Winning comes in different forms at Cleveland High School

<p>The Cleveland Blue Raiders may not have won TSSAA Class AAA Boys’ State Tournament Championship this past season, but head coach Reggie Tucker still led a group of winners.</p> <p>He’s been leading soldiers for awhile now.</p> <p>And those winners Tucker has been able to coach for the past two seasons have received basketball scholarships.</p> <p>Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="775580" first="Kley" last="McGowan"]</strong> and <strong>Grant</strong> <strong>Hurst</strong> are following in the footsteps of <strong>Morrell</strong> <strong>Schramm</strong> (East Tennessee State University) and <strong>Jacobi</strong> <strong>Wood</strong> (Belmont) as both have committed to Lee University and University of Tennessee at Martin, respectively.</p> <p>Coach Tucker was a viable presence on Monday as McGowan and Hurst signed their national letters of intent to the programs they’re planning to spend the next four years of their lives at.</p> <p>Yes, a gold ball this past season would have been a stamp of approval of Tucker’s success as the leader of the program, but to send his players off prepared for the next level is an everlasting victory.</p> <p>Mission accomplished.</p> <p>"It’s always a special moment to watch your boys accomplish their dreams of being college student-athletes," Tucker said. "Both players are true examples of what hard work, toughness, commitment to our program, commitment to the classroom and countless hours in the gym to improve your skill set looks like."</p> <p>In the past two seasons, McGowan and Hurst have been part of a program that has went 56-8 (107-18 in four seasons). During the two-year window, the Blue Raiders have been district champs, regional champs and finished in the elite 8 of the TSSAA Class AAA Boys’ State Tournament in both seasons.</p> <p>McGowan, who averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.7 assists in 2020, was one of the best shooting guards in Tennessee in the 2021 class, thanks to his precise, smart shot attempts. Hurst, who finished with 1,469 career points, was one of the best combo guards in the class, thanks to his ability to make shots and passes within the offense.</p> <p>Their success didn’t come overnight as both future college basketball players stayed committed and waited their turn to play productive varsity minutes.</p> <p>Coach Tucker saw the potential in both players from day one.</p> <p>"I loved these two guys the first day they walked onto the Raider Arena floor as freshmen," Tucker said. "Both played with a ton of swag and their confidence were off the charts. Both loved to compete and loved to be challenged.</p> <p>"Grant nor Kley got on the floor as freshmen, but attended every varsity practice and competed every day as if they were going to play. Their determination is what I loved about those two. They were determined to find a way to get on the floor, and as sophomores to now, we couldn’t find any reason to take them off."</p> <p>If Hurst and McGowan have in mind to contribute at the next level as freshmen, the goal isn’t far-fetched if the both of them come in confident, with the mindset to get better each day. Wood is a prime example of the smooth transition from high school to college. The 6-2 point guard averaged 11.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a freshman for the Bruins.</p> <p>The opportunity for Hurst and McGowan to have successful college careers will be there, and Tucker will keep an eye on them while he’s prepping his team from week to week.</p> <p>"I want my guys to enjoy everything about college basketball, because when it’s over, it’s over," Tucker said. "As far as on the court, I believe both will find a way to contribute and be successful at the next level."</p>