Easley sophomore guard Miles Campbell helps direct the offense last Friday night in a victory. Campbell went on to earn all-tournament honors and helped lead the Green Wave to a 2-0 record.
Jeff Holt | The Easley Progress
EASLEY — What a difference a year can make.
Miles Campbell played varsity football for the Green Wave this past season. He battled through an injury, caught his first touchdown pass and quickly grew up. He’s grown a couple of inches and is now a 6-foot-2 off-guard for the varsity Green Wave basketball team.
He’s just a different player this year and it showed in their season opener in Easley’s 85-38 win over Walhalla. Campbell scored 10 of his 18 points in the first quarter to help the Wave to their first victory of the season, along with passing for 5 assists and pulling down 5 rebounds.
“I try to play team ball,” said Campbell. “A lot of fans came out tonight – just trying to have a good season, go to the playoffs, win some state and that’s it.”
About his teammates, Campbell said, “They are very uplifting. If I ever get down on myself, they help me out. My boy Drey Jackson is a great point guard. We got Kam Rice an eighth grader and he’s great. RJ Stack.”
EHS Coach Derrell Jackson took some time to reflect on the much-improved Campbell.
“I knew in the summer how he kept getting better and better. He’s grown a couple of inches and with his length he causes problems (on defense). I’m very excited about him. Things that I knew … I’m glad they were on display tonight.
Campbell could have rattled off 10 more teammates as family and friends gathered around him after the game to congratulate him.
Sophomore point-guard Drey Jackson and senior sharpshooter Ethan Crews both added 14 points for Easley, while sophomore RJ Stack added 12 points in the low post. Crews also contributed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks in the victory.
Not to be overlooked, though, was that Walhalla was playing without standout point guard Jack Williams due to football. Williams is a 6-foot-3 junior point guard who averaged close to 20 points a game last season and close to 5 assists a game. “He (Williams) is getting a lot of (college) looks, and the University of Arizona,” said Walhalla coach Desmond Greenlee.
They were missing two starters and five total players due to football. Witt Austin, a 6-5 senior low-post player for Walhalla, is the other starter who did not dress for the game and is out for football.
Continued Coach Greenlee, “We had some key pieces missing tonight, but we got more experience for our guys. We are building a strong culture. We have a great group of guys coming up. Having that understanding as a program that each day we build and build and build. We have our future looking really bright with out program.”
Jackson did earn the tournament MVP, while Campbell and Crews took home all-tournament honors.
“I just like to see us play together and share the ball,” said Green Wave Coach Derrell Jackson. “That’s the key for us in the preseason – let everybody get touches. That’s the key for us. When everybody gets touches, they play harder on the defensive end. I feel like we have a lot more weapons than we did last year. If we can do that, it will make us better and better.”
EHS (85 )
Ramey (4), Jackson (14), Andrews (18), Stack (9), Crews (14), Clark (2), Rice (6), Walk (2), Green (2) and Brown (2).
In their second game, Easley rolled to their second win of the season with an 83-56 win over MVP. Jackson had a team-high 21 points to go with 5 assists and 5 steals. Crews netted 13 points, RJ Stack had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Campbell just missed double figures for Easley with 8 points, 6 steals and 4 assists.
The X Factor: River who?
That’s what most opponents will probably be saying this year when they hear the name of River Andrews (No. 3).
“I feel like he can be our X Factor this year,” said Coach Jacks0n. “I talked to him about it in the summer. We are really excited about him and what he can bring – versatility for us, and he definitely brings a different element to our team than we had last year. He’s a good kid and he just wants to win. He has a lot of talent, but he is not a selfish player. He plays the game the right way. With his shooting ability and how hard he plays, he just gives us a different element.:
2024: EHS Varsity Boys Basketball Roster:
0 Malachi Ramey (6-5, Soph., Forward)
1 Drey Jackson (5-11, Soph., Guard)
2 Miles Campbell (6-2, Soph., Guard)
3 River Andrews (6-3, Jr., Wing)
4 RJ Stack (6-5, Soph., Forw.)
5 Ethan Crews (6-3, Sr., Guard)
10 Noah Campbell (5-11, Sr., Guard)
11 Logan Clark (6-4, Jr., Wing)
14 Kam Rice (6-0, 8th Grade, Guard)
15 Trey Walk (6-0, Soph., Wing)
21 Keiran Green (6-0, Jr., Wing)
22 Reese Brown (6-2, Soph., Forw.)
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.