, North Gwinnett knocked off Bluffton (South Carolina) 13-0 before taking out the No. 1 team in South Carolina Class 3A Hilton Head 3-0. Taylor Burns, Laurean Harriman and Carolina Gualdoni all tallied a goal in the Lady Bulldogs’ win over Hilton Head. Meanwhile, Mill Creek’s girls soccer team was in action against a Palmetto State school, taking out Socastee 11-0. Seven different players found the back of the net including Amanda Troy, who scored three times. Allison McGinn and Car Powell both dumped two goals in while Tessa Lukens, Torrie Scalera, Madelyn Youngblood and Tatum O’Keefe each netted one shot apiece. In boys soccer, Dacula faced off against Oglethorpe County and walked off with a 4-0 victory. Tyler Moore, Landon Kinsey, Twayne Hills and Josh Legg all chipped in with a goal in the win.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

to beat Buford 12-10. Brian Woodruff went 2-4 with four RBIs, including a three-run home run to allow Kenny Knudsen to claim the win. Conner Jenkins helped the cause with a 2-3 day while Alex Kimble was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs driven in. Lanier High School also earned the program’s firstever home victory with a 6-3 win over Johnson. Kameron Doster was a workhorse, going the distance to pick up the win. He struck out seven batters while receiving some offensive help from TJ Richardson’s RBI. He collected two hits including a triple. Austin Wood contributed three RBIs in the win. Finally, in some wrestling news, Dennis Stromie has been named the new Wesleyan coach after coaching at Parkview for 22 years. Stromie was at West Forsyth before going to Wesleyan. And former Collins Hill head coach and current director of wrestling at GAC, Cliff Ramos, was named NHSCA coach of the year after his final Eagles team finished in the top 10 nationally in 2010. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

Get In The Game!

14 | Score Atlanta

Woodward Academy baseball on a roll oodward has not yet played its way into No. 10 in the coaches poll. The Raiders have the Class 3A PrepCountry.com/GACA emerged victorious in six of their last seven W Coaches Baseball Poll, but it appears to be outings, with their lone setback coming to Woodward 8-5 in late March. Riverwood’s last six in the win column have all feature doubledigit margins over beleaguered opponents.

headed that way. The War Eagles lost two of their first five games to open the season, but they have won 10 of their last 11 and five in a row. They have reached double-digits in the run category in five straight are outscoring opponents 42 runs during the current span. The War Eagles looked especially impressive last Friday night, when they hammered a strong Westminster club 16-6. Four different Woodward players hit homers and senior slugger Andrew Adams drove in four runs. “We always have great games against Westminster,” Woodward coach Jim Minor told NeighborNewspapers.com. “This is kind of unusual to beat them that bad. They’ve got a good team. We just got some timely hits. I’m real happy. I wasn’t sure we’d win this one. ... If we all get hot at one time we can be pretty dangerous.” At least one of Woodward’s Region 5-3A rivals is similarly dangerous, as Riverwood boasts an identical 13-3 record and registers at

IJ Rosenberg

PLAYOFFS ON THE PITCH …

Region 6-2A teams maintained their stranglehold on the girls soccer rankings last week, with Blessed Trinity leading the way in the top spot. The Titans are a perfect 5-0 in region play, which includes shutouts of Lovett and Westminster and a penalty-kick win over Greater Atlanta Christian. Lovett and Westminster swapped places in the standings at third and fourth, respectively, as the Lions downed the Wildcats 4-3 last Friday night. The Lovett-Westminster rivalry also hit the pitch last Saturday, and this time—on the boys side—it went in the Wildcats’ favor. Second-ranked Westminster scored the only goal of the game and edged the No. 7 Lions 1-0 to improve its record to 13-2. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com.

President

General Manager

Bob Houghton

Stephen Black Managing Editor

Creative Art Director

DJ Galbiati

Brian Jones

Series Winner

In how many games?

