Memphis BB

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Elite Eight: Marcellus Brigham brings defense, shooting to defending state champ Briarcrest

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KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Marcellus Brigham is a 6-foot-6 wing player who has signed with Jacksonville State. He helped lead Briarcrest to its first DII-AA state title since 2008 with a win over Brentwood Academy last March. 

"He’s a very good defensive player and an excellent rebounder. He’s got a real high motor most nights," Briarcrest coach John Harrington said. "Last year he was our best 3-point shooter at 39 percent. He guards the other team’s best post — not a five man but a swing three or four man he’ll guard them."

Brigham is No. 2 on The Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top high school senior basketball prospects. His other offers include include Troy, Kent State, Georgia Southern and East Tennessee State. He is averaging 12 points and 8.2 rebounds.

"He can really shoot the basketball from the 3-point line. He can really guard," Harrington said. "He’s very athletic and there’s not a reason why he couldn’t go and play professionally whether it’s overseas or whatever the case may be because he’s got the perfect body for it. He’s 6-foot-6, he can handle it and shoot it. If you go back and watch our state tournament he’s making left-handed eight-footers."

Brigham committed to Jacksonville State on Nov. 22 and signed on Dec. 2. He said he took his visit before the season started. He said that he enjoyed the environment on campus and trusts the coaching staff's plan to develop him as a big guard. 

"I love the coaching staff, mainly how they can make me better as a player and as a person," Brigham said. “Being able to play guard and when I have a different matchup be able to post up smaller guards and stuff like that and I think Coach (Ray) Harper is a great role model."

Brigham, along with junior five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler and senior guard Micheal "Scooter" Malone have led Briarcrest to a 13-3 start with wins over Male (Louisville), Callaway (Jackson, Mississippi), and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida). 

Harrington said the biggest thing he's working with Brigham on this season is bringing a consistent level of sharp focus.

"With Marcellus it's a matter of staying focused the entire time. He’s got all the tools to be a special, special player," Harrington said. "(Auburn coach) Bruce Pearl was at one of our games watching Kennedy play and he goes, ‘I like the 6-foot-6 kid.' He goes, ‘I’m intrigued by that.' Tennessee was here and one of the first people they wanted to talk to me at our practice about is Marcellus. He stands out to a college coaches. He’s not an under-the-radar type guy."

   
 

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc

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Elite Eight: Why Olive Branch's Cameron Matthews calls this his 'redemption year'

 

KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Olive Branch's Cameron Matthews is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward who is ranked No. 2 overall in Mississippi according to the 247Sports Composite. The Mississippi State signee is the only Memphis area boys basketball senior who has committed to a Power Five school. 

"When you combine his athleticism with his skill set, he's just a fun player to watch. He's a great ball-handler for his size, he handles it as good as a lot of guards do," Olive Branch coach Eric Rombaugh said. "A lot of times he'll start the break and start the offense for us. But he's also a mismatch down low posting up. He's really a three-tier scorer, from the perimeter, mid-range and finishing at the rim." 

Matthews is also No. 1 on The Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top high school senior basketball prospects. His other offers include Memphis, Florida and Ole Miss. 

Matthews helped Olive Branch win the 2018 MHSAA Class 5A state title as a sophomore. The Conquistadors returned to the title game last year but fell to rival Center Hill by two points. Matthews got into foul trouble early and wasn't able to impact the game the way he normally does. 

"I played a total of like eight minutes due to foul trouble. I didn't score, I think I got like a couple rebounds, that's really it," Matthews said. "I didn't do much on the stat sheet. I just think that we got the bad end of the stick and that this year will be my redemption year."

 Olive Branch is 13-4 with wins over Briarcrest and Houston among others.

"We look for him more on offense now. Sophomore year, he was our defensive stopper," Rombaugh said. "We had (current Memphis freshman) DJ (Jeffries) and we had some offensive guys around him so he really concentrated on his defense and did everything he could to help us."

