Bartlett Panthers: A blend of veterans and young talent
Pacing back and forth during Saturday evening’s scrimmage against Houston at Rhodes College, Bartlett head coach Dion Real saw a lot of new players on the court and bench, ones that weren’t on the team last season. Real realizes a…
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Continue ReadingPacing back and forth during Saturday evening’s scrimmage against Houston at Rhodes College, Bartlett head coach Dion Real saw a lot of new players on the court and bench, ones that weren’t on the team last season.
Real realizes a rebuild is part of building towards a two or three-year run. Luckily, the Panthers will have a handful of experienced players back next season to blend in with the young talent that seems to have a bright future ahead.
There was talk amongst viewers after last season ended that the Panthers weren’t going to be a good team heading into the 2019-20 season after graduating 12 seniors.
But, that may not be the case with Bartlett as the Panthers have a blending group of players that should provide contributions on both ends of the floor. Real’s starting five of Jaylin Lucas (6-foot-4), Rodney Mason Jr. (6-6), Kamrin Jones (5-10), Luke Bridges (6-7) and Will Farris (5-10) will lead the way, but the real issue lies with who will step up off the bench.
Sophomores M.J. Boyd (6-1) and Noah Johnson (6-1) and freshmen Regale Moore (6-1), Fred Deere (6-2), Rashad Williams (6-6) and Devin Crockett (5-7) are expected to play a lot of minutes, which is usual for teams that are searching for quality depth.
“The talent is here, but we have to mold it together and get it all on the same core, which that is in any new situation. You just have to make it fit,” Real said. “And not just making it fit, but make sure we fit with it also. We have to change some things we do, but we’re excited.”
Bartlett was the No. 1 team in the state of Tennessee for all of last season, and the Panthers were the target each time they stepped onto the floor. That won’t be the case next season, which means there won’t be any pressure for Bartlett to win a lot of games. Real hasn’t lowered expectations. He still expects his team to play hard and leave everything out on the court.
Summer league play will be beneficial for the Panthers, especially helping the freshmen and sophomores get acclimated with the speed of high school basketball in Memphis, Tennessee. The return of Mason Jr. and Lucas should provide Bartlett with balance.
Both players played a part in the Panthers’ 31-3 season, which ended in a sectional matchup against Whitehaven for the second straight season. To get back to that point, coach Real is counting on his seniors to lead the way.
“I feel like they are ready. I feel like they understand there’s a heavy burden on them,” Real said. “That’s something we talked about. The class of 2019 left a mark. They put a stain on Bartlett basketball. That was a good stain, but what is the class of 2020 going to do? What are you guys going to do?
“Are y’all going to say I was a part of class of 2019’s success or are y’all going to take the success from 2019 and add on to it? And that’s a difficult task, especially what the 2019 class did, but again, they have a lot of pieces around them to make the 2020 class look really, really good.”