9 seniors a lot of people aren’t talking about
Seniors are very important, and they come in handy when things get tough, whether it’s doing the regular season or during the postseason. Not all seniors are offensively skilled, but some possess leadership skills, which will be needed throughout the…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSeniors are very important, and they come in handy when things get tough, whether it’s doing the regular season or during the postseason.
Not all seniors are offensively skilled, but some possess leadership skills, which will be needed throughout the season.
Every high school basketball team in the state of Tennessee have aspirations of finishing the season hoisting the gold ball in either Nashville or Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Is that possible without senior leadership? Of course not.
Now, there are seniors a lot of people aren’t saying much about, but will be very important to their team’s success.
Here are 9 seniors that are being overlooked:
Nick Floyd, Lausanne: Floyd is about 5-foot-8, but he’s tough, and he plays hard. He’s not offensively gifted like senior combo guard Jalen Bo Montgomery. He can’t see over defenses like Montgomery, but he goes 100 miles per hour on every possession. Floyd is willing to guard the opposing team’s best guard. Whether people know it or not, Floyd will play a pivotal role for the Lynx this upcoming season.
Duane Posey, Memphis East: Posey is one of the best forwards in Class AAA. He can score with his back to the basket. He has upper body strength, and he’s not a pushover. Posey brings toughness to a Mustangs team that lost its entire frontcourt (James Wiseman and Malcolm Dandridge) last season. At 6-6, Posey will be a problem because of his physicality alone.
Isaiah Cathey, Memphis East: Cathey isn’t flashy, but he’s at his best when he’s able to control the tempo of a game. He showed flashes of it last season during the Mustangs’ Class AAA state title defense. Going into the 2019 season, Cathey will be one of the veterans on the team, which means he will need to show the younger players what it takes to win in Class AAA.
Devine Owens, Whitehaven: Owens is the Draymond Green for the Tigers. He’s outspoken, loud and rugged. Owens is only 6-4, but he plays bigger than his height. He’s the heart and soul of this Whitehaven team. Owens won’t fill up the stat sheet, but he will do all of the small things.
Omari Thomas, Briarcrest: The 6-4 forward is a hand full in the post. In last season’s TSSAA Division Class AA state title game against then-defending champion Brentwood Academy, Thomas had his way with the Eagles in the second half. When people talk about the Saints, point guard Kennedy Chandler mainly comes up in the conversation, but this team has other key pieces. Thomas, a bully in the post, is just one of them.
Rodney Mason II, Bartlett: Head coach Dion Real is going to ride Mason II for the entire season. He’s been part of some special seasons with the Panthers. After Bartlett lost an entire roster of seniors last season, Real is going into the 2019 season with Mason as one of the focal points. He mentioned that the 6-5 forward is going to have the basketball in his hands a lot.
Jaylin Lucas, Bartlett: Lucas is another player that’s been through wars for the Panthers. He’s a high energy guy and will provide a spark with a one-handed dunk or a clear block off the glass. Lucas is Bartlett’s motor.
Justin Borders, Cordova: Head coach Terrance Scales got one of the top transfers on the market this past summer in 5-7 point guard Justin Borders. He can score with ease, and he has the sticky fingers on the defensive end. I have only seen Borders play in open gym workouts, but I have seen enough to know that he’s a key piece for the Wolfpack’s chances of being a state title contender in Class AAA.
Marcus Fitzgerald, Pearl Cohn: Fitzgerald is bringing championship experience to the Firebirds. He led Brentwood Academy to a Division II Class AA state title appearance where the Eagles fell short of a fifth-straight title. Fitzgerald is a walking bucket. He can catch fire at any point of a game.
DeJurnett on his commitment to Evansville
On Monday, Lausanne senior forward Johnathan DeJurnett committed to Evansville. The 6-8 forward chose the Purple Aces over offers he held from Campbell and Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville.
DeJurnett wasn’t pressured into committing to Evansville, which was one of the deciding factors for him choosing the program. The Purple Aces coaching staff stayed in contact with DeJurnett on a weekly basis and didn’t always talk about basketball.
During the recruiting process, head coach Walter McCarty laid out DeJurnett’s role with Evansville if he decided to come.
“He told me my role will be to use my athleticism and speed to get a lot of points out of pick and rolls, and fast breaks,” said DeJurnett, who had a solid summer with Hoop City 17U.
DeJurnett is expected to have a solid senior season playing alongside junior big man Moussa Cisse. He’s coming off a junior season where he averaged 14.3 points and eight rebounds a game. The Lynx are heavily favored this season to win the Division II Class A state championship.