Player of the Month - January 2012

Atlanta Select Salutes Bakari Copeland, Junior, Arabia Mountian High School, Lithonia, GA for being selected as "Player of the Month"  Class AA/AAA High School Basketball by the Dekalb County Tip-Off Club.

Bakari, a fourth year Atlanta Select, played last AAU season with the Mighty Tenth Grade SILVER Team, coached by his father, Head Coach Clyde Copeland.

It is amazing to see how Bakari has grown into this outstanding student athlete that has developed into a dynamic basketball player, a force to be reckon with.

 

During that time he as matured into an extremely confident, aggressive and relentless player who is an all around team player, determined to be a team leader and promote the SYNERGY that is required.

Bakari is an outstanding student athlete who realized that his work in the classroom comes first as he taking the most demanding courses at Arabia Mountain High School. He thrilled the high school student body as he won the pre-season "dunk" contest, thus, an indication of what the season was to become. Check out number 15 below. The Best for Last.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9lVq09vje3w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Last Summer he played numerous tournaments, AAU, YBOA, Eric Snow and was selected to travel to the AAU Nationals with an Atlanta Select brother team in which he held his own on the floor.

Bakari is a graduate of the Atlanta Select Skills Development camp, earning his t-shirt in 2010. He wears it proudly at the beach as the team took a break during a tournament in Jacksonville Florida last summer.

As I give a shout out to Bakari I must add a compliment and thanks to his father who coached Bakari and several of his high school teammates last summer. Here is an assessment of what Coach Copeland accomplished last summer in his own words.

Hey coach Z these are the Atlanta Select 10th grade Silver players that made their High School teams.
This is our Championship for the 2011 season. All of our players improved and elevated their games. Of the 9 players on our team SIX of them succeeded @ tryouts. Isn't that like above 60% of our players? You're the mathematician you figure it out. I am really proud of these kids and appreciative of the help and support we recieved from Especially YOU and my assistants Les Archambeau Sr. and Dexter Shelby. Wow, there's no better feeling than watching your players succeed and reach their goals. Our hard word this summer has paid off in a big way. It's Brandon Jones' first year playing basketball at the H.S. level after 2 years of trying out. That's a major accomplishment. It was great and awe inspiring to watch and listen as his select teammates coached, rooted for and inspired him as he put in extra work post Atl Select season to improve his game. As a matter of fact all of these Arabia Mountain players would come out on Thursday and Friday nights to Rainbow Park Baptist Church's gym to work out with Me and Bakari to work on improving their skills. The extra time and effort really benefitted them.
Arabia Mountain H.S. VARSITY

Bakari Copeland 11th grade Shooting Guard
Bryan Baptiste 12th Grade Point Guard
Bryson Jones 11th Grade Center
Arabia Mountain H.S. Junior Varsity
Brandon Jones 11th Grade Shooting Guard
Chris Loth 11th Grade Small Forward
Chattahoochee H.S. VARSITY
Lester "Trey" Archambeau 11th Grade Power Forward

From top to bottom -- Trey, Chris, Bryson and Brandon.  Not pictured -Bryan.

Congratulations to all of Bakari's high school and AAU teammates. It's the SYNERGY.

Bakari, whether showing leadership on the basketball court or scholarship in the classroom, justifiably earned and deserved the honor bestowed to him by the Dekalb County, Georgia Tip-Off Club as the "Player of the Month" January 2012. Bakari stands proudly with his parents,

 Coach and Mrs. Copeland.

Atlanta Select Salutes Bakari Copeland, Shooting Guard, Arabia Mountain High School and the Mighty Atlanta Select Eleventh Grade Boys Team SILVER. Congratulations.

Go Select.