Series MVP

Hawks

Series MVP Al Horford

Key Matchup

Magic

Dwight Howard

Al Horford

Magic

Hedo Turkoglu

Hawks

Al Horford

Fletcher Proctor “The Fletch” Magic

Series MVP

Dwight Howard

Perimeter D against the 3

Key Matchup

Dwight Howard vs. Hawks Cs

Dwight Howard vs. Jason Collins

Dwight Howard vs. Hawks Cs

Nelson vs. Hinrich

Who needs to step up?

Joe Johnson

Team Defense

Josh Smith

Jamal Crawford

Josh Smith

Al Horford

J-Smoove 3-point attempts

Key Matchup

Hawks

“Big B”

Too Many

Hopefully less than 5

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Key Matchup

SCORE MORE

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 15

Hawks head into playoffs as five seed Falcons begin offseason workouts

he Atlanta Hawks finished the reguT lar season with their lowest win total since the 2007-08 season. They will be the No. 5 seed when the postseason begins this weekend. Since Atlanta’s positioning in the standings was on lock towards the end of the year, head coach Larry Drew rested several starters as the team cruised to the finish line. That was the case in Monday’s 9890 loss to Miami. The Heat, however, were battling for seeding, and it showed as the Big Three of Wade, James, and Bosh all logged over 30 minutes. The Hawks trailed by over 20 in the second half. But the second unit got them back into the game in the fourth quarter, going on a 19-6 run to pull Atlanta even at 88 with 3:28 to go. However, Miami scored the game’s next seven points and they never looked back. “I thought they played hard,” Drew said of his bench. “I thought they came in and played with a lot of energy.”

POSTSEASON STREAK …

For the fourth straight year, the Hawks will take part in the NBA playoffs. After advancing past the first round over their last two tries, they will look

to do the same beginning this weekend against the Orlando Magic. For the first time in three years, Atlanta is the underdog in their first-round series as they do not hold home-court advantage. The Hawks will feel somewhat confident against the team that swept them out of the postseason last year. They took three of four from Orlando this season. The acquisition of Kirk Hinrich makes Atlanta stronger defensively, which is good news considering the Magic’s offense ran circles around the Hawks in last season’s meeting. As for Orlando, they enter the playoffs having won seven of 10. Like Atlanta, they have been locked into their seeding for the last few weeks, meaning they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for Atlanta. Dwight Howard is the key in the middle. A shoe-in for the Defensive Player of the Year Award once again, he will match up with the trio of Al Horford, Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia. The Collins matchup is especially interesting, as the veteran bothered Howard in their last matchup, holding him to 4-for-13 shooting and forcing him into early foul trouble. Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.

ue to the current NFL lockout, Falcons players—and all other player in the D league—are banned from going to team facilities. But that has not stopped the Falcons from firing up offseason workouts. Linebacker Coy Wire and offensive tackle Tyson Clabo have coordinated a training program, and it kicked off on Monday at an athletic facility called Ignite. Approximately 30 team members were on hand for opening day and Wire said he eventually anticipates close to 100 percent participation. Atlanta’s offseason program— when the NFL is functioning—is run by team director of athletic performance Jeff Fish. The current workouts are being run by Jim Launer, an NFL and Celebrity trainer, with whom Wire met to discuss how the activities had been conducted under Fish. The participating Falcons take part in 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. sessions Monday through Thursday. Friday is a designated makeup day. Nobody is happy about the labor disagreements, but Wire believes that some good is coming from it. “It’s given us a chance to pull together even stronger as a team,” he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Although it’s unfortu-

nate that there is a lockout, there may be some good that comes from this. There is something about being away from the facility that we feel less like we are doing something because we have to, but because we want to. No one is telling us to be there. No one is telling us to workout. But we are all making a choice to do this together.”

PRESEASON SCHEDULE ...

