Football Fridays in Georgia: GHSA Basketball Championships Preview

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Hannah Goodin: Girls first.

Jon Nelson: Ladies first.

Hannah Goodin: Duh,

Jon Nelson: duh.

Tabitha Turner: You're going to expect, what? A lot of scoring. You're going to expect a lot of smart decisions. A chess match.

Matt Stewart: To be able to beat those guys was a phenomenal feat.

Hannah Goodin: The dunk contest.

Jon Nelson: Uh huh.

Hannah Goodin: Just underline it and then just put a period

Jon Nelson: Exclamation point, hello.

 

TRANSCRIPT:

Jon Nelson: Welcome to another round of the Football Fridays in Georgia podcast here at Georgia Public Broadcasting. Thanks for accessing us however you are doing so, large device or small. Although it's not quite the Football Fridays in Georgia podcast, is it? Hannah. Hannah There, Jon. Here it's a little different this time.

Hannah Goodin: It is. For the first time in six seasons.

Jon Nelson: I feel like we should have a trumpet fanfare, so.

Hannah Goodin: We should.

Jon Nelson: There you go. There's your trumpet fanfare.

Hannah Goodin: Nailed it. We are covering the GHSA Basketball Championships. And today we are giving you a little treat with a basketball preview. We have Matt Stewart and Tabitha Turner on, some of our announcers for the games and it's going to be a fun one.

Jon Nelson: Four days from the Macon Coliseum and we'll go over the broadcast plan and how you can watch because it's a little different than we have in the past. It's a little different. We're all over the place. If you haven't subscribed to all of the different GPB and GPB Sports social media platforms, do so this is your this is your waving. We're waving our hands in the air to remind you subscribe to all of them because it's Facebook, it's Twitter, it's Twitch, it's YouTube and web. Did I miss anything?

Hannah Goodin: And the app

Jon Nelson: and the app, that too.

Hannah Goodin: And it's also TV, but we'll get into that.

Jon Nelson: Yeah, so it's a little different, but it's going to be fun breaking it down with two of our main voices when it comes to this. Four days, 17 championships, There's some fun competitions involved. There's wheelchair that's attached to it too. So it's going to be a fun time down at the Macon Coliseum. First time in a while that we've had the basketball championships here on GPB.

Hannah Goodin: Oh yeah. The 3-point contest, the dunk contest.

Jon Nelson: Uh huh.

Hannah Goodin: Well, so we got through March Madness high school style. What were your your biggest takeaways, Jon?

Jon Nelson: I you know, in looking at first times in long time, first time, long time, I always like to do that. And then all of the the wide ranging elements that we have in it. So let me see if I can go through it quickly here. Looking at like a Charlton County who knocks off a Green Forest Christian on the boys side with a last second buzzer beater and the video's out there. And so Charlton County knocks off the — the one of the top teams in the state in Green Forest Christian and you get to see Wilkinson County coming in where for the longest time you would see Dr. Aaron Jeter, the longtime head coach at WilCo. and there would always be a player on his rosters with the last name of Whipple. There were like 97 Whipples that would play for Dr. Jeter at Wilkinson County.

Hannah Goodin: Please tell me there's another one.

Jon Nelson: He's the coach now. Dr. Jeter retired, and now Xavier Whipple is the head coach at WilCo. So if you thought that, you know, the crowds were just going to be insane, this one for a different reason. In Class A D-2 boys, Charlton County with the big upset of Green Forest Christian and the legacy program at Wilco. I mean, literally, it is a palace if you go to to Wilco. So you go there and you see that you look at West Side Augusta, representing the eastern frontier, region rivals in triple-A on the boys side, Cedar Grove and Sandy Creek. Sound familiar? Fayette County in AAAA Eagles Landing and Kell. Kell chasing after the double.

Hannah Goodin: Been following Kell.

Jon Nelson: Lee County for the first time, I think chasing a championship since 1985, going up against Alexander and then obviously Wheeler. That's all you need to say.

Hannah Goodin: That's all you need to say. Just underline it and then just, yeah, put a period.

Jon Nelson: Exclamation point, hello.

Hannah Goodin: I'm sorry. Two!

