CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SIX One of the goals Dwight Howard Junior had set five years earlier was still ringing in his ears: And it shall and will come to pass that SACA will win the 2002–2003, 2003–2004 state championship. The Warriors had fallen short of that goal in 2003; Dwight was determined that would not be the case in 2004.
“Right now, I’m just worried about winning basketball games,” he told anyone who asked about his future plans. “My team is what matters the most, not who is watching.”
Dwight was the spark that fueled the Warriors that season, but the team had plenty of firepower besides him. Sophomore point guard Javaris Crittenton was a formidable player, with fellow guard Daryl Slack, forwards Aljamon Alexander and Austin Dudley adding to the team’s might. With ample help from the bench and expert coaching by Courtney Brooks, the squad soared through the first months of the season.
Dwight had several standout games, including one against the Berkmar Patriots that saw him going 14-for-15 from the floor on his way to a 36-point total. He also had 15 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, 5 assists, and 1 steal that night. He added a moment of levity, too, when he approached the Berkmar team and began to congratulate them on playing a good game. The Patriots—and the Warriors—just looked at him in confusion because it was only the end of the third quarter!
Southwest Atlanta Christian had an undefeated record by the beginning of December. Many games were blowouts; even teams that had troubled them in the past, such as Whitefield Academy and Landmark Christian, now fell before them.
It wasn’t that the other teams weren’t good. They just couldn’t compete at the same level with the Warriors. And as good as some of their players may have been, they didn’t stand a chance against Dwight. He played with a confidence and athleticism beyond his years. He earned double-doubles in several games, and a few times hit double digits in three categories.
But he wasn’t looking to rack up his own stats. He was looking to win games. If the shot wasn’t there, he’d pass off to a teammate. “He’d tell them that if they missed it, he’d get the rebound and let them shoot it again,” Coach Brooks recalled. “That’s why he’s the ultimate team player.”
That winter, the Warriors played in two prestigious national tournaments. The first of these was the Slam Dunk to the Beach, a holiday basketball showcase that featured twenty-two of the best high school teams. To come out on top, the Warriors had to play their best every night.
They did just that—for the most part. They clipped the wings of the Thunderbirds from Provo, Utah, with a 68–55 victory. Dwight came close to a triple-double with 25 points, 21 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots. Two of his points came off a particularly daring move.
Thunderbird Matt Pinegar remembers the play well. He was hot on the heels of a Warriors guard he suspected was going in for a layup. He wanted to be in good position for the rebound if the shot missed.
But if the guard had intended to shoot, it was the worst shot Pinegar had ever seen. The ball didn’t kiss the glass and bank in gently; it rocketed off the backboard.
“What is he doing?” Pinegar recalled thinking.
What the guard was doing was setting up Dwight Howard for a monstrous dunk. A split second after the ball ricocheted off the board, Dwight leaped over Pinegar, plucked the ball from the air, and stuffed it through the hoop.
Pinegar knew then that he was in the presence of a great player—and a good guy, too, for Dwight didn’t gloat after his dunk. Instead, he smiled broadly as he hustled back on defense.
“He has fun out there,” Pinegar commented about Howard.
Plays like that dunk made for exciting basketball at the tournament. So did tremendous comebacks. Southwest Atlanta Christian didn’t usually find themselves on the wrong side of the score, but in their match against Arlington Country Day of Florida, they dug themselves into an 18-point hole. Dwight and his teammates pulled together, prevented ACD’s seven foot two center from scoring a single point, and won.
The Warriors won their other matches, too, until only one opponent stood in their way. Reserve Christian Academy from Reserve, Louisiana, was the surprise of the tournament. They had beaten much higher ranked teams, including the number one squad in the country, to reach the finals.
Their Cinderella story ended there, however. Dwight Howard saw to that. He scored 26 of his team’s 71 points and had 21 boards. Those, numbers, combined with the stats of his quarterfinal and semifinal games, earned him averages of 24.7 points, 22.0 boards, and 6.3 blocks.
As Coach Brooks told a reporter during the tournament, “He just does everything.”
After the Slam Dunk showcase tournament, the Warriors traveled to California for the Pangos Dream Classic. The one-day event showcased five games between pairs of teams loaded with talent. Dwight Howard was one of the biggest draws.
