Class AAA: Could Overton be one of the sleeper teams?
Overton head coach Shelvie Rose has brought a new attitude, new energy and new life to an Overton basketball program that won seven games a year ago. There are no expectations for Overton to achieve anything this upcoming season, which…
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Continue ReadingOverton head coach Shelvie Rose has brought a new attitude, new energy and new life to an Overton basketball program that won seven games a year ago.
There are no expectations for Overton to achieve anything this upcoming season, which is fine with Rose, who was the underdog when he was the head coach at Hillcrest, a program he led to 17 wins in his first season (2009-10) before reaching 26 wins the following season (2010-11).
During Tuesday’s practice, Rose’s whistle blew each time one of his players took a bad shot or made the wrong pass, and it kept blowing each time Rose saw something that didn’t align with his standards. During his team’s workout, Rose made it clear that he wants to sweep Central and split with Memphis East, White Station and Whitehaven in district play.
That alone will give the Wolverines some hope and confidence for a possible postseason run. That’s also a positive sign to see a coach with such high expectations for a program that hasn’t had a string of success in recent years.
“I’m a firm believer in raising the bar,” Rose said. “I just believe in a 20-win season, and I see that for this group this year.”
Rose brought in some key transfers before the 2019-20 school year started. Senior guard Jason Coleman, 6-foot, came in from Central High School. Coleman is the vocal leader this team is going to need. He has also improved on his mid-range game and put on more muscle, which are both positives. Senior forward Anterrio Jeffries (6-7) came in from Melrose. Jeffries can score with his back to the basket. He’s the perfect stretch four that can run the floor and finish in transition. Junior guard Avionne Suttle (6-0) came in from Wooddale. Many do not know much about Suttle since he didn’t play a lot of minutes for the Cardinals last season, but he’s a solid perimeter defender and brings it on both ends of the court.
Junior guard Jonathan Burns came in from Southwind. Burns, another kid many didn’t see much of last season, could be one of the team’s best 3-point shooters. He’s confident that every shot he throws up is going to go in.
Aside from the transfers, returning senior guard Elijah Sandrige (6-4) will provide shooting. Junior forward Kam’ron Crump, who was also on the team last season, has a nice mid-range jump shot. Crump can be a nice complimentary piece to Jeffries in the frontcourt if he accepts his role on the team and not try to be something he isn’t. Then there’s talented freshman guard Jordan Frison, who can stroke it from deep.
Rose mentioned during Tuesday’s practice that Frison will see minutes on the varsity team.
With the season still two months away, Rose is coaching a group of players that have already bought into what he’s trying to accomplish. They’re all sensing that he wants to win, which has made the entire team carry that winning attitude. Each player seems to believe something special could happen this upcoming season.
The bond between the players on the team is already tight and is only getting tighter as the days go by.
“They like each other. They like to hang around one another,” Rose said. “And I believe the chemistry is going to roll over onto the court whenever we have games, and I believe it’s going to be nights where you have different guys who are able to lead us in scoring.
“That’s the type of versatility we have right now that Overton wasn’t able to have last year. So I just believe the chemistry that we have been able to get is going to propel us to win a lot more games.”