BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – Sullivan East senior Dylan Bartley learned the basics of basketball the old-fashioned way.
Welcome to the backyard.
“My older brother [Dustin] and I were out there all the time,” Bartley said. “We played one-on-one, 21, Horse, and any other game we could think of.”
There was a twist to those backyard sessions.
Meet sweet-shooting Trever Bartley, father of the Bartley boys.
“Oh gosh, dad is probably the best shooter in the family and my brother would say the same thing,” Dylan said.
Trever Bartley once handled the shooting guard position for the Sullivan East Patriots. Dustin, who is entering his junior year on the Milligan University basketball team, scored over 1,000 points for the Patriots.
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Last season, Dylan averaged 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists while guiding East to a 25-8 record and the Class AA substate playoffs against Kingston. He also surpassed the 1,000 career point mark
For his stats and steady leadership, the low-key Bartley was honored as player of the year by the Three Rivers Conference and the Bristol Herald Courier.
“It was a very special season,” Bartley said. “Most of the guys on the team grew up with each other and played sports together since elementary school. Our bond was tight.”
The man who helped strengthen that bond was John Dyer. For 32 years, Dyer taught a passionate brand of basketball at the gym that now bears his name.
Dyer won 560 games and impacted countless lives at East before stepping down at the end of the 2019-20 school year.
Trever and Dustin both played for Dyer, while Dylan competed for the East legend as a freshman and sophomore. Dillon Faver, who replaced Dyer as the Patriots head coach last season, played for Dyer from 2004-08 and became an assistant under Dyer in 2012.
“Coach Dyer was always around the basketball program as I came up, and I grew really close to him,” Bartley said. “He’s a great man who has helped a lot of people. Coach Dyer always talked about passion and effort, and we always try to live up to that.”
One of the most emotional scenes in the history of the Dyer Dome unfolded in a game last season on Dec. 30. That was when Dyer returned to the gym for the first time following a prolonged battle with an illness that left him gasping for breath and relying on assistance to walk.
“I didn’t know Coach Dyer was coming to the game but I spotted him in the corner of the gym when we were warming up. It was a very inspirational moment,” Bartley said. “After that, I knew that we had to win for Coach Dyer and then keep winning.”
For Bartley and many other others associated with East basketball, the pre-game, halftime and post-game speeches by Dyer provided motivational rocket-fuel in all aspects of life.
“Coach Dyer can get to your heart,” Bartley said. “He was always there to lift us up, no matter what the situation was. He had a huge impact on our school and community, and we were all happy when his health improved.”
According to Sullivan East athletic director Kim Carrier, Bartley embodies the values of sportsmanship and citizenship that Dyer continually stressed.
“You can definitely see a lot of the same ideas, goals and ethics that Coach Dyer preached in Dylan,” Carrier said. “Coach Dyer believes in doing everything in life to the best of your ability, and that’s Dylan.”
In addition to his success in basketball and baseball at East, Bartley has crafted a grade point average in excess of 4.0.
“And Dylan is humble about all his accomplishments,” Carrier said. “You are just never going to find a better young man than Dylan. All our students, teachers and coaches love him, and we’re excited to have him back for another year.”
As Dyer prepares for his duties as the boys basketball coach at the new West Ridge High School in Blountville, Tennessee, Bartley has spent the summer working to refine his skills at basketball and baseball camps. He just returned from a showcase camp for baseball at the famed LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson, Georgia.
Bartley hit over .400 this past spring for the East baseball team, dividing his time between first base, third base and pitcher.
“I really want to have the opportunity to play a sport in college,” Bartley said. “I’m still looking, and hopefully something will come up.”
At 6-foot-2 and a muscular 210 pounds, Bartley is a unique talent on the basketball court.
“I’m a little bigger than most point guards, and I think the position fits me well. I like to shoot from the outside, drive to the hoop for layups and control the game.
“I’ve been playing the point since middle school but I saw some playing time at the five [center] spot this past season so I could work under the hoop.”
While the buzz continues to grow over the eye-catching new turf football field at Sullivan East, Bartley is counting down the days until the Dyer Dome is filled to capacity.
“Everybody at East loves basketball. We have great support from our community and students. The Dyer Dome can get electric, and that support means so much to us. I have a lot of expectations in basketball this season, and hopefully we can do deeper in the playoffs.”
Trever Bartley doubled as a football player for the Patriots. Dylan has the frame and football for success as a linebacker and tight end, but he’s never played the game.
“Our football coach [J.C. Simmons] asked me, but I just wanted focus on baseball and basketball,” Dylan Bartley said.
Bartley said his skill set in basketball reached a higher level in the summer of his sophomore year.
“That’s when I improved my athletic ability and became able to do more on the court. I worked out more at the gym, at camps and at home.”
Yes, the Bartley backyard courts are still in business even though Trever is recovering from a knee injury.
“But dad can still shoot it. I feel fortunate to have the support from my family over the years. I’ve gone to watch my brother play at Milligan and he’s come to watch me play at East. And my parents come to all the games.”
Dylan Bartley said his basketball adventure began around age 3.
What was the most important lesson Dylan picked up from his father and brother?
“Since my brother was taller than me, I learned how to get my shot off pretty quick and that’s stayed with me. Those backyard games really helped.”