How Monsignor Donovan boys basketball earned its first state championship title
The Monsignor Donovan Catholic boys claimed their first GIAA basketball state title over the weekend, defeating First Preparatory Christian 62-49 in the Class A finals.
It's as much a bookmark in history for the Athens area, which hasn't seen a championship basketball team in years, as it is for the private religious school. They also won the region this year, their second consecutive and ever.
Senior forward Nick Huff had a triple-double with 15 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks, and was backed up by his counterpart, senior wing John W. "Tripp" Thompson III, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Both are being recruited heavily but neither 6-foot-8 young man has settled on a home for the fall just yet.
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Huff is second in the nation and first in the state for most blocks per game with 8.5. He's also first in the state for most rebounds per game (17.9) and third for most double-doubles (25). He's one of those irreplaceable types.
"The atmosphere was totally awesome," coach Tony Sorrells said of the Friday evening matchup. "The schools closed up early and really ... and pretty much everyone came up. We played at Columbus State, and it was just all-around a great atmosphere. It made me remember back in the day when I played at Madison County back in 1988 and we won the state championship there."
When Sorrells came to Monsignor Donovan four years ago, they were under water. One of the worst in the state, he recalled. Now, they're on top.
"(Monsignor Donovan) was my first opportunity to be a head coach at the high school level," Sorrells said. "I always wanted to see if I could take a program ... and turn it around."
This year, their schedule was a lot better, it had more challenges than they were used to, more than they'd ever seen before. Sorrells wanted to mix it up and see what his team could handle.
Sorrells wasn't worried in the slightest. In fact, he said he began to realize this was a championship-level team during last season when they'd made it to the 2023 title game and sadly lost, 54-48, to Memorial Day. They got their revenge in the semifinals this year.
So, he put two trips to South Carolina on the calendar.
The first resulted in a 99-68 loss to Greenville-natives and now 2024 SCHSL Class A champions Christ Church Episcopal. The second went better and they managed to defeat the Anderson Cavaliers, 79-61.
He also added two games against the reigning GHSA Class A-Division I champion King's Ridge Christian and made sure to take on some powerful Athens-area teams, like Oglethorpe County, which wrapped its season in the second round of the GHSA Class A-Division I state tournament against Mt. Vernon. They ended their season on a 12-game win streak.
"I could've played less opponents, but I chose to play teams that I knew delivered, that I knew we were going to beat and have some benefit from," he said. "I had more belief in them than they had in themselves earlier in the season and that's why I played that tough schedule. To unravel them."
A lot of motivation came from last year's end result, being crowned runner-up. Tears, crying, sad faces are what Sorrells told the boys to remember − their emotions in the ultimate loss. The rest of it came from the time and effort they were putting in. They began lifting daily in the weight room before attending practice. Sorrells commended the weight room for their success, saying it was probably one of the biggest factors that saved and rejuvenated them.
They also upped their defense and shot-taking ability. Sorrells said he would take kids out of the game if they were to pass up an open shot, simply to teach them a lesson − a 'you had the chance and you blew it, what were you thinking' kind of thing. It's a totally different game when the athletes are confident, and that is Sorrells' ultimate goal.
"It's just like a dream come true," Sorrells said. This is what I set out to do. ... For just this season alone, I knew we were going to struggle at the beginning, but I felt like by mid-January, we started to come together. Winning the state championship, it's a feeling that I rekindled from 36 years ago. I still don't believe it; the kids don't believe it and it was awesome."
The Rams went 17-9 in overall and 6-0 in their region. Since 2020, Sorrells has recorded a 59-48 record. There will be a celebration next week, after spring break ends.
Sara Tidwell covers Athens-area high school sports and University of Georgia athletics for The Athens Banner-Herald. Contact her at stidwell@gannett.com and follow her @saramtidwell on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Monsignor Donovan boys basketball wins 1st ever GIAA state title