On Tuesday the Falcons announced their 2011 exhibition schedule, which of course will only take effect if the lockout ends and the season begins. If that happens, Atlanta will open at home against Miami on Aug. 12. The team will wrap up its preseason slate in the Georgia Dome with a Sept. 1 contest against Baltimore. A pair of road games will pit the Falcons against Jacksonville (on Aug. 19) and Pittsburgh (date to be determined). Atlanta-Pittsburgh will be each team’s third and most important exhibition contest, in which starters generally see by far their most action prior to the regular season. Dimon can be reached at rdimon@scoreatl.com.

he Atlanta Braves returned home to open up Turner Field for the 2011 T season and started off on the right foot,

taking out the defending NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 thanks to a masterful effort from Tim Hudson. The 2010 NL Comeback Player of the Year gave up just two earned runs (three total) against the Phillies lineup on eight hits while striking out two in 7.2 innings of work. The win ran Hudson’s record to 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA. The team got a pair of hits from Nate McLouth in the game, as well as an RBI from the controversial center fielder in the second inning which tied the game. Jason Heyward scored a run after tripling and Alex Gonzalez hit a double to drive in Heyward. Freddie Freeman singled and later scored. After dropping the last two games to Philadelphia, the Braves responded by taking game one of a series with Florida. Also in that Friday night game, a little history was made. Third baseman Chipper Jones became the 93rd player in MLB history to reach 2500 hits after a single in the seventh inning. Jones also drove in three with a double earlier in the game.

GONZALEZ QUESTIONED …

For McLouth, Friday’s success hasn’t stopped the local and national media from questioning manager Fredi Gonzalez’s continuing to put the speedy McLouth in the 2-hole. In a Sports Illustrated piece, Inside Baseball asked why Heyward wasn’t being plugged into the two-hole, a spot in the order where Heyward hit as a rookie for most of the season. Despite looking at Heyward’s career numbers and seeing that he has actually had a better average with more RBIs in the No. 6 or 7 spot, the article was saying that the No. 2 hitter sees more at-bats in a game and Heyward (and the Braves) would be better served letting the second-year player see those extra situations instead of McLouth. Locally, the AJC’s Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz have both alluded to the same point over the last week. Finally, the team optioned Mike Minor back to Class AAA Gwinnett in anticipation of Jair Jurrjens’ return to the rotation. Jurrjens has not pitched for Atlanta since spring training due to a muscle injury in his side. Minor was roughed up in his lone start in Milwaukee last week. Proctor can be reached at fproctor@scoreatl.com.

fter losing a tough game to the A Carolina Hurricanes last Friday, the Thrashers looked to end their season

with a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Philips Arena on Sunday. But Pittsburgh scored four goals in the second period en route to a 5-2 win and the Thrashers ended their season with an overall record of 34-36-12. After the game, Andrew Ladd summed up the Thrashers’ 2010-11 season in one word. “Disappointment,” he said in an interview with Atlantathrashers.com. “We had a goal this year and weren’t able to reach that goal. Everybody in here should realize it’s not good enough.” The Thrashers got off to a great start to the season, earning a 19-11-5 record by Dec. 20 and, at that time, were in first place in the Southeast Division. But over the next 30 games, they compiled a 7-17-6 record which put them not only out of the division lead, but also out of the playoff race. “My thoughts about the season are that we played much better than our record,” Thrashers head coach Craig Ramsay told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The details that we’ve talked about fell apart. There were games in which we were badly outplayed.”

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

LITTLE HONORED …

Bryan Little is disappointed he won’t play in the playoffs, but he did receive a high honor as he was awarded the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy before the Thrashers’ final game of the season last Sunday. The Snyder Trophy is awarded to the Thrashers player “who best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition so that his teammates might succeed.” Ladd also was also honored as he won the team MVP and Chris Thorburn won the Players’ Player Award. So what’s next for the Thrashers? They had exit interviews on Tuesday and the announcement of the Draft Lottery came the same day. With the sixth worst record in the league, the Thrashers will pick seventh in the draft, which will take place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. on June 24. In the meantime, some of the players will participate in the World Championships in Slovakia, which will begin on April 29. Tim Stapleton, Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart will play for USA while Ladd and Evander Kane will play for Canada. Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.

SCORE MORE

Braves drop home series to Phillies Disappointing season comes to end

Get In The Game!

