16. Columbia (Decatur, Ga.)Head coach: Phil McCrary
2010-11 record: 30-3, Georgia Class AAA state champions
Players to watch: Damian Goodwin (6-7, 200, Sr.),
Jarmal Reid (6-6, 240, Sr., Oregon State verbal commitment),
Tahj Shamsid-Deen (5-10, 150, Jr., G),
Jhaustin Thomas (6-6, 240, Sr., South Carolina football commitment)
Eagles scouting report: Chris Tucker may be Columbia's most famous graduate, but taking the floor against the Eagles is no laughing matter. The program returns 10 players from a team that won its last 13 games in 2011 by an average of 28.7 points per game. Under McCrary, they are 180-17 since the 2005-06 season with four state titles.
Phil McCrary has won over 500 games and four state titles at Columbia.
Photo by Greg Behrens
Shamsid-Deen earned Class AAA Player of the Year honors as a sophomore and is one of the nation's most underrated point guards. He averaged over 12 points and nearly nine assists per game en route to the program's second-straight title.
Reid, who posted 11 points and eight rebounds per game last season, leads the frontcourt along with Goodwin and Thomas, a highly-recruited defensive end who hasn't ruled out attempting to play basketball and football at the next level.
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Southwest DeKalb (Decatur) and
Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross) will provide early-season, in-state tests. The holiday slate includes a trip to South Carolina for the Chick-fil-A Classic and hosting the 16-team Converse Invitational.