Jon Nelson: Yes, there you go. And then on the girls side: Galloway there. And Clinch County coming up in outta Region 1,  chasing after Lake Oconee Academy. Banks County: It'll be great to see the Leopards. Hebron Christian, Lumpkin County. We get into this one in our interview coming up in just a little bit. In Triple A, Griffin and Baldwin, two great towns really for high school athletics. In Quad: Warner Robins. We mentioned Kell. Warner Robins.

Hannah Goodin: What isn't Warner Robins good at?

Jon Nelson: Exactly. So Warner Robins — can Warner Robins keep Kell from a possible double in 5A?

Hannah Goodin: That's going be a really good game.

Jon Nelson: The place is going to be packed. And then Lovejoy in 6A, and then obviously Norcross and Brookwood and 7A girls. So that's your quick preview. And we're done with the Football Fridays in Georgia podcast here.

Hannah Goodin: That's a wrap.

Jon Nelson: That's a wrap; we'll see you next — no. But that's just, that's my quick rundown of everything going on. So we got a guest, right?

Hannah Goodin: Well so some of these players are playing. I got to catch up with them.

Jon Nelson: Yes, you did.

Hannah Goodin: And you'll be hearing excerpts from their interviews throughout our show. So that was Stephon Castle: Newton five star combo guard committed to Connecticut. Ace Bailey, McEachern five star small forward heading to Rutgers, their top recruit in modern history. Courtney Ogden, Westminster five star going to Stanford and Diana Collins, Brookwood four star point guard going to Ohio State. All four of those interviews were so much fun. They are such smart student athletes with amazing stories. If you want to watch the full interviews, you can go to the GPB Sports YouTube page. But like I said, we are going to air a few excerpts from them throughout the show as well. So let's get right to it.  

Jon Nelson: Excellent cross promotion.

Hannah Goodin: Preview the girls first because girls first.

Jon Nelson: Ladies first. Duh.

Hannah Goodin: Duh. In today, I am so excited to bring on Tabitha Turner. She's a former Georgia Tech basketball standout and broadcaster for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. So she is outstanding. Let's bring her on to talk all things girls basketball. Hey, Tabatha, we are so excited to have you on the podcast today. I want to start by talking about the talent level in girls basketball during the playoffs and now the championships. It is incredibly impressive. Who did you have your eye on?

Tabitha Turner: Well, I'm definitely looking at all the teams because they made it this far with the five defending state champions. So you've got Norcross in 7A, Lovejoy, 6A, Lumpkin in 3A and 2A Mount Paran and then Lake Oconee. It's really hard to repeat as champions, right? Like everybody's got their eyes on you. Like, there are some teams that can sneak up and win a championship one year and people don't know who they are. They came out of nowhere. But when you've got teams who are continuously going back and forth championships, you're going to get everybody's best every single night. So I'm looking at those five teams that I'm sitting here saying, okay, I want to see what they do this year. They made it this far. Do they have enough in the tank to win another championship?

Jon Nelson: So then, all right, since you mentioned Lumpkin County in triple-A, Lumpkin County loves the 3. I mean, they they absolutely just live by the 3. And I think last time I checked, they have like 72 seniors on their roster. But let me let me go to the flip side of that match up in Hebron Christian in triple for those that don't follow, Hebron Christian couple of years ago got a legendary head coach to wander over from a program that she established. And I think 72 of the 73 years she coached at Wesleyan, they were chasing after championships. Jan Azar returns to the last game of the year. This one for me is going to be one of the more interesting matchups of the entire weekend. A coaching legend bringing Hebron Christian in against the defending champ in Lumpkin County.

Tabitha Turner: And even more interesting. She defeated Wesleyan to get here in the semifinals. 

Jon Nelson: How's that for irony? You defeat your old school. You defeat your old school to get to the title game. I think you're getting another legend. And like I said, Lumpkin County: Great School in the mountain region, that to see things stylistically. I mean, Hebron Christian, they put 98 on on Mary Persons earlier in the tournament. So I mean, you could have a you could have a game that could break the scoreboard here.

