Former NACA Champions to Disband, Legacy Lives on with Many Success Stories
Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (HHCA) will close this semester due to financial strain. No more powerhouse boys basketball, as the wildly successful program cultivated and grown by Zach Ferrell will entirely disband. Hamilton Heights swept the NACA Division I national championship in 2018 and annually impressed basketball coaches nationwide.
Head Coach Zach Ferrell recently spoke with the entire team, according to a source. “The decision was just made in the past 24 hours.”
The initial shock hit the players hard.
“It was real emotional,” shared junior guard Marcus Tankersley. “When he broke the news to us everybody was sad. We thought about all the good times that we had this season. Coach Zach told us to keep us our heads up and that we all have a bright future.”
Star players learned about United States of America while vastly improving their basketball skills and knowledge all under the tutelage of HHCA Basketball Coach Zach Ferrell. The program was nothing short of a revelation for Tennessee basketball. “Coach Zach” brought in players from Serbia, Russia, Nigeria, Canada, Dominican Republic, and the list goes on and on. With a deep faith in God and a supremely even temperament, with the support of HHCA and former HHCA President/Founder Duke Stone, Coach Ferrell worked wonders. Basketball was the last thing, though the most visible thing, to come together.
Imagine bringing a foreign exchange student to your city to live in your house. Now, help them enroll in a school (possibly in their second language), join the basketball team, and pick up the social intricacies of your city for an entire year. Oh…do that simultaneously for 10+ guys, many of which will graduate and leave your program for a college basketball program. Every year.
It is at once a beautiful and improbably difficult task that Coach Zach accomplished with grace.
Founded by Duke Stone in 1997, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy began with a merging of basketball and academic ambitions. Small, but proud, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy accomplished a lot of good in a frequently shady world of youth basketball. Duke Stone left the school for a new opportunity in 2018.
Proud Tradition
NBA starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the L.A. Clippers became a top 100 recruit and eventually signed with University of Kentucky out of HHCA. His cousin, All-ACC Nickeil Alexander-Walker grew up with HHCA. Jordan Rawls matured into a high major prospect, watching and learning from these two guards. Once a gangly unassuming spot-up shooter, Rawls is now destined to play for an SEC or other HM program. Aleksa Jugovic, Samson Ruzhentsev (2020) and Uros Plavsic (2018) both acclimated to the American lifestyle enough to graduate and eventually play D-1 basketball. This would not have been possible without HHCA’s development program and coaching support.
Every upperclassman is angling towards Division 1 basketball. Right now five of the top 2020 players in Tennessee are HHCA student-athletes. Top ten player in 2019, Jason Jitoboh is committed to Florida.
Like the branches of a tree, many players reached out towards the sky and grew into men under the guidance of Zach Ferrell. Many improved their games to the college level. A handful do and one or two more will play professionally.
Where will Marcus Tankersley play next year?
“I actually don’t know,” said Tankersley. “My coach (Zach Ferrell) told my parents right after he found out about it that he has some options for me, but we haven’t had time to discuss it.” Like the other players Marcus followed the path created by Coach Ferrell and he justifiably trusts Coach Ferrell will help make these unexpected transition tolerable if not quite smooth.
When the doors close 22 years after their opening, the legacy will live on through these players thanks to Coach Zach Ferrell.