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How Savannah's Royal Lions and Frank Callen Youth Basketball Teams Win Championships

By Brian Guidera Special to the Prep Sports Report | March 14, 2025

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Two local recreational basketball teams were recently crowned champions of their age groups, with the Savannah Royal Lions 17U team winning the city of Savannah and later the Georgia state championship for the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association and the Frank Callen 10U team winning the city and county championships. 

To cap off an undefeated season, which included a Savannah City Championship, the Savannah Royal Lions traveled to Atlanta for the Georgia Parks and Recreation Association (GRPA) State Championship, which they won by a score of 51-40 over South Fulton. 

PHOTO: Savannah’s Royal Lions 17U bring home the GRPA State Championship! 

"The team was just beyond excited. Just to see the happiness, the joy, some of them even had tears in their eyes, because, since day one, before the season even started, the group of guys was focused, and they said 'Coach, we got you,'" said Savannah Royal Lions Coach Todd Rhodes. "They're all leaders. Everyone on our team was a leader, and when you have a team full of leaders, people that are dedicated, focused, and disciplined on and off the court, it makes a major difference, especially when you leave Savannah."

This state championship for the Savannah Royal Lions came after two years of heartbreak after they lost in the state finals in 2023 and the state semi-finals in 2024. 

"We didn't give up. We didn't hold our heads down. We didn't throw a pity party. What we did is we got to work and got better," Rhodes said. "We pretty much had the same group of guys, so from when we lost in the semi-finals last year, we already were focused and said you know what, we're coming back and we're going to win it all."

The Savannah Royal Lions focus on teaching their players about more than just sports, and even have players that are playing college football in the fall (Trenton Rhodes - Central Georgia Tech, Deshawn Green - uncommitted)

"Our goal is beyond sports. We view sports as a tool, but it's about mentoring. It's about making sure that these kids are not just champions on the court, but champions in life," Rhodes said.

17U Savannah Royal Lions Roster
Nysir Anderson
Daquan Austin
Brandon Brown
Joseph Cooper
Deshawn Green
Clinton Rhodes
Tasean Rhodes
Trenton Rhodes
Tyler Rhodes
Jayden Thomas
Coach Todd Rhodes Jr
Coach Cooper
Coach Jordan
Coach Keitt

 

10U Frank Callen Captures Two "SHIPS"

The 10U Frank Callen basketball team also captured two championships in one day, winning the City of Savannah and Chatham County championships. They went 6-1 in the regular season, and their only loss came at the hands of the Seaport Steelers, who ended up being their opponent in both the city and county championship games. Frank Callen's team beat the Steelers first in the county championship by a score of 38-35, then later the same day in the city championship by 28-20. 

PHOTO: The Frank Callen 10U basketball team celebrates a championship victory 

 

"They were very very happy [to win the championships], because we had lost to the Steelers in the championship the last two or three times that we played them," said Frank Callen's Head Coach John McClain Jr. "From 8U they beat us in the county championship, and the next year they beat us in the district championship. The kids had made the comment that they were tired of losing to the Steelers, so it was a major accomplishment for them."

10U Frank Callen Roster
Al-Malik Babbs
Eric Blackshear
Markeith Cummings Jr.
Ethan Jackson
Cormarion Jones
Jayceon Lawrence
Raylan Leach
John McClain III
Octavian Stuckey Jr.
Orlance Wilson

 

 

PHOTO CREDITSCourtesy of the 10U Frank Callen Team and the Savannah Royal Lions 17U team

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The "Coach" Karl DeMasi has been teaching and coaching for the past 35 years on all levels of academia and athletics. One of his hobbies has been writing, announcing and talking about sports. DeMasi has been involved in the Savannah Area sports scene since 1995, and he created the high school magazine "The Prep Sports Report" in 2000. In 2010, the "Coach" started broadcasting The Karl DeMasi Sports Report. He's still going strong, broadcasting on Facebook live and Twitter live every Saturday morning. You gotta love it!


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