GHC President flies to Kansas to cheer on the national title quest
Whether it’s the Kansas home crowd of 7,600 chanting, “defense, defense,” as the Chargers work the ball down the court or the announcers discounting their efforts by calling them “pesky” repeatedly, the Chargers have fought hard for every win in their national title quest at the NJCAA National Basketball Championship—and whether or not they win some fans along the way, they have one big fan on his way to support them to the end.
Georgia Highlands College President Don Green jumped on a plane Friday morning heading for Kansas.
And although he might not be able to drown out over 7,000 dissenting voices, he hopes to help keep the fire alive in the Chargers’ hearts as they press forward into the Final Four.
“The announcers in Kansas keep saying our men are scrappy, pesky or feisty,” Green said.
But, he stated, that’s the fighting spirit they’ve had all season long—they didn’t go to Kansas to lose.
“These men will not only succeed in basketball,” he said, “they will succeed in life, because that’s the spirit you need to be successful.”
Green noted that the Chargers and Coach Phil Gaffney have great synergy.
“Phil is a great coach,” he said. “He not only coaches it, he lives it…he’s always willing to communicate and collaborate.”
And Green says you can see that in the way the players play each game.
“One of the greatest strengths of this team is the ability of each player to sense his need to step up and lead,” he said. “Whether it was Ty Toney in the first NJCAA game, Paris Ballinger’s ability to draw offensive fouls and hamper our opponents offensive momentum, Donavan Harris in the early minutes of the second half of the CSI game, big shots from Montrel Goldston at the end of two games, Taquan Givens applying ridiculous pressure, or Terrance Thompson and Doniel Dean stepping up with so many key shots in last night’s game—and the list goes on by the way—everyone is leading at the time when the team needs them the most.”
Green said that the Chargers epitomize what Georgia Highlands College is and what it offers.
“We are proud of our athletes and their success,” he said, “but the willingness to give all you can to compete and complete is embodied in all of our students. That is why we have one of the best retention rates in our sector of Georgia colleges. All of our students possess the same qualities our basketball team is showing.”
The Chargers will be playing again tonight (March 20) at 9:00pm EST. After defeating Hutchinson Thursday night, 64-59, the Chargers will take on Northwest Florida State.
The GHC Floyd campus will be offering a free, open to the public live stream event at the Floyd campus library – 3175 Cedartown Hwy, Rome, GA – where the game will be projected on a big screen and refreshments will be available. The game can also be viewed online at www.njcaatv.com
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