THOMASVILLE – Brookwood basketball has been very good for a long time. However, they have not been this good in a while. 

The 18-1 Warriors are off to their best start through 20 games in over a decade. They began their season at 6-0 and their only loss on the season was a one-point overtime loss to Crossroad Academy. Brookwood has since won 12 straight games with a 31.8 average margin of victory while averaging 65.6 points per game. 

The Warriors are 4-0 in the region, the only team in their region without a region loss, and are undefeated away from home. Brookwood is also ranked number one in Division 3A by the GIAA.

“I think the best thing that I really like about this team is that we’ve had a lot of different guys stepping up at different times,” said Brookwood head coach Nate VanDuyne. “We want to find a bit more consistency in our performance but at the same time for us… there is strength in numbers. Obviously, a lot of people think about Walker (Jackson), but you see Thomas (Lee) coming off the bench in the Thomasville game.”

VanDuyne mentioned several other players who have taken on larger roles this season, including key players from last year’s squad like Jordyn Jean, Levi Williams, and Roscoe Jones. One of this year’s key role players has been Harrison Chapura, who VanDuyne described as “an elite defender”.

The only question surrounding the Warriors now is can they get it done in the state playoffs? Despite their ridiculous regular season and region success in the last few years, Brookwood has struggled in the post-season. Last year they won 26 games, won a region title, got a bye in the playoffs, and lost in the second round to Frederica. In 2023, Brookwood won 22 games and then lost badly to Lakeview in round one.

VanDuyne’s answer to the playoff question is rebounding and defense. Last season, VanDuyne hammered his team for more rebounds. A team can score all they want, but second-chance points and extra possessions can swing a game in the long run. This year, the Warriors have done a much better job out-rebounding their opponents and holding their opponents below 60 points. VanDuyne thinks it will make a big difference in the post-season.

“You have to be able to score to win a championship,” VanDuyne said. “But in a one-game win or go-home setting, what if you can’t score? And if you can’t get stops on the other side of the floor you just give yourself no chance.”

VanDuyne also mentioned the staggering depth of this Warriors team as a post-season advantage. When he talks about his role players, it’s clear that he trusts his guys off the bench to get the job done, saying, “We have a lot of guys that we can throw in, trusting that they can get stops.”