The first blog post that I wrote was written, March 19, 2018. I was starting, and I was lost, on what my first article would be on. After help from another writer, I wrote about Aj earning first-team all-state as a junior. From that day, that would be one of the many articles I wrote about him.
To this day (his birthday) Aj, goes down as one of the greatest players I’ve ever got to cover play basketball. He is one of the greatest players I’ve seen play in person. Not only was he a great player on the court, but he was also a great person off the court. I remember his infectious smile and goofy personality that was displayed when I was near his presence. Today on your birthday, we remember you. Thank you, Aj for the countless memories.
Aj is the greatest athlete to ever put on a basketball jersey at Green Run High School. When his time ended at Green Run, he had; 1298 points, 369 rebounds, 231 steals, and 195 assists. He left a huge mark on Green Run.
Here’s my favorite memory of Aj:
On February 23, 2019, Green Run was facing Nansemond River in the playoffs. The winner would go on to the State tournament. It was a very hard-fought game on both sides as the game was a tug of war between both teams. As the time dwindled with seconds left and a tie game, Aj nailed an off-the-glass three-point half-court shot to send Green Run to it’s first State Tournament berth since 1984.
As you could probably guess, I was quite excited when this magical shot would go it. As I recall the moment, it seems as if Aj just used his “mamba mentality and was going to do anything to help a team win. As he elevated for the shot and officially let it go, that moment I just knew it was going on.
As you could probably hear and see in the video, I screamed to the top of my lungs, eventually beginning to lose my voice. What is so ironic is that I went to the game to cover it, but I ended up not writing anything as I just bathed in the moment of watching greatness.
This very video is a testament to how my time in high school went, covering Green Run basketball. It was exciting, fun, and extremely entertaining knowing every time, I would watch a player like Aj play his best.
Thank you Aj for just being the great player you were.
Thank you for being you.
And thank you making my time at Green Run a movie.
Happy Birthday, “AceBuggy”.
Rest in power.
Courtside Talk With Arrick 