16 | Score Atlanta

Lind’s grand slam paces Panthers at JMU; football holds spring scrimmage

n the road at the preseason conference favorite and desperately needing wins, the Panther baseball team dramatically took two of three games from James Madison last weekend. The Panthers won 9-6 on Sunday with a ninth inning grand slam by second baseman Rob Lind. Lind had homered earlier in the game as well and JMU’s pitcher had no choice but to pitch to him with the bases full. “It’s huge for us,” said Lind. “Everybody knows James Madison has been a good team and a good program. It’s great to beat them at

their place on Sunday.” In Saturday’s first game, GSU led 6-1 in the fifth when the hosts rallied to take a 9-6 win. In game two the Panthers came out swinging and drilled JMU 16-3 with four home runs, two by Ryan Fleming, his 10th and 11th of the season. Charley Olson pitched a complete game for the win. The Panthers are now 7-5 in the CAA, 25-9 overall, and back in the mix for the race for the top spot. With the two wins, this 2011 squad became the fastest team in school history to reach 25 wins, doing so in just 34 total games-five

games ahead of the 2009 NCAA Regional squad’s pace.

DEFENSE DOMINATES …

The Panther football team held its second scrimmage last Saturday at the GSU Practice Complex and according to head coach Bill Curry the defense had the upper hand. “That’s the way it is during the spring,” said Curry. “A week ago, the offense had its way with the defense. The defense decided that would not happen again, and they came out here today and dominated. The defense

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

played well but I was disappointed in our offensive execution because of the unforced errors.” Running back Parris Lee was the standout on offense as he scored twice, on a 40yard catch-and-run and a four-yard run. The Panther softball team swept Drexel last weekend to improve to 24-16 and 8-1 in the CAA. It has now won eight in a row and 15 of its last 18 games. Dave Cohen is in his 28th season as the “Voice of Georgia State Athletics” on WRASFM (88.5) and WCFO-AM, Newstalk 1160.

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

BASKETBALL

Hawks. April 8 at Indiana 7 PM. April 9 at Washington 7 PM. April 11 vs. Miami 7 PM. April 13 at Charlotte 8 PM. Club Sport, “Where Atlanta Comes To Play!” Registration Ongoing - Men’s League plays on Sunday evenings at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club. For more info or to register visit www.usclubsport.com Open Recreational Basketball. GSL — Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia’s Best Sports Leagues. Registration ongoing. We offer “Top Gun,” “B,” “C” and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For more information please contact (678)799-0159 or email mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit www.georgiasportsleagues.org. Roundtable Fundamental Basketball Camp Boys and Girls. Rising 6th-10th Graders (Current 5th-9th Graders) June 7-11. 9am-2pm. St. Francis High School, Alpharetta. Contact Coach Huff stfrancisbball@yahoo.com.

BASEBALL

Braves. April 15 vs. New York Mets 7:30 PM. April 16 vs. New York Mets 4:10 PM. April 17 vs. New York Mets 1:35 PM. April 18 at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10 PM. April 19 at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10 PM. April 20 at Los Angeles Dodgers 10:10 PM. April 21 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 3:10 PM. April 22 at San Francisco 10:15 PM. April 23 at San Francisco 4:10 PM. April 24 at San Francisco 4:05 PM. April 25 at San Diego 10:05 PM. April 26 at San Diego 10:05 PM. April 27 at San Diego 3:35 PM. Gwinnett Braves. April 15 vs. Charlotte 7:05 PM. April 16 at Durham 7:05 PM. April 17 at Durham 5:05 PM. April 18 at Durham 1:05 PM. April 19 at Norfolk 7:15 PM. April 20 at Norfolk 7:15 PM. April 21 at Norfolk 12:15 PM. April 22 at Norfolk 7:15 PM. April 23 at Charlotte 7:15 PM. April 24 at Charlotte 2:15 PM. April 25 at Charlotte 7:15 PM. April 26 vs. Columbus 7:05 PM. April 27 vs. Columbus 7:05 PM. April 28 vs. Columbus 7:05 PM. Prospect Watch. Ongoing - Buckhead. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by a former college and minor league coach. For information call 404-869-7966 or visit www.eteamz.com/tryouts. Adult Baseball League Metro Atlanta. Ongoing. MSBL 18+, 28+, 38+, and 48+. Sunday League contact info is 770.785.2588, e-mail info@AtlantaMSBL.com. MSBL 18+ Saturday League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol.com. MSBL 18+ Midweek Wood bat league contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol. com. MSBL 18+Fall League contact info is 770-436-8114, e-mail AtlantaMABL@aol.com. For more information about our Atlanta Adult Baseball League, please visit our website at www.AtlantaMSBL.com. TNT Sports. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting lessons by Rob Blair, former college coach, Snellville. To set up a free pitching or hitting analysis call. 678-344-5876. Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Baseball pitching and hitting. Instruction with former pro Keith Whitner. 18-y looking for high school players. The new location is inside Velocity Sports in North Gwinnett. For more information call 770-633-0948 or visit jackcity.net. Jack City Sports Center. Indoor T-Ball League being offered at Jack City Sports Center. 10 game season with games on Sundays. $125 per player. Team rates available and questions can be directed to 770-513-4121.

