Freedom East rosters feature balance

Balanced.

It's the one word description of the East basketball teams in the fourth annual Freedom All-Star Classic. The East boys and girls teams, selected from the coverage area of The News Herald, feature rosters of solid guards, stellar forwards and legitimate post players for one of the most well-rounded groups in the history of the event.

The Freedom All-Star Classic takes place April 5 at the Billy Harrison Field House on the campus of Gulf Coast Community College. The West teams are from The Northwest Florida Daily News coverage area. The girls game is at 11 a.m., followed by the boys at 1 p.m.

The girls will be coached by Bay's George Hamilton, who helped lead the East girls to their first win in the series last year, and Port St. Joe's Kenny Parker. The boys will be guided by Rutherford's Rhondie Ross, also a winner in last year's event, and Marianna's Travis Blanton, who took the Bulldogs to the Class 3A Final Four earlier this month.

Two of Blanton's players, 6-foot-5 center Brandon Gibson and 6-1 guard T.J. Spencer will represent the East. Ross' protégé, Darron Austin, a 6-3 forward who averaged 13 points per game, also is on the East roster.

Bay and Port St. Joe are the other two area teams with two players on the team. Bay's Jay Wade, a 6-6 forward/center, and 6-0 guard Chris Jones, join 5-10 Port St. Joe guard Ricardo Clemmons and fellow Tiger Shark Ramon Beard, a 6-0 guard/forward. The Port St. Joe players helped the Tiger Sharks to the Region 1-2A championship game.

The East boys have additional size from 6-5 Bozeman forward Kevin Swinney and 6-6 guard/forward Brock Dockery of Holmes County. Dockery played point guard for Holmes County this season and averaged a roster-high 25 points per game. He also won the state's 3-point showdown.

Three other guards round out the roster, including two-sport standouts J.J. Laster, 5-7, of Graceville and 5-5 Joe Green of Chipley, both of whom helped their respective teams into the regional tournament.

Cottondale's Pierre Speights, 5-8, who averaged 12 ppg and also played in the regional tourney, rounds out the selections.

The East girls feature five true guards: Ponce de Leon's Maggie Wright, 5-9, and 5-8 Jennifer Grant, with a combined 19 ppg, Cottondale's Brianna Gray, 5-6, who played in the Region 1-2A championship game, Marianna's Keela McKay, 5-6, and Wewahitchka's Vanessa Wait, 5-3, who is the first Gators' player to be selected for the Freedom Classic.

They are joined by forwards Lakerria Smith, 5-9, of Graceville and 5-11 Sherisa Forward of Cottondale, guard/forwards Selina Porter, 5-6, of Rutherford, 5-11 Jazmen Johnson, who was a force on defense during the district tournament for Mosley, and 5-7 Shanida Thomas of Chipley and centers Mercedes Smith, 5-11, of Malone and 6-2 Mary Howes of Ponce de Leon.

The group of forwards and centers averaged a combined 91 points, and six of them grabbed 6 or more rebounds per game.