Top D8-4A Sophomores!

No leap is more sizable in high school athletics than the bound from freshman to sophomore. The powerful i-24 corridor exiting Nashville is home to a handful of wonderful sