Who tops the Coastal Alabama postseason boys basketball power poll?
Posted February 5, 2015
At the beginning of the high school basketball season, AL.com ranked the top six boys teams in Coastal Alabama in the first Power Poll.
With the help of area coaches, the rankings were as follows: 1.) Theodore, 2.) Baker, 3.) Faith Academy, 4.) B.C. Rain, 5.) Blount and 6.) McGill-Toolen.
Some teams have lived up to preseason expectations. Some not so much.
All will have a clean slate as area tournament play swings into full gear this year.
Here is a look at the updated power poll heading into the postseason with some thoughts on each team.
1. Faith Academy (29-1)
Another amazing run for John Price’s Rams, who jump from No. 3 at the beginning of the season to the top spot. They are also the No. 1 team in Class 5A. Faith is deep, talented and experienced. Josh Hill and R.J. Mhoon are legitimate low-post threats, while Rod Williams, Devin Brown and Shawn Benard are lethal from the outside. And those aren’t the only options for Price. The Rams take a 28-game win streak into the Area 1 tournament beginning Tuesday at Faith. The Rams’ only loss came by 3 points to Baker in the second game of the season.
2. Theodore (24-4)
The Bobcats seem to be peaking at the right time, having notched wins over Blount, Murphy and Baker in a single week late last month. Alabama signeeDazon Ingram is the area’s top player and maybe the best I’ve seen in person on the high school level. His wizardry with the basketball is hard to defend. He scores, rebounds and plays defense. He is an equalizer against most teams. Theodore isn’t as big up front as it was last year, but when guards Rodney Gill andKyante Pines are making their 3s – and they have been making a lot in the last three weeks – this looks like a final four team.
3. McGill-Toolen (25-4)
The Yellow Jackets have notched their share of wins in the last few years with high-profile stars like T.J. Lang, now at Auburn, and Dylan Smith, who transferred to Hoover last spring. Phillip Murphy’s team this year lacks that same star power but is deep and plays together for a common purpose. That has resulted in 25 victories and – for one week in the middle of the season – the No. 1 ranking in Class 7A. Deion Dozier continues to be a force in the middle and is surrounded by capable players likeRene Scott, Tripp Cobb, Larry Rembert and Logan Cooney among others. McGill and rival Murphy seem about even to me, but I’ll give the Jackets a nod since they beat the Panthers recently on Murphy’s home floor. They’ll likely have to do that same thing again this week if they want to win the Area 2 title.
4. Murphy (21-6)
The Panthers have been a little inconsistent as of late but as usual Tim Waller’s team is athletic and deep. They are coming off a pair of narrow home losses last week to McGill (77-75) and Baker (82-77). However, they have scorers all over the place, includingTamarco McDuffie, Kevin Hudson, Justin Edwards, Albert Howard,Cameron Johnson and Cameron Grepke. Having seen them all, I still believe any of the top Coastal 7A teams (McGill, Murphy, Theodore, Baker) could get hot and come out of the South Regional in Dothan. That should make for an interesting week.
5. Spanish Fort (22-7)
The Toros jump from the preseason Next Six into the No. 5 spot. Dru Powell’s team has won 10 of its last 11 games with the only loss coming by two points to McGill-Toolen. They’ve also done that without transfer star Blake Admire, who has missed most of the last month with a hand injury. In his absence, Montrey Bishop and Justin Thomas have both stepped up. In a win over Baldwin County last week, Thomas had 19 points and 18 rebounds, while Bishop had 13 points and five steals. The Toros host the 6A, Area 2 tournament beginning Tuesday.
6. Baker (15-14)
The Hornets started the season at No. 2 in the power poll but have endured the rigors of a tough schedule that covered several states in the Southeast. However, multiple coaches told me Jeb Blackerby’s team was a deep as any in 7A in the Mobile area. The Hornets aren’t big inside, but they can counter with excellent outside shooting byMichael Standifer, Jared Holland and Demitri Williams among others. The win at Murphy last week could be the confidence builder Baker needs entering the postseason. The Hornets will open play in the Area 1 tournament at Theodore on Wednesday against Davidson.
