Packers honored at annual basketball banquet

Published 12:54 pm Thursday, April 14, 2022

MOULTRIE — Tremaine Facison held his final season-ending banquet as the Colquitt County boys head basketball coach on Tuesday by encouraging the players and fans to focus on the improvement the team made over the course of the 2021-2022 season.

“There were a lot of ups and downs, a lot of highs and lows,” he said of the 7-18 season, after which he resigned as the team’s coach after four years.

“And you didn’t see it in the record, but you saw the kids get better and better. And you saw some kids who weren’t even thought of, get playing time.”

Some of those players were among the ones that Facison highlighted during the ceremony held at the high school cafeteria.

Two Packers who have been stalwarts for the Colquitt County program the last two seasons are Dy Williams and Nathan Harden.

Both were first-team All-Region 1-7A picks this season.

“He can really play,” Facison said of Williams, who also was recently named King of the Pack.

“He had something other kids just don’t have. I’m really going to miss him.”

Harden, the son of Packers assistant coach and former head coach Andy Harden, led the team in both scoring and in grade point average, which was a 102.54.

“He was our workhorse,” Facison said. “I could always depend on him. When we needed a basket, he gave us one.”

Cameron Johnson, back with the team full-time in 2021-2022, was named to the All-Region second team.

“He did some good things for us,” his coach said. “And he still hasn’t reached his potential.”

Montana Edwards and Tyson Reed were recognized for receiving honorable mention on the All-Region team.

“He is a really, really good kid,” Facison said of Edwards. “I thought he was one of the better point guards in the region.”

Reed earned more and more time on the court as the season progressed and ended up leading the Packers in rebounds, Facison said.

“He does things that don’t show up in the newspaper,” Facison said. “I fought for him to be the (region) defensive player of the year.”

Also highlighted were “sneaky quiet and real athletic” sophomore Matthew Bryant; “always smiling” I’marius Bussie; 6-foot-4 “special, special” freshman Jakari Byrd; and senior Avari Blackwell, a player Facison says he wished had more time to show what he could do on the court.

Facison also gave shout-outs to Colquitt County eighth-grade coach Nate Madison, who led his team to a conference championship; assistant coaches Harden, Willie Clayton and Tray Pearce; keeper of the scorebook Lorenzo Thornton; and Seth Berl, who lent considerable community support.