County is again rich in boys talent

Last season, Columbia County had one of its finest years in boys basketball. Both Evans and Greenbrier were among the area's top teams, and a few individuals had breakthrough campaigns.

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Well, that has me excited about 2007-08 hoops. So here is a peek at my top five players in Columbia County.

Jim Hull

Augusta Prep, Jr., guard

Easy pick here. Hull led the GISA in scoring as a sophomore with 26.1 points per game. He had a season high of 43 points and should eclipse 1,000 points midway through his junior season. He could be the county's all-time top scorer before his career is over.

Bryan Andrews

Greenbrier, Jr., guard

Andrews has started since his freshman season. He gives Greenbrier a chance to win night in and night out. He is blessed with great quickness and seems to be getting better and more polished every time he plays. He averaged 16.5 points and nearly six assists per game last season.

Jonathan Nicely

Evans, Sr., forward

Nicely has become known as "Mr. Clutch" thanks to his 30-foot buzzer beater to beat Greenbrier last season. However, he is no one-hit wonder. This 6-foot-5 talent can score in many different ways. He might not get 30 points a night, but he will fill a stat sheet by doing a little of everything. He should improve on his 14.5 points per game average from a year ago.

Rosbie Mutcherson

Lakeside, Sr., guard

Mutcherson was probably last season's most improved player in the county. He just got better and better as the season went on. By the end of the season he was one of the top long-range shooters in the county and should be a player the Panthers rely on to score this season.

Cedric Boatner

Harlem, Jr., guard

With the graduation of Demarcus Morris, Boatner will need to step up for the Bulldogs. He has the talent to be one of the county's top all-around players. He will need to become a consistent scorer for Harlem to be successful this year.

Coming off

the bench

Tyler Bourdo

Augusta Christian, Sr., guard

Bourdo is just a solid all-around athlete. He can do a little of everything. Last season he poured in more than 13 points per game and was among the area leaders in steals.

Fred Auston

Augusta Christian, Sr.,

forward

Auston does the dirty work for the Lions. Last season he managed 14.2 points per game thanks to his 56 percent field goal shooting. He should have another big year in 2007-08.

There are several other players who could play their way into an all-county spot this season. Trey Henderson at Evans and Mike Leverett at Harlem could both have big seasons, and there are a few young players who could step up, too. All in all, 2007-08 should be an exciting year on the hardwood.