Matthews is averaging 16.2 points, 14.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3 blocks. He signed with Mississippi State in November.

"They were after me the hardest, calling me a couple times a day, calling Coach Rombaugh," Matthews said. "And when I set up my visit and went down there I liked the vibe down there and the feel, how they ran their practices. The whole program felt like family. And I didn't feel like wasting any time because why would I wait when I could get it over with. So I committed when I left the campus." 

Rombaugh said that Matthews typically guards the opposing team's best player across a variety of positions. Olive Branch has matched him up with Oklahoma State signee Cade Cunningham, North Carolina guard Cole Anthony and LSU forward Trendon Watford.

"He's able to guard multiple positions, but at the next level he'll probably be a three. As his shot gets better and better we'll be able to play more outside," Rombaugh said. "But defensively, he's guarded some of the biggest kids in the country and he's switched to guard some of the best guards in the country. Offensively I think he's best on the wing, attacking the rim, and posting up here and there." 

   

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc

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Basketball recruiting: Updates on Houston's Mason Miller, Alden Applewhite, TJ Madlock

 

 

KHARI THOMPSON   | Memphis Commercial Appeal

 

Houston blew out rival Collierville with an 87-59 home win Friday night. The Mustangs had five scorers in double-figures and were led by forward Alden Applewhite, who scored a game-high 25 points. 

According to the 247Sports Composite, Houston has three of the state's top 10 junior prospects in Applewhite, forward Mason Miller and guard TJ Madlock. The Commercial Appeal caught up with each of them after the game for a recruiting update. 

Mason Miller 

Height: 6-foot-9

Position: Forward

Ranking: No. 3 in Tennessee

Offers: Ohio State, Florida, Texas Tech, Memphis, Creighton, among others.

Recruiting update: "Recruiting is going good. I've got a few schools looking at me, (I'm most interested in) probably Ohio State, Florida, Memphis and Indiana."

Scouting report: "Long, rangy, and he can shoot it. He can shoot it from the same place that Alden can. He's athletic as all get out. He's just a little bit of strength from Mother Nature away from being really special right now," — Houston coach Charlie Leonard. 

Alden Applewhite

Height: 6-foot-6

Position: Forward

Ranking: No. 5 in Tennessee

Offers: TCU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, 

Recruiting update: "I've got a few schools recruiting me pretty hard right now. TCU has been recruiting me real hard, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Those are the schools that are talking to me every day, calling me, texting me, always hitting me up."

Scouting report: "He's a big guard. He can score all over the floor. He rebounds well. He's unselfish and strong enough to make some passes that people his size normally don't make. It's nice to have him on the wing, but his background is being a point guard." — Leonard. 

TJ Madlock

Height: 6-foot-1

Position: Guard

Ranking: No. 8 in Tennessee

Offers: Arkansas-Little Rock, Florida Atlantic

Recruiting update: "Little Rock and Florida Atlantic are probably after me the hardest."

Scouting report: "He's a two-year starter since he's been here. He was runner-up for MVP of the league last year. He's got more tools around him and some guys that have matured. He doesn't have to carry the same load but he's capable of a lot of things." — Leonard. 

   

Edited January 21, 2020 by kwc

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Commercial Appeal weekly boys high school basketball power rankings

 

Khari Thompson, Memphis Commercial AppealPublished 4:32 p.m. CT Feb. 10, 2020 | Updated 4:59 p.m. CT Feb. 10, 2020

1. East (19-6): The Mustangs lost to Whitehaven by three, escaped with a two-point win over Central and beat Overton by eight. Last week: No. 1.

2. Briarcrest Christian (20-5): Five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler had 13 points and seven assists as the Saints beat rival Christian Brothers. Last week: No. 2.

3. Houston (23-3): The Mustangs picked up a 12-point win over Southwind and blew out rival Collierville 82-44. Last week: No. 3.