Tabitha Turner: Absolutely. And when you've got, like you said, with Hebron County — er, Hebron Christian — you've got so many seniors on this team. When you've got that many seniors on a team, you're going to expect a lot, a lot of scoring. You're going to expect a lot of smart decisions. A chess match. And then you've got, like you said, a coach coming in who knows what they're doing. A 29 and 2 record is amazing and 23 straight wins. That's hard to do for any coach or any team. So a team like that, I'm excited to see if they win, of course, but how they win, I'm interested to see the style of the players who, like you said, have so many seniors. I'm expect them to be really smart. High basketball IQ level.

Hannah Goodin: Tabitha, you're the color analyst for every single one of the girls games.

Jon Nelson: Every single one.

Hannah Goodin: So I know that the research and the prep work continues. But from what you've seen so far, which classification do you think? And this is a tough question.

Jon Nelson: It's good. I know what her answer is going to be, but go ahead and ask the question. Go ahead

Hannah Goodin: Which classification do you think has been the toughest through the playoffs?

Jon Nelson: Choice D, All the above. Am I right?

Tabitha Turner: Absolutely. I think it's been all of the above, and I think that's been across like I think that's been across high school basketball, but I also think it's been across college. And I think we're going to see that across the W as well. I think that's a trend in women's basketball because there is like there's people — the attention is there, right? The demand has been there to see more basketball. Now we're seeing more basketball is a part of that. We're putting on this awesome showcase and it's just like, okay, people want to see more of girls basketball, more women's basketball. And now they're noticing that it's so competitive. So across every league, I think it's just been picked up to another level. And when I'm looking at college and WNBA, you know what's the first stat I'm looking at? I'm looking at where they went to high school. Were they McDonald's All-Americans? They lead their high school teams in scoring or rebounding? Like what did they do in the high school level? How did this start and where are they coming from? So, I mean, the prep continues, but it's also Q knowledge where it's going to continue for the rest of their careers. And I'm just excited that I get to see them get started on this level to begin with.

Hannah Goodin: Let's talk about in individual players. You have somebody like Courtney Ogden. She's the best player in the state. No. 10 on the ESPN W Hoops Girls recruiting rankings, five star wing from Westminster, committed to Stanford. She is outstanding and has been so impressive to watch. You also have someone like Diana Collins, Brookwood four star point guard heading to Ohio State next year. Tell me more about what you think about those girls and who else has impressed you this season?

Tabitha Turner: I mean, just in total. I mean, a lot of these young women have just been so impressive. In those two young women that you talked about, like committing to Stanford and Ohio State. Like, those are two really big basketball programs in the world of women's basketball. So when you have players like that who can perform on this level, I'm excited to see what they do at the next level. These are players that on this level, yes, they are top notch over all the competition. They stand head and shoulders above the competition. But on the next level, you're going to have everybody who led their team in scoring or in rebounding in the competition is going to get even harder.

Jon Nelson: You're one of instead of the you are one of the, right?

Tabitha Turner: Exactly. One of. So you're not that special anymore. So now how can you stand out on that next level? And so right now they're showing their college coaches like, yeah, they might have committed at this point, but you don't get to relax at this point just because you've got that commitment to those big-time universities. You've got to show them that, hey, I'm still working hard right now and that at the next level I'm going to give you my best. Even when it comes time to win a championship and I'm going to show you how I can win. So with those kind of players, I'm so impressed with how they're competing, but how they're still competing and I'm excited to see how they win a championship if they can get it done.

Hannah Goodin: I am, too. Well, let's hear from Courtney and Diana. We'll start with Courtney. And this is the secret to her success.

Courtney Ogden: I would say hard work and listening to my dad. My dad got me started in basketball and he showed me along the way. And just getting in the gym and staying in the gym and listening along the way.

Hannah Goodin: Are there some words of advice that he's given you that have, that have stuck with you, that you you play by every time?

Courtney Ogden: He definitely tells me different things along the way. But I mean, he always just says, shooters always have a spot. And so we always work on shooting the ball, and that has proven to be true.

Hannah Goodin: So Courtney's dad played collegiate basketball and so did Diana's mom. So she played at West Florida. Here's some advice that Diana's mom gave her. And — and this is why she is so outstanding on the court.

