Cartersville native Ashton Hagans, a two-year starter for the University of Kentucky basketball team, is declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft per an announcement made Sunday. One of the nation’s top perimeter defenders, Hagans called the opportunity to enter the draft a “lifelong dream.” Hagans, a 6-foot-3 guard started 29 games for the Wildcats as a sophomore and was averaging 11.5 points per game when the season was halted amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. He was one of four finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year with 1.9 steals per game. As a freshman, he was SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also averaging 6.4 assists during the 2019-20 season. Kentucky head coach John Calipari noted on Twitter Sunday that he supports Hagans’ decision. “@H23Ash (Hagans) is ready for this. From where he was when he got here two seasons ago to where he is now isn't even close. He's a completely different player and he's built his skills and his confidence to take that next step.” Sunday’s statement by Ashton Hagans on Twitter: Hagans, who will turn 21 in July, is the son of Marvin Hagans and Monica Wheeler. He is a cousin of former NFL runningback and fellow Cartersville native Ronnie Brown. Hagans played his high school basketball at Newton High School in Covington, Georgia. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.6 steals in high school where he was rated a five-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN.

Adairsville High School announced Friday that Melissa Winters has been named the new girls basketball head coach for the Lady Tigers. Winters, who has served the past three seasons as an assistant coach for resigning head coach Michael Roberson, takes the helm of a program that was 14-64 over those years and has endured six consecutive losing seasons. Roberson has accepted a full-time position with the Bartow County Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The last time the Adairsville girls finished over .500 was in 2013-14 when the program was 13-10 under Meredith Barnhill, who now serves as the school’s athletic director. Prior to joining Roberson at Adairsville, Winters spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Cass and has been a teacher at Adairsville Elementary since 2006. She has also been involved with travel ball and recreation basketball over the years. Winters is a graduate of Cartersville High School and played college basketball at Converse College, an NCAA Division II program in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the announcement was made Friday via social media by Barnhill.

Executive Director Robin Hines of the Georgia High School Association released a statement today informing all member schools that all sports activities for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year are canceled. The statement addresses the idea of a fifth year of eligibility for students due to the COVID-19 crisis along with the existing eligibility rules. In addition, the release gives no indication at this time regarding the resumption of normal activities -- including summer activities -- for the GHSA while the nation and state continue to address the coronavirus outbreak. From GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines: Given the announcement yesterday by Governor Kemp, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that all GHSA activities and sports are cancelled for the 2019-2020 school year. I especially want to commend the graduating seniors who have not only missed most of the spring season but prom, senior nights, awards ceremonies, possibly graduation, and spent the last few months away from their friends and classmates. Our seniors have a great deal to be proud of and while this is not the way any of us wanted it to end, I want to thank them for a job well done. There have been quite a few requests for the GHSA to allow a 5th year of eligibility to students due to this crisis. There are no plans to grant an additional year. As sad and disappointing as this spring has been, there is a backward trickle effect and there are many unintended consequences associated with waiving this by-law. GHSA activities and sports are education-based and exist as an extension of the classroom. The culmination of all activities of a student is to lead to graduation and this will have taken place for our seniors. This is not the situation any of us would like to be in but the 8-semester rule will remain in effect. Moving forward to this summer, there is not enough information to make decisions at this time. We await guidance from the NCAA on the Men's Basketball Recruiting Event and will inform you where that stands as soon as we know something. As I stated in the newsletter earlier this week, I am concerned about the summer as well as the fall. I am hoping for the best but there is no information available that would allow for any decision regarding when practices and workouts will be allowed. There are no GHSA activities or practices allowed until further notice. Again, this is not what anyone hoped for and I appreciate your continued support during this difficult time. As always, feel free to email or call if I can help you with anything or answer any questions.

Two weeks after it was originally reported by ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with Vic Beasley on Tuesday. A former first-round pick, Beasley inked a one-year, $9.5 million deal with the two-tone blue Titans that includes incentives that could reach $12 million. The 27-year-old Adairsville native joins the AFC club after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. As a rookie in 2015, Beasley recorded his first career sack and in his second pro season he led the NFL with 15.5 sacks. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl, was named First Team All-Pro, and helped lead the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. After seeing a drop off in production in 2017 and 2018, the two-time Clemson All-American totaled eight sacks in 2019. At the conclusion of the season, the Falcons announced they would not re-sign him and Beasley became an unrestricted free agent on March 18. In his five-year NFL career, Beasley has 37.5 sacks and 156 tackles. He has forced 11 fumbles and recovered 12. He has one interception and ten passes defended to his credit. He has appeared in 78 games and started 60.

