Three freshmen. A sophomore. Three juniors.
Aside from four seniors, if you look at Cross Creek boys basketball team’s roster, that’s what you’ll see — a lot of youth.
You know what else you’ll see? That youth contributing major minutes, scoring big buckets, making slick passes and executing defensive stops for a program that’s become a bit of a Class AAA dynasty.
What you’ll also see is an unflappable coach in Lawrence Kelly who doesn’t wring his hands about the prospect of playing a bunch of players who are still wet behind the ears.
Kelly says it’s the Cross Creek way.
“Everything we do in this program, from the summer to the offseason is preparation for these big moments,” Kelly said just minutes after knocking off Richmond Academy for a third straight Region 4-AAA championship. “I’m happy and I’m excited for these guys. I’m super excited, not just for the growth of the older guys and what the future looks like for them, but definitely for these younger guys. It’s a collective effort.”
It’s also a consistent effort, born out of the rhythms of what has become one of the most consistent programs in Georgia high school basketball. And because Cross Creek’s culture is firmly entrenched, Kelly doesn’t spend much time using roster turnover to predict team success from year to year.
After the 2019-20 state runner-up season, Cross Creek lost Kobe Stewart and his 19 points per game to graduation. Despite that, the Razorbacks won it all the following year with the emergence of Devin Pope, Corey Trotter and Richard Visitacion. Pope and Trotter were Cross Creek role players the previous year, while Visitacion came over from Butler as a proven double figures scorer.
But they were all seniors. Which means when they graduated, 68% of Cross Creek’s scoring output that season went walking out the door.
But in the 2021-22 campaign, Cross Creek repeats as state champs, and former role players Antoine Lorick and Jaquez Ellison move into starting roles being undergirded by senior transfers, Jaden Pack and Terrenice Streetman.
Last year, it was Lorick’s time to shine as he led Cross Creek back to within one game of playing for another title.
With Lorick and Dontrel Smith’s graduation, players like Jaden Priester — a complimentary piece as a sophomore last year — have now emerged as a starter and one of the team’s leading scorers, while once role-playing juniors Kylen Clark and Quavon Henry are now senior leaders.
Meanwhile, the underclassmen pipeline continues.
Take a player like freshman point guard Derrick Shine, for example. Fresh out of middle school, he steps on the court during the first game of the current season and his first piece of high school varsity action, faces Class AAAAAA Grovetown and scores 10 points in the 64-57 win, knocking down several 3-pointers and making solid decisions with the basketball.
Or consider 6-foot-2 freshman Frashad Tisby in Cross Creek’s 54-51 win at Richmond Academy back on January 13.
The Razorbacks were down by 12 midway through the third quarter when Tisby went to work, knocking down three straight from behind the arc, including a corner 3-ball at the third quarter buzzer.
That last shot gave Cross Creek momentum heading into the fourth quarter where it eventually regained and kept its lead. Tisby finished that game with 16 points.
Then there’s 6-foot-6 freshman center AJ Clark who scored 6 points in Friday’s region championship game. He’s earned more playing time down the stretch, and with his size, looks promising for the future.
“If you look at every team we’ve had in the last six years, they’ve all been different lineups,” Kelly said. “This year, a little bit more young guys, but those freshmen I have here, they’re very talented. And there’s nothing given here at Cross Creek. They’ve earned the fact that they’re on the varsity level.”
It’s been a balanced effort up and down the roster for Cross Creek all season, and such will need to continue as Kelly’s bunch begins the Class AAA state tournament Wednesday with a tough first round matchup against one of the tournament’s strongest No. 4 seeds in Columbus (17-11).
Unlike Cross Creek, Columbus is senior-heavy with Robert Hartford leading the way with his 15 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.
Cross Creek, winners of six of its last seven games, seems to be peaking at the right time, and Kelly is glad his squad got another stiff test from Richmond Academy in the region tournament title game.
“I think it’s just a Richmond County situation, man. That’s why they play us so tough,” Kelly said. “A lot of these guys, you know, they’re good ball players but they also know each other and they play AAU ball with each other. Some of them might have played rec ball with each other. They just grew up together. Of course, when you’ve got friends on the other side, they’re gonna compete very hard against each other.”
But Kelly and Cross Creek have been here before. In the last four seasons, Cross Creek has either played for a state championship, won a state championship (back-to-back in 2021 and 2022) or lost to an eventual state champ (fell to Class AAA champion Sandy Creek in 2023).
That’s why, despite the good feelings of another region crown, Kelly laid the edict down to his team to not forget their true focus.
“I’m happy to win region,” he said. “I’m excited for these guys. But after that win Friday, they knew come Monday, it’s back to work.”
