Arnette Moultrie

So many talented teams decorated the Tennessee landscape this past summer.

Some played in high level tourneys others did'nt have the means to travel as extensively but maintained competitive ballclubs. Here will be a brief review of how these teams faired when they played and some of the top players on their rosters.

In the Western portion of the state talent always blooms freely and the landscape of players in all four classes was well above average. One of the best were the Southeast Elite-Memphis squad. This team chock full of highlevel Bluff City talent rolled at the beginning of the summer scene but was not as active as the hot months rolled along. Led by a talented roster including Arnette Moultrie (Raleigh-Egypt), Martino Brock (NCA), Elgin Lee (Briarcrest Christian), Malcolm Burton (Kirby). Moultrie commanded alot of the attention with his size and skill. His move to Raleigh-Egypt will certainly shake the foundation of Memphis High School hoops this season. Brock also made the move choosing to attend Nashville Christian Advancement in the Music City. Lee showed he belonged in D1 ranks with his offensive skills and Burton is much improved with his decision making and leadership ability. Elite also recieved inspired effort at various junctures throughout the season from Curtis Lee (Kirby), Octavious Swarn (Carver), Rokeem Henderson (Kirby) and Kaymon Garrett (NCA). Henderson showed his shooting prowess knocking down jumpers, Lee is physical inside and can score the tough hoop, Swarn is a beast inside finishing with either hand and Garrett is a Class of 2010 kid who chose to play up and gain valuable experience for the coming years.

The Tennessee All-Stars boasted a strong nucleus of a squad led by reigning Mr. Basketball M.J. Brown (Union City). Brown had a good showing at various events but the team did'nt travel as extensively as some of the other squads. Other members of the All-Stars included Elijah Epperson (Humboldt), Tyson Wright (Dresden), Erin Harris (Clarksburg), Andre Coby (Union City) and Robert Yancey (Trenton Peabody).

The Tri-Cities Grizzlies made some noise at the state AAU'S and Battle at the Bluff but kept their travel relatively minimal. A couple of wins at the Super Showcase showed they could compete against anyone. The Griz were led most of the way by the trio of Preston Laird (Germantown), Anthony Sanford (ECS) and Sherrod Baldwin (Collierville).

The Memphis Hoopers-Gold boasted one of their strongest squads to date led by the very impressive Roy McFagdon (Manassas). McFagdon showed he could score around the bucket and had a decent outside shot to go along with it. The Hoopers made some noise with a solid showing at the prestigious Super 64 in Vegas coming away with a couple of wins.

I must make a special mention for another West Tennessee based squad who would be classified by quality not quantity. Boasting the state's best player Elliot Williams (St. George's), top 5 newcomer Sampson Carter (Ridgeway) and Williams teammate Lawrence Bowers (St. George's) the M33M made the most of their Tennessee contingent. Lest we not forget another rising senior Jacob Arnett (Tipton Rosemark), who impressed with his better than average athletic skills and superb academic resume. Joining the M33M roster to close down the summer were Terrico White (Craigmont) and Valpo commitment and newest Mitchell player Eric Buggs (Mitchell).

Great summer in Memphis and with some interesting player movement should be a sterling high school season as well. Stay tuned.

In the middle of the state the Tennessee Thunder showed they could compete on some national scales with a solid 4-1 record at the bigtime Hoosier Shootout and some very close calls at the Super Showcase in Orlando. Leading the way for the Thunder was the potential Antioch backcourt of Kyle Upton (Antioch) and Michael Williams (Antioch). Upton played solid whenever he took the court and Williams improved his decision making considerably and started knocking down open jumpers. Three players on loan from the Eastern part of the state provided some much needed scoring and defense with Jared Stephens (Oak Ridge), running some point and defending the position as well, Jesse Taylor (McCallie), showing his shooting range and Josh Gregory (Oak Ridge) blocking shots and getting tough rebounds. Another Thunder stalwart was the overall play of Ravenwood big man Keith Morris (Ravenwood).

Another solid Nashville representative were the Music City Jags. Led to battle by a solid backcourt including Don Woods (McGavock) and Julian Haile (Shelbyville) the duo providing most of the scoring during the epic run which included a 3-2 record in Indiana, 4-3 at the Kentucky HoopFest and a 2-2 mark at the Super Showcase. Mkaing his presence felt inside and prepping for a solid senior season was the workman like effort of Brandon Harris (Hillwood).

The Tennessee Mavericks have become a staple on the summer scene and were still quite visible despite not playing a full schedule. Led by Tennessee commitment and potential Top 100 player Philip Jurick (East Ridge). The big man was sterling when he had the opportunity to play. The Mavericks have been known for putting a couple of guys on the recruiting radar after fantastic efforts over the summer, this year will be no exception. Dominique Taylor (Howard) and Darryl Miller (Hillsboro) found their way onto the clipboards and chalkboards of numerous mid-major programs around the country. Taylor proved he was more than an inside player showing a nice wiggle off the bounce and an ability to slash and score on any opponent. Miller was impressive with his length, shot blocking and defensive efforts.

Closing out the summer scene a squad from the East made a bit of noise early in the season scoring a tough victory over the Nashville Celtics and playing the Southeast Elite down to the wire but player injury kept them from making noise as the summer wore on. The Knoxville Cagers played some great ball at the King of the South getting inspired play from Tennessee football commitment Aaron Douglas (Maryville) and Riley Hunley (Farragut) some solid team efforts from John Abraham (Farragut), Tyler Cross (Anderson County), Colin Crane (Karns) and Grant Gouldie (Anderson County). The injury to Douglas was tough but the squad moved on and played hard the remainder of the time.

Another great summer on the circuit prepare for the vaunted Class of 2009 or the 16 and under previews starting at the end of this week.