All four local high school wrestling teams finished in the top ten of their respective classifications at the state traditional meet in February, making the 2019-20 season one of the best in the local history of the sport. Topping the list was Woodland. The 2019-20 edition of the coach Adrian Tramutola’s Wildcats won both the state team duals and the state traditional championship in GHSA’s Class AAAAA. Three Wildcats — Caden McCrary, Caleb Henson, and Jaxon Smith — won their weight classes and seven more Woodland wrestlers placed in the top six. The two state titles for Woodland completed a sweep of the past four titles in the classification dating back to the 2018-19 season. Cass placed seventh in the final Class AAAAA standings, but only one point behind sixth place Ware County with Bryce Kresho winning the 120-pound division of the classification. Five other Colonels placed in the top six. Adairsville was eighth in Class AAA in the 2019-20 traditional championships with Angel Banda taking the state’s 113-pound division. Two other Tigers finished in the top six. Cartersville rounded out an accomplished year for the local schools with a tenth place finish in Class AAAA. Four Hurricane grapplers placed in the top six. The all-county team selections have one wrestler at each weight division which means some very good wrestlers were moved to honorable-mention status. A prime example is in the 160-pound division where three locals finished as state runners-up. WRESTLER OF THE YEAR CALEB HENSON — Woodland, sophomore, 145 — undefeated on the year including six individual titles in tournaments during the season. Ranked No. 5 in the nation. He is now 94-1 in two seasons with the Wildcats. ALL-COUNTY TEAM MONTGOMERY TOMPKINS — Cass, freshman, 106 — Region 7-AAAAA champion, 21-8 on the season. ANGEL BANDA — Adairsville, senior, 113 — Finished 54-2 with one of his losses coming as an injury forfeit in the Region 6-AAA duals tournament. BRYCE KRESHO — Cass, sophomore, 120 — Went undefeated in the traditional postseason and was 44-3 on the year. COLTON BISHOP — Woodland, sophomore, 126 — Finished 37-5 on the season with a region title after moving up two weight divisions. CALEB JONES — Woodland, senior, 132 — Placed first at region and state sectionals before losing in the state title match. He was 23-3 on the season. CADEN McCRARY — Woodland, junior, 138 — Won a third consecutive state title this season and improved his high school career record to 145-1. ZACH McKNIGHT — Cass, freshman, 152 — Finished 43-8 and was sixth at the state finals. COLE COCHRAN — Woodland, sophomore, 160 — Finished the year 46-4 overall and was state runner-up in Class AAAAA. JAXON SMITH — Woodland, junior, 170 — Won the Class AAAAA state title in his division and is now 95-1 the past two seasons for the Wildcats. REED DAVIS — Cass, senior, 182 — Finished the season with a broken hand but was 33-5 prior to the injury in the state consolation quarterfinals of Class AAAAA. DEMARCUS WILLIAMS — Woodland, senior, 195 — Williams did not reach the state tournament after suffering a season-ending injury prior to the state sectionals. He was runner-up in the Region 7-AAAAA tournament and would have been a challenger to improve on his third-place finish last year. BRYCE SHEDD — Woodland, junior, 220 — Placed fourth at the state tournament following second place finishes at both the region and state sectional tournaments. SHADRE HURST — Cartersville, sophomore, 286 — Won the Region 5-AAAA title, upset the state’s top-seed, and reached the state semifinals before dropping his final three matches to place sixth in Class AAAA. He was 38-11 on the season. HONORABLE MENTION Collin Buffaloe, Cartersville senior; Larry Collum, Woodland senior; Dalton Cornett, Adairsville junior; Eli Doolittle, Cass freshman; Doss Dudley, Adairsville junior; Tyler Earick, Cartersville junior; Beau Jernigan, Woodland sophomore; Isaac Linley, Adairsville sophomore; Tyler McKnight, Cass freshman; James Standridge, Adairsville senior; Giles Turner, Cartersville sophomore; and Jabril Williams, Cartersville senior. For the complete story, please visit The Daily Tribune News article by Nicholas Sullivan.

