Hamilton vs Brentwood

[toinemac]

First off. Why is hair a discussion? This conversation is absolutely preposterous. You all sound very ignorant. He's not bald. His hair is a different color. This has nothing to do with basketball.

Sir a question was asked. I did my best to answer it. I wasn't trying to insult Mr. Hill. I'd appreciate if you kept your hostility to yourself. Thanks

[nebuntyn]

Sir a question was asked. I did my best to answer it. I wasn't trying to insult Mr. Hill. I'd appreciate if you kept your hostility to yourself. Thanks

Youre not very good at assumptions. And your perception is not my reality. Have a seat. And talk about basketball, not cosmetology class.

[broadcaster54]

I hope Coach King gets to rub a gold ball before he retires...watching his teams compete against more talented teams has absolutely convinced me that he deserves at least one before hanging up his clipboard.

agreed...this game should not have been close. king a really good coach but it looks like coaching has taken a toll on him. 

[ThePiedPiperOfBrentwood]

Extremely proud of our boys for playing lights-out today against one of the best teams in the country...I personally feel we were robbed of a state title by the refs, who missed an obvious foul on Tanner Tapp where he was stripped prior to Hamilton's go-ahead layup with about 20 seconds left. We had the better game plan and our biggest mistake was speeding the game up when we had a 12-point lead in the second quarter, which obviously played into Hamilton's hands.

 

This team wasn't supposed to be *quite* as good, at least on paper, as the past two Brentwood teams and our final W-L record reflected that (we were 30-7 this year contrasted with 32-3 last year and 30-5 the year before that).

 

That said, we have five great seniors who are all outgoing, outspoken leaders, have phenomenal basketball IQs, and play with perhaps the best chemistry of any Brentwood team ever. Whereas the signature quality of our squad two years ago was our sheer depth, and the signature quality of last year's team was a virtually (offensively) unstoppable starting five, the hallmark of this year's team is that we basically started five point guards, rarely turned it over, and just did the little things like taking charges very well.

 

What most people don't know about this year's Brentwood team is that we had to replace two of the best forwards in school history (Andy Schumpert and Jacob Adcock) and a great shooting guard in Jack Bautista who all graduated last year; Schumpert was also probably one of the best players in Williamson County history. Additionally, during the course of this season we had to replace our most experienced and arguably best overall player (three-year starting PG James McPherson, the best pure distributor in school history, who was dismissed from the team at the end of the regular season) and our most athletic starter (junior post Ahmad Arnold, who tore his ACL against Blackman in December).

 

That's five starters we had to replace in less than a year, three of whom were our best inside players who were essentially replaced by guards. But Benny and Toe Bautista (junior twins who are the younger brothers of Jack) slid into the starting lineup in January and meshed astonishly well with our "Big Three" of PG Jalen Lawson, SF Grant Teichmann, and PF Tanner Tapp. Lawson also had big shoes to replace when McPherson was booted, sliding from shooting guard to point guard, where he is honestly a better fit. (His older brother told me today that he was offered by and committed to Lipscomb this week, but I still need to confirm that.)

 

Anyways, today could be the end of an era following three straight AAA Final Four appearances and 30+ win seasons. It will be very tough to replace our five seniors, with only two of our seven rotation players (the Bautista twins, who are rising seniors) returning next year. Opposite of this year, we will be a frontcourt-heavy team next year that probably won't shoot as well as the past few teams; if outside shooting is to remain our calling card, several players will have to improve considerably this offseason.

 

If you had told me before the season that we'd play in our first-ever state championship game and lose a nailbiter to Hamilton, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat. That said, to have a state title within your grasp and have it slip away is a devastating feeling. But I love our seniors, who I've known since their undefeated freshman campaign, and think most D-1 schools in the country are nuts for not offering a Grant Teichmann already; the kid was born to play basketball and has the ideal build (6-3) and skills necessary to excel as a shooting guard at the next level.

 

Our team motto this season has been #3XC, meaning "third time's the charm" for our third straight state tournament appearance, and though we fell just short of a championship, this squad far exceeded my expectations.

 

The motto for next season, the team told me tonight, is #Back4More. Already excited to see next year's team develop!

[Darkside20]

Extremely proud of our boys for playing lights-out today against one of the best teams in the country...I personally feel we were robbed of a state title by the refs, who missed an obvious foul on Tanner Tapp where he was stripped prior to Hamilton's go-ahead layup with about 20 seconds left. We had the better game plan and our biggest mistake was speeding the game up when we had a 12-point lead in the second quarter, which obviously played into Hamilton's hands.

 

This team wasn't supposed to be *quite* as good, at least on paper, as the past two Brentwood teams and our final W-L record reflected that (we were 30-7 this year contrasted with 32-3 last year and 30-5 the year before that).

 

That said, we have five great seniors who are all outgoing, outspoken leaders, have phenomenal basketball IQs, and play with perhaps the best chemistry of any Brentwood team ever. Whereas the signature quality of our squad two years ago was our sheer depth, and the signature quality of last year's team was a virtually (offensively) unstoppable starting five, the hallmark of this year's team is that we basically started five point guards, rarely turned it over, and just did the little things like taking charges very well.

