16u Team Rankings Released!
The 16u division is ruthlessly competitive in Tennessee. Frequent powerhouses Team Thad and Bluff City are getting more and more challengers to their dominance. In fact, Bluff City 16u might be a nudge behind a couple newer programs...and least until the Legends find more roster stability.
Team Thad 16u (#1) is more dominant, relative to the state's best, than the #1 seeded 17u team. Right now Head Coach Josh Weeden's squad is DEEP and tall at every position. Look for 16u to rattle off many more wins in the coming months. Thad's 16u team might even be a top 5-10 team in the nation. Kameron Jones, Isaiah Jones, Jalen Macon, Brandon Maclin, Davon Barnes, etc. The talent and size is staggering.
WHBH PG P.J. Smith is one of many wonderful guards in house.Team Thad was not even touched during the competitive Memphis in May event. Team Thad defeated the #2 and #3 teams by an average of 13.5 points that weekend. There is a considerable gap between 1 and the rest of the state currently.
Hoop City Elite (#2) is special. With high major guards Chandler Jackson and Mason Miller Hoop City is running over dudes. This is a special unit, probably the best of their high school teams relative to the competition. T.J. Madlock, son of University of Memphis Assistant Coach Tony Madlock, adds a new element to the Hoop City program. Two University of Memphis players compete with Hoop City 16u (Miller, Madlock) and both are just nipping at their potential. Chandler Jackson is a top 3 player in the Class of 2022 but playing up.
WHBH (#3) is rattling off great weekends. They might not be the #3 team by the end of the summer, but the results are undeniable. During Memphis in May, WHBH defeated Joe Johnson Hawks of adidas, 73-65 to draw Team Carroll. Team WHBH 16u also beat the strong Team Carroll Premiere to deliver the Alabama-based team their only loss of the event.
This recent weekend saw even more success by Coach Primm's program. Shoutout to Jaylen Pegues for a wonderful weekend!
Team WHBH 2021 group knocks off another @NikeEYB @msexpressbball in pool play with a great game winner by 6'2 combo G @global_jp123!! College coaches they are 5-2 against the "circuit team" and 2-0 in pool play!! #DOGS #TEAMWHBH @hoopseen @PrepHoopsTN
— Boston Primm (@Getbizzyb3) May 18, 2019
This is the highest state ranking of the program's lifespan at any age group.
EAB Tennessee 2021 (#4) runs out a team of friends familiar to each other. It shows in their play. Grant Slatten, Zion Swader, Matthew Schneider, Riggs Abner, and Sam Specht typically start. Two Siegel starters for a top 5 team in the state speak to how tough Siegel High will be this upcoming winter.
EAB forward Riggs Abner rounds out a balanced roster.The team's overall record is 195 with losses to Game Elite, Joe Johnson, Team Charlotte, Team Florida, and Pack Attack. Together EAB compiled a 6-2 gauntlet record so far with wins over Team Loaded NC, Team Loaded DC, Team Harden, Hype, Brandon Knight, etc. The team is shooter-heavy, but it works because they move the ball swiftly and understand their strengths.
Bluff City Legends 16u (#5) feature Johnathan Lawson, Jalen Brown, Kaeden Laws, and more starting high school guards. This team can win and win constantly though their roster witnessed deep changes when Lawson and Applewhite moved down from 17u. This shook up the offensive power structure a touch. What helps is that Lawson, Brown, and friends have played together for almost a decade.
BMaze Elite 16u (#6) is much too talented to be cobbling together wins at this slow rate. Of every team in this state, BMaze Elite 16u is due to climb the most in the next few months. A reclassed Drew Williams joins Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Clarksville/I.M.G.) to instantly improve this team. Together they could climb as high as #2 by season's end.
RSD 2021 (#7) was incredible as a 15u team. They lost a couple players this season, but still feature Kobe Tibbs. Jordan Jenkins (Webb School) gives the team strength.
Chip Smith's Tennessee Tigers (#8) suffered a poor weekend at Bob Gibbons. They have several nice pieces, but didn't get the results they wanted. The team delivered during late April's Atlanta Jam.
Gatorade Association favorite Chattanooga Elite ranks #9 ahead of RFS Elite (#10), Chattanooga Elite is considered the top Gatorade Association team at 16u. An argument could be made for RFS to be as high as #8. Rutherford's Future Stars (RFS Elite) keep putting together strong weekends. The program, as its name suggests, is based out of Rutherford County. Guards Jaylan Wetzel and Jacob Beasley are two of their better players. Jaylan Wetzel, formerly of EAB 15u, is on fire this spring.
The #11 team, Hoop City Silver brings together the sharpshooters from Hoop City 2021 last spring. Strong scorers for them include: John Scruggs, Bobby Westbrooks, Ayman McGowen. Ben Lambert also gets into the action.
Upward Stars-South have done a solid job of building out their brand and filling their program with quality teammates. Egos are low and wins are semi-consistent. They played several events with Hoopseen and fared pretty well.
At #13, YHD Elite is a strong, new team to watch out for. They recently won a chip. Gabe Coleman is one of their stars.
Team Passion Elite (PrepHoopsTN #14) is the eastern-most program on this list. They lack frontcourt size, but a couple players have real promise: Jack Brown, Harper Neal, Greg Moore.
Club 51 is led by Chris Hillsman (10 apg), Caleb Wilson (15.3 ppg) and Kadarius Price. They narrowly landed in the Top 15 this week.
Peruse the .
| RANK | TEAM NAME | TOUR | NOTES | PREVIOUS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Team Thad | UA | Long and athletic. Kameron Jones torching cats. | -- |
| 2 |  | Hoop City Elite | adidas Gold | Starters: Chandler Jax, McMullen, Mason Miller, Zander, Madlock. | -- |
| 3 |  | Team WHBH | - | Defeated 2 EYBL teams at Bob Gibbons. | -- |
| 4 |  | EAB | adidas Gold | A flock of shooters. Riggs Abner a little lonely on blocks. | |
| 5 |  | Bluff City Legends | EYBL | Applewhite/J Law make this team deeper. | -- |
| 6 |  | BMaze | UA | 0-4 in K.C. for UA. 3-1 Bounce back in N.J. Expect them to climb. | -- |
| 7 |  | RSD | Bob Gibbons + KnoxVegas Champs. | ||
| 8 |  | Tennessee Tigers | - | Drubbed in Bob Gibbons Super Pool (0-3). | -- |
| 9 |  | Chattanooga Elite Navy | Gatorade | Capable of scaring unaffiliated teams. | -- |
| 10 |  | Rutherford Future Stars Elite (RFS) | Dominating a weaker sked. Debut season. | -- | |
| 11 | | Hoop City Silver | Shooters that know each other. | -- | |
| 12 |  | Upward Stars Nashville South | Not identical to the powerhouse '18 15u team, but many pieces returned. | -- | |
| 13 | YHD Elite | Won a tournament in Brentwood last week. | -- | ||
| 14 |  | Team Passion Elite Black | - | Need size! | -- |
| 15 |  | Club 51 | Need better results to hang on in the top 15 next time. |
