Douglass basketball remains undefeated, poised to avenge last year's TSSAA runner-up finish

MURFREESBORO – Douglass has a whole lot of history on the line after it defeated Whites Creek 67-39 in the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament semifinals on Friday night.  

The Red Devils (35-0) can make history with one more win in the TSSAA Class 2A state championship game. They will play the winner of Alcoa-Ripely at 4 p.m. Saturday at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center.  

"Can’t too many teams, in the country perhaps, can say that they (35-0), right now,” Douglass coach Greg Williams said. “We did it. ... That was never our goal. Our goal was to play hard each and every night and we’ve done that.” 

The Red Devils are chasing the program's first boys basketball state title, after finishing state runner-up in 2023 and 2018. The school would also be one of just four Memphis public schools to win a state championship with an undefeated record. The last Memphis area team to go undefeated and win a title was Christian Brothers in the 2022 season.  

The last Memphis public school was Hamilton (39-0) in 2006. Melrose (1974) and Bolton (1975) are the only other Memphis public schools to accomplish the feat. 

Any nerves?  

Nope, not for Williams and company.  

"Not so much nervous because I have these guys by my side,” Williams said, pointing at Taquez Butler and Jarmon Brittman. “I think they’re ready to roll.” 

Williams and this Douglass basketball team have been in this position before, just last year. Only difference is they came in as the new guys, unfamiliar with the state tournament environment last year.  

This season, this has been the only goal they’ve had.  

Soon after leaving the Murphy Center after last year’s championship loss to Alcoa, the Red Devils started a revenge tour. It’s all this team has talked about.  

From having a team-bonding trip that doubled as a boot camp in Wynne, Arkansas early this season, to winning at the Fred VanVleet Classic and beating two prep schools in the Battle in the Bluff; this team couldn’t be more ready to play for the gold ball trophy. 

Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.