Aaron Geter keeps strong Wilkinson County program going

Aaron Geter’s run of success at Wilkinson County just keeps going and going.

In the 18 seasons in which he has been the boys basketball head coach at the school, his teams have won eight GHSA championships. Five of the past 10 seasons — and three of the past four — have ended with Wilkinson County raising a championship trophy on the floor of the Macon Coliseum.

If the excitement Geter has for next year’s team is any indication, the Warriors will be right in the hunt for another trophy.

“We really work to build some quality depth, and that pays off in the long run,” said Geter, who is also the Wilkinson County School District superintendent. “With the kids that have graduated, it’s always good to reload rather than rebuild.”

There won’t be much reloading to do next season. Geter took a team with only three seniors — two of which saw significant playing time in the postseason — and built a championship team.

Geter, who coached the Warriors to a 26-6 record and the GHSA Class A public school championship and passed the 500-win mark with the program this season, is The Telegraph All-Middle Georgia Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

“They were a pretty solid team,” Geter said. “The good thing was that there was a lot of depth.

“The junior class and sophomore kids got a lot from the leadership of the seniors. That made a world of difference down the stretch.”

This Wilkinson County team had no assurances of greatness heading into the season. The team from the previous season was knocked out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals, and there was strong competition for the GHSA Region 7-A title in Stratford, which had a veteran team returning, and Tattnall Square, which had some players returning in key positions.

The Warriors faced some adversity early on in region play. A three-point win at Stratford was followed by a four-point home loss to Tattnall. Four days later, Wilkinson County fell 70-62 at Hancock Central to split the regular-season series.

As region play continued, Wilkinson County continued to be tested. The Warriors edged Stratford 56-54 in Irwinton before pulling out a five-point win at Tattnall. Still, Wilkinson County finished region play with a 9-1 record and the top seed from its sub-region.

There was no break from the Macon private school competition in region tournament play. Wilkinson County finally gained some clearance from Tattnall in the semifinals, winning 59-48. But the Warriors were tripped up the next night in the region championship game, with Stratford winning the teams’ third meeting 59-54.

The region grind actually did Wilkinson County some favors. In addition to building the team up for the postseason, the strong competition built up Wilkinson County’s power rating. The Warriors tied for first with Treutlen in the Class A Public ratings, giving them the top at-large spot in the public school bracket.

Wilkinson County opened state tournament play with easy wins over Atkinson County and Lincoln County. The Warriors handled Treutlen 69-56 in the semifinals, and strong second and third quarters led to a 55-42 win over Hancock Central in the championship.

“We hit a tough stretch, but they kept believing,” Geter said. “After they got hit in the mouth by Stratford in the region championship, they refocused and did a great job in the state tournament.”

Among those slated to come back next season are 6-foot-6 junior post player Greg Couson, who averaged 13 points and eight rebounds and had 16 points and 18 boards in the title game, junior guard Aaron Geter III, who averages 10 points and hit that number in the title contest, and guard Clarence Jackson, who averaged 12 points and five rebounds as a sophomore.

Small forward Jonathan Baehre (nine points, eight rebounds in the title game) and guard Ontario Coats (six points, four rebounds, 32 minutes in the championship) are among the departing seniors.

“These guys did an outstanding job,” Geter said. “And with all of the kids coming back, we’re excited about our future.”

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Aaron Geter keeps strong Wilkinson County program going."