FOOTBALL

Force. April 16 vs. Orlando 7:35 PM. April 23 at Milwaukee 7 PM. Collins Hill Athletic Association. Ongoing. Accepting applications for qualified coaches in all age groups. For informtion email Craig Deneau at deneauc@charter.net Grayson Athletic Association. Ongoing. Football coaches needed

Score Atlanta | 17

for eighth grade and all age groups. For information call Duane Davis at 678-300-0282 or visit www.gaasports.org. Flag Football. GSL – Georgia Sports Leagues. Georgia’s Largest Flag League. Registration ongoing. We offer 7-Man, 8-man, Youth and Co-Ed styles of play around Atlanta. We play ALL year round. For information please contact (678)799-0159 or email mark@georgiasportsleagues.org. Visit www.georgiasportsleagues.org. Arena Indoor Football. Ongoing. Youth and Adult Leagues. Youth 7 vs. 7; Adult 6 vs. 6. For information, call 678-714-7454 or e-mail info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com. www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor. Capitol City Officials Association. CCOA is accepting ongoing registration for the upcoming GHSA High School season in football. We hold weekly training meetings. For more information, contact Irvin Seabrook at 404-957-3331 or e-mail Irv_Seabrook@yahoo.com.

HOCKEY

Thrashers. April 8 vs. Carolina 7:30 PM. April 10 vs. Pittsburgh 3 PM. Peachtree Booster Club. Ongoing - Pickneyville Roller Hockey Rink. Fees: $95 for 12-game season, $30 out-of-county fee. For information visit www.pbcsports.org.

SOCCER

Challenged Soccer. Ongoing. For mentally and physically disabled youngsters. For information call Ken Higgins at 770-985-0434. Hall of Fame soccer clinics. Ongoing on Fridays Clarkston Community Center. For under-6 through under-12 players. Fees: Free. For information call 404-508-1050 or visit www.clarkstoncommunitycenter.org. 5:30-7 PM.

TENNIS

Technique Clinics. Ongoing - Bitsy Grant Tennis Center. Tuesdays (serve/volley) and Saturdays (forehand/backhand). Fees: $18. For information call 404-790-4772 or email jimhines01@yahoo.com. 2 PM on Saturdays, 6:30PM on Tuesdays. Tennis camps for kids. Ongoing weekly. Lost Mountain Tennis Center. For information call 770-528-8525.

LACROSSE

Lacrosse. Ongoing. Registration for 1st-8th grades. For information call 404-216-5870, email jasona@bagatawaylacrosse. com or visit www.bagatawaylacrosse.com. Double Stixx Lacrosse. Ongoing - Leagues, Travel Teams and Tournaments for youth, high school and adult’s boys and girls. More information about the best lacrosse programs in Georgia can be found at www.doblestixxlacrosse.com or by contacting Chris Smith at chris@doublestixxlacrosse.com or 404-550-5322.

