On hand for the signing ceremony were Veronica and Chad Viars, Georgia Northwestern head coach David Stephenson and North Murray head coach Tim Ellis. Not pictured is North Murray assistant coach Ed Clendenen.
photo by Georgia Northwestern
The first Georgia Northwestern men’s basketball player ever to prep at North Murray High School will be a record-setter.
Three-point shooting specialist Alex Viars made his decision public on Wednesday, signing with the Bobcats in front of family, friends and teammates at the Chatsworth school’s media center.
Viars launched a school-record 160 threes for the Mountaineers in his senior season, according to head coach Tim Ellis. He connected on a school-record 46 percent from behind the arc to help the Mountaineers win 19 games and qualify for the Class 3A state playoffs.
“This day means a lot to me,” Viars said. “I’ve been looking forward to signing with someone since the start of basketball season and Georgia Northwestern is the place I want to be.
“I saw on the website that they already have players (on the roster) that I know and have played against before, so it means a lot to know I’m going to be able to play with them now. I wanted to stay close to home the first two years, so (Georgia Northwestern) is in a good location for me, and to be able to go there and play basketball is just a blessing.”
Ellis called Viars “probably the most prolific 3-point shooter” he’s ever coached.
“He definitely added a dimension to our offense that allowed us to stretch the floor,” the veteran coach continued. “He caused (opposing teams) to change their game plans and was someone people had to account for.
“He’s able to get shots in various ways. He knows how to read screens and he has a very good, quick release. He doesn’t get rattled even when people try to deny him the ball. It just doesn’t bother him.”
Bobcats head coach David Stephenson said Viars’ game would be a nice fit with the Georgia Northwestern system.
“He can shoot the three, of course, and that really fits in to what we did last season and maybe what we’ll be all about next season,” he said. “He’s a stocky kid for his size, so he can scrap a little bit, and coming from Ellis’ program, we know he’ll have all of his core fundamentals down. He’s coming to us highly recommended and he seems like a really good kid. We’re excited that he coming and adding to our 3-point arsenal.”
"I hope to be able to contribute shooting the ball and on playing good defense,” Viars added. “I was the shooting guard (at North Murray) so I think I’ll be able to help out at the 2 and maybe even the 3 (for Georgia Northwestern).
“He was one of the main leaders for us and he’s always putting in the extra effort with his shot, which is why he was one of the top shooters in north Georgia” said Ed Clendenen, who served as an assistant with the Mounatineers last season. “In college, he’ll excel even more because he’ll be able to spot up off the break and off penetration too.”
Ellis added that Viars was a team-first kind of guy.
“He’s really team-oriented,” he said. “He won’t force shots and he shares the ball well. More than anything, he’s a heck of a team guy. He’ll do whatever needs to be done to win the game. They are getting a great kid, a hard worker and someone who can be a go-to player in their program.”
“This is big for us because we’ve never had a male ball player from North Murray before,” Stephenson added. “Hopefully this will open up a new pipeline the way we have a few pipelines at some other area schools.”
Viars said he is going to study education and has goals of one day become a teacher and a coach.