Tim Quarterman has been turning heads in Savannah with his basketball skills since he began dribbling the ball as a youngster.
The Johnson High School senior realized a long-time goal as he formally signed a letter of intent to play basketball at LSU in a ceremony on campus Thursday in front of family, teammates and friends.
Quarterman, a 6-foot-6 point guard, had offers from 14 other schools including Texas, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
“LSU has a new coaching staff and I felt real comfortable with their up-tempo style of play,” Quarterman said. “And coach (Johnny) Jones has a plan for me. He said I could have an impact there right away as a freshman, and that played a big part in my decision.”
Last season, Quarterman was named the Region 3-AAAAA Player of the Year and the Savannah Morning News Player of the Year after averaging 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 steals and one block per game. ESPN has Quarterman ranked as the No. 2 high school player in Georgia.
The Atom Smashers dominated their region during the regular season with an 18-0 record, then lost to Savannah High in the region tournament final before being eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs.
This year, Johnson is playing in its natural enrollment classification of AAA. The Atom Smashers were ranked first among the state’s Class AAA teams in a preseason poll by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Savannah High was second.)
“We’re on a mission to win a state championship,” Quarterman said.
Utaff Gordon, Johnson’s first-year coach, is excited about having the chance to coach such a talented team with Quarterman as the leader.
“Tim is such a versatile player with a unique skill set,” Gordon said. “He’s not concerned with scoring but with making the players around him better. I’m glad he chose to stay at Johnson because he was considering playing for Oak Hill Prep (in Mouth of Wilson, Va.) his senior year. It’s going to be good for the city of Savannah and for Johnson High with the exposure our basketball program is going to provide this season. I feel blessed to have the chance to coach Tim and a very good basketball team.”