RUNNING

Dirty Spokes GSC 5.5 Mile Trail Running Race, Gainesville; 404310-3628 or www.dirtyspokes.com. Laurel Ridge Elementary Romp Thru the Woods 5K/Fun Run, Decatur, 8:00 a.m.; 404-421-3231. Easter Bunny High-Tail 5K. Apr. 23. Suwanee, 8:30 AM. 678-9853921. BLIMPIE Health & Fitness Expo 5K & 10K. Apr. 23. Suwanee, 7:30 AM. Run4Ronald Walk and 5K. Apr. 23. Dallas, 9:00 AM. 404-642-1653. Run for Success 5K, Atlanta. Apr. 23. Georgia Tech, 8:00 AM. 803-413-1064. Diamond In the Rough Girls Wellness Walk/Run. Apr. 23. Lawrenceville, 8:30 AM. 678-376-9676. Truett’s Grill Run of the Mill 5K. Apr. 23. McDonough, 8:00 AM. 404-219-8112. Chamblee Run & Rotary Roll: 5K Run and 1K Walk and Roll.

Apr. 23. Chamblee, 8:30 AM. 770-986-5016. Take back the Night 5K and Mile. Apr. 23. Decatur; 404-317-4642. Frank Baccus Easter 5K Run/Walk. Apr. 23. Monroe, 2:00 PM. 678-758-6774. 1st Annual UGHS Spring Fun Fest 5K Run/Walk. Apr. 23. McDonough, 9:00 AM. Start Your Heart for Kylie 5K, Woodstock. Apr. 23. 8:00 AM. 678491-4695. Spring In Our Step 5K & Mile. Apr. 23. Conyers, 7:30 AM. 770761-1842.

CAMPS Nike Basketball Camps. Camps located in Snellville, Roswell, Ken-

For info, call 770-469-0395, email ccybl1@gmail.com or visit the league’s website (www.ccybl.net).

SOFTBALL

AYSA Spring Season. Ongoing - North Park - Cogburn and Bethany Alpharetta. Fees: If Alpharetta Residential Property Tax IS NOT PAID at the primary residence of the player, then the Non-City Resident Fee must be paid. After Jan. 13, $10 late fee is charged.

GYMNASTICS

nesaw, Oxford and Jonesboro. For more information or a free brochure, visit 1-800-645-3226 or visit www.ussportscamps.com. Club Sport, “Where Atlanta Comes To Play!” Registration Ongoing for Sand & Indoor Leagues and Tournaments League games played every day and night at the Brookhaven Boys and Girls Club. For more info or to register visit http://www.usclubsport.com/ Jack City Baseball. Ongoing. Atlanta Braves pitcher Vladimir Nunez is now conducting pitching lessons. To schedule a lesson, call 770-513-4121.

Gymnastics Classes at Gymnastics AcademyofAtlanta. Ongoing - 3126 Cobb Parkway Kennesaw, Ga. For information call 770975-8337 or visit www.gymnasticsacademyofatlanta.com. Gymnastics Classes at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center Ongoing - 927 Killian Hill Road Lilburn, Ga. For information call 770-921-5630. Atlanta School of Gymnastics in Lawrenceville. Ongoing. Classes for tots through teens. Cheerleading classes for ages 5 and older. For information call 770-277-9434. The Little Gym of Snellville. Ongoing. Noncompetitive gymnastics and motor-skills development classes and camps. For ages 10 months-12 years. For information call 770-9820901 or visit www.tlgsnellvillega.com.

Gwinnett Sports Center. Registration ongoing. For information call Jerry Robison at 678-491-0203 or visit www.gscfun.com.

Richard Petty Driving Experience. April 15-17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Swimming lessons. Ongoing - Alpharetta City Pool - Alpharetta, Ga. - 1825 Old Milton Parkway. For information call 678-297-6107. Dynamo Swim School. DynaBabies, Preschool, Grade School, Adult Classes. Youth Swim Team. Call us (770) 457-7946 Ext 16 www.dynamoswimschool.com Gwinnett Aquatics. Ongoing - 2800 Quinberry Drive and Bethany Church Road. For ages 5-18. Swim team and lessons available. For information call 770-972-4055. Senior Water-Exercise class. Ongoing - Mountain Park pool Lilburn, Ga. Fees: $1 per class. For information call 770-5464650. 10-10:50 AM. SwimAtlanta Sugarloaf at Kid’s Village. Ongoing. Swim team, lessons, lap swimming, master’s program, water aerobics and scuba available. For information call 678-442-7946.

