Fresh off winning state championships, Anne Marie Armstrong and Derrick Favors headline the 2009 Atlanta Tipoff Club’s season-ending basketball awards. Armstrong, of Wesleyan, becomes the third repeat winner in the history of the Miss Georgia Basketball award, joining Maya Moore (Collins Hill, 2006, 2007) and Tasha Humphrey (Gainesville, 2003, 2004).
South Atlanta’s Favors, previously announced as the Naismith National High School Boy’s Player of the Year, was selected as Mr. Georgia Basketball.
Among other winners include Tamika Willis (Westlake) as the Metro Atlanta Girl’s Player of the Year, Lorenzo Brown (Centennial) as the Metro Atlanta Boys Player of the Year,
All winners will be recognized at the Atlanta Tipoff Club Naismith Awards banquet presented by AT&T and Delta Air Lines on March 23 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.
Winners were chosen through a vote by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors and its voting academy, comprised of leading basketball coaches and administrators from around the region, who based their criteria on player performances during the 2008-09 basketball season.
“The popularity of basketball in Georgia is extremely high right now, and that’s a testament to the players and coaches who have worked tremendously hard to achieve great successes,” said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. “We congratulate all of our winners for their season and career accomplishments.”
ABOUT THE WINNERS:
Miss Georgia basketball: Anne Marie Armstrong, Wesleyan – The 6-3 senior led Wesleyan to the Class A state title over Savannah Country Day, the team’s third in four years. For the season she averaged 18.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. Armstrong has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Georgia next season.
Mr. Georgia Basketball: Derrick Favors, South Atlanta – The Georgia Tech-bound center scored 38 points in the Class 3A state championship game where the Hornets defeated Westover on Saturday. For the season he averaged 27.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, five blocks, four steals and three assists per game.
Metro Atlanta Girl’s Player of the Year: Tamika Willis, Westlake – A four-year letter winner who scored over 1,000 points in her storied career, Willis averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds per game while leading the Lions to a 27-2 record this season. She was a member of four state tournament teams, including the final four in 2008. Willis has a signed a letter to play basketball at the University of Georgia next season.
Metro Atlanta Boys Player of the Year: Lorenzo Brown, Centennial – For the season, Brown averaged 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and four steals per game in leading the Knights (25-5) into the second round of the 5A state playoffs, where his season ended with a 27-point effort in a double-overtime loss to South Gwinnett. He leaves Centennial as the all-time scoring leader, beating the old mark (1,407) by 800 points, and went 77-16 over his last three seasons. Brown has signed a letter to play basketball next season at North Carolina State.
Other award winners include:
Bobby Cremins Georgia High School Girl’s Coach of the Year: Kathy Richey-Walton, Southwest DeKalb High School – Southwest DeKalb (29-4) knocked off previously undefeated Fayette County 59-46 in the Class 4A championship game for its second consecutive title, the only two in school history. In her seven-year career at Southwest DeKalb, Richey-Walton has guided the Panthers to a 155-49 record, including a 60-6 record over the past two seasons. She has won 22 or more games five times and has reached the state playoffs four straight years.
Bobby Cremins Georgia High School Boy’s Coach of the Year: Michael Reddick, South Atlanta High School – Reddick guided the Hornets (29-3) to the Class 3A state championship where they defeated Westover 81-62. In his 11 seasons as head coach, South Atlanta has made eight state tournament appearances. His overall record at the school is 240-77.
Garland F. Pinholster metro Atlanta Girl’s High School Coach of the Year: Jan Azar, Wesleyan School – Azar led Wesleyan to a 29-4 record and the Class A state championship, the program’s sixth title in the last eight years, with the previous five coming in Class 2A. Wesleyan was honored this year in receiving its first-ever national ranking by USA Today and ESPN. In 12 seasons at the school, Azar has compiled a record of 293-71.
Garland F. Pinholster metro Atlanta Boy’s High School Coach of the Year: Tyrone Johnson – Whitefield Academy – Johnson led the Wolfpack (26-5) to an upset of top-ranked Turner County to claim the Class A boys state championship. In eight years as head coach, Johnson has a record of 198-52 and now two state titles, having also won in 2003, as well as three additional championship game appearances.
Jackie Bradford Girl’s Team of the Year Jackie Bradford Boy’s Team of the Year
Ieshia Alexander, Coosa Manny Atkins, Tucker
Blanche Alverson, Buford Shaquille Barber, Griffin
Karisma Boykin, Carrollton Kadeem Batts, McEachern
Sharnea Boykin, Westlake Darius Baugh, Hillgrove
Elan Brown, Woodward Arris Brundidge, Blessed Trinity
Jaymee Carnes, Gainesville Javoris Bryant, Westlake
Andraya Carter, Buford Jershon Cobb, Columbia
Mariah Chandler, SACA Adrian Coleman, Stephenson
Tiffany Clarke, Norcross Trae Golden, McEachern
Lauren Coleman, Parkview Tyler Gunnett, Loganville
Kyra Crosby, McEachern Kenny Hall, Redan
Nia Evans, Redan Ryan Harrow, Walton
Erika Ford, Chattahoochee Richard Howell, Wheeler
Whitney Hagan, Marist Malcolm Jackson, Sandy Creek
Erin Hall, Wesleyan Noel Johnson, Fayette County
Diamond Henderson, North Cobb Jamail Jones, Green Forest
Mimi Hill, Winder Shawn Kemp, Jr., Cherokee
Tessah Holt, Fayette County Andre Malone, South Atlanta
Kayla Lewis, Southwest DeKalb J.J. Mann, Marist
Kendra Long, Mays Javon McKay, Dunwoody
Telia McCall, Marietta Taariq Muhammad, Norcross
Brittany McDonald, Berkmar Jeremy Olsen, Collins Hill
Chaney Means, GAC Russell Powell, Newnan
Khaalidah Miller, Douglass Brandon Reed, Whitefield Academy
Anma Onyeuku, Fayette County Glen Rice, Walton
Moneshia Simmons, Mill Creek Julian Royal, Milton
Sharon Swanson, Cherokee Ari Stewart, Wheeler
Morgan Toles, Sandy Creek Mfon Udofia, Miller Grove
Mykala Walker, Duluth Mario Vasser, South Gwinnett
Hiydaayah Williams, Stephenson Trent Wiedeman, Greater Atlanta Christian
Bob Eskew Outstanding Sportsmanship Award: Alpharetta High School
Charlie Bloodworth High School Official of the Year: Curtis Pierce – Pierce has been a member of the Greater Georgia Officials Association during each of his 15-year career and has officiated four Georgia State championships. In addition, he has worked several college basketball tournament games on the Division 1 level. The Georgia native lives in Woodstock and attended the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Charlie Bloodworth High School Official of the Year: Art Williams – Williams has been a member of the Capitol City Officials Association since 1989, and has officiated every GHSA semifinal or final since 1992. He has also been an official on the Women’s Division 1 level since 1996, working the Southern, MEAC and SWAC conferences, and officiated the NCAA Women’s Div II Final 4 tournament in 1998.
Steve Schmidt Outstanding Contributor to Basketball: Herb White – A legend at Decatur High where was the state’s top player in 1966, White went on to star at the University of Georgia and played a season with the Atlanta Hawks before a serious injury forced his retirement. His contributions to Georgia basketball are immense. In his 18 years at Georgia Public Television, White has raised more than $3 million, focused on high school sports. In 1997 he launched the first live broadcasts of the state boys’ and girls’ basketball championship games. He is at work on “As if we were ghosts,” a documentary about African-American basketball in Georgia in the era before desegregation.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
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