The TFS boys basketball program has had plenty of other great seasons, including two that contained more total wins and a deeper playoff fun. But none that hauled in a region championship, either the regular season or region tournament variety. 2020-21 was a first for the Indians, who secured the title both ways to ensure there was no debate as to who the best team was in Region 8-A Private.
All told, TFS went 18-5 on the way to a perfect 10-0 region mark. That secured the regular season title, and the boys didn’t disappoint in the region tournament. After a first round bye, the Indians slipped past host Athens Academy on a Simeon Respress buzzer-beater tow in 61-59.
Days later, TFS returned to Athens Academy to complete the task of taking home region title honors, cruising past George Walton 64-47. The Indians had already secured a state playoff spot and a home playoff game with the win over Athens Academy.
The state playoffs didn’t quite go according to plan, as the Indians had a horrible draw in getting the state’s #3-ranked team, Galloway, in the first round. Though the boys fought hard, the season ended with a loss at home in the first round of state. Still, it marked the second straight playoff season for TFS and made it now four out of the past five seasons going to the state tournament.
A 10-game win streak from December 5 through January 22 set the tone for the special season, as the boys climbed the state rankings to as high as #9 in Class 1A Private. The 1,308 total points scored ranks as one of the top-10 offenses in school history.
Coach Cody Coleman, who was named Region 8-A Private Coach of the Year, became the program’s second-winningest coach with now 28 wins through two seasons, which has him behind Jim Van Hooser’s 69 wins.
Along with Coleman’s accolade, Sammy Davis and Gabe Keene earned First Team All-Region nods, while Anfernee Hanna was named to the Second Team. Respress and Devonte Allen were Honorable Mentions.
Davis (11.8 points per game), Keene (11.8), and Hanna (11.0) were consistently leading the way in scoring, while Hanna (7.7 rebounds per game) and Keene (7.0) dominated on the boards. Keene also averaged 2.0 blocks per contest and had 45 on the season, which ranks third in program history behind Thala Freeman’s 50 and his brother Josey Keene’s 47.
The scoring output for Keene (272 total points) and Davis (271) rank 19th and 20th, respectively, in team history. Other notable stats include Keene’s 162 rebounds and Hanna’s 161, as both rank in the top-10 in a single season. Allen had 50 steals, good for 10th most in a single campaign, while Hanna came up with a massive 18-rebound game on January 26 against Loganville Christian. That was three shy of the school record set by Brandon Mbaba (21 rebounds) back in 2009. Hanna also had a 13-rebound performance, while Davis had 15 in a game as well.
TFS graduates Davis, Respress, Julian Gober, Kale Corbett, and David Moreno Rodriguez this spring. Returning next season will be Keene, Hanna, Allen, Charlie Cody, and others.