9RCorp Sports Officials. Ongoing. Provider of sports officials for multiple sports including basketball, flag football, & softball. Looking for additional officials. For information call Dennis Reagan at 404-213-0588 or email 9rcorp@150mail.com. Georgia Lacrosse Officials Association. Needs boys youth and High School officials for 2010 season. Games are played Spring, Summer, and Fall. Great way to earn extra money and get some fun aerobic exercise. For more information, please visit www.GALAXREF.com or email recruit@galaxref.com. Atlanta Peachstate Football Officials Association. High School Football Officials needed. We are in need of people who want to officiate high school football in the Atlanta Metro area. No experience is necessary. We have weekly training sessions. For more information go on our web site www.apfoa.com or call Keith @ 678.592.1194.

VOLLEYBALL

SWIMMING & DIVING

YOUTH REGISTRATION Soccer-Soccer Alley. Ongoing - 3265 Roswell Road- Atlanta. For in-

formation call 404-266-0762 or visit www.starsoccerclub.com. Tucker Youth Soccer. Ongoing - 2803 Henderson Road Tucker, Ga. For information call 770-414-0538 or visit www.tysa.com. Track and Field - Peachtree City Flash Youth Track Team registration. Ongoing - Riley Field - Peachtree City, Ga. For ages 6-14. For information call 770-631-3552 or email ptcflash@ bellsouth.net. Gymnastics - Georgia Gymnastics Academy. Ongoing. For registration in Lawrenceville call 770-962-5867; in Suwanee call 770-945-3424. Gym Elite. Ongoing. Registration for ages 2 and older. Cheerleading for ages 6 and older. For information call 770-242-0678. Youth Soccer Training. Ongoing. Start age 3 and up. For information, call 678-714-7454, e-mail info.indoor@atlantasilverbacks.com, or visit www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor. Corpus Christi Youth Basketball League Registration is now underway for our 29th season! Boys and girls ages 5 through 14, any skill level, are welcome. Cost: $90 per child/$85 for siblings. Fee includes uniforms, field trips, skills clinics, 9 games and maore! Register while space is still available Saturdays October 11 & 18, 2008, 10 AM to 12 PM. Location: Corpus Christi Church Sports Arena, 600 Mountain View Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

RACING

OFFICIATING

ATLANTA SPORTS COUNCIL

Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Dec. 31, 2010. Georgia Dome. For tickets, call 404-444-4444. To reach the Atlanta Sports Council call 404586-8510 or visit www.atlantasportscouncil.com.

MISC.

Club Sport. Club Sport opens registration for summer leagues on May 1st with league play beginning in June. Club Sport is Atlanta’s recreational sports and social group with over 10,000 participants each year on 1200 teams in 120 leagues. Each season Club Sport offers leagues in flag football, softball, soccer, sand and indoor volleyball, basketball and more. Club Sport is where Atlanta comes to play! For more information about Club Sport, upcoming events, photos or interviews with the owner, please contact Rich Alvarez at 678-994-0793 ext. 818 or visit www.usclubsport.com. GOkickball “Atlanta’s Premier Social Experience”. Providing social, co-ed adult kickball leagues throughout metro-Atlanta centered around having a good time, meeting new people, and playing recreational games of kickball at local parks. Registration is open now for spring season. Join the fun! For more information and to register, go to www.gokickball.com/atlanta. Special Score Atlanta 15% off discount code: “Score15”.

Get In The Game!

