What more can be uttered except WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Venerable coach Bill Carlyle and his able and hard working staff set out to fill some needs with this upcoming class of high school seniors.

This could be the understatement of the decade.

Trips to Chattanooga, Nashville, Gallatin and Memphis became plentiful and in the end payed off handsomely.

Representing the TJCCAA in the national tournament gave the Senators the instant credibility they needed to persuade some of the state's top players to make the jaunt to Morristown for the next couple of seasons.

As we travel down I-40 our first stop is Chattanooga Howard where Dominique Taylor put pen to paper and made the commitment to attend Walter's. Taylor, who helped lead Howard to the state tournament ,was a highly sought after commodity and will be straight bustin upon his ascendance on the TJCCAA.

With that under control the drive to Nashville almost seemed like walking on air. In the Middle Tennessee arena the Senators inked a fearsome foursome of talented ballers including Tahj Wells (Antioch), Kyle Upton (Antioch), Marsallis Malone (Gallatin) and Jonathan Newbell (Gallatin).

Wells and Upton helped lead Antioch to a great regular season before a tough outing at the state tourney. Malone and Newbell entertained bigger offers but found the atmosphere at the Morristown campus serene and conducive to winning.

Finally back on the road destination Bluff City. While in Memphis Coach C inked two of the city's top seniors in Armoni Burditt (Mitchell) and Trey Payne (Manassas). Both players helped lead their team to state appearances and both have bright futures in the juco ranks.

 

 

Recruiting is in full swing and this time of year makes for heavy action in the NAIA and DII ranks.

In Henderson, Tennessee the Lions of Freed-Hardeman got their recruiting summer off to a great start netting two players from the Middle Tennessee arena.

Tyler Jean (Moore County) and Chris Weitzel (Warren County) will both wear the red and yellow of the Lions.

Jean, who led his squad to the semi-finals of the Class A state tournament, is a bundle of energy and gives maximum effort every minute he is on the floor. He is creative with the ball, can shoot and will give quality minutes to Coach Jason Shelton as early as next year.

Weitzel, who goes 6'9, will be asked to give the Lions plenty of quality interior minutes once he garners some strength to his thin frame. His skill level will rise exponentially once he gets some confidence, which will come quickly with increased strength.

The Lions, who play in the TransSouth Conference, finished a gaudy 20-11 last season and will look to improve on that mark next year.

Justin Blake ends the suspense.

The 6'2 shooting guard from Dyer County capped a marvelous career choosing to stay relatively close to home and attend Austin Peay University.

The Clarksville campus will welcome the dead eye shooting range of Blake, as he joins fellow Class of 2008 ballers Tyrone Cladwell (Clarksville), Robert Elam, Mike Smith, James Harris (NCA) as Tennessee prepsters headed to the Peay.

Austin Peay plays in the very tough OVC and represented the confernce in this years NCAA Tourney. The Governors finished the season 24-11 inlcuding a gaudy 16-4 mark in conference play.

Blake, who was Class AA Mr. Basketball finalist this past season, brings a solid understanding of the game along with his outstanding marksmanship, which will be welcomed in venerable coach Dave Loos' system.

The commitment of Blake give the Volunteer state 25 D1 commitments for the Class of 2008.

24 and counting.

Ricky "The Truth" Taylor has ended his long recruiting battle and decided to spend the next four years with Coach John Shulman and the Mocs of Chattanooga.

Taylor accumulated the accolades in his senior season with district and regional honors; as well as, being an honorable mention McDonald's All-American candidate.

Ricky chose the Mocs over interest from Eastern Kentucky, SEMO, Evansville and many others.

Coach Shulman is getting a polished competitor who needs to improve his strength but is a wonderful person and student/athlete.

The Mocs finished last season at 18-13 overall and 13-3 in the Southern Conference.

I personally want to wish Ricky the best of luck and success in his college nventure. He has been one of my favorite kids, not only on the hardwood, but in everything else. I appreciate his diligence in making his "Speaking the Truth" forum a popular item on the website.

Good luck Ricky and show em who "The Truth" really is.

Anderson County senior post Grant Gouldie has ended his recruitment and will sign with Tennessee Wesleyan.

The 6'8 Gouldie had a solid senior campaign for Derek Wallace's Mavericks. Gouldie was especially tough in the district tourney garnering honors for his play during that weekend.

Tennessee Wesleyan is located in Athens, Tennessee and participates in NAIA DII. The Bulldogs are a member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference and are coached by former Science Hill mentor Mike Poe.

Congrats to Grant and his family.

When the opportunity arises why wait around.

John Jenkins (Station Camp) had a fantastic summer this past year. His work with the Tennessee YOMCA Tigers brought him to the forefront of the recruiting wars and establsihed himself as a top national player.

The start of his junior season has been nothing short of outstanding. Jenkins is pushing the 30 point per game mark and is staking his claim for Mr. Basketball. His outside game is his calling card but Jenkins can put the ball on the deck and score off the bounce. His versatility is what makes him such a valuable commodity.

With all this success it's no wonder the colleges have all come calling.

Offers from several SEC schools; as well as, numerous other quality universities gave Jenkins a great deal of options from which to choose.

After careful deliberation Two J made his choice and decided to end his recruitment and concentrate on getting his team to Murfreesboro.

The lucky winner of his services are SEC riser Vanderbilt.

The Commodores made a Sweet 16 appearances last season and are on their way to more success this season. Jenkins will call Nashville his second home and will be a vital cog in the teams continued rise under Kevin Stallings.

Jenkins is the first player from the Class of 2009 to make his pledge.

It's like an avalanche of commitments once the first
decision has been breached here in Tennessee
for the Class of 2010.

 

Cody Henegar (Marion County)
became the 13^th member of the class to pledge his future college
plans. The 6-9 rising senior has ended his recruitment and will take his
improving game to UNC-Greensboro.

 

Henegar, who played this past summer for the Nashville
Celtics, burst onto to the national scene with some outstanding play in the hot
months of the scouting scene.

 

A slight built youngster, Cody can shoot the mid-range shot
and is added strength and confidence away from becoming a very effective player
on the interior when called upon.

 

He showed marked improvement at times this summer with his
aggression on the boards and his shot blocking prowess, which could be a staple
for him with his tremendous length.

 

Henegar chose the Southern Conference School after serious
interest from Tulane and others.

 

The Spartans, coached by Mike Dement, will play their
upcoming games in the vaunted Greensboro Coliseum.

 

With his college decision now behind him Henegar can
concentrate on leading his Marion County squad deep into the playoffs and get himself
on track for a fine senior campaign and a potential nomination for the coveted
Mr. Basketball award in Tennessee.

 

Good luck to you Cody.