4. Whitehaven (21-3): The Tigers picked up a big win over East but fell to White Station, which it beat by 53 earlier in the season. Last week: No. 4. 

5. Arlington (20-6): The Tigers have won their past three games by two points or fewer, beating Olive Branch, MUS and Bartlett. Last week: No. 6.

6. Lausanne (20-5): The Lynx rolled to double-digit victories over Harding and  Northpoint. Last week: No. 5.

7. Olive Branch (19-5): The Conquistadors beat St. Benedict by 22 in their regular-season finale. Last week: No. 7.

8. Wooddale (17-6): The Cardinals scored 112 in a win over Hamilton in their highest-scoring performance of the season. Johnathan Lawson had a triple-double with 50 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Last week: No. 8.

9. B.T. Washington (20-5): The Warriors completed a 14-0 district record with a win over MASE. Last week: No. 10.

10. Center Hill (20-8): The Mustangs beat Horn Lake by 25 but were upset by Southaven. Last week: No. 9. 

10. Center Hill (20-8): The Mustangs beat Horn Lake by 25 but were upset by Southaven. Last week: No. 9. 

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With mom now cancer-free and his wrist healing, Wooddale's Jalen Brown ready for postseason

 

Khari Thompson, The Commercial AppealPublished 10:00 p.m. CT Feb. 18, 2020

 

As Wooddale embarks on its TSSAA high school boys basketball postseason run, its second-leading scorer is just getting back into the swing of things.

Jalen Brown has missed five of the Cardinals last seven games battling a wrist injury. On top of that, his mother has recently battled cancer.

"She had been diagnosed with cancer and since then she's had the surgery and had it removed so right now she's cancer-free," said Jalen's dad, Jeremiah Brown. "All this has happened throughout the season. And there's actually a happy ending to it and it's over now, but right now we're in the process of having Jalen get his minutes back." 

Brown scored 11 points in Wooddale's SCIAA Class AA championship win over Mitchell on Saturday. . 

"I’m still working stuff out and getting stuff right. I’ve been thinking about my mama a lot. I’m not 100 percent, but I’m almost there," Brown said of his mental focus. "It's been hard sometimes, but sometimes I get over it and realize I do this for my mama and keep going strong."

The 6-foot-4, 165-pound guard is the No. 4 junior prospect in the state, according to the 247Sports Composite. He has offers from Clemson, Missouri, Ole Miss and North Alabama among others. 

Coach Keelon Lawson said that Brown's strength is his perimeter scoring and that he's one of Wooddale's better outside shooters.

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Brown is is averaging 12.4 points for the Class AA defending state champion Cardinals,  behind only Mr. Basketball finalist Johnathan Lawson, who is leading the area in scoring at 26.9 points per game. 

"He’ll bring a lot. It’s another weapon we didn’t really utilize the whole year. He’s a combination guard," Lawson said. "His main asset to me is being able to score and give us that extra weapon we need as far as scoring. But also he can pass and defend and he’ll be another big guard that we have on the floor going into the state."

Brown began his high school career playing for Penny Hardaway at East before transferring to Trezevant and averaging 20.4 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Bears as a sophomore. He transferred to Wooddale this year after his dad began working at the school. 

Wooddale’s Jalen Brown looks to passt the ball against Lausanne during the ARS National Hoopfest at Olive Branch High School on Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. (Photo: Joe Rondone, Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal)

Until recently, Brown's scoring wasn't the only thing that made him stand out on the court. He had long hair, which he estimates would have been about shoulder-length if he flat-ironed it. He said people had been telling him to cut it and he decided to finally go through with it while he was out.

"I’ve been growing my hair since sixth grade. I saw a video of me getting interviewed and I was like. ‘Man, my hair is wild.' So the next day I cut it off," Brown said. 

It was just another transition for Brown in a year that has brought a new school and new challenges. He said he's happy to be back playing the game that he loves.