18 | Score Atlanta

Men’s tennis clinches SEC; baseball takes another series

eople used to say that cheering for the New York Yankees was like cheering for P U.S. Steel. The point of the saying is that

everyone knew the Yankees would dominate the competition, just like U.S. Steel dominated the steel business. The same could be said about Georgia men’s tennis. Coach Manny Diaz’s squad won their 26th regular season SEC title over the weekend in Athens by defeating Eastern Division rivals Florida and South Carolina. The Gators came into the match on Friday ranked No. 16 and gave the No. 7 Bulldogs all they could handle. Senior Javier Garrapiz clinched the match for Georgia by winning the team’s fourth match of the day. The Dawgs took the best-of-seven match 4-3. On Sunday, the Gamecocks were no match for a motivated bunch of Bulldogs (19-

3, 10-0), who swept the match 7-0. With the win, Georgia clinched at least a share of the conference title. Diaz’s Dawgs will host Tennessee Saturday for a chance to win the conference outright. The Volunteers are also undefeated in conference play. It was Diaz’s 13th conference regular season crown and the 33rd total conference championship for the program, including conference tournament wins.

MISSISSIPPi GETAWAY …

Coach David Perno and his baseball team took two of three from Ole Miss this past weekend at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss. Georgia, ranked No. 30 at the time, took the first two games before dropping the series finale on Sunday. In Friday’s game, Jonathan Hester hit a

home run and Brandon Stephens went 3-for-4 in the Dawgs’ 9-8 series-opening win. Alex Wood (4-3) earned his fourth victory of the season by throwing seven innings of six-run ball. Four of the runs were earned. The Diamond Dawgs then took game two on Saturday behind pitcher Michael Palazzone’s complete game. The junior from Marietta gave up just three runs on eight hits in the win. Perno’s club fell to Georgia Tech Tuesday night 5-3 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta. However, third baseman Colby May went 3-for-4 in the loss. Levi Hyams also had three hits in the loss, while Chase Hawkins (1-2) took the loss. This weekend, the Diamond Dawgs take on No. 4 Florida in a three-game home series. Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.

Yellow Jackets beat rival Georgia 5-3 behind Palka’s homer Even more impressive than Davies’ averFirst baseman Jake Davies had his eight- eorgia Tech’s baseball team has now won G five straight against its arch-rival Geor- game hitting streak snapped; however, desig- age is the fact that a year ago he was one of gia after beating the Bulldogs 5-3 Tuesday nated hitter Daniel Palka picked up the slack the Jackets main relievers and only had eight night at Russ Chandler Stadium. Starter Matt Grimes dazzled for the Yellow Jackets, going 6.2 innings and striking out 10 while giving up only eight hits and two runs with no walks. The 10 Ks in the game were a career-high and now give Grimes 44 for the season in 44.1 innings pitched. Relievers Taylor Wood, Dusty Isaacs and Luke Bard combined to finish the last 2.1 innings of the game and collectively gave up a run on four hits. Bard allowed two hits in the ninth, but with the tying run on base he finished the job and picked up his fifth save of the season.

CHECK OUT SCOREATL.COM! trivia

answer

Tulane with 18. The Green Wave left the conference in 1966.

with a two-run blast. Georgia Tech is now 21-3 in games that Davies has started at first base. His .402 average going into the game against Georgia was good enough for third best in the conference. Davies is right behind teammate Kyle Wren and just ahead of teammate Matt Skole to give the Jackets three of the top four averages in the ACC. Their team average of .326 is tops in the conference. That average, along with the second best ERA in the conference (3.68), has helped Georgia Tech stay in second place in the brutal ACC behind the No. 1 team in the country, Virginia.

TO ADVERTISE IN SCORE ATLANTA: 404.256.1572

hits in 37 at-bats. Even after his 0-4 performance against the Bulldogs, Davies has 45 hits this season in only 116 at-bats. This weekend Georgia Tech travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest in the weekend series, but the Jackets still have one game left against the Bulldogs this season. The two teams will meet April 26 for the third time this season, this time at Turner Field as Tech goes for the season sweep. Watson can be reached at 404-256-1572.

Copyright 2011 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published every week on Fridays. 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.

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m

Vol 7 Iss 15 | APRIL 15-21, 2011

Score Atlanta | 19

A lw ay s at s c o r e at l . c o m