Thursday evening Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ordered schools closed through April 24 and the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is following suit. The GHSA is the organizing body for high school athletics and competitions in the state and has halted high school sports in Georgia since March 17 in response to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. In the most recent release on the GHSA website from Executive Director Robin Hines, the organization says they will inform schools of the decision on resuming the spring sports season on or before April 24. It is at that time that the Governor is expected to make a decision regarding the remainder of the school year. Obviously, time is running out for the 2020 spring sports seasons. In many cases region schedules had just begun at the time of the shut down and some regions had not yet started region slates. The opening round playoff games for soccer were set for April 21-24 on the GHSA calendar. The state baseball playoffs were scheduled to begin April 22 and the first round of the state playoffs in tennis were to be completed by April 21. Two other sports — track and field and golf — were not scheduled for state finals until mid-May but will require preliminary region events and state sectionals prior to those dates. Gymnastics, lacrosse, riflery, and slow-pitch softball have also been impacted by the shutdown along with state literary competitions. “These are, of course, unprecedented times that call for unprecedented actions and our main concern remains the safety of all student-athletes, their families and fans,” concluded Hines in the GHSA statement.

The Bartow County School System released a statement Monday naming Steve Gates the newest head football coach at Cass High School. Gates, who played at the University of Georgia in the 1990s and was most recently on the staff at Kell High School in Cobb County, will be the eighteenth head coach in the Colonels' football history. “We were very fortunate that many local and out-of-state candidates applied for the position,” says Cass High School Principal Stephen Revard. “That is a testament to the fine job Coach Bobby Hughes and his staff have done over the past few years, and it speaks volumes about our district, school, community, and student athletes.” Before the search began, school leaders met with parent and student groups to identify what characteristics they wanted in their next head football coach. “From there, the hiring panel developed a profile, and Coach Gates was the perfect fit,” said Revard. “As associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Kell High School, he brings a proven track-record of success, not just on the football field but also in the classroom. Additionally, as a recruiting coordinator, he was directly responsible for helping players realize their dream of playing college football. Kell currently ranks fourth on the list of all AAAAA schools in the number of athletes competing at the next level. As educators, we’re all excited about the doors Coach Gates will help our student athletes open after high school.” Coach Gates comes to Cass High School from Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. He was also in charge of recruiting and academics for the Longhorn program. Prior to his time at Kell High School, Coach Gates was at North Cobb High School, where he served as the academic advisor, run-game coordinator, and offensive line coach. The Warriors made the state playoffs five consecutive years, averaging 33 points per game, with a Final 4 appearance in 2012. In his first campaign at Kell High School, the 2016 Longhorns made it to the Final 4 in the state playoffs and averaged 31.4 points per game throughout the entire season. The next year brought another state playoff appearance for the Longhorns, as they averaged more than 30 points per game. Coach Gates took over coaching the running backs for the 2018 Longhorns, and they made another State playoff appearance with a 9-3 overall record. The 2018 Longhorns offense averaged 35.5 points per game, Coach Gates' highest points per game season average to date. 2019 brought another outstanding season, as the Longhorns went 9-3 and again averaged 33 points per game. Coach Gates came to Georgia in 1987, played at McEachern High School, and went on to play football at the University of Georgia. There, he had the opportunity to block for NFL greats like Terrell Davis and Garrison Hearst. Coach Gates lives in Acworth, Georgia and has two children, Connor (20), who is a sophomore at Berry College and plays football for the Vikings and Cooper (15), who is a sophomore at Kell High School and is on the Varsity Longhorn Tennis team. “I’m honored to be selected to lead this program,” said Coach Gates. “I am filling big shoes as Coach Hughes has laid an incredible foundation of hard work, respect, and integrity in the program. It’s my job to build off of that and take the Colonels to the next level. And I’m jacked up to make that happen!” “The amount of support from the Board, Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page, Principal Steve Revard, Athletic Director Dr. Nicky Moore, and Athletic Coordinator Coach Hughes has been unprecedented in this process,” added Coach Gates. “The commitment to academics and athletics at Cass, with the implementation of the magnet program, the variety of CTAE career paths, the new turf in the stadium, and the recently installed jumbo tron are tremendous commitments to the Cass Community. My expectations on and off the field will be at an all-time high as long as I’m in charge of this program. This is not a battle, this is a war!”

