One of the pillars of Georgiana’s basketball team is moving on to the next level.

Georgiana senior Richard Boggan signed a letter of intent to play for the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks Friday morning, where a sizable crowd of family and friends greeted him the R.L. Austin Gymnasium.

But perhaps his biggest fans were a pair of coaches; both Georgiana head basketball coach Kirk Norris and Jefferson Davis head men’s basketball coach Allen Gainer remarked on Boggan’s talent and ability, but most of all his positive attitude.

When asked about what he would miss most about Boggan’s presence on the Georgiana hardwood, his reply was simple—just about everything.

“He’s been a huge part of our success and he’ll be deeply missed not only as a player, but as a young man,” Norris said.

“He’s been Georgiana basketball and a big part of our athletic program as a whole.  He’s such a high-energy, hard-working kid and he exemplifies everything a coach could want in a player.  It’s because he worked so hard and he has a good attitude.”

Boggan’s positive attitude, Norris added, was contagious, carrying over to other teammates during particularly trying practices to lift their spirits.

But perhaps the most apparent trait of Boggan’s, especially during games, is his uncanny rebounding ability.

Despite his 6-foot-1 frame, Boggan has outbattled opposition with three or four-inch height advantages over him throughout the season and, more often than not, he came out on top with the rebound.

“Rebounding is something you just want,” Norris said.

“You don’t have to be the biggest.  Dennis Rodman, for example, is probably one of the best—if not the best—rebounder in NBA history, and Richard’s like him.  He’s a great athlete, he can jump, he has impeccable timing and he just wants it.  He just always wanted the ball more than the other guy. I think some guys just had a knack for it, and he was one of those guys.”

That talent for rebounding was not lost on Gainer.  When looking for prospective talent, Boggan’s overall athleticism immediately jumped out at him.

“He is a phenomenal athlete, first off, and he’s going to give us a lot of versatility with how athletic he is,” Gainer said. “And you just can’t overstate the coaching that he’s received from Coach Norris, and the fact that he is from a winning program and he is a winner.  It’s hard to find kids that have had 30-2 seasons.

“He’s able to get to the rim and finish, he jumps so well and I just think he’s going to give us a lot of versatility with the things that he can do.”

With that being said, Boggan’s role will likely change significantly from high school to college, though he’s been expanding his game ever since the close of basketball season in preparation for that outcome.

“He’ll be a wing for us.  He’ll be a 2-3 kind of guy, and maybe he’ll develop as a point guard, as well,” Gainer said.

“At his size, to be able to go on to the four-year level, he’s going to have to be a guard.  But he’ll be exclusively on the perimeter for us.  The fact that he rebounds so well as a guard, though, is really another thing that makes him so appealing.

“He does so many things well, and the fact that he is so athletic means his upside is unlimited.  And he seems like such a good kid that he’s going to be very coachable and do the things to get to that next level.”

Boggan said that the most exciting part is envisioning the challenges ahead, including playing in a new atmosphere and against a crop of tougher opponents.

“I feel good about it because I always told my mom that, with the skills I’ve got, I’d be able to go on and do great things at another level,” Boggan said.

“It’s going to be kind of challenging for me, but I believe I can push it through.”