Statewide recognition

Published 8:00 pm Monday, March 19, 2018

Most locally are aware of the basketball player Christian Koneman is, seeing firsthand what he could do in the crimson and gold for Christian Heritage School.

During his senior season with the Lions, Koneman and his teammates made many statewide take notice of the caliber of Christian Heritage’s basketball program.

Koneman averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds a game while leading Christian Heritage to a Region 6-A championship. The Lions fell to Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in the Elite 8 of the Class A Private School State tournament, finishing with a 27-6 record.

In recognition of the season, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association named Koneman the Class A North Player of the Year.

“It’s a great honor,” Koneman said. “I’m proud of the way we stepped up this season. We definitely proved some people wrong in the area. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. Sam (Dindoffer) was always wanting to go to the gym, get extra shots up. AJ (Kent), Zach (Gentry), playing with them gave me confidence.”

The 6-foot-7 forward said his team made a statement with their season, especially their run through top-ranked St. Francis and North Cobb Christian at the region tournament.

“When people hear about northwest Georgia, they don’t really think there’s any good teams, just average teams,” Koneman said. “Kyle Sandy with his blog (of GHSA basketball), he said he wasn’t sure about us until he saw us play St. Francis. Then he said ‘Hey, this team is pretty good.’ I think we made a statement.”

“I think they recognize with us going and winning the region tournament, being in one of the top regions in the state, someone had to help us get there,” said Christian Heritage coach Tyler Watkins. “He was averaging about 21 (points) and 10 (rebounds) in those three or four games. It’s huge for our program. It shows his work ethic and what he’s been doing over these last four years. He’s been putting time in.”

Koneman has one more chance to represent his school during the GACA’s North-South All-Star game at Dalton High School on Saturday. The game brings together 20 of the top players from across the state.

“I saw it’s top 20 players in the state, it’s a huge honor to be picked for this,” Koneman said. “Representing Christian Heritage meant a lot to me the past four years. Doing it one more time is a great opportunity, especially here at Dalton. It’s a great honor.”

“It’s obviously a great honor,” Watkins said. “The top players in the state of all the classifications, I’m excited for him to get that opportunity to play with some of the best in the state.”

This is the second GACA All-Star game to be held in Dalton this school year following the North-South volleyball game in the fall. The organization’s Hall of Fame is inside the Dalton Convention Center.

There are four All-Star games Saturday at Dalton High starting with the North-South Junior Girls game at 10 a.m. Following will be the junior boys game, the senior girls game and finally the senior boys game with Koneman at 4 p.m.

The rosters are littered with college recruits including some that Koneman has teamed with in AAU tournaments. He said getting that exposure over the summer helped him toward his strong season.

“I played on a travel team where every single of one of us is playing at the college level next year at high levels,” said Koneman, who is currently unsigned. “I have a teammate going to Lipscomb, a teammate going to Gardner-Webb, a few playing in the Peach Belt, a major DII conference. Playing against competition like that really helped me.”

ALL-STATE HONORS

Northwest Whitfield High School’s girls basketball team had a pair of players recognized as All-State by the GACA. Senior guard Holly Heath and junior forward Jada Griffin were named All-State in Class 4A North.

“It’s really a big honor,” said Lady Bruin coach Greg Brown. “I think they both earned it with how hard they played this year. I think a lot of recognition is due to our team success as well. It was a big year for us. … Any time ‘All-State’ is beside your name, it’s a big deal and something to be proud of.”

This is Heath’s second straight All-State selection and Griffin’s first. Heath averaged 12.2 points, 3.1 assists and 3.5 steals for the Region 6-4A champion Lady Bruins, who finished with a 25-4 record.

“I feel very honored to be named on the All-State team again this year,” Heath said. “I feel blessed to be recognized for playing a game that I love and to have my accomplishments noticed. It makes me even more proud because it also represents my coaches and their dedication, and my team for their hard work to help me be the best player and teammate that I can be.”

Griffin averaged 16.8 points and 7.4 rebounds. She was named the Daily Citizen-News’ All-Area Player of the Year and the Region 6-4A Player of the Year.

“It means a lot, it shows people my talent,” Griffin said. “It feels amazing that these people think you are capable of doing big things. It kinda make you feel unstoppable.”