The 2019-2020 high school basketball season saw two of the five local teams — Adairsville and Cass — qualify for the GHSA state tournament in their respective classifications. While the Tigers of coach Alex Disbrow fell in the opening round to the eventual Class AAA runner-up Jefferson Dragons, the Colonels of Sean Glaze dropped a heartbreaker to Columbia in their first round appearance. The state tournament appearance was the second in three years for Cass. The Colonels led their state tournament game much of the way before succumbing in overtime to the Eagles. Columbia went on to win easily in the next round and fell by one, 72-71, to eventual state champ Dutchtown in the Elite Eight. The other local teams progressed through seasons of transition with coach Mike Tobin’s Cartersville squad missing the state playoffs after having qualified for the Elite Eight the previous two seasons. Woodland and Excel Christian, on the other hand, combined for very few wins under first year head coach Jacob Selman at Woodland and departing head coach Shannon Boatfield at Excel. David Archer, Jr. was announced as the new Eagles’ coach shortly after the end of the season. This week, the Daily Tribune News released its basketball honors for the 2019-20 campaign with Cass sophomore Zaylan Chaney receiving Bartow County Player of the Year honors. Chaney not only was a statistical leader for the Colonels, but evolved into a quiet, yet physical leader for his team on both ends of the floor. PLAYER OF THE YEAR Zaylan Chaney — Cass, So. — 14.7 points per game, 57.7 effective field goal percentage, 6.8 rebounds per game, 0.5 blocks per game, 0.5 steals per game. (L-R): Rayshawn Womack, DiAnthony Heathcock, Savaun Henderson, Micah Tart. Photo credits: Randy Parker, The Daily Tribune News; Travis Cochran, TCPics Photography ALL COUNTY TEAM Braxton Benham — Cass, Jr. — 11.1 ppg; 52.1 eFG%; 4.1 apg; 3.8 rpg; 3.4 spg. Led the team with 18 blocks. Kolbe Benham — Cartersville, Jr. — 12.9 ppg; 103 rebounds; 44 made 3-pointers; 21 steals Rashard Doyal — Excel Christian, Jr. — 16 ppg; 37% 3pt-FG%; 3 rpg; 3 apg DiAnthony Heathcock — Woodland, Sr. — 14 ppg; 11.2 rpg; 1.5 blocks per game Savaun Henderson — Adairsville, Sr. — 13 ppg; 5 rpg; 2 apg; 2 spg T.J. Printup — Adairsville, So. — 11 ppg; 5 rpg; 2 apg; 2 spg; 1 block per game Micah Tart — Cartersville, Sr. — just under 10 ppg; 4 rpg; 3.5 apg; 1.6 spg. 14 blocked shots Rayshawn Womack — Excel Christian, Sr. — 19 ppg; 7 rpg; 47 FG%; 70 FT% HONORABLE MENTION Kam Callahan, Cartersville, So.; Jordan Ford, Cass, Sr.; Malachi Gardner, Adairsville, Sr.; Kalil Holley, ECA, Jr.; C.J. Pipkin, Cass, Jr.; K.J. Rogers, Woodland, Fr.

