Decatur High Basketball Season Going Strong

When the Decatur High School boys varsity basketball team opened with a pair of lopsided losses, it looked like the start of a long season.

Turns out, the season may be a long one for a different reason. The Bulldogs could advance deep into the playoffs if they return from the holiday break on the same arc of improvement that has taken them to nine straight wins.

has overcome inexperience (four new starters plus a first-year head coach) and lack of height (nobody over 6-foot-3) to carve out a 9-2 record. Next on the agenda is Jan. 4 at Cross Keys.

The Bulldogs have gained confidence behind the leadership-by-example of lone repeat starter Trumon Jefferson, a college prospect. The senior accounts for the most points in nearly every game and is usually the predominant rebounder as well.

Kurt Robinson, Desmond Tuft and Jacob Fortenberry are junior starters who have taken the leap from junior varsity level. Rounding out the lineup is B.J. Fisher, a welcome transfer from Lakeside High.

The invaluable sixth man is Quendarius Hall, who brings a football mentality, understandably, since he was a standout fullback. Fellow senior Garrison Hardy and junior Xeric Kirk provide relief in the backcourt, while sophomores Cordele Jackson and Brett Riley spell the frontcourt starters.

Orchestrating the show is coach Charlie Copp, who was starting at point guard for the University of Pennsylvania only seven seasons ago. Copp served as a four-year assistant at Decatur High for the accomplished Carter Wilson, who removed his coaching hat after last season while retaining his athletics director position.

Copp has carried over Wilson's trademark man-to-man defense that regularly keeps teams below their scoring averages and the contemporary offense that Wilson adopted in his latter years.

At the same time, Copp has applied his own stamp. The team falls into an occasional zone defense, which Wilson avoided. And it has increased emphasis on the fast break, a stratagem designed to combat the size shortage.

A challenging schedule looms. DHS faces at least three games against Region 6-AA foes Greater Atlanta Christian and South Atlanta, who occupied the top two rungs in the mid-December GACA coaches' state rankings. A minimum two games await against No. 7 Buford.

But the Bulldogs are surpassing expectations so far. What commenced as an apparent dreadfully long season is evolving into a satisfyingly long one.

The Decatur High School girls varsity basketball team also shows promise, having advanced to 9th place in the state.

Just last week, the Bulldogs beat Grady 60-43. So far, the team has only lost twice -- to Dutchtown High in Henry County and The Lovett School.

Still, the toughest games of the season lie ahead when the Bulldogs play Buford, the state's No. 1 team, twice in the coming months. Buford's Wolves were the Class AA champs two years in a row.

The Bulldogs also will go up against Greater Atlanta Christian School twice in the new year. Greater Atlanta Christian is 8th in the state rankings and the school has taken home 22 regional championships and 8 state championships in the past 34 years.