Putnam County boys basketball has high aspirations this season after losing in the second round last year.
However, the War Eagles will be without their all-time leading scorer Eren Banks, who graduated in May and is now on scholarship playing basketball at Georgia Southern. They also lost a couple of other key pieces that graduated in Keyni Crawford, Payton Ellison, and Michael Morris.
Putnam County will be young with only two seniors, but head coach LaPatrick Marshall has high hopes.
“It’s their time to shine,” Marshall said of his younger guys. “We’ve got some young guys with potential.”
The War Eagles return their second-leading scorer from last season in shooting guard Landon Bonner. He is one of the most underrated players in the state and will be Putnam County’s leader this year.
Bonner was tabbed a preseason Class AA First-Team All-State selection by SandysSpiel.com. In 2022-23, Bonner averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game as a junior.
The War Eagles will also rely on a few underclassmen to help assist Bonner. Jmari Greene, Jaylin Harper, Zay Hargrove, and Kayden Solomon are all going to get a lot of minutes this season. Messiah Walker, the team’s only other senior, will be a key piece for Putnam County as well.
Despite losing talented players such as Banks and Crawford, Marshall thinks his team still will succeed.
“I think we’re going to come in and compete. I mean, we’re young, but as we play more games, we’ll be battle-tested,” Patrick said. “I think is one of the most talented teams that I have ever coached.”
According to Marshall, Harper is going to be the team’s leader this year, despite only being a junior.
“He’s almost like a clone of Eren (Banks). His work ethic mirrors Eren’s,” Marshall said of Harper. “He’s always in the gym before practice getting extra shots. He’s also great in the classroom. He’s just that kind of guy. That’s what I love about this team. Even though we’ve lost so much, these kids have learned so much (from last year’s seniors) and have stepped into their roles.”
Putnam County plays in one of the toughest regions, with two-time defending Class AA state champion Westside-Augusta as its main competitor. However, Region 4-AA also has teams such as Butler, Thomson, Laney, Josey, and Washington County will be fighting for playoff spots as well.
Last year, the War Eagles split the regular season series with Thomson, Butler, and Westside, and finished second in the region tournament. The War Eagles defeated Toombs County in the first round, but they suffered a devasting double-overtime defeat at Dodge County by a last-second shot.
To get back to the state playoffs, Putnam County has to navigate through all those teams once again.
“The region is going to be what it is, man. The region is going to be tough,” Marshall said. “With that being said, I think we’re going to come in and compete. We’re young but I expect big things from them.”