By Carlos Rodriguez |Sports writerThe Augusta University men’s basketball team recently picked up their fourth signee of the 2020-21 recruiting class with the addition of Tre Whitehead.Whitehead is a 6-foot-5 small forward and another hometown star who just graduated from Glenn Hills High, the same high school Timmy Sellers attended, who’s also a new recruit for AU. Whitehead played on the varsity team all four years, two of them being alongside Sellers.“It’s going to be fun to be back on the court with him again,” said Whitehead. “He’s somewhat like a role model for me.”Whitehead and Sellers' playing days go as far back as recreational basketball.“Ever since we were little, we always wanted to outwork one another,” said Whitehead. “That’s what drives us to go even harder.”Augusta basketball color commentator Chad Cook covered both Whitehead and Sellers during their high school careers.“Whitehead and Timmy Sellers are very familiar to me because in my opinion they were both the best seniors in the Augusta area in their respective classes,” said Cook.The last time the Jags had Augusta natives on the team was the 2016-17 season, but with the addition of Whitehead and Sellers, the team will now have two players that’ll get to play for their hometown crowd.“I chose AU because I felt like it’s a good school where I can grow as a person and as a better ball player,” said Whitehead. “It feels good to be playing at home again. I know there’s going to be a lot of high expectation of me, but I know I can live up to the hype as long as I keep working hard on my craft, I know I’ll do the city good.”During his career he helped Glenn Hills reach the GHSA Class AA state playoffs three years in a row, making two final four appearances and winning two region championships his sophomore and senior seasons.During his senior year he helped the team finish 23-8, posting averages of 17.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. During his whole high school career he averaged 15 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and recorded over 1,000 career points and over 500 career rebounds.Whitehead was named all-region three years in a row and won region Player of the Year his junior and senior year. This past season he was also named the GACA Coaches 2A South Boys Player of the Year, AJC 2A all-state first team, and Augusta Chronicle all-area first team.“The numerous times I saw Tre play, I always thought he was one of the hardest playing kids on the floor. I watched his skill set evolve as he got older,” said head coach Dip Metress.Whitehead is known for his athleticism, posterizing defenders at the rim and owning the offensive glass, but he’s capable of spacing out the floor to make three-pointers and tough shots.“I don’t like to limit myself to only one thing on the court, I can always do more. Whatever coach needs I want to be that man, that go to guy for everything,” he said.Cook likes Whitehead's athleticism.“Tre’s as explosive of an athlete as any player you’ll find. Combine his height with his athleticism, and add the fact that he plays extremely hard, and you get the kind of physical package that has the potential to make him an impact player right away for Augusta,” said Cook.Aside from performing well on the court, Whitehead’s goal is to excel in the classroom and maintain a high GPA.“I’m a student before anything else,” said Whitehead.In addition to Whitehead, the Jags recruiting class consists of guard Daniel Jones, and forwards Adonnis Easton-Tolbert and Timmy Sellers.“We were able to add four players that will provide us some needed boost in a lot of areas,” said Metress. “As they progress and develop, all four guys can help us to a third straight NCAA tournament appearance.”Metress had one major hole to fill on his roster after the graduation of Rafael Monteiro, who was first team all-Peach Belt last season when the Jaguars finished second in the league.“This recruiting class has been especially strong because of its talented frontline players,” said Cook. “Last year’s lone senior Rafael Monteiro will always be irreplaceable, but with the arrival of Whitehead and Sellers, as well as the return of sophomore Lee Flenor and the addition of freshman Adonnis Easton-Tolbert, surpasses any expectation I had for filling the hole left by Monteiro.”Assuming that there will be a season, this team can be very successful. The team returns four starters and brings back key role players and combining that with this recruiting class provides a lot depth for this team which will play a vital role in order for a deep playoff run.As of now there have been no cancellations for the season, but the NCAA has limited the amount of games that Division II sports can play during the regular season. The maximum games men’s and women’s basketball can play changed from 28 games to 22 games. Last season the team played 20 regular-season conference games, meaning that if it were to be the same this upcoming season it would allow the team to only play two non-conference teams.
Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carlosjr521@gmail.com.