After beginning the season with high expectations to compete with the top teams in the country, Coach Sharman White and his second-ranked Miller Grove Wolverines are prepping for a tough slate of games against some of the top-ranked teams in the county. The team passed its first true local test recently on the road against another national powerhouse, Southwest DeKalb, in overtime 57-53. Tony Parker, Miller Grove’s highly-touted big man, led the way with a double-double performance, tallying 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wolverines hope that this holiday season will bring them some magic against some of the nation’s toughest programs. First up for Miller Grove will be a nationally-televised showdown against perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy. Oak Hill has been a breeding ground for some of basketball’s biggest stars including current NBA stars Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Josh Smith. This season’s squad is led by guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who is committed to Georgetown and N.C. State-commit Tyler Lewis.
Following the Oak Hill matchup is a trip down to Fort Myers, FL to compete in the City of Palms Classic. This year’s field includes several national top-ten programs including fifth-ranked Mater Dei, sixth-ranked Bishop Gorman, and ninth-ranked Montverde Academy. The Wolverines will once again have their work cut out for them if they want to claim the tournament crown and cement their place amongst the nation’s best.
The team’s toughest task will take place early in 2012 as they will take on top-ranked Simeon Career Academy of Chicago in a neutral-site showdown in Pennsylvania. Among the talent to come out of Simeon is current NBA MVP Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. Providing everything goes in Miller Grove’s favor until this game, a win against Simeon will likely launch the Wolverines into the position of being the nation’s top-ranked team.
Defending ESPN Fab 50 national champion and eighth-ranked St. Anthony High School of Jersey City, NJ, will be Miller Grove’s final national test of the season on Jan 16. The Friars are currently riding a 33-game winning streak as they await their first regular season game on Dec 16. The Wolverines will need to find a way to contain the nation’s number two prospect, UCLA-commit Kyle Anderson, a 6-8 point guard, who also is the top-ranked point guard in the nation.
For Miller Grove to get through their tough national stretch, it will have to rely heavily on Tony Parker, along with Georgia-commit Brandon Morris, to shoulder much of the load. Coach White knows his team thrives in the spotlight and is ready to reach its goal of being the nation’s top team. “We have a veteran team that puts in the work and embraces these expectations,” White said in a previous interview with Score Atlanta, “and we play in one of the toughest regions in the state, which prepares us for the national schedule.” The Wolverines are gunning for their fourth-straight state title and hope to bring a national title home to Lithonia on top of it.
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