So far, my columns have focused on one individual. Today, I am doing something a little different… a sports potpourri. In the last few weeks, we have seen many great accomplishments by local students and coaches, and I wanted to recognize as many of these athletes and achievements as possible.
Liam Welch, QB & graduate student, Samford University
Welch missed Samford’s season opener (a 17-24 loss to ETSU), but he had a memorable start to his season in week two. The former Aquinas star torched the Western Carolina defense for more than 400 total yards and five touchdowns in a 55-27 victory. Welch went 26-of-36 through the air for 311 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses. He also rushed for 100 yards and three more scores on 18 carries.
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For his efforts, Welch was named the conference’s offensive player of the week. During his prep career, he passed for more than 6,000 yards and 73 touchdowns (and 14 scores on the ground) as he compiled an amazing 38-3 record as a starter and helped lead Aquinas to the 2013 state title. That season, as a sophomore, Welch threw for 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He capped his high school career by leading Team Georgia to a win over South Carolina in WJBF’s Border Bowl.
Otis Smart, Girls basketball coach, Lucy C. Laney High School
Smart has been at the helm of the Lady Wildcats program for over 30 years and has piled up more than 900 career victories. He also led Laney to state titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018. This season, Laney finished 15-8 and lost to Washington County 50-56 in the second round of the GHSA playoffs.
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That loss means the Laney girls will be absent from the Class-AA Elite Eight for the first time since they fell to Dade Co., in the second round during the 2004-2005 season. That marks 15 straight seasons of advancing to the top eight in the state playoffs. Congrats to Coach Smart and the Laney Lady Wildcats family on an amazing run.
Zep Jasper, sophomore guard, College of Charleston
We highlighted the Laney Girls’ basketball program, so it’s only fair to get a plug in for the Laney Boys’ squad. Zep Jasper was a star for the Wildcats, helping lead the team to an 84-15 record and three Final Four appearances during his career. After graduating from Laney, Jasper spent a season at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, MA. He averaged 22.3 points per game and was flooded with scholarship offers. After red-shirting his first season in Charleston, Jasper broke into the starting lineup midway through his re-freshman campaign.
He is now a true leader for CofC and is currently averaging 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He has started all 18 games for the 9-9 squad and is averaging nearly 33 minutes per outing. Recently, Jasper posted the best performance of his college career. The Cougars knocked off Columbus State University in overtime and Jasper rained down a career-high 38 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor and hitting 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Josh Lanham, second year freshman, Lenoir-Rhyne
Lanham was a solid player at Evans during his prep career, but he has taken his game to another level since graduating in 2019. As a senior for the Knights, he hit .329 at the plate and posted 15 appearances on the mound. His record was only 3-5 but he had 53 strikeouts and a 2.38 earned run average in 53 innings of work. Last season, he appeared in 10 games, finishing 1-2 with a 3.12 era. He had an impressive 19 K’s in just 17.3 innings.
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Lanham has started 2021 with a bang. He recently earned Southern Athletic Conference pitcher of the week honors after coming in as a reliever to lead Lenoir Rhyne to a win over Coker by throwing four shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out six batters.
The Evans product has just repeated the feat, earning SAC pitcher of the week again last week. This time around, he took the win with seven stellar innings. He allowed just seven hits and one run while striking out a career-best 14 batters as the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears topped Queens 6-3. For the season, Lanham has appeared in three games and has a 2-0 record with 28 strikeouts and just one walked batter in 18 innings of work. He also boasts a sizzling 0.50 ERA.
Tre Gomillion, junior guard, Cleveland State University
I have to admit, Gomillion’s story may be my favorite of any local product in a long time. He was an outstanding high school player at Aquinas. He averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds per contest as a junior. The following year, he sacrificed some individual numbers on a more talented team, and it paid off as he helped to guide Aquinas to the school’s first ever state title, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game.
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Despite his success in high school, he garnered very little college interest. He wound up at Gordon State Junior College and made the most of his opportunity. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, parlaying his hustling, “all out” style of play into a Division I scholarship offer from Cleveland State in Ohio. He may not have been the most heavily-recruited kid on the team, but he immediately earned a spot in the starting lineup and averaged over eight points and nearly five rebounds per contest and led the team in minutes played at 29.7 minutes a game. His play had coaches falling in love, and he emerged as a fan favorite at CSU.
This season has been even better for the former Aquinas star. A recent game epitomized why Gomillion seems to be the glue that holds a team together everywhere he goes. In Cleveland State’s 108-104 3OT win over Purdue-Fort Wayne, Gomillion scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out six assists. Most impressive, however, was the fact that he was on the floor for 54 minutes, a school record. Cleveland State head coach Dennis Gates needed every ounce Gomillion had to offer, and he knew he could count on the 6’4 wing man from Augusta. Gomillion is averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 51-percent from the field this season. He was also named the Horizon Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Ashley Brown covers sports for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Ashley.brown@theaugustapress.com
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