A look back, down Memory Lane, at 2010 in Central Georgia, and around the state and nation

Sunday, April 25

Milwaukee beat Atlanta 107-89 to cut the Hawks’ series lead to 2-1

Chipper Jones returned to the Braves lineup after being slowed by a hip injury

Diana Danna (tennis) and Niclas Johansson were named Georgia College’s top student-athletes for the year. Sean Harrell was named the top baseball player with the John Kurtz Award

Softball’s Holly Oglesbee and men’s basketball’s James Florence were named Mercer’s athletes of the year at the school’s banquet.

Monday, April 26

Logan Gray, named the backup days earlier behind Aaron Murray, met with Mark Richt about the future, which included the strong possibility of a transfer, which would leave UGA with one QB until signee Hutson Mason showed up

Houston County’s boys soccer team opens its 10th straight GHSA postseason trip at home against Pebblebrook

Martin Dewald’s trek to Georgia College began whith his birth in Germany, and he has emerged as one of the top Division II pitchers in the nation, hoping a 13-4 record in two seasons gets him some MLB draft attention

Tuesday, April 27

Kareem Jackson returned home to have his jersey retired in a ceremony at Westside

Russell Henley was named the SEC’s top male golfer while earning first-team all-conference honors

Atlanta’s Jamal Crawford is named the NBA’s Sixth Man

The NCAA announced the appointment of Washington president Mark Emmert to replace Myles Brand as president. Georgia’s Michael Adams was reportedly a finalist

It’s been a busy few days for Mercer men’s basketball coach Bob Hoffman, who lost assistant Mark Osina to a search for a head coaching job and released Tevin Swann, Ridas Pulkauninkas and Michael Jenkins from their scholarships

Georgia College became the PBC regular-season baseball champs while sitting, thanks to Francis Marion’s loss on Saturday, a few days after head coach Tom Carty’s 100th win with the Bobcats

Wednesday, April 28

FPD’s girls will go after their sixth straight GISA Class AAA track title when the meet begins Thursday in Albany

Atlanta fell behind Milwaukee 3-2 in the NBA playoff series with a third straight loss, 91-87 in Atlanta

The Braves lost their eighth straight, 6-0 to the Cardinals

Thursday, April 29

After more than a decade, Jackie Decell walks out of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame as its executive director for the final time, three months after announcing her retirement. She had twice been interim director of a facility that has had anything but a smooth life since the building opened in 1999

Stratford wins the boys and girls GISA Class AAA tennis titles

The NCAA approves a 68-team men’s basketball tournament

Friday, April 30

Dexter Copeland leaves Twiggs County to take over at Baldwin after nine years and a 73-32 record. Jesse Hicks is headed to Dougherty. Some other football changes in the spring: Jimmy Hughes from Monticello to Dooly County, Kevin Kinsler succeeds Conrad Nix at Northside, Stacey Harden replaces Andy Scott at Perry, Gary Morton follows Vic Thigpen at East Laurens, and David Bruce is Veterans’ first coach

Maurice Smith, part of Georgia College basketall for years, is promoted to women’s head coach to replace John Carrick. Smith played for the men under Terry Sellers, then coached with him before moving to the women’s team

Eagle’s Landing nips Perry 2-1 to eliminate the Panthers from the GHSA Class AAA girls soccer playoffs

Russell Henley makes the cut at the Athens Classic, a Nationwide Tour event

Adam Cooper and Bubba Gallops lead the Peach Blossom after a round

The Hawks force Game 7 with an 83-69 win at Milwaukee

LeBron James wins his second straight NBA MVP award

Saturday, May 1

The girls of FPD and boys of Covenant and Brentwood take GISA state track titles, the sixth straight for the Vikings. Multiple-event winners: FPD’s Grace Tinkey in the 1,600 and 3,200 (state record), and Covenant’s Andrew Swicegood in the 1,600 and 3,200

Adam Cooper and Bubba Gallops extend their Peach Blossom lead to seven, over Michael Standard and Rick Cloninger

Russell Henley is tied for 51st after three rounds of the Nationwide Tour event in Athens