The Putnam County boys basketball team recently had three players earn All-Region 4-AA honors.
War Eagle senior Eren Banks and junior Landon Bonner were named to the Region 4-AA First Team. Meanwhile, senior Keyni Crawford was named to the Region 4-AA Second Team.
Banks was the team’s leading scorer this season, averaging 20.4 points per contest. During his senior campaign at Putnam County, he also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Banks was also named to the Region 4-AA All-Defensive and All-Academic teams as well.
Banks, a 6-foot-3 and 170-pound guard, signed with Georgia Southern University back in December. He leaves Putnam County as the program’s all-time leading scorer. Banks also hit the 1,500 mark in a win over region rival and defending state champions Westside (Augusta) earlier this year.
“It’s a pleasure to coach Eren (Banks),” War Eagles’ head coach LaPatrick Marshall said at his signing ceremony in December. “I’m not going to take credit. This is a family thing. His family has been there with him. His brother, his mom and his dad. They all have. So this is the day that the Banks family has been looking forward to. Not just Eren. He’s the highlighter. This is a great family.”
Bonner was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging around 19 points per game. The War Eagles guard was also the team’s leading rebounder at 5.7 boards per contest during his junior season.
Bonner transferred in from Jasper County and was one of Putnam’s main players this past season. He will return for his senior year in 2023-24 and is primed to be the War Eagles’ next leading scorer.
His biggest accomplishment of the season was carrying Putnam County in a loss to Westside in the Region 4-AA championship game. He scored a career-high 41 points in the War Eagles’ 81-63 loss.
“He’s very versatile,” Marshall said before the season. “He is going to help us out in scoring this year.”
Crawford, the team’s third-leading scorer, was the only other Putnam County player to average double-digits. He averaged 13.0 points per game, while also managing to grab four rebounds per contest.
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound guard is currently unsigned in the class of 2024. However, Crawford will soon attend one of Sandy Spiel’s showcase camps next month. Crawford was an important role player for the War Eagles throughout the past two seasons and was a leader in 2022-23.
Most recently, Crawford helped lead Putnam County past Butler in the Region 4-AA semifinals in February. He scored a game-high 19 points in the huge victory over Class AA’s No. 6-ranked Bulldogs.
“Tonight, that guy Keyni came out and played big-time basketball,” Marshall said after the victory over Butler on Feb. 16. “With Eren (Banks) being in foul trouble, we needed somebody to go to. He was able to get the job done and play some valuable minutes. Keyni carried us when Eren was in foul trouble. He had a big night for us on both ends of the court. I am proud of his effort.”
Putnam County’s 2022-23 season ended in the Sweet 16 round of the Class AA state playoffs on Feb. 25. The War Eagles (22-7, 11-3) finished ranked No. 5 in Class AA at the end of the year.