Darren Douglas and his Grovetown Warriors basketball squad are looking like a force. The CSRA is loaded with individual talent and several quality teams, but so far, Grovetown can make a case for being the best of the bunch.
The Warriors are currently 9-1 on the season with quality wins over Augusta Christian, Solid Rock Academy, North Augusta (twice), Butler and 5th-ranked Thomson.
Not bad for a program that lost 21 games just 3 seasons ago.
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In 2019, Douglas took over the team at Grovetown. For years, people had touted the school as having a great future in athletics due to its proximity to Fort Gordon and the massive growth of Columbia County. To many, the move made since.
Douglas was leaving Aquinas, where he had enjoyed enormous success, including a state title. Grovetown was coming off a dismal 3-21 season, including a winless 0-10 mark in region play. He wasted little time in turning the program around.
In his first season, Grovetown finished 21-6 overall and went 9-1 in region play. Last season, the Warriors finished 14-9 but boasted an impressive 8-2 mark versus region competition. When you add in this season’s marvelous start, Douglas has started 44-16 overall and 17-3 in region play in his first two and half years running the program. Yes, I would say Douglas has the Warriors headed in the right direction.
This season’s squad definitely passes the eye-test. While some teams in the area are play 6’1 and 6’2 players in the post, Grovetown’s roster features seven players that stand 6’4 or taller. Four of those players are between 6’6 and 6’8.
They have probably won some games just from the opposition seeing them hop off the bus.
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Even more impressive is the fact that the majority of those players line up at guard or on a wing. This gives Grovetown an incredible advantage in virtually every game they play.
Here is a look at Grovetown’s top performers:
Franquan Sherman (Jr., 6’6 forward)
Sherman transferred in from Lincoln County and has garnered a lot of attention since his arrival. The talented junior uses his high octane motor to run the floor and finish as well as any player in the area. He is currently averaging 16 points and more than five rebounds per game.
Malik Ferguson (Jr. 6’4 guard)
Ferguson leads the team in 3-point shots made (16) and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc. He is extremely versatile. Ferguson is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. He also averages 3.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds.
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Markell Freeman (Jr. 6’4 guard)
Freeman is shooting an impressive 53% from three point land while averaging more than nine points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Like Sherman, he can also finish in transition.
Derrion Reid (Soph. 6’7 guard-Forward)
Reid is currently only averaging 8.3 points per game, but he is easily the most heavily-recruited player on the team and could go down as one of the biggest recruits to ever call the CSRA home.
He had scholarship offers from Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Xavier before his sophomore campaign had even started.
He has the frame and wingspan that college coaches covet; he has a smooth jumper (especially for someone his height and age) and he is highly technical. He is just as happy to make the correct pass as he is putting the ball in the hoop himself. His skill level, feel for the game and build draws attention and college coaches have obviously noticed.
In Grovetown’s recent 78-68 win over 5th-ranked Thomson, Reid nailed four 3-Pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points. He is only going to get better.
Add in great role players like Maliq Richard (6’6), Aaron Nomel (6’8), Jaden Cobb (5’9), Khaleed Haywood (6’0) and D.J. Douglas (6’6) and you have yourself a very formidable squad. Grovetown also returns all but two players on their roster for next season as well.
Columbia County has never produced a GHSA State Boys Champion. Maybe, just maybe, Grovetown has the coaching, size and talent to end the drought.
Ashley Brown covers sports for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Ashley.brown@theaugustapress.com
