What We Know Now: D11AAA

The balance of 11 AAA was prepared to change. Brentwood, Summit, Dickson County, and Centennial lost major pieces from their 2019-2020 teams. Franklin returned a stable of ’21 horses and the reigning player of the year. Do they have enough? What about Page, Ravenwood, Independence, Spring Hill? Which team is our favorite to capture the crown? Are there any players too often overlooked? What c/o 2021 cores are strongest? Will seniors decide the district? Centennial #0 Treyvon Barberry (2022) #1 [player_tooltip player_id="983707" first="Patrick" last="Garrett"]* (2021) #3 Malachi Pointer (2021) #15 Luke Westmoreland* (2021) #23 Matthew Busing (2021) Franklin #1 Taylor Spierto* (2021) #4 [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"]* (2021) #5 [player_tooltip player_id="954811" first="Aidan" last="Smylie"]* (2021) #10 [player_tooltip player_id="775604" first="Connor" last="Beavon"]* (2021) #32 Matt Thurman* (2022) #24 [player_tooltip player_id="1018120" first="Brevin" last="Klym"] (2022) #35 Mason Jones (2022) Brentwood #10 [player_tooltip player_id="775552" first="John" last="Windley"]* (2021) #12 Griffin Burke* (2021) #24 Macen Redner* (2021) #30 [player_tooltip player_id="1029084" first="Jack" last="Medalie"] (2023) #32 Joseph Hohn* (2021) #44 Dustin Bluhm* (2021) #14 Carter Patton (2022) Ravenwood #1 Matthew Williams (2022) #10 Andrew Lamuno (2022) #14 Owen Grismore (2021) #15 Ben Bonga* (2021) #21 Ethan Dills (2021) #23 Connor English (2021) #25 Jake Mulder* (2022) #44 Noah Clifford* (2022) Page #3 Andres Casella* (2021) #12 Ethan Overstreet* (2022) #21 Pierce Bruehl* (2022) #23 [player_tooltip player_id="983704" first="Thomas" last="Seaman"]* (2021) #34 Jaime Hernandez* (2021)   <h3>Balance.</h3> A common element of all three top teams is scoring balance. For their third straight year, Matt Thurman and [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"] are enabling Franklin to excel inside-out. The team rebounds at an elite level defensively. Kemp is a high school superstar, but he is not at all selfish. The touches are there for Kemp’s supportive cast. Ravenwood relies upon the most balanced attack in middle Tennessee and perhaps the state with seven Raptors scoring between 7 and 11 points per game. Only Noah Clifford and Jake Mulder put down double figures but the distinction is essentially meaningless when a quintet of teammates are following so nearly behind. Brentwood’s 2021 class was deeply respected by PrepHoopsTN since the "younger Windley" emerged as a freshman. His friends and teammates gradually grew into larger varsity roles in the intervening years and now find themselves with a realistic shot at a 11AAA crown. Griffin Burke in particular creates so many opportunities with speed and cleverness. Burke can hit outside shots. Burke can draw and dish. Playing with Windley and Macen Redner, Burke is so dangerous. <h3>Franklin’s seniors. </h3> [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"], [player_tooltip player_id="954811" first="Aidan" last="Smylie"], Taylor Spierto, [player_tooltip player_id="775604" first="Connor" last="Beavon"], and Matt Thurman serve as seniors in Franklin’s rebellion. Together they operate with dreamy ball movement starlit with sharp, probing passes, and exceptional floor spacing. Even though Brentwood starts solid seniors, the Franklin Class of 2021 plays more cohesively. The Franklin team generally finds more open looks as a team than anybody else in the district. [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"] is an enormous part of that style of play and yet he is not the only innovative scorer in the maroon. <h3>Frontlines.</h3> Page runs out Jaime Hernandez and [player_tooltip player_id="983704" first="Thomas" last="Seaman"], giving them easily the tallest frontline in 11AAA. That doesn’t make them the best rebounding team. Franklin’s forwards, Thurman and Mason Jones, are rugged with bigger bases. Brentwood rebounds as a team, but probably boasts the weakest frontcourt of the top four teams.   Projected Order of Finish 1. Franklin 2. Ravenwood 3. Brentwood 4. Page 5. Centennial 6. Independence 7. Spring Hill 8. Dickson County 9. Summit Analysis: Is Franklin ever going to have a rebuilding year? Ravenwood performed the best in the opening month+. They will fall from their current perch slightly in our projections because are you going to bet against [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"]? This year the district really breaks into two or three tiers. Franklin, Ravenwood, and possibly Brentwood are the top tier. Page and Centennial are undeniably a step down and yet they are clearly better and deeper than the bottom third (Spring Hill, Dickson County, Summit). Independence is a team that deserves consideration for that middle grouping. They might just be a 5-6 team instead of relegated to that bottom bunch.   Player of the Year 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"], Franklin: From his feisty sophomore season, Kemp took an incredible leap. The confluence of Reese Glover graduating and Kemp maturing physically beget Kemp’s breakout junior season. Remember his explosion against Cane Ridge? This season Reed has the full confidence of his teammates and beautifully Runner-up for player of the year should be [player_tooltip player_id="775552" first="John" last="Windley"]. He really has no flaws in his game. If anything, Windley’s unselfishness enables scouts to overlook him. Opposing coaches know his value. Those guards that drive at the pesky Windley understand how infuriating he can be.   Biggest Sleepers Tae Alexander, Centennial: Outside shooting is a strength. Alexander works on and enjoys taking the three-point shot, especially from the wings. Ben Bonga, Ravenwood: Really efficient footwork. Crafty. Highly competitive. Unheralded 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="954811" first="Aidan" last="Smylie"], Franklin: Lanky wing scorer. Aidan finishes with elegance in tight moments. The movement off the ball of Aidan is so special and defenses tend to focus hard on [player_tooltip player_id="775559" first="Reed" last="Kemp"]. This dynamic really makes Aidan a doubly dangerous threat late in basketball games. 2021 Macen Redner, Brentwood: Macen is a player that leaped into the eye of the PrepHoopsTN oracle in July of 2019.   https://prephoops.com/2019/07/introducing-macen-redner/   Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewForce8">@AndrewForce8</a>.