A big day at Harpeth with several of the mid-states top
squads taking part in the annual play day at Harpeth High School.
My scouting associate Chris Pierson was on hand for the
event and provided the write-ups and evaluations for me.
He was able to see almost everyone with the exception of Brentwood and Clarksville Northeast.
Siegel proved to be one of the most fun teams to watch at
the event. Levon Tate (Siegel), a
Carson Newman signee, came out in the early contest prepared to play; he
provided scoring in the post and never gave up on a rebound or a put back. The
Stars play with a pass first mentality and are led by senior and MTSU signee Kerry Hammonds (Siegel).
The senior star played relaxed and was in control of every
facet of his game, distributing the ball to grateful teammates like Cedric Williams (Siegel), for easy
interior buckets and rising junior Oscar
Butler (Siegel) for back breaking threes in transition.
Another Siegel surprise was in the tough inside play of
rising junior Stephen "The Big" Hurt
(Siegel). A load on the interior he proved to a force on the boards as
well.
Creek Wood showed they will be a tough opponent in their
district behind the interior magic of senior Vincent Dotson (Creek Wood). His never quit attitude and enthusiasm
is a catalyst for his teammates. Woody
Correll (Creek Wood) ran the floor very well and is a hardnosed player who
is not afraid to dive after loose balls and make plays.
Sophomore Drew
Smithson (Creek Wood) provided some quality backcourt minutes.
The host team Harpeth won a big overtime game early in the
day with defensive play and a never say die mentality. Controlling the tempo
for Coach Wilson was incoming freshman Rollie
Plunkett (Harpeth). Coming off some
major injuries the young man looked sharp and contributed with solid defense
and running his squad. Leading the way for Harpeth is rising senior Donterio Dansby (Harpeth). He is the
quintessential team player doing whatever is necessary to help his team win, be
that scoring, defense or making things happen. Juniors Zach Crowe (Harpeth) and Collin McMullin (Harpeth) were vital with
their ball controlling action throughout the day.
Methodical in their approach, Page looks to capitalize on
defensive breakdowns, led by rising senior Dylan
Pitts (Page), who was non-stop hustle on both ends of the floor getting his
teammates involved. Juniors Trey Rowe
(Page) and Desmond Fitzgerald (Page) added quality minutes for the squad.
Despite an early injury to Morehead
State signee Robert Wade (Maplewood), the Nashville crew was going
at full speed ahead. "So Smooth" Fred
Lee (Maplewood)
brought his "A" game to Harpeth and was forced to burden the scoring load,
which he accomplished admirably. Lee provided some quality playmaking as well
feeding newcomer Jaleel Queery (Maplewood) and Jeremiah Derrick (Maplewood) with inside scoring
opportunities.
Skylar Sims (CPA) played
well in the game I was watching, proving he is the ultimate team player. Matt Zelenik (CPA) provided some quality
interior minutes and rising Class of 2014 phenom Jalen Lindsey (CPA) is getting his taste of varsity action hitting
mid-range jumpers and providing some opportunities for others.
Livingston Academy junior marksman Kailen Melton (Livingston
Academy) had one of
the best performances of the day. His team targeted him in transition and he
delivered time and time again. In the half-court set he was on target as well
draining threes from all over Kingston Springs on the afternoon. He managed to
squeeze a few running floaters in the lane into his arsenal and made some nice
steals moving the ball ahead to payback his gracious comrades
T.J. Smith (Livingston Academy) was his usual productive
self, scoring and giving maximum effort on defense. Logan Ramsey (Livingston
Academy) was a
dominant force in an earlier game.
Keenan Froedden
(Sycamore) led a balanced Sycamore attack with his scoring and playmaking
abilities. He had a strong showing in the latter game against Page.
