Blue Devils’ weekend: Leaving on a jet plane

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January 18, 2013

Blue Devils’ weekend: Leaving on a jet plane

Becky Taylor CNHI The Tifton Gazette Fri Jan 18, 2013, 08:47 PM EST

TIFTON — This weekend, Springfield, Mass., will be filled with a variety of teams. Wamps and Millionaires from Massachusetts, Express from Maryland, Blue Devils from Georgia. Early Sunday morning is the start of a jam-packed 48 hours for Tift County that sees them fly from Atlanta, take in the sights, play a nationally-ranked school Monday morning in the Hoophall Classic and fly back that evening. Then get up and go to school Tuesday.

This is after a full weekend. Last night, they played the Colquitt County Packers in Moultrie. Tonight, they are in Douglas for a game with the Coffee Trojans.

The game was a late addition to the schedule. Initially, the Blue Devils were to play ML King Jr. High of Lithonia in Tifton. Those plans took a 950-mile turnaround at Christmas. When Tift was competing in the City of Palms Classic, Holland was informed that Lone Peak, Utah, had dropped out of the Hoophall Classic.

From there, “I knew some people who knew some people who knew some people,” Holland said. Tift was offered the slot. “I wanted to market my team,” he said and the Devils were soon booking plane tickets, headed for a new experience. Not just the Hoophall, but airplane flights.

Holland said that only three members of his team have been on a plane. For the ones uninitiated, the coach said that all they knew was “they take off and go up and come down.” Sixteen, including Holland will be on the trip.

Though the weather in Tifton has recently cooled down after a period of being mild, south Georgia coolness and Massachusetts coolness are very different. Monday’s predicted high temperature for Tifton is 64 degrees. Springfield’s won’t be very spring-like. The high there will be 29.

Holland said they had planned ahead for the cold. The Devils have received a few donations to prep them, including hoodies. Based on the travel schedule, though, the team will be moving too fast to feel the chill. They are scheduled to arrive at Logan Airport in Boston at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, check into the hotel at Springfield at 2 p.m., then as soon they unpack their bags, they will be on their way to a tour of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Then after a practice session at Springfield College, they have dinner, then go to Blake Arena for the Spalding Skills Challenge before they finally have a chance to rest their heads. Monday, the day starts at 7 a.m. for breakfast before their game at 10. After a quick lunch, they are on their feet again, going back to Logan Airport for their 6:30 p.m. flight back to Atlanta.

In between the bus rides, flights, meals and practice is the game with the St. Anthony Friars. It would be hard for the Blue Devils to have picked a bigger team.

The Friars are 11-0 as of Tuesday, a 49-22 thrashing of fellow New Jersey high school, Columbia. This was only days after holding another school to 15. Undefeated since the City of Palms, the Devils have seven straight victories; St. Anthony has 76. ESPN and USA Today both rank them as the No. 7 team in the nation and MaxPreps has them at No. 5.

Two of their players have already committed to playing college ball next year. Shooting guard Hallice Cooke is going to Oregon State, point guard Josh Brown is going to Temple. None of their players have made ESPN’s list of top 100 prep players, where Tift County’s own Kansas signee Brannen Greene is rated No. 43.

The coach behind St. Anthony is Bob Hurley. A former probation officer, Hurley has been at the helm for 41 years. He has amassed over 1,000 wins and is one of the few high school coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Though he and the Blue Devils have never crossed paths, Hurley has seen Georgia talent. The Friars played Lithonia’s Miller Grove last year.

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