Diana Collins: My mom coached me all the way to third grade, so I guess you would say she had like impact on her basketball style but she really does gives advice like: Be confident yourself, then I know who you are, what you want to do on the court, stuff like that. So yeah.

Hannah Goodin: So, Tabitha, you've been there, you've played high school basketball, and you were a star at the collegiate level as well with the Yellow Jackets. What are these girls thinking? When when they're there on the biggest stage? What is that like for them?

Tabitha Turner: It's — in hindsight, it's like, okay, oh, that was nothing, right? Like, you look back 10 years past and you're like, Oh, this. It wasn't that big a deal. But when you're in that moment, that is the biggest moment of your life up until that point. And so I think about it like when you go to work now, you have a big presentation or we have like a big show or even for this showcase, like we're going to be on air showcasing these young girls and these women in basketball. Like, we're nervous going into it, but this is one of those things where you prepare for the moment and you rely on your preparation. And so you're going to have so much nerves going into it, but you're relying on your muscle memory. You're relying on all the hard work, like Courtney said in her interview that went into it. You're relying on those words when you get tired and you've got to pull out a gutsy move or a gutsy play, your team needs you. And there's 10 seconds left on the clock. You're reminding yourself of what your mom and your dad told you about having that confidence in those moments. And so, you know, as parents, it makes them happy to know that we're reciting those things in our head, at the toughest moments of our lives. But those things do come back to you because it is muscle memory. So if you put the work in, this is when all that hard work starts to pay off. In those moments where you're tired and you're blacking out, you're just going out there and you're getting the job done. So for these young ladies, it's a lot of — it's a lot of jitters going into it. But this is where all their hard work pays off and it comes to fruition.

Jon Nelson: Last question from us, Tabitha thanks for hanging out with us here on the show this week. When it comes to preparation — I want to kind of pull back the curtain a little bit — when it comes to preparation for doing all of these games, because, I mean, it is I mean, Hannah and the pre and the half on the post is it is it's entirely different in preparation. Yeah. I wasn't going to make the question about me.

Hannah Goodin: I'm not doing it all by myself.

Jon Nelson: I know. But what I'm saying is it's like I like I know my preparation, but I don't think a lot of folks know the preparation that goes into four days of doing all of these games. And it is rapid fire. It is you want to talk muscle memory and short term memory. What is it like? Because we don't know who's going to be playing in these games until roughly what? Saturday? So — so Saturday to Wednesday's what? Sunday, Monday, Tues — basically we've got about three and a half days to start gathering out how we're doing all of our notes and getting prepped for you for the young girls that want to be like you and be a broadcaster later on in their in their lives after they get out of college and such. What — what do you do when it comes to preparation? How much of that comes from being an athlete to get you ready for probably in a situation like this?

Tabitha Turner: Great question.

Hannah Goodin: Good question, Jon. Wow. I have some chills.

Jon Nelson: Well, I'm prepping the next generation and having Tab explain it.

