AA Sectionals Players to Watch: Part II
Read about the key players in each Class AA matchup from Tennessee’s western half. Gibson County @ Summertown Gavin Burleson Gavin Burleson 6'4" | PG Summertown | 2022 TN and younger brother Grayson Burleson Grayson Burleson 6'4" | SF Summertown |…
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Continue ReadingRead about the key players in each Class AA matchup from Tennessee’s western half.
Gibson County @ Summertown
Gavin Burleson Gavin Burleson 6'4" | PG Summertown | 2022 TN and younger brother Grayson Burleson Grayson Burleson 6'4" | SF Summertown | 2025 State TN are the keys for Summertown Eagles. Grayson is going to have a huge game, but Gavin is my pick for Player to Watch. Gavin rebounds really well from the guard spot and he dictates tempo very well. Seniors always seem to play with more investment in elimination games and the opportunity to advance to the state tournament is quite the carrot. Grayson’s mid-air body control is wonderful for a 6-foot-4 guard. His potential is tantalizing.
Gibson County is not a tall team. Ethan Turner digs his trench under the basket and just lives there. His power is apparent in every play. The tight end/defensive end stands about 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, an enormous sophomore by any standards. He is downright jacked for a Class AA “small” forward. The one area that Turner will not be able to help is out around the three-point arc where Grayson does most of his damage. Again, Turner will be in the lane. Always.
Fairview @ Milan
Mays McCoy Mays McCoy 6'4" | SF Fairview | 2024 TN is the Player to Watch for Fairview, a team deep with talented guards. Mays is the key in this game because Fairview needs to rebound better than they did against Summertown. Limit the second-chance buckets. Kennedy is likely to put up 20 points, but the defensive rebounding of Mays, along with his scoring will be paramount.
Sophomore Nathan Dillingham Nathan Dillingham 6'2" | PG Fairview | 2024 State TN is coming off a wonderful game (16 points).
Fairview
#0 Carter Durham* (2022)
#1
Mays McCoy
Mays
McCoy
6'4" | SF
Fairview | 2024
TN
* (2024)
#2
Nathan Dillingham
Nathan
Dillingham
6'2" | PG
Fairview | 2024
State
TN
* (2024)
#23
Kennedy Pendergrass
Kennedy
Pendergrass
6'2" | SG
Fairview | 2022
State
TN
* (2022)
#34
Shammah-rapha Takop
Shammah-rapha
Takop
6'3" | PF
Fairview | 2022
TN
* (2022): Serves FHS as a lane liason. Takop is a key rebounder. He is not requested to score or create his own, but the team really leans on him for rebounds.
Milan Projected Starters
#1 Adam Arnold (2023)
#3 Jodarius Robinson (2022)
#5 Easton Yates (2023)
#11
Gabe Scott
Gabe
Scott
5'8" | PG
Milan | 2024
State
TN
(2024)
#12 F Kameron Tharpe (2022)
Jodarius Robinson’s dynamism was fun to see as Milan rattled Gibson County’s modest backcourt with punishing pull-ups. Robinson is one of the few players on Milan that will easily blow by the FHS defenders. Athletically, the teams are pretty similar at the other matchups. Robinson is attack-minded and this is an enormous game for him and the hosting Milan Bulldogs.
Power Center @ Douglass
Courtney Smith EVAL: P.J. Hillman P.J. Hillman 6'2" | SG Power Center Academy | 2022 State TN , Power Center Academy: Hillman is a pure energy prospect. He brings that as soon as he steps on the floor. Like his teammate Jackson, Hillman loves to be disruptive on offense. Offensively, he can get any type of shot he wants to have. Hillman can play in an up-tempo setting. He thrives in transition. He’s a perfect teammate for Jackson, because Hillman’s a team-first player and can affect the game without being the team’s leading scorer.
Bolivar Central @ Mitchell
Andre Watson Andre Watson 5'9" | PG Southwind | 2023 State TN (Mitchell) can go. The undersized guard provides volume scoring. Watson will pick up a couple steals most likely, and his end-to-end speed creates problems on the counter.