CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville boys basketball wasted no time Tuesday on the road against Northwest, making quick work of the Vikings to pick up a dominant 80-46 victory.
The Wildcats came roaring out of the gates, beginning the contest on a 15-0 run to take a commanding lead.
“I’m not sure, but I like remote learning if we’re going to play that way,” said Clarksville boys basketball coach Ted Young on his team’s fast start. “I really do. We lost two of our first three games with Sycamore and Dickson County due to cancellations, so we really haven’t had a lot of good game time under our belt.
“What I’ve really liked is we do have just nine players on varsity right now, so we’ve played a lot of four-on-four in practice. Those scrimmages that we’ve had against one another have been really heated. They’ve bought into the fact that the more team play that we have, the more individual accolades we’re going to have.”
Standout players
Senior newcomer Charles Freeman was a huge get for the Wildcat program this season, giving Clarksville some much needed size after the exit of bigman Mason Spurbeck.
“It’s rare to have that kind of agility at his size,” Young said. “He’s really one of those players that coaches like who can control their rebounding position and control the ball when its in his hands. You don’t have to worry about him turning the ball over. He does a good job of facilitating and finding his teammates when they’re open.”
Freeman finished tied with Wesley Booth for a team-high 14 points to the lead the Wildcats.
Losing the caliber of players such as Jamarco Mimms and Nick Keener would be a huge blow for almost any program, but with the evolution of guards Booth, Jaheim McDonald and Javon Martin, Clarksville remains in good hands.
“You could have nine players in the gym this summer, but you couldn’t have any contact,” Young said. “We had them spaced out and were doing some skill drills to try and keep their bodies functioning and coordinated in a basketball movement. It really benefited them and that’s one of the benefits of allowing players to be with their coaches during the offseason. You really see it on the open floor with some of the moves that they make. It’s enjoyable to watch.”
Northwest senior Ametri Moss poured in a game-high 30 points and carried his team offensively throughout.
The talented guard nailed a half-court shot as the first-quarter buzzer sounded to cut his team’s deficit to seven points.
Reigning District 10-AAA Player of the Year JJ Wheat was unable to put a huge dent in the scoring column with just eight points, but was able to make important contributions in other areas.
“You could tell both of them (Moss and Wheat) wanted to get into a no-pass kind of one-on-one game at times,” Young said. “With us having the lead, we were more inclined to make the extra pass and work the ball around. That’s the phase of JJ’s game that won’t get as much attention as say observers who want to come see someone score 25 points, but from a coaching standpoint, his assist to pass ration has gone up tremendously this year. He just finds the open guy.”
Lots of changes in prep sports
After picking up the decisive win, Young discussed the difficulties coaches and players are facing when it comes to dealing with the ever-changing landscape of high school athletics.
“We have three games next week and we’re not going to have a practice before any of those games,” Young said. “They won’t be back until late Sunday and then we play Monday, Tuesday and Friday. With no practice time, the constant wearing of the masks and the constant worrying of either going totally virtual or staying in the traditional classroom, there’s a lot going on in these young men’s minds right now.
“I think being on the basketball floor with one another is a comfort zone for them just kind of like them sweet potatoes and marshmallows I’m going to be eating on Thanksgiving are a comfort food for me.”