Southwest Atlanta Christian played in the fourth match against Dominguez High of Compton, California. Dominguez did what no other team had done so far that season: They beat SACA, 66–52.
Losing wasn’t something any of the Warriors cared to have happen again that season. But it did, and on national television.
Sports network ESPN2 broadcast the game between SACA and Landmark Christian Academy of Georgia. The star of Landmark’s squad was Randolph Morris, Dwight’s Atlanta Celtics teammate. It was a duel between the big men from the opening minute.
Boom! Slam! Whap! For every dunk, rebound, and block Dwight posted, Randolph answered with one of his own. By game’s end, they had each drained 25 points. But in the other stats, Morris came out ahead. Dwight had 11 rebounds and 4 blocks, while his counterpart had 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Dwight might have chalked up more had he not fouled out, and SACA might have won. Instead, they left with their second defeat of the season, losing 73–71.
Soon after that loss, the Warriors reached the state championships for the second time. Dwight had fallen short of his goal the year before. This time he was determined to lead the Warriors to victory.
Southwest Atlanta Christian came on like gangbusters in the opening round of the playoffs. They declawed the Tigers of Commerce High with a devastating 83–38. Dwight was absolutely unstoppable, hammering down an unbelievable 9 dunks for 18 of his 21 total points!
“He’s six-ten, we’re six-five,” Commerce’s coach said matter-of-factly. “They could do what they wanted.”
Next up was Warren County. They fell to SACA 76–42. Then came Emanuel County Institute. They fared better than either Commerce or Warren County, but still lost 76–62. The Warriors were in the finals!
Facing them for the state championship was Whitefield Academy. In earlier meetings that season, SACA had beaten Whitefield 67–63 and 70–47. It was anybody’s guess how this final match would go.
It didn’t take long to find out. In the opening minutes of the March 6 showdown, SACA forced Whitefield to turn over the ball seven times on their way to a 17–5 lead. Dwight didn’t score a single point in those eight minutes, but in the second quarter, he came alive. By the half, he had 12 points, plus 6 blocks and 9 rebounds. The Warriors headed to the locker room with a comfortable 35–22 lead. They continued to dominate in the second half as well, widening the gap to 15 points. In the end, Whitefield didn’t stand a chance. Final score: Southwest Atlanta Christian 63, Whitefield 45.
Dwight’s performance that night had been jaw-dropping: triple-double figures with 26 points, 23 rebounds, and 11 blocks. That he scored more than a third of his team’s points was even more remarkable considering he made them in just three quarters.
The championship victory marked the conclusion of Dwight Howard’s career as a Warrior. His final averages of 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 blocks per game were outstanding and spearheaded the Warriors to a final record of 31 wins and just 2 losses.
Dwight’s career as a Warrior was over, but he wasn’t done playing high school ball—nor was he done being recognized as one of the best high school players in the country.
The honors started rolling in shortly after the championships. He was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, as well as the Gatorade National Player of the Year and Georgia’s Mr. Basketball 2004. He was invited to play in the EA Sports Roundball Classic, as well as the adidas / EA Sports Superstar Boys All-Star Game. Although his team, the East, lost the Roundball match, he himself posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He was on the winning side of the Superstar game, chalking up a triple-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists for the KG Superstars. His performance in that game earned him the MVP honors. Perhaps it was the fact that KG stood for one of his favorite players, Kevin Garnett, that he played so well!
Soon after the Superstar game, Dwight took to the court for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Joining him on the East team were his AAU teammates Josh Smith and Randolph Morris. The threesome conjured up their old magic to crush the rival West squad 126–96. The star of the show that game wasn’t Dwight, but Josh, who drained 25 points. Dwight was strong, too, however, adding 19 points and 10 rebounds. The two were declared co-MVPs in recognition for their stellar play.
Dwight wasn’t finished collecting awards, either. He was named McDonald’s National High School Player of the Year and elected to the PARADE magazine All-America Team. By then, every college recruiter and NBA scout was waiting to learn which path Dwight was planning to take, the one that led to college or the one right to the NBA.
What they didn’t know was that Dwight had secretly made his choice many months before. All that remained was for him to tell his secret to the world.