Despite several close calls over the past decade, the McDonough High School boys basketball program has never won a state championship. Last season was no exception, as the Warhawks’ impressive 26-win season ended in a three-point semifinals defeat.
Two of McDonough’s best squads took the court during the 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 seasons. At the time, McDonough was known as Henry County High School; the name change came in the summer of 2019.
In 2016, Henry County burst onto the scene with a 24-6 record, losing only one game after mid-December. However, that loss came in the semifinals to eventual champion Upson-Lee, which would end the season undefeated. The 2018 edition of the Warhawks featured the same level of dominance, but three region losses and a first-round exit left them with nothing more to show beyond a 25-4 record.
After those two breakout seasons, the McDonough boys basketball team fell back to an average of around 17 wins a year. There was no opportunity to establish momentum after those excellent campaigns due to the graduation of most of the team’s starters. Both of those squads’ three leading scorers graduated, leaving a younger group to retool in future years.
Last season’s imposing Warhawk team, however, returns four of five starters and a lot of offensive production. Da’Avion Thomas and Amon McDowell, who combined for over 31 points per game in 2021, both return alongside Keenan Gray, who ranked second on the team in assists. The loss of leading rebounder Howard Fagan will sting, but Avante Nichols will likely fill that role well thanks to his experience on the court as a current senior.
McDonough’s basketball team has serious potential for an undefeated season this winter, but they will have a few roadblocks in their way. In a new region, McDonough will have to contend with Woodland-Stockbridge and Pace Academy twice each. Those squads combined for nearly 50 wins last season.
The strength of the Warhawks’ non-region schedule is largely unknown, but it is likely to include similar challenges. McDonough, however, has already proven it can handle tough competition. The Warhawks scored victories against Fayette County, Baldwin, Washington County, and Druid Hills last season, each of whom notched over 20 wins. A mere six-point road loss to perennial power Eagle’s Landing is also indicative of the Warhawks’ ability to contend with the state’s best talent.
This season, the McDonough boys basketball program has all the pieces needed for a state championship run. For the first time in decades, the Warhawks return nearly all starters from the previous year’s team, which in this case posted a 26-3 record. The potential for a head-turning season is clear; all that remains is execution. Can the Warhawks capitalize on their returning skill and production to capture their first-ever basketball state championship?