"He's overcoming it man, and I know his bounce back game is going to be so aggressive," his dad said. "He's ready. It's almost like you have a pit bull when he's on the leash and you take the leash off of him. He's healthy again, he's motivated, he's working hard. He's just got to find his niche."

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Memphis area high school basketball district tournament brackets

 

Khari Thompson, The Commercial AppealPublished 5:35 p.m. CT Feb. 17, 2020 | Updated 9:40 a.m. CT Feb. 20, 2020

 

Division I

Class A

District 15

Boys

Thursday: Soulsville 68, KIPP 64. Douglass 58, RISE 6 .Manassas 81, Compass-Midtown 44.

Monday: B.T. Washington 97, Soulsville 55. MASE 66, Douglass 49. MAHS 71, Trezevant 56.

Tuesday: Middle College 62, Manassas 53.

At B.T. Washington

Wednesday: B.T. Washington vs. MASE. 7:30 p.m.

Thursday: MAHS vs. Middle College 7:30 p.m.

Friday: Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Monday: Consolation, 7:30 p.m.

 

Girls

Wednesday: Soulsville 65, Manassas 40. 

Monday: Soulsville at Memphis Business Academy. MAHS 65, Trezevant 21. B.T. Washington 91, Douglass 32.

Tuesday: MASE 51, KIPP 36

At B.T. Washington

Wednesday: MAHS vs. B.T. Washington.

Thursday: Memphis Business Academy vs. MASE 6:00 p.m.

Friday: Championship, 6:00 p.m.

Monday: Consolation, 6:00 p.m.

 

District 16

 

Boys 

Thursday: Oakhaven at Bluff City

Tuesday: Power Center Academy 86, Bluff City 44. Freedom Prep 86, Fairley 71. Westwood, 59, Hillcrest 56. Memphis School of Excellence at City University

At Hillcrest

Friday: PCA vs. Freedom Prep 6:00 p.m. Westwood vs. MSE/City University winner, 7:30 p.m.

Monday: Consolation, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Championship, 7:30 p.m.

 

Girls

Thursday: Bluff City at Oakhaven

Tuesday: Oakhaven/ Bluff city winner at Westwood, 6:00 p.m. Freedom Prep at Power Center Academy, 6:00 p.m. Fairley at Hillcrest, 4:30 p.m. Memphis School of Excellence vs. City University, 6:00 p.m.

At Hillcrest

Thursday: Westwood-Oakhaven/Bluff City winner vs. Freedom Prep/PCA winner, 6:00 p.m. Hillcrest/Fairley winner vs. MSE/City University winner, 7:30 p.m.

Monday: Consolation, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday: Championship, 6:00 p.m.

Class AA

 

District 15

 

Boys

Monday: Ripley 79, Haywood 72.

Tuesday: Bolivar 81, Bolton 67.

At Bolivar

Friday: Covington vs. Ripley, 7:30 p.m. Fayette-Ware vs. Bolivar 6:00 p.m. 

Monday: Consolation, 6:00 p.m. Championship: 7:30 p.m.

 

Girls

Monday: Bolivar 53, Millington 20. Haywood 64, Ripley 32. 

At Bolivar

Thursday: Covington vs. Bolivar, 7:30 p.m. Fayette-Ware vs. Haywood 6:00 p.m. 

Saturday: Consolation, 6 p.m. Championship, 7:30 p.m.

 

District 16

 

Boys 

At campus sites

Wednesday: MLK Prep at Wooddale, 6:00 p.m. Raleigh-Egypt at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m. Sheffield at Mitchell, 7:30 p.m. Melrose at Craigmont, 6:00 p.m.

At Melrose

Friday: Wooddale/MLK Prep winner vs. Hamilton/Raliegh-Egypt winner, 6:00 p.m.. Mitchell/Sheffield winner vs.Craigmont/Melrose winner, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday: Consolation, 4:30 p.m. Championship, 7:30 p.m.

