Silver Streaks reach state title game
The DeKalb County Silver Streaks advanced to the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) wheelchair basketball state finals with a 28-18 victory over the Clayton Eagles at Druid Hills Middle School on March 3.
The Silver Streaks—DeKalb County School District’s adapted sports program—travel to Macon on March 11 to face the Houston County Sharks in the championship game set for a 3 p.m. tip-off in the Macon Centreplex (200 Coliseum Drive, Macon).
Najee Smothers led the way for the Silver Streaks with 21 points in the semifinals. Cameron Smothers scored four points and KJ McMurray added two points.
DeKalb opened the season with a sweep of the West Georgia Wolverines by scores of 31-14 and 28-14 to get off to a 2-0 start. The Silver Streaks followed up with wins of 28-22 and 29-18 over Clayton to move to 4-0.
Missing a key player in Najee Smothers, the Silver Streaks dropped its final two regular season games to the Sharks by scores of 28-2 and 15-3. McMurray scored two in the first and Cameron Smothers scored three in the second game.
The last time DeKalb won the wheelchair basketball title was 1997 with the team then known as the Red Hot Rollers. DeKalb also played for the 2022 AAASP wheelchair basketball state finals in Macon, falling 32-13 against the Houston County Sharks.
However, the Silver Streaks do have championship experience as Najee Smothers was a member of the 2015 Silver Streaks Junior Varsity state championship squad.
Team members include Najee Smothers (Grayson High School), Cameron Smothers (Grayson High School), KJ McMurray (Stone Mountain Middle School), Justice Smith (Academy for the Blind), Joe Patterson (Laurel Ridge Elementary School), William Jones (Druid Hills Middle School), Cleveland Elder (Druid Hills Middle School), Josiah Jones (Cedar Grove Middle School), Jamel Boston (Cedar Grove Middle School), and Noah Yonis (Druid Hills Middle School).
The Silver Streaks are coached by Delton Schoates (Idlewood Elementary School) and Everette Schoates(Coralwood Elementary School). The area coordinator is Lisa Patterson (Druid Hills Middle School).
Additionally, Schoates joined freshman phenom Najee Smothers as award winners at the 2022 American Association of Adapted Sports Programs’ (AAASP) ASPIRE Awards Banquet in October. The Silver Streaks coach was named Coach of the Year, while Najee Smothers won the Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year award.
The Champion Editor Jay Phillips contributed to this article.
