One of the brightest stars on the Georgiana Panthers varsity boys basketball team reached a major milestone.

Fortunately for him, and Georgiana, he’s just getting started.

Junior Jamichael Stallworth recorded his 1,000th career point in the final game of the Panthers’ season.

Of course, this was a fact that took some time to reach Stallworth.  He was more than a little preoccupied at the time, given that it was the semi-final round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association state championship tournament.

“It was after the fact,” Stallworth said when asked how and when he learned about the accomplishment.

“I was walking to the parking lot after school when my phone vibrated.  I looked at it, and it was a tweet from the Georgiana Basketball page saying I had reached 1,000 points.

It was the first time in months he’d given any thought to his career total.

“Actually, I thought about how many points I had total at the beginning of the season, but after that I didn’t think about it anymore,” he added.

And though it wasn’t a milestone Stallworth was actively achieving, perhaps it was a result that was inevitable.

The guard broke the 30-point mark with alarming regularity throughout the season, including a season-high 35-point performance to put the Panthers over J.F. Shields, their eventual first-round opponent of the South Regional tournament in Dothan.

Stallworth averaged 17.7 points, 5.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 5.3 rebounds per game.

He was also named the Class 1A South Regional MVP, and the Class 1A Area 3 MVP.

The statistic becomes all the more impressive given the Panthers’ plethora of weapons.  At least half a dozen other Panthers could—and have—serve as Georgiana’s lead scorer on any given night.

“Some of the pressure is off of me knowing we have scorers coming up that can contribute,” Stallworth said.

Despite the team’s offensive firepower, Stallworth insists that it’s their defense that is the biggest monument to the team’s success, and ultimately creates much of the Panthers’ offense.

“Unselfishness is a very important factor,” he said.

“Because when we force turnovers, I’m pretty sure somebody is already open down the court.  Yes, it’s been a part of our success.  We’re a more up-tempo team, which means we can run the floor and cause a lot of people to be open on backdoor cuts.”

Georgiana head basketball coach Kirk Norris said that Stallworth’s noticeable improvement has been a large benefit to the Panthers.

“Jamichael played a big role this year for us,” Norris said.

“He stepped up his play after the departure of a big senior class from 2016. He had a great season and was a big part of our team success, along with the other 12 guys.

“His play and leadership as a senior next year will be a big part of how our season plays out.”

With the book quickly coming to a close on his junior year, one final season remains for Stallworth to cement his mark on Georgiana School.

He’s tasted the Final Four twice, and came 20 points shy of a state championship ring just a short year ago. 

Also, as the Panthers’ starting quarterback, he has helped lead Georgiana to a pair of consecutive area championships and two quarterfinal appearances in the playoffs.

There is a laundry list of accomplishments he hopes to achieve, but one stands heads and shoulders above the rest.

“My goal for my senior year is to leave the football field and the basketball court knowing I gave it my all.”