 

Girls

At campus sites

Wednesday: Mitchell 55, MLK Prep 12. Wooddale at Raleigh-Egypt, 6:00 p.m.

Thursday: Hamilton at Craigmont, 6:00 p.m.

At Melrose

Friday: Craigmont/Hamilton winner vs. Melrose, 6:00 p.m.. Wooddale-Raleigh-Egypt winner vs. Mitchell 3:00 p.m.

Saturday: Consolation, 3:00 p.m. Championship, 6:00 p.m.

 

Class AAA

 

District 14

All games are at Cordova High School

 

Boys

Tuesday: Bartlett 36, Cordova 32.. Arlington 61, Kingsbury 46.

 

Boys and Girls

Friday: Boys Consolation (Kingsbury vs. Cordova), 4:30. Girls Championship (Arlington vs. Bartlett), 6 p.m. Boys Championship (Bartlett vs. Arlington), 7:30 p.m.

 

District 15

All games are at Houston High School

 

Boys

Tuesday: Germantown 53, Ridgeway, 52. Collierville 63, Kirby 61.

Thursday: Germantown at Houston, 7:30 p.m. Collierville vs Southwind 6:00 p.m.

Monday: Consolation, 7:30 at Houston

Tuesday: Championship, 7:30 at Houston

 

Girls

Tuesday: Kirby 68, Southwind 30. Ridgeway 1, Germantown 0.

Wednesday: Houston 62, Kirby 47. Ridgeway 43, Collierville 41.

Monday: Consolation, Collierville vs. Kirby, 6:00 at Houston

Tuesday: Championship, Houston vs. Ridgeway, 6:00 at Houston

 

District 16

All games are at Whitehaven High School

 

Boys

Thursday: Central 66, Overton 61

Tuesday: Central 56, East 49.

Wednesday: Whitehaven 66, White Station 45

Thursday: Consolation, East vs. White Station, 7:30 

Friday: Championship, Whitehaven vs. Central, 7:30 

 

Girls

Thursday: Central, Overton

Tuesday: Whitehaven 63, Central 34

Wednesday: White Station 49, East 48

Thursday: Consolation, East vs. Central, 6:00 p.m. 

Friday: Championship, Whitehaven vs. White Station, 6:00 p.m.

 

Division II

 

Division II-A West 

At campus sites

 

Boys

Saturday: Fayette Academy 62, Natchez Trace 32. Trinity Christian 80, Margolin Hebrew Academy 43.

Monday: Jackson Christian 59, St. George's 51. Tipton-Rosemark 64, Fayette Academy 33. Sacred Heart 73, Trinity Christian 71. Harding Academy 66, USJ 48.

Tuesday: FACS 70, Jackson Christian 35.. Tipton-Rosemark 45, Northpoint 38. Lausanne 69, Sacred Heart 48.. ECS 79, Harding 60.

At USJ

Friday: FACS vs .Tipton-Rosemark, 5:30 p.m. Lausanne vs. ECS 8:30 p.m.

Saturday: Consolation, 5:30 p.m. Championship, 8:30 p.m.

 

Girls

Saturday: Sacred Heart at Margolin Hebrew Academy, 7:30 p.m. FACS at Westminster, 6 p.m.

Monday: ECS 48, Lausanne 38. USJ 73, Sacred Heart 42. Fayette Academy 59, Westminster 26. St. George's 56, Jackson Christian 34.

Tuesday, Feb. 18

Trinity Christian 68, ECS 30. USJ 40, Northpoint 36. Harding Academy 56, Fayette Academy 40. Tipton-Rosemark 79, St. George's 32.

At USJ 

Friday: Trinity Christian vs. USJ 4 p.m. Harding Academy vs. Tipton-Rosemark 7 p.m.

Saturday: Consolation, 4 p.m. Championship, 7 p.m.

