Class AAA: On paper, Houston is the team to beat

<p>Houston head coach Charlie Leonard is in position for the next two years to be the head honcho in Class AAA.</p> <p>After Memphis East, Knoxville Bearden, Bartlett, Southwind, and Whitehaven lost key players, the Mustangs quickly became the new face of 3A.</p> <p>Leonard’s best players are juniors, and all of them, outside of point guard <strong>T.J. Madlock</strong> (6-foot-2) are at least 6-7. Houston will be able to space the floor this upcoming season since there will be shooters all over the floor.</p> <p>The Mustangs also have two seniors (<strong>Alex Marsh</strong> and <strong>Hank Pearson</strong>) that will contribute offensively over the course of the season.</p> <p>Leonard and I spent most of the team’s practice on Monday talking about a variety of topics, mainly involving basketball. In between each topic, he talked about his team.</p> <p>With the addition of 6-7 combo guard <strong>Alden Applewhite</strong>, I asked Leonard whether or not the offense will change. His response: “Yeah, of course.”</p> <p>Leonard also mentioned how he wants 6-8 forward <strong>Zander Yates </strong>to handle the basketball more. He mentioned how he wants 6-8 wing <strong>Mason Miller</strong> to work on his pull-up jump shots. Senior big man <strong>Faizon Fields</strong> (6-8) wasn’t present with the team during the first portion of practice because he had to get some schoolwork done. Fields will need to be this team’s best rebounder and rim protector.</p> <p>This week is strictly for each player on the team to work on their weaknesses.</p> <p>I stood next to Leonard as he sat down, observing the team that will be in contention for the Class AAA state title.</p> <p>Here’s a takeaway from Monday:</p> <p><strong>Houston will go as far as T.J. Madlock goes</strong></p> <p>The junior point guard will be one of the most talked about players in the state of Tennessee this upcoming season. Madlock has taken his game to the next level. Last season, he scored a lot of his points by driving to the basket, getting fouled and heading to the free throw line. I fully expect Madlock to repeat that. He’s also added a consistent jump shot.</p> <p>Applewhite, Yates, Miller, Marsh and Pearson can all shoot the basketball, so adding Madlock to the mix will make the Mustangs tough to guard. Each time he drives to the basket, the defense is going to collapse, which means shooters will be on the wing or in the corner.</p> <p>Last season, Houston scored in the 70s. Now, the Mustangs could easily score in the high 80s with the addition of Applewhite. The Mustangs are the tallest team in the state in 3A. Offensively, Houston will be a force to be reckoned with, and Leonard realizes that.</p> <p>Before I could ask the question at Monday’s practice, Leonard uttered out “Will we be able to stop somebody?”</p> <p>Moments earlier, Leonard mentioned how special this team can be if everyone buys in and not be selfish. As Leonard watched his team, he praised Applewhite on his outside shooting. He praised the team’s other shooting weapons, and Leonard also praised what Pearson will bring offensively.</p> <p>With that being said, Leonard knows what he has in place for the next two seasons. He knows he’s sitting on a gold mine. Leonard just has to make this work and keep the team’s best players level-headed.</p> <p><strong>Applewhite’s eligibility</strong></p> <p>Applewhite could miss the first half of the season if the TSSAA doesn’t rule him eligible after transferring from Lausanne (private school) to Houston (public school). I spoke to Applewhite after Monday’s practice, and he told me that he will know more about his eligibility in a couple of weeks.</p>