Written by David Dawson, Rome News-Tribune Sports Writer, published 4/8/07
Darlington and Coosa had two of the best boys’ basketball teams in Northwest Georgia this season. So it was only fitting that two of the best players from those two squads were honored as this year’s Rome News-Tribunes Co-Players of the year.
Call this year’s boys’ award “Corey Squared,” with Darlington’s Corey Roper and Coosa’s Corey Edmondson sharing the top honors. Both seniors, the 5-10 Roper and 6-2 Edmondson were the difference makers for their teams, which staged several epic games this year in Region 7-AA.
“Those are two really good players,” Darlington coach Jim Van Es said. “We’ll miss (Roper) next year. He has led us in two of the best years that Darlington has ever had. He’s got about every scoring record there is at the school, and he impacts the game more than anybody I’ve ever coached. He’s as complete a player as I’ve ever had, and he’s gifted in so many ways.”
Coosa coach Larry Bing felt the same way about his top player. “Corey (Edmondson) is unique in the fact that he is a great three-point shooter, and he can also put the ball on the floor and score off the dribble,” Bing said. “He’s a hard worker, he puts a lot into the game, and he was unselfish. He was patient and understood when the defense focused on him, he could find an open teammate. He would always do that if that’s what we needed to win.”
Both players are used to winning — a lot—and both players filled the stat sheets during their senior year. Roper helped Darlington compile a 13-3 record, win a second straight region championship and a second consecutive Rome News-Tribune Holiday Festival Title. Along the way, he averaged 25 points, seven assists and four steals per game. He was also the Tigers’ team MVP the last two years.
“This was a special year, and I just enjoyed the chance to play with this team again,” Roper said. “I didn’t worry too much about the individual achievements, I just focused on out team effort. Everybody on our team worked so hard. We felt like we could repeat a region champs and we were able to do that.”
Edmondson helped Coosa to a 24-5 record this season and a second-round appearance in the Class AA state tournament. He averages 22 points a game and with 1,450 career points, he is fifth on the Coosa’s all-time scoring list.
"Our five seniors came into this year knowing we had just one season left and wanted to make the best of it,” Edmondson said. “We stayed dedicated and practiced hard, and I feel very lucky to have the teammates that I did. It’s an honor to be picked as the player of the year. It takes a lot of work, and this gives you a good feeling and lets you know you accomplished something.”
Darlington senior Shawn Powell was also named to the All-Area Team. Averaging 17 points and over 10 boards per game, the 6-5 athlete finished his time with the Tigers with the school record for most rebounds in a career with 836. Powell was a major contributor to Darlington's back-to-back state playoff appearances. Additionally, teammates Tyshawn Good and Derricus Ellis were given Honorable Mentions.
