Power Poll Preview: Westlake Lions
Westlake Lions
Region 3-AAAAAA
Head Coach: Darron Rogers
Last Year’s Record: 13-15 (7-7)
Top Returning Players: Raquan Wilkins (Sr.), Mike Durr (Jr.), Danny Lewis (Jr.), Jamie Lewis (So.)
Top Newcomers: Chuma Okeke (Jr.), Ronald Bell (Sr.), Chase Hunter (Fr.)
Key Games: East Jackson, IMG Academy, Pace Academy, Florida vs. Atlanta Classic (Montverde, FL), Memphis vs. Atlanta Classic (Memphis, TN), Douglas County (Twice), Pebblebrook (Twice), Langston Hughes (Twice), St. Benedict’s (NJ)
Team Preview: Westlake has long been one of the great basketball programs in the state of Georgia, consistently winning a lot of games every year. However, they are coming off of a down year, winning just 13 games and losing in the first round of the state playoffs to McEachern. This year, however, will be a completely different story for the Lions. They have a lot of returning youngsters as well as newcomers who could make a huge difference.
The first of their key returners is Raquan Wilkins, who opened a lot of eyes as a role player on the EYBL Peach Jam champion Georgia Stars team. He will provide a lot of leadership to this team as a returning senior. Mike Durr is also back in the Lions frontcourt. He will play an important role protecting the rim in the aggressive Westlake defense and will also give them a scoring presence on the block. The Lewis brothers are also back for Westlake and give the Lions a backcourt that rivals any backcourt in the state. Danny Lewis is a big time scorer of the basketball and brother Jamie is returning off of injury and could be the big breakout star in the state of Georgia this year.
While Westlake returns a lot of firepower, they are also bringing in some guys that will give them a big boost. The big newcomer is junior forward Chuma Okeke, a transfer from region rival Langston Hughes. Okeke is a high major prospect who can do a little bit of everything on the floor and provides some good versatility. Another newcomer is Ronald Bell, a transfer from North Atlanta, who looks to be a big time glue guy for the Lions. Bell is a fantastic athlete who defends, rebounds, and provides a lot of energy, which will be an important role on this team. Also look for freshman Chase Hunter to step in at times and give the Lions some good minutes.
Westlake might have the most talent out of anybody in the state. They will certainly be a team to watch in AAAAAA and could make a run at Macon.