For Fulton basketball, it was never a matter of if but when it would win fourth TSSAA title

MURFREESBORO – Taj Kimber never doubted that he would win a state championship at Fulton High School. 

After falling short in the middle school state tournament at Whittle Springs, he and his teammates — twin brother Taj and his close friend Tyler Lee — vowed that a gold ball will be in their possession. 

That came true in dominant fashion Saturday. Fulton drubbed Haywood 82-52 in the Class 3A final of the TSSAA BlueCross Boys Basketball State Championships at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center.

“I knew we were going to be a championship team coming into high school, just didn’t know when,” Denaj said. “But today we found out.”

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The Falcons (32-5) collect their fourth state championship. In their three games at the state tournament, they defeated opponents by an average of 28 points. 

Taj had a team-high 26 points, making his first nine shots and finished 12-of-13 from the field. Lee, the Class 3A state tournament MVP, had 17 points and seven rebounds and Denaj had 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. Tylon Chatman, a Class 3A Mr. Basketball finalist, finished with a game-high 32 points for Haywood (30-6).

Fulton played in unison especially early, shooting 72%  in the first half. Just as impressively, Fulton only allowed 19 Haywood points.

Fulton coach Jody Wright said that the belief that this year’s group was championship caliber spans back to the Kimber twins and Lee’s arrival as freshmen. All three were starters, which had never happened in the nearly 40 years Wright coached. He also said that last year’s state tournament appearance was a crucial experience for the young trio.

“Getting down here last year was huge,” Wright said. “For these guys to understand … the difference between Knoxville good and Tennessee good.

“I think last year I realized these guys had a chance to be special, but they had to close some gaps in some areas. They weren’t tough enough, we didn’t defend with enough urgency and desperation at times.”

Wright recalls that in December, this Fulton squad hit a “rough patch.” Fulton started the season winning its first 11 games. However, it went on to lose its next four games to teams out of state in North Carolina and Kentucky. 

“The record looked good, but we weren’t playing at our level, we weren’t practicing at a championship level, we weren’t playing at a championship level,” Wright said. 

Shortly after the series of losses, Taj broke his wrist and was absent for six weeks. But Wright, who now has four state championships as a coach, said that “adversity is a great teacher.”

In the first week of February after a conversation with the team, Wright finally saw his players close the gaps to be a team with championship aspirations. 

Wight said history will tell where this year’s group ranks among the other three championship teams he coached. But one thing is clear to him.

“It couldn’t happen to a better group of guys,” Wright said. “These are a really good bunch of dudes. I like these guys … this has been a really fun team to coach.”