Valdosta, GA is TitleTown USA!

The people from Georgia have spoken and last night on SportsCenter, Valdosta, GA was named the nation’s TitleTown USA by ESPN!

Valdosta, with a population of just over 50,000 beat out 19 other cities for the crown such as Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Massillon, OH, and Parkersburg, W.V. Valdosta won because of its rich reputation in high school sports.

Valdosta High School has won 116 region and state championships. Lowndes High has 94 titles, and Valwood, a private school, has 55. Valdosta State University has won another 40 titles, including the Division II national championships.

The city of Valdosta is located in South Georgia, just off of Interstate 75, approximately 20 miles from the Florida state line. Valdosta is about two hour’s drive from Tallahassee, Macon, and Jacksonville, and about three and a half hours from Atlanta.

But where is Valdosta when it comes to college basketball? I did a little research and this is what I found.

Valdosta State University plays in Division II and in the Gulf South Conference. The Blazers have never won an NCAA championship and finished second in the Gulf South Conference East Division with an 18-11 record and 8-4 in conference last season.

The Blazers lost to Harding 89-84 in the conference semifinals. Sophomore Stephan Walton was named to the All-Tournament team averaging 21 points in two games.

Blazers forward DeAndre Washington became the second Blazer in four seasons to be tabbed East Division Freshman of the Year. Senior guard Ricky Coleman was also named to the first team.

Senior forward Devario Hudson was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-South District second team after averaging 16.5 points and 9.7 rebounds a game this season.

So congratulations to the people of Valdosta, GA. Maybe the next time this poll is done you’ll have some college basketball championships to brag about too.