Needless to say, the COVID-19 situation has made a huge impact on sports across the country. As a result, the NCAA has cancelled all its remaining championships. There will be no national championships in any of the NCAA winter sports that had not completed nor 2020 spring sports. The NAIA and NJCAA have yet to cancel their championships, but continue to monitor the fluid situation amid Coronavirus concerns and have suspended competitions. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally released Sunday evening. Monday, the NAIA cancelled the remainder of the 2020 Spring Sports schedules and championships.) Some conferences have suspended play and have announced the continued monitoring of the situation. Other conferences have simply cancelled the remainder of their 2019-20 seasons. The responses of conferences, colleges, and universities have varied across all levels. This week’s college softball and college baseball ‘Athletes Beyond Bartow’ update includes the few games that were completed through last Wednesday and strives to update information on our local players and their season's status. COLLEGE SOFTBALL COLBI BALLARD — Shorter University (Fr., OF, Cartersville HS).. picked up her first collegiate base hit in a 1-for-3 performance that included a stolen base, but the Hawks fell in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Georgia Southwestern 2-1. Shorter was 2-16 overall and 1-8 in the Gulf South Conference when the remainder of the season was cancelled. SKYLAR CHAPPELL — Cottey College (Fr., DH, Woodland HS)… was 1-for-9 with one RBI when the season was halted. The Comets started the season with a 12-4 mark. PRESLEY EDWARDS — Wesleyan College (Fr., C, Cartersville HS)… went 2-for-6 last Tuesday as the Wolves split a doubleheader at Middle Georgia State. Wesleyan was 5-5 for the season and had not started conference play with the season was halted. Edwards was batting .304 with three RBI through the first ten games. SARAH FOX — Agnes Scott University (So., SS, Cass HS)… through nine games this season, Fox had a .524 batting average with three RBI and five stolen bases. The Scotties were 2-8 when the remainder of the season was cancelled. HANNAH KNAPP — Talladega College (Sr., C/UT, Adairsville HS)… although her team is winless on the season, Knapp has appeared in five games with a .462 batting average and one RBI in 13 at-bats. PARIS POSTON — Columbus State University (So., OF, Cartersville HS)… in four starts last week, Poston was 2-for-10 with a walk as the Cougars went 3-1 splitting a home doubleheader with University of Montevallo and taking two games from USC-Aiken to open Peach Belt Conference action. Through the first 22 games, Poston had a .317 batting average in 60 at-bats with six extra base hits including two home runs and 11 RBI. Columbus State was 14-9 overall and 2-0 in the PBC when the remainder of the 2020 season was cancelled. HANNAH TODD — Kansas University (Jr., P, Cartersville HS)… did not appear in either of the Jayhawks two games last week at 20th-ranked Arkansas. She had started one game and appeared in six with a 1-1 record with 4.1 innings pitched when the season was stopped. Kansas was 13-13 overall and had not started play in the Big 12. COLLEGE BASEBALL LEVI AYERS — Georgia Highlands College (So., RHP, Cartersville HS)… made seven appearances with a 3.38 ERA and 14 strikeouts across eight innings pitched through the Chargers first 25 games. GHC was 21-4 when the season was suspended until at least March 30. MASON BARNETT — Auburn University (Fr., RHP, Cartersville HS)… worked the final two and two-thirds innings last Tuesday in a 6-2 home loss to Georgia Tech. He gave up one, unearned run with a hit batsman and five strikeouts. For the season, Barnett made six relief appearances with no record and a 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. He fanned 16 and opponents were hitting only .192 against him. Auburn (13-5) was yet to begin Southeastern Conference play when the season was halted. BAILEY CAMPBELL — Young Harris College (Jr., 1B, Cass HS)… had a appeared in eight games with three starts through the Mountain Lions’ first 18 games. He had one hit in nine official at-bats, but had drawn four walks, was hit by a pitch three times, and had one sacrifice for a .500 on-base percentage. Young Harris was 9-9 overall and 3-6 in Peach Belt Conference play when the remainder of the season was cancelled. JAKE COLLUM — Snead State CC (Fr., RHP, Cass HS)… has appeared in three games tossing 4.1 innings with a 4.15 ERA and a 1-1 record. The Parsons are 15-3 for the season and 4-0 in the Alabama Community College Conference with play suspended until at least April 3. CLIFTON DEMPSEY — Toccoa Falls College (Sr., Inf., Cartersville HS)… went 2-for-5 with one RBI and stole a base last Tuesday in an 11-3 loss at Point University. Dempsey has a .364 batting average in 17 starts with five RBI. The Screamin’ Eagles are 5-12 with all games cancelled until at least April 3. CARRINGTON EVANS — Augusta University (Jr., OF, Cartersville HS)… went 1-for-5 at the plate last Wednesday in a 12-9 loss to Mars Hill. Evans has played in 19 of the Jaguars first 20 games with a .183 batting average, one home run, and