RJ Godfrey of North Gwinnett High School’s boys basketball team has left a truly lasting impact on his teammates, his coaches and the program as a whole.
Head coach Matt Garner recognized the young man not only as the team’s most valuable player for this season, but also as “the best player in school history.
“Have others been as talented?” Garner said. “Possibly … but nobody has impacted this program during their career as much as he has. He has been an elite player and an amazing teammate to the NG Brotherhood for four years now, and he is leaving this program so much better than he found it.”
Godfrey has shown clear and outstanding ability on the court. This season, he averaged 18 points per game, almost nine rebounds per game, four assists per game and almost three blocks per game along with shooting 67% from the field.
The Bulldogs’ No. 10 is also second in school history for career points, first in blocked shots and rebounds, third in steals, sixth in assists and first for overall player efficiency.
“This goes along with many single-game and season records, as well,” Garner added.
Godfrey’s talent has certainly not gone unnoticed. During his senior year, he was named to the Gwinnett Tip-off Club Team of the Month and was named the Club’s Player of the Year. He was also recognized on the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Watch List and was named the All-Metro and Region Player of the Year for 8-AAAAAAAA/7-AAAAAAA.
“He’s done this while being a great student that is involved in our community,” Garner said.
Godfrey was also recognized by Gwinnett County Schools with a 2022 Outstanding Senior Athlete Award, an honor presented to athletes who have shown excellence in athletics and academics and who exhibit leadership in their school and through community service.
The gifted young player’s exceptional character also became obvious this year when the North Gwinnett Voice sat in on one of the team’s practices.
Godfrey, one of the team’s captains, took it upon himself to both celebrate his teammates’ strong performances as well as offer words of motivation when he felt they could do better. Godfrey’s natural leadership and the team’s respect for him became immediately apparent, and the young athlete even reminded his teammates to watch their language, particularly given that the practice was held at North Gwinnett Church.
“RJ’s willingness to be coached and his drive challenged me to become a better coach,” Garner said. “As someone who has been tied to this program for over 20 years and cares about it deeply, I say thank you, RJ, for what you’ve done for this Brotherhood.”
Godfrey has signed to play basketball at Clemson University starting in the fall.
