Similar to the NBA and, thanks to the transfer portal, the NCAA, high school basketball’s off-season has now become a time to track anticipated moves and shifts among rosters and even coaching staffs.
Such is the case in the CSRA, as a couple of the area’s most highly touted point guards will find themselves donning different uniforms for their senior seasons.
Augusta Christian boys basketball, fresh off of back-to-back South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) state championships, saw the departure of star point guard D.J. Shine as he announced Sunday via Twitter that he’d be transferring to Brewster Academy — a prep school program in Wolfeboro, N.H. — for his senior season.
Don’t feel too bad for the defending Class AAAA champs, though, because as one star guard departs, another has joined the program.
His name is Lavonta Ivery.
The silky smooth, 6-foot-2 combo guard transferred from Thomson where he spent his first three seasons in order to spend his senior campaign at Augusta Christian. He comes to Augusta Christian as a proven commodity, having helped Thomson to a Class AA Final Four appearance during the 2021-22 season, and another postseason run this past season.
He helped The Skills Factory AAU team win the 2021 Peach Jam, and through his sophomore and junior seasons at Thomson, he averaged double figures in points and was one of the team’s top play makers.
This summer, he’s flexing his court muscles on the AAU and summer circuits with his new school squad, as well as with the Southern Kings AAU team.
Recently in a game against Rockdale County, Ivery and fellow Augusta Christian guard Braylen Smith combined for 45 points against the Bulldogs with Ivery showing off his versatility with an assortment of drives to the basket, perimeter shooting and passes that show off his court vision and play making acumen.
I had a chance to chat with Ivery, and we talked about everything from his transfer AC to his summer AAU slate as well as recruiting.
Gabriel Stovall: The last couple of summers you spent with The Skills Factory and competing in the Peach Jam. What has this summer and off-season been like for you? Who are you competing with on the AAU circuit, and how is this off-season different for you than the last two?
Lavonta Ivery: “This summer has been nothing but me grinding and working to get better every day. Really, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the weight room getting bigger and stronger. I’ve been competing with Southern Kings which is a New Balance team I’ve been rocking with, and the circuit has some amazing players in it too. The off-season really has been the same for me as others. I’m just playing basketball all through the summer.”
Stovall: It appears that after spending your first three years at Thomson, you’ve transferred to Augusta Christian. If I’m seeing that correctly, what was it that made you decide you needed to make that move for your senior year?
Ivery: “Honestly, it really wasn’t anything [specific] that made me decide to go to Augusta Christian. Thomson will always be my hometown. I still have so much love for them, no matter what. It really just came down to me doing what’s best for me. I believe Augusta Christian is going to be a good look on me for getting exposure.”
Stovall: I assume making that decision to leave Thomson, a place you’ve grown up in, wasn’t easy. How much did a desire to win a state championship play into your decision?
Ivery: “It was definitely difficult to make a decision to not play with my brothers for our last year. It was hard to not be there with them, but they all understand everything clearly about me moving, and I have a lot of family in Thomson, so yes, that move will be a little difficult. But I told everyone I was going to win a state [championship] three years ago, and I’m ring chasing. I need it.”
Stovall: You’re coming in to basically fill a spot left by star guard D.J. Shine who’s going to spend his senior season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. How will you look to fill that void?
Ivery: “Well, my boy D.J. Shine is going to another school far from Augusta, and I definitely wish him the best of luck there and safety. But I know we have other weapons on our team this year that will make us dangerous.”
Stovall: How do you feel like you’ve improved your game already from your junior season to now?
Ivery: “I really feel like I’ve improved my game a lot so far. Like I said, just lifting weights a lot, and I’ve been in that gym just getting shots up, so I feel very comfortable about where I am and where my game is coming into my senior year.”
Stovall: How is recruiting coming along for you right now? Which schools are you getting interest/offers from?
Ivery: “Recruiting is really going well for me right now. I have a lot of interest from schools like Georgia Southern, Siena College, Western Carolina and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a few more. I don’t have any offers right now, but I’m just staying humble and working hard. I know that my time will come.”
