TSSAA D1 Boys’ State Tournament Championships: Primetime Players
Saturday marked the final day of the 2020-21 high school basketball season in Tennessee. The final day of the season brought out the best in everyone, but only a handful of players had a chandelier moment. Here are the five…
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Continue ReadingSaturday marked the final day of the 2020-21 high school basketball season in Tennessee.
The final day of the season brought out the best in everyone, but only a handful of players had a chandelier moment.
Here are the five primetime players from the final day of the season.
Class A
Grant Strong, Clay County: Strong ended the 2020 season as the TSSAA Class A Mr. Basketball Award winner, MVP of the TSSAA Class A Tournament and a state champion. His 29 points and 10 rebounds helped the Bulldogs capture their first-ever TSSAA Class A title, defeating Memphis Academy of Health Sciences, 62-52.
Strong saw a lot of attention, but made shots over multiple defenders. The 6-foot-4 junior guard took advantage of his opportunities from the free throw line, going 10 for 10. The Lions didn’t have anyone who could face guard Strong, so he was making face-up jump shots. Strong has a high basketball IQ. He never allowed MAHS to bait him into an offensive foul. He simply stopped and put up a tear drop floater multiple times in the lane.
Gunnar Silk, Clay County: When Strong was seeing double teams come his way, Silk stepped up and made two big 3s in the third quarter as both teams were trading scores. The senior finished with 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Silk’s defense stood out more than his offensive production.
His communication on defense and ability to contain senior wing Dylan Woods worked perfectly for the Bulldogs. In Friday’s semifinals win over Pickett County, Woods was making one- dribble elbow jumpers each time he came off a ball screen. On Saturday, Clay County denied Woods any room, resulting in him finishing with just four points on 1 of 5 shooting.
“We knew coming in that he was their leading scorer, so we wanted to stay pretty close to him, try to make him put it on the floor, not give him open looks,” Bulldogs head coach Rob Edwards said. “We did a great job of that. Gunnar did a fantastic job of communicating on the floor defensively.
“He keeps us going. He talks all the time. He’s our best defender as well.”
Class A All–Tournament Team
Jalen Anglin (West Carroll), Will Amonett (Pickett County), Zach Amonett (Pickett County), Chriss Schultz (North Greene), Cameron Miller (MAHS), Keyonte Young (MAHS), Keaton Arms (Clay County), Woods, Silk and Strong were named to the TSSAA Class A All-Tournament Team.
Class AA
Jakobi Gillespie, Greeneville: The 6-1 guard made the biggest play of the game to help the Green Devils secure their first-ever TSSAA Class AA state title. With under four seconds to go and a one-point lead (47-46) favoring Greeneville, Gillespie got fouled and had a chance to seal the win. He missed the first free throw, but grabbed the loose ball to run out the clock.
Reid Satterfield, who finished with 19 points, picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and had to sit.
Gillespie, who added 17 points and seven rebounds, picked up the slack on offense, made timely shots to keep his team in the game. His third 3 of the game came in the fourth quarter from the right wing to give the Green Devils a two-point lead with 4:02 left.
The Hawks should have known better to leave Gillespie open. He’s a shot maker. Gillespie, who went 6 of 14 from the field, can make big shots when the lights are on.
Connor Debusk, Greeneville: The senior guard’s solid ball handles came in handy against the Hawks’ pressure. Debusk never got rattled when Jackson South Side was in its man-to-man full-court press. His poise was a game changer and his confidence to make a big shot was a game changer as well. With 15 seconds left, Debusk drained a 3 from the corner to give the Green Devils a two-point cushion, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Debusk had the heart and guts to take a shot with so much at stake.
“It’s something every little kid dreams of, you know, hitting that final shot on the big stage, I guess,” said Debusk, who finished with seven points, three steals and three assists. “So, it was a great feeling to hit that shot and get our first state championship for our school. That was amazing.”
Class AA All–Tournament Team
William Reed (Community), Alexander Rush (Upperman), Kobe Ward (Jackson South Side), Colby Raymer (Kingston), Brandon Maclin (Jackson South Side), Jaylan Cole (Jackson South Side), Jailen Anderson (Jackson South Side), Satterfield, Gillespie (MVP) and Debusk were named to the TSSAA Class AA All-Tournament Team. Toris Woods from Bolivar was crowned this season as the TSSAA Class AA Mr. Basketball Award winner.
Class AAA
Johnathan Lawson, Houston: Lawson was the sole reason the Mustangs are leaving Murfreesboro with the TSSAA Class AAA state title. His 13 points in the first half were important as no other player for Houston get into rhythm. The 6-8 forward showcased his continuous stride as a 3-point shooter. He made two late in the second quarter, and those shots helped the Mustangs build a 27-16 lead.
Once Lawson joined Houston, he became the best option offensively for the Mustangs. Lawson has great court vision, knows when to make the right pass and takes a lot of great shots.
The Oregon commit was the best player on the floor Saturday evening as he made plays without breaking a sweat.
“The one thing you always look at when you add a piece like that towards the end or in the middle of the season is just the fit, and the fit was great,” Houston head coach Mike Miller said about Lawson, who finishes his high school basketball career with three state titles at three different schools (Memphis East, Wooddale and the Houston Mustangs). “So, for him, he brought so much versatility to us, not just offensively but defensively.
“It allowed us to do a lot of things at a more college, pro-level because, now, you have multiple ball handlers, good decision makers.”
Lawson finished with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Class AAA All–Tournament Team
Zander Yates (Houston), T.J. Madlock (Houston), Chris Hillsman (Cane Ridge), Brandon Miller (Cane Ridge), Mason Miller (Houston), Grant Hurst (Cleveland), Davon Barnes (Collierville), Jordan Jenkins (Collierville), Jonathan Milloway (Oak Ridge) and Lawson (MVP) were named to the TSSAA Class All-Tournament Team. Miller was crowned this season’s TSSAA Class AAA Mr. Basketball Award winner.