 

What most people don't know about this year's Brentwood team is that we had to replace two of the best forwards in school history (Andy Schumpert and Jacob Adcock) and a great shooting guard in Jack Bautista who all graduated last year; Schumpert was also probably one of the best players in Williamson County history. Additionally, during the course of this season we had to replace our most experienced and arguably best overall player (three-year starting PG James McPherson, the best pure distributor in school history, who was dismissed from the team at the end of the regular season) and our most athletic starter (junior post Ahmad Arnold, who tore his ACL against Blackman in December).

 

That's five starters we had to replace in less than a year, three of whom were our best inside players who were essentially replaced by guards. But Benny and Toe Bautista (junior twins who are the younger brothers of Jack) slid into the starting lineup in January and meshed astonishly well with our "Big Three" of PG Jalen Lawson, SF Grant Teichmann, and PF Tanner Tapp. Lawson also had big shoes to replace when McPherson was booted, sliding from shooting guard to point guard, where he is honestly a better fit. (His older brother told me today that he was offered by and committed to Lipscomb this week, but I still need to confirm that.)

 

Anyways, today could be the end of an era following three straight AAA Final Four appearances and 30+ win seasons. It will be very tough to replace our five seniors, with only two of our seven rotation players (the Bautista twins, who are rising seniors) returning next year. Opposite of this year, we will be a frontcourt-heavy team next year that probably won't shoot as well as the past few teams; if outside shooting is to remain our calling card, several players will have to improve considerably this offseason.

 

If you had told me before the season that we'd play in our first-ever state championship game and lose a nailbiter to Hamilton, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat. That said, to have a state title within your grasp and have it slip away is a devastating feeling. But I love our seniors, who I've known since their undefeated freshman campaign, and think most D-1 schools in the country are nuts for not offering a Grant Teichmann already; the kid was born to play basketball and has the ideal build (6-3) and skills necessary to excel as a shooting guard at the next level.

 

Our team motto this season has been #3XC, meaning "third time's the charm" for our third straight state tournament appearance, and though we fell just short of a championship, this squad far exceeded my expectations.

 

The motto for next season, the team told me tonight, is #Back4More. Already excited to see next year's team develop!

Need a little cheese to go with that wine? I will give you the same words you gave White Co fans. See ya in 16 more years! Bahhhhaaaaa!

[90warrior]

lol i was gonna say see you in a hundred years darkside!

[ThePiedPiperOfBrentwood]

Except Brentwood's made it the past three years. Nice try, though.

[Darkside20]

lol i was gonna say see you in a hundred years darkside!

Lol we wont ever make it. Too much politics causing our boys to go to other schools!

[TheRealTruth]

How many of those games did Hamilton win that they had to forfeit? How many points a game to the ineligible player contribute?

[ThePiedPiperOfBrentwood]

How many of those games did Hamilton win that they had to forfeit? How many points a game to the ineligible player contribute?

I believe they were 15-0 when Tarrance Baker was found to be ineligible. I only saw one box score where he played, but he had 23 pts in that game, so I imagine he was a pretty significant player. I doubt they win the Oak Hill game w/o him.

[ruppsrunt]

Except Brentwood's made it the past three years. Nice try, though.

Got to give your program props PP. King has done a great coaching job this year and in the past. He almost pulled out a win over a team with 2 legit D1 future stars. Brentwood doesn't have anyone going anywhere except to college where they will major in a professional area and become lifelong success. If one of those guys become doctors I want them treating me. King is to Brentwood what Byrd is to Belmont...his kids are battlers who believe in their coach and his system. Nobody could win at Brentwood but Dennis King.

[ThePiedPiperOfBrentwood]

Got to give your program props PP. King has done a great coaching job this year and in the past. He almost pulled out a win over a team with 2 legit D1 future stars. Brentwood doesn't have anyone going anywhere except to college where they will major in a professional area and become lifelong success. If one of those guys become doctors I want them treating me. King is to Brentwood what Byrd is to Belmont...his kids are battlers who believe in their coach and his system. Nobody could win at Brentwood but Dennis King.

Though I agree with most of what you said, I think most of Brentwood's administration would take issue with your last comment. BHS principal Kevin Keidel is himself a former basketball head coach and King has arguably the best staff in the state. When King inevitably retires, LaVergne head coach/AD Jeremy Moore and Mt. Juliet coach Troy Allen (quite similar to King in their approach if not as experienced or perhaps yet skilled) will likely receive calls about the job, though it's questionable whether either would want to make a lateral move to Brentwood or directly follow in King's shadow.

 

Without naming names, there are a few assistants and ex-assistants I could name as potential successors to King, but those decisions are heavily dependent on internal politics, including whether or not someone is eligible to teach in Williamson County. However, in terms of running a proven system, the blueprint (masterminded by King, of course) is in place. Just as Xavier went from Pete Gillen to Skip Prosser to Thad Matta to Sean Miller, there are plenty of coaches and former players around Brentwood's program familiar with that blueprint.