Edited February 20, 2020 by kwc

[kwc]

There is still a lot of basketball left to be played for all of Division I. Right now we know that Whitehaven and Central will represent 16AAA in boys. I figure Houston and Southwind will represent 15AAA in boys. I figure Arlington and Bartlett will represent 14AAA in boys. That leaves the 13AAA schools. I'm leaning towards Dyer County and Brighton. We will know who's in by Saturday eventhough the championship games will be played at a later date in some cases. 

When will the sub-state parings come out?

Edited February 20, 2020 by kwc

[kwc]

Final Tennessee high school boys basketball statewide Associated Press rankings

 

Tom Kreager, The TennesseanPublished 3:39 p.m. CT Feb. 17, 2020

 

The Associated Press' Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee's three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through February 17, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:

Division I
Class AAA

                                        Record    Pts    Prv

1. Cleveland (11)                 28-0         128    1

2. Houston (2)                      24-3        119     2

3. Whitehaven                      21-3          95     4

4. Maryville                           24-4          74     5

5. Mt. Juliet                           22-3          71     3

6. Science Hill                       27-3          67     7

7. Blackman                          20-3          58     9

8. Memphis East                   19-7          43     6

9. Oak Ridge                         22-4          29     8

10. White Station                  16-7           13   10

Others receiving 12 or more points: none.

Class AA

                                             Record    Pts    Prv

1. Jackson South Side (10)       26-0         126    1

2. Wooddale (2)                         21-6         107    2

3. Upperman (1)                         25-2          97    3

4. Community                             27-1          87    4

5. Tyner Academy                      20-3          77    T5

6. Pearl-Cohn                             19-3          72    T5

7. East Nashville                         19-3          56    7

8. Covington                                24-4          43    8

9. Howard                                    20-6          24   10

10. Sullivan South                        25-4          13    9

Others receiving 12 or more points: none.

Class A

                                                     Record    Pts    Prv

1. Booker T. Washington (9)            21-4         122    2

2. Madison Academic (4)                 25-2         114    3

3. McKenzie                                     23-3           99    1

4. Clay County                                 24-3            91    4

5. Loretto                                          21-5            77    7

6. Fayetteville                                   21-4            46    5

7. MAHS                                           16-6            45    8

8. Monterey                                       23-5            41    6

9. West Carroll                                   22-5            39    9

(tie) Eagleville                                    21-6            39    10

Others receiving 12 or more points: none.

Division II
Class AA

                                             Record    Pts    Prv

1. Briarcrest (10)                        21-5        118     1

2. Knoxville Catholic (2)             21-4        110     3

3. Brentwood Academy              18-5        102     4

4. MBA (1)                                  19-6          92     2

5. Ensworth                                19-6           91    5

Others receiving 12 or more points: none.

Class A

                                                        Record    Pts    Prv

1. Lausanne Collegiate (10)            21-5        124    1

2. Webb School (3)                          27-2        117    2

3. Boyd Buchanan                            23-4         79    4

4. Goodpasture                                 25-4         63    3

5. Knoxville Webb                             22-6         61    5

 

Others receiving 12 or more points: Davidson Academy 34. First Assembly Christian 34.

All Associated Press members in Tennessee are eligible to participate in the high school basketball poll. Those who voted for this week's poll are: The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens; The Leaf-Chronicle , Clarksville; Cleveland Daily Banner, Cleveland; The Daily Herald , Columbia; Herald-Citizen, Cookeville; The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro; The Tennessean, Nashville; State Gazette, Dyersburg; The Jackson Sun, Jackson; Johnson City Press, Johnson City; Times News, Kingsport; The Knoxville News Sentinel, Knoxville; WCMT, Martin.

[kwc]

I like that the Memphis area has a contender in every class, even in DII. I wonder how many of those schools bring home the gold ball? This is going to exciting to keep up with.

[kwc]

TSSAA Basketball Brackets

TSSAA Regional Boys brackets

Edited February 24, 2020 by kwc

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