six RBI in 77 plate appearances. Augusta was 4-16 at the time of the suspension of play. LANE GRIFFITH — University of West Georgia (Sr., C, Adairsville HS)… went without a hit last Wednesday in a loss at 11th-ranked Columbus State. Through 20 games this season, Griffith has a .210 batting average and six RBI in 72 plate appearances with a .315 on-base percentage. The Wolves were 13-7 overall and 8-4 in the Gulf South Conference when play was suspended. HUNTER HICE — Georgia College (So., Inf., Adairsville HS)… appeared in seven games and had 23 official at-bats before the Bobcats’ season was cancelled. Hice had a .304 batting average with one home run and one RBI. 22nd ranked Georgia College was 13-2 overall and 9-2 in Peach Belt Conference action when the season was halted. KENNY JINKS — Shorter University (So., LHP, Woodland HS)… made five relief appearances for the Hawks in their first 19 games. Jinks worked six innings, allowing four earned runs for a 6.00 ERA with no decisions and opponents batting .250 against him. Shorter was 14-5 for the season and 3-5 in the Gulf South Conference when action was suspended. LOGAN MARTIN — Sewanee: University of the South (Fr., RHP, Cartersville HS)… before suspension of games, Martin had made five starts for the Tigers. He has worked 20.1 innings with a 1-2 record. Martin has a 4.87 ERA and 27 strikeouts. Sewanee has a 10-5-1 overall record and is 1-2 in Southern Athletic Association play as of Friday’s suspension. HARRISON OSBORN — Point University (Jr., RHP, Cartersville HS)… worked one inning last Tuesday in an 11-3 win over visiting Toccoa Falls College. Osborn allowed one earned run on two hits. He struck out one in the eighth inning. For the season, Osborn has one start in six appearances. He has worked 12 innings with a 2.25 ERA and seven strikeouts. With play suspended until at least April 6, the Skyhawks are 13-4 on the season and 4-2 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. B.J. ROPER — Truett-McConnell University (Fr., OF, Adairsville HS)… had a seventh inning, infield single in his first collegiate at-bat Wednesday as the Bears beat visiting Southern Wesleyan 11-1. With the season currently suspended until at least April 6, the Bears are 12-11 overall and 4-2 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. DEVIN WARNER — Grayson CC (So., OF, Cartersville HS)… went 1-for-6 with a double, a pair of walks, scored three runs, and drove in three runs in a doubleheader sweep Wednesday of Ranger CC. With NJCAA competitions suspended through at least April 3, Warner has a .268 batting average in his first 18 games with the Vikings. He has five homers and 16 RBI for a slugging percentage of .661 and an on-base percentage of .414. Grayson is currently 16-3 overall and 2-0 in North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference action. PRESTON WELCHEL — University of South Alabama (Fr., OF, Cartersville HS)… has seen action in nine games, starting three times as the Jaguars have started 8-10 this season. Welchel has a .118 batting average in 17 official at-bats. The Sun Belt Conference announce Friday it has suspended play indefinitely. CAUY WILLIAMS — Wallace State-Dothan CC (So., RHP, Woodland HS)… has made five appearances this season working 6.2 innings with a 10.50 ERA. He is 1-0 with 10 strikeouts. The NJCAA has suspended all play in spring sports through at least April 3. Wallace State-Dothan is 13-9 overall and 4-2 in the Alabama Community College Athletic Conference. PRO BASEBALL Sam Howard (Pittsburgh Pirates; Cartersville) — Howard pitched a clean seventh inning in Pittsburgh's final spring training game for at least the next few months. After a strikeout to open the inning Thursday against Toronto, the southpaw worked around a single and a passed ball with a pair of popouts in foul territory. Government recommendations about COVID-19 has led MLB to postpone Opening Day indefinitely. Connor Justus (Los Angeles Angels; Cartersville) — Justus came on as a defensive replacement at shortstop in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 3-1 loss Tuesday to Seattle. It marked the last game of spring training for the Angels before the MLB season was suspended due to concerns over coronavirus. PRO BASKETBALL Elijah Robinson (Atenas Cordoba, Argentina league; Excel Christian) — Robinson recorded 16 minutes off the bench in Atenas' only game last week. He scored five points and pulled down six rebounds in a 90-71 win over Penarol last Monday. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Ashton Hagans (Kentucky, Cartersville native) — Last week, the SEC tournament canceled play after the opening night, and the NCAA announced there would be no March Madness. Hagans had sat out Kentucky's regular-season finale for what head coach John Calipari deemed "personal reasons." Calipari had said Hagans would return for the conference tournament, but that was never determined, as the top-seeded Wildcats weren't able to participate in the abbreviated tourney in Nashville, Tennessee. Now, it's possible Hagans has played his final game for Kentucky. Hagans — who averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game — was named to the SEC's all-defensive team last week.

