Division II-A: Lausanne is favored, but Tipton-Rosemark Academy has something to say

<p>Since the arrival of 6-foot-11 big man <strong>Moussa Cisse</strong>, Lausanne Collegiate School has been a trending topic in Tennessee.</p> <p>After defending Division II-A state champ Knoxville Webb lost Davidson commit <strong>Emory Lanier</strong> to Woodward Academy, the Lynx, on paper, are now the preseason favorite to win the DII-A Boys State Championship. Cisse will be playing alongside 6-8 forward <strong>Johnathan DeJurnett</strong>. In the backcourt, Lausanne will have 6-5 combo guard <strong>Jalen Bo Montgomery</strong>, <strong>Nick Floyd</strong> and <strong>Dylan Andrews. </strong>With the talent Marvis Davis will have this upcoming season, the Lynx are the team to beat in the league, but Tipton-Rosemark Academy isn’t ready to just lay down and allow Lausanne to walk its way to a state title.</p> <p>Not too many people have mentioned the Rebels in the offseason after they lost six seniors from last season’s team that finished 23-9, most notably guards <strong>Tysen Banks</strong> and <strong>Andrew Anderson</strong>. TRA’s head coach Cedric Anderson has been hearing the noise surrounding Lausanne, but feels he has a team that’s capable of making another run to Nashville, Tennessee.</p> <p>“Well, it goes back to the previous two years,” Anderson said. “We weren’t highly thought of in the area or by our own district or region, so we used that as something to put a chip our shoulder, to work hard for in the preseason and carry that to the end of the season and hopefully, it gets heavier, heavier and heavier.</p> <p>“And remind the kids every single day that no one respects you.”</p> <p>No one saw the Rebels winning the DII-A West Region Tournament last season. No one saw TRA beating Webb School, which will be led by Tennessee commit <strong>Keon Johnson</strong> one more time this upcoming season. No one saw the Rebels winning a postseason game. And just like the past, TRA will not be mentioned as a contender in the league in 2019.</p> <p>Coach Anderson will have key pieces back from last season plus a vital transfer to help fill the void Banks and Andrew Anderson left behind.</p> <p>Junior guard/forward <strong>Alex Anderson</strong> will return and should be one of the top scorers in the league. As a sophomore last season, Anderson, 6-6, averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Junior guard <strong>Patrick Green</strong> is also returning, but the biggest splash coach Anderson was able to make this offseason was land junior point guard <strong>Cam Donegan</strong>, who transferred from Ridgeway High School.</p> <p>Donegan is only 5-8, but he’s a speedy guard that can shift gears by the blink of an eye. Donegan can easily get to the rim and can knock down shots from long range. He’s sneaky good defensively.</p> <p>The 1-2 punch of Donegan and Alex Anderson has the potential to not only be fun to watch, but enough to have the Rebels in position for another deep postseason run.</p> <p>“He has a great understanding of the game,” Coach Anderson said about Donegan. “He has an even keel mentality. He’s always focused. He makes his free throws at the end of the game. He makes his open shots, gets all of his teammates involved, and he’s a vocal point guard.”</p>