Tabitha Turner: No, that's an amazing question because, you know, I'm happy you asked it because I think I had I was doing the Duke UNC game like two weeks ago. It was their final game. And if you guys I don't know if you guys keep up with college basketball, but Duke could have been undefeated at home. UNC came in there, stole that dream away. But anyway, I talked about on air at halftime how there are some companies that only hire athletes or former athletes because of the style of work ethic that you have, because you know how to work as a team. You know how to have or make hard decisions. You know how to fight through adversity and find a way where there isn't. Like where somebody else will quit, an athlete will say, "I'm going to keep going; I have to figure out a way to get this task done with these people." And so that's a skill that really can't be — it's hard to teach, and it's even better when you have it coming from somebody who's instilled it throughout their lives as an athlete. Right. And some student athletes don't even realize that they have that work ethic. And so I'm not saying that if you're not a former athlete, you can't be a broadcaster; that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is, as an athlete, there are certain ways or certain things that have been instilled in you of hard work. And so going and doing all these games, I'm looking at film on every team, not just their last game, I'm looking at their previous games, like what's the trend that's happened throughout the season? What's the trend that happened the last five games? What streak did they have? I'm looking at the coaches. Where did the coaches coach? You know, you got coaches who played in the WNBA and were all stars in college and Hall of Famers and some of their players don't know who their coaches are. It's like, do you realize your coach was a seven-time WNBA champion, blah blah blah?  I'm exaggerating, but they'll be on the court and they don't know that their coach was, you know, a two-time UConn all-American. And that, you know, that's crazy to me because these players have to know that. And so I say all that to say as an athlete, you have to put in a lot of work. As a broadcaster, you have to put in a lot of work if you want to be great at what you do. And my job is to showcase these young women. And so I'm trying to piece together all the information, you know, going on the high school websites, the athletic sites, looking at who the coaches are, what championships they've won. Are they repeating? Are they going back to back? How long has the coach been there? What players, how many seniors do they have who transferred in, You know, whose dad or mom played what sport? Because that's important as well. Because like we heard on that interview with Courtney, her mom, who played basketball, and her dad who also played, they tell her certain things from when they learned when they played on the college and pro levels. So all of that goes into your prep, all the film. Looking at previous press conferences and then looking at player stats and film and it's neverending. I'm sure you guys will be prepping throughout the whole season.

Jon Nelson: So short-term memory is your friend.

Hannah Goodin: Awesome, Tabitha. Well, you were outstanding today on the podcast. I cannot wait to work with you this week. It's going to be a fun week of basketball coverage. So thank you again for joining us today. We really appreciate it.

Tabitha Turner: Of course, thanks for having me, guys. I can't wait to get in there and calling these games with you. It's going to be so much fun.

Jon Nelson: One interview down, one to go. But I always thought the secret of my success was living 25 hours a day. Movie reference. Look it up. That's why that's the way it goes here on the show sometimes. So now to the boy side and fresh off the plane — and I mean fresh off the plane — is our play by play voice for the boys games this weekend — paired with Shawn Golden. Time to catch up with Matt Stewart.

Hannah Goodin: Still at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport off the plane from the Sun Belt men's basketball tourney. Matt, are you getting noticed? Are you are you signing autographs?

Matt Stewart: Yes. This is being recorded in front of a live studio audience.

Jon Nelson: So, Matt, Matt's gassed up and ready to go. The fun belt is in the rearview mirror and he's got the men's tournament and he's got the boys side hanging out with us here. How's the studying been going in balancing high school and college for you?

Matt Stewart: Cramming, I mean, at this point, because, you know, with the with the boys championships, you can't really prepare too much in advance because we didn't know until Friday and Saturday who's even in. So, I mean, this is the tight preparation, but having a great time talking to coaches and getting ready to call these eight boys state championship games.

Hannah Goodin: What were some of the most interesting storylines coming out of the playoffs?

Matt Stewart: Golly. To me, the most interesting has to be Cherokee. The Cherokee boys basketball team, led by Coach Veihman, made it to the finals for the first time since 1982. They have not had a lot of success. I mean, their yeah, they typically make the playoffs, but they're out in the first or second round every year and they've made an incredible run and they play in the same region as Wheeler. So that explains a little bit. Wheeler dominates that thing. They've won eight state titles. But Cherokee making it to the finals this year for the first time in 40 years. You know, in that program's history, I think they're a big story and they've already played Wheeler twice this year. And of course, Wheeler is the dominant team, the you know, the consensus No. 1 team in the state. But I tell you what, they played them tough twice and we'll see what happens the third time they play him in Macon.

Jon Nelson: And you've got two region rivals with Cedar Grove and Sandy Creek. You've got Lee County chasing after a championship, I think, for the first time since 1985 and in class A D2 and I talked about this in the open — Charlton County knocks off the big dog on the left hand side of the bracket in Green Forest Christian and you get one of the legacy teams in one of the smaller classifications. Wilkinson County, who are now coached by a Whipple; Charlton County and Wilco. I think that one's going to be a fun one too.

Matt Stewart: So that is going to be a fun game on Saturday, there's no doubt about that. And knocking off Green Forest is no small feat. The private school out of DeKalb County; they have two seven footers on their team, one committed to Mississippi State, one committed to Georgia State. Wow. To be able to beat those guys was a phenomenal feat.