ESPN reporter Dianna Russini released on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that the Tennessee Titans are signing former Adairsville High, Clemson University, and Atlanta Falcons’ linebacker Vic Beasley. Ian Rapoport reported the deal is for one year and $9.5 million guaranteed with a potential maximum value of $12 million. The 27-year-old led the NFL in sacks (15.5) in 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons and was named to his first Pro Bowl with All-Pro honors. Beasley was drafted by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft. He was a consensus All-American at Clemson in 2013 and 2014 where he is the school’s all-time sack leader and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year following his senior season. Beasley starred at Adairsville High School as a running back and linebacker. He was also a basketball and track standout. He played out the final year of his four-year, $14.5 million contract in 2018 but the Falcons picked up his fifth-year option worth $14.2 million for the 2019 season. He appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons and recorded 42 total tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes defended in 2019. Beasley joins Harold Landry with the Titans to form a formidable pass-rush duo. He will replace the recently released Cameron Wake on head coach Mike Vrabel’s Titans.

The Daily Tribune News released its 2019-2020 All-County Girls Basketball Team Sunday with a dozen local hardwood standouts recognized for their accomplishments. The team includes a pair of Cass Lady Colonels as Co-Players of the Year. Cass sophomore Claire Davis and Cass junior Londaisha Smith were selected as the top players. For the season, Davis averaged 19.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and two steals per game. She was also named to Second Team All-State in Class AAAAA by SandysSpiel.com. Smith meanwhile contributed 16.7 points, 6.3 boards, and four steals each night to create a daunting duo. The remainder of the 2019-20 All-County Team: Ariana Cochran, Cartersville, senior — 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists; led Canes in steals in charges taken. Lexie Childers, Adairsville, sophomore — 7.2 points, 5 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game Carli Clymer, Woodland, senior — 9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game Ariana Hames, Cass, junior — 7.1 points, 4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2 steals per game Lehla Thomas, Cartersville, sophomore — 8.8 points, 8 rebounds per game Jordan Thompson, Woodland, sophomore — led Lady Cats in total points, assists, rebounds, and 3-pointers made. Honorable Mention: Justice Bennett, Cass, sophomore Naijah Evans, Cartersville senior Haley Johnson, Cass, sophomore Ji’Leyah Mitchell, Adairsville, junior

It started with the NBA announcing the suspension of its regular season and continued with the NCAA cancelling all of its remaining national championship events — including March Madness — through the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. Now concerns over the spread of COVID-19 will include an immediate halt to almost all athletic events in Cartersville and Bartow County. Thursday evening, Bartow County School System and Cartersville City Schools announced two-week closures beginning Monday. Both districts will be open Friday, although official statements posted to each system's website stated student attendance will not be mandatory. The school announcements followed Governor Brian Kemp’s recommendation to halt schools for two weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. Both Bartow County Schools and Cartersville City Schools currently plan to reopen Monday, March 30. The next Georgia High School Association state tournaments for sports begin April 21 in soccer and tennis. Those in gymnastics, baseball, golf, lacrosse and track and field follow later that week. GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines told the Atlanta Journal Constitution Thursday, “If we reached the point to where we felt the evidence required us to recommend that we suspend all sports activities, we would do that.’’ That point came with Kemp’s declaration. Many other states have also shut down their championship events. Others have planned to hold events with restricted attendance. Hines sent letters to each GHSA member school Tuesday stating that the GHSA would support local schools’ decisions to cancel or postpone sporting contests. GHSA schools normally can be fined or forced to forfeit for failing to fulfill conditions of a game contract, but Hines said he would waive penalties if either participating school cited coronavirus as a concern. According to the CDC, Georgia has 31 confirmed or presumed positive tests for COVID-19, most in metro Atlanta. There has been one confirmed death. In addition to the suspension of high school events and extra-curricular activities, the Bartow-Gordon Middle School Athletic Association has suspended its sports schedule. The Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department has suspended its activities through the weekend and will re-evaluate at the beginning of next week. The City of Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department announced some suspensions through spring break — which is April 6-10. Little League International has also announced a suspension of play. LakePoint Sporting Community in Emerson has announced all events through Sunday have been canceled.