The Putnam County boys basketball team is coming off one of its best seasons in program history.
The War Eagles finished their 2024-25 campaign 27-3 overall and reached the Elite Eight of Class A Division I playoffs. Last year, they started outside of SandySpiel.com’s top 10 but worked their way to the No. 1 spot and held it for most of the season.
This year, however, they start from the top.
Putnam head coach Patrick Marshall appreciates the recognition after his team put in hard work in the offseason.
“Our kids and our staff, man, we worked hard last year and knew we had a lot coming back,” Marshall said. “We knew that we would probably come into the season ranked high, but to be ranked No. 1 is an honor. It gives us a chance to go out and prove ourselves and live up to the expectations.
“It’s good. It was good to get recognized, but we know that it isn’t about where you start, it’s about where you finish. We want to be number one at the end.”
Marshall said the hardest thing is keeping his players, who range in age from 14 to 18, from getting complacent because of the ranking. He has stressed to them the importance of not buying into the hype.
“That is going to be the biggest thing because they get so much love in the community, and everybody pats them on the back,” Marshall said.
“So, this year for me, I get to be the bad cop,” he continued. “We’ve got our staff with Nick Banks and Jonathan Ellison; they’ll be the ones who maintain it. I get to watch film, dissect everything, and critique it. I get a chance this year to tell them all the stuff we need to work on, because they’re going to hear all the good stuff anyway. Instead of motivating them, I get to give them that reality check all the time. I hope that’s going to keep us level-headed and make our play consistent. So, it’s just something new.”
Putnam lost four seniors from last season, including guard Jaylin Harper, the War Eagles’ fourth-leading scorer. However, the team returns a lot of talent, including Jmari Greene, Tamaud Woodson, and Jeremy Banks, who were Putnam’s top three scorers in 2024-25.
Greene and Woodson are now seniors, while Banks is a junior. All three are guards and were instrumental in helping the team win 27 games last season and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in several years. Shamar McClendon and Zay Hargrove, two post players, also return for their senior seasons at Putnam. The addition of Jaden Hilsman, who transferred from Lake Oconee Academy in the offseason, along with the return of Koleman Foster and Jaylen Nelson, among others, provides depth for the team this time around.
“We’ve got a group that has been playing together for three years,” Marshall said. “We’ve got Tamaud and Jmari. They were freshmen who sat on the bench for the 2023-24 season when we went to Dodge (County) and lost. Those guys have experience and are our leaders.
“And then you’ve got a guy like Shamar, who’s made a big improvement and stepped up last season to be named our defensive MVP. Jaylen and Jeremy are juniors who’ve been playing and will be part of our core. Koleman has also played a lot of basketball for us.
“He’s going to be able to come in and play some of that point guard role since we lost Jaylin. It’s guys like that who have had a great summer and fall,” Marshall continued. “We’ve also still got Zay. He’s been working hard this summer. He’s ready to start where he left off. He’s high-flying, dunking every day at practice. So, man, we’re just ready for the season to begin. There are a lot of positives, and we’re just trying to stay together and make it work.”
Putnam County will begin its season against rival Morgan County, the No. 9 team in Class AA, on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.