Hannah Goodin: Let's talk individual prospects that you've got your eyes on. I was able to catch up with Stephon Castle and Ace Bailey. What are your thoughts on on those two guys and who else has just really shown out this season?

Matt Stewart: Yeah, unfortunately Ace and Stephon didn't get there. You know, Ace — McEachern got beat by Wheeler in the quarterfinals. Tremendous junior prospect. He'll likely be the No. 1 prospect in the state of Georgia next year as a senior. He was this year as a junior. Committed to Rutgers, which turned a lot of heads because the kid could play anywhere he wanted to and chose the Rutgers — Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Not signed yet, but committed. No. 1 power forward in the nation. And Stephon Castle is going to be a McDonald's All-American, just like Isaiah Collier from Wheeler, who we'll talk about in just a moment. But Stephon, No. 1 shooting guard in the country, signed with UConn. Newton Rams had a great season, but they didn't make it — got knocked out in the quarterfinal round. But No. 1 prospect in this tournament, that's really easy because he's also the consensus No.1 overall prospect in the entire nation. Isaiah Collier, the five star point guard signed with Southern Cal, he's the highest rated prospect to sign with the Trojans ever. And it's going to be fun to watch him play. Wheeler, of course, is a juggernaut. Errington Page is his teammate. He's a four star. He's also signed with Southern Cal. He's rated the No. 6 center in the country. And then they've got another Power five guy or power conference guy, if you will, in Jelani Hamilton, a 6'6 senior, four star No. 26 shooting guard in the country. He signed with Iowa State. So, I mean, my goodness, you talk about a loaded team. We've seen some of those in football over the last couple of years. Wheeler is the equivalent of that in basketball. Just a ton of — ton of talent.

Hannah Goodin: Well, even though they're not playing in the last game of the year, we have some clips from Stefon and Ace that we wanted to play because they are still the top recruits in the state. So let's start with Stephon first. His dad played collegiate basketball and here's the advice he had for him.

Stephon Castle: Yeah, just not be complacent and like, don't don't settle. Don't settle for settle for less; that I can always achieve more. Just do more on the court. He just always pushed me to do better. So that's the kind of message that he pretty much gives me every night. So.

Hannah Goodin: And Ace still had some unfinished business to do. He wanted to give his team some advice before he moved on. Here's Ace.

Ace Bailey: Building their leadership, because when I leave, I want the same foundation as the next players to come in. So it's just about being a leader on and off the court and showing the younger guys how to be a leader on and off, show them what things to do. Show up to practice on time and things like that, etc.

Matt Stewart: Couple of other guys I didn't want to talk about that will be playing in the state finals that are big time prospects. Payton Marshall, the 611, 310 pound junior Center who leaked Kill the Longhorns was taken on Eagle's Landing in the five state championship is the number six junior in the entire country. So Peyton Marshall, we're going to see him in action. Four star point guard, Kyle Green for Pace Academy. He's got 20 offers, including Georgetown and South Carolina. He's the number 16 junior point guard in the country. And of course, Pace Academy will be playing in the 4A state championship game when they go up against Fayette County. And Sandy Creek's three star Micah Smith, 6'7" junior offered by Georgia Tech. Auburn. Cincinnati. Georgetown. No. 21 power forward in the nation. Sandy Creek in there and you mentioned it already, Jon. That's going to be an interesting dynamic in that 3A state championship game because, oh, yeah, by the way — it also happens to be a rematch — rematch of the 3A state football championship game, which we all know ended under unusual circumstances.

Jon Nelson: That's a nice phrasing of it.

Hannah Goodin: All right, Matt. Well, I know that we are all excited to be covering basketball again after six season hiatus, so thank you so much for the time. I know you have a lot.

Jon Nelson: Hannah's letting you get your luggage to leave the airport.

Hannah Goodin: Yeah, I think I hear I got.

Jon Nelson: I got to.

Matt Stewart: Go get on the train to get to get my my baggage.

Hannah Goodin: Yeah, well, you go. And we're so excited for this week. It's going to be a long one, but we're all in it together.

Matt Stewart: Yeah, we're looking forward to it, man. I mean, what better way to spend the week but calling great high school basketball, talking to great coaches, you know, great basketball girls and boys, just going to be super fun. And we're so excited to have the state championships back on GPB.

Jon Nelson: So Matt has a lot of studying to do coming off of the Fun Belt Tournament all the way through the semifinals. Now that he's back here, he gets to hang out with the boys side here on GPB. And we mentioned GPB because we mentioned how all of the different social media platforms are going to be a part of this experience. And it is a multi-screen multimedia social media experience. But the over the air part is what's a little different.

Hannah Goodin: So it's going to be on TV, GPB knowledge channel. So the best way to find that is to check your listings. You can even call your cable provider and ask them what channel it is. You can look on your cable providers website. We have a blog that went out. I have a blog that went out... 

Jon Nelson: I was going to say now.

Hannah Goodin: With all of the information about the GPB knowledge channel. So if you go to GPB.org/sports, the blog will be on that page. We're also going to put it out on social media this week to remind you where to watch. So if you're confused, also go to one of our social media pages to find that blog. And then another way is GPB.org/waystowatch. W-A-Y-S-T-O, watch

Jon Nelson: Not W-A-Z-E but W-A-Y-S.

Hannah Goodin: Yeah. Just in case you're confused with the Waze app. Yes. Ways to watch. And that gives you a rundown on what the GPB knowledge channel is and where to find it as well. So I recommend all of our streaming platforms. It's going to be seamless, it's going to be flawless. Jon's going to be looking wonderful, but it's also on TV as well.

Jon Nelson: See now Waze, WAZE to watch, get you to the Macon Coliseum.

Hannah Goodin: Exactly where you want.

Jon Nelson: WaysToWatch is how you can be a part of our experience the entire weekend. Traditionally, and this is for cable systems and for those of you that just have digital tuners, it's the .3 in your area in the state that is attached to GPB Kknowledge. So if you're say, here in the Atlanta area, it would be 8.3 on a digital tuner. If you're in the north Georgia mountains, it would be off of WCLP, it would be 18.3. So keep an eye on that. It's probably on your cable systems. So just look at your cable system, figure out where it is. It's usually the .3 in your digital tuners, but GPB knowledge is your over the air source in addition to all the digital ways that we have squared away.

Hannah Goodin: And if you have a smart TV, it's on YouTube. We're live. We are live on YouTube.. For the first time.

Jon Nelson: And Twitch and Facebook. 

Hannah Goodin: a great way to watch on your TV.

Jon Nelson: And the app and all these kinds of things. But now it's going to be it's going to be a really fun time. Four days from the Macon Coliseum, about 1:00. It's 1:00.

Hannah Goodin: You're the only one on the court watching.

Jon Nelson: 1:00 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday starts the broadcast day, 11:00 on Saturday morning is the start. And we go all day long. Last, last game tips off traditionally around 7:00. So 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. with all of the great entertaining stuff in between the coed slam dunk three point wheelchair 11:00 is your start time on Saturday. So 17 championships plus a lot of fun stuff in the in between. I'ts going to be a great week of basketball and GPB.

Hannah Goodin: Yeah and we will also be announcing our GPB All Stars Basketball edition. Yes. During the broadcast as well. So we'll be back next month with another podcast. Yes, back to football. Yes, we'll have lots of updates. Coaching Carousel. Spring practice will have begun, so that will be next month. And in the meantime, in between time.

Jon Nelson: In between time.

Hannah Goodin: We got to run upstairs and keep prepping for basketball.

Jon Nelson: True. So on that note, I'm going to turn this way for those who were watching the digital version. So let's see, who do we have? We have Commander Sandy. We got Ambassador Jeremy. We get Jake the Snake. Who am I missing? I see. Is King James.

Hannah Goodin: King James.

Jon Nelson: Okay, so I was like, because it is like behind like nine monitors and that's kind of hard. So for all of us and four for Hannah. I'm just Jon, thanks for hanging out with us for another round of the Football Fridays in Georgia podcast: Hoops Edition as we get you ready for the basketball championships here on the great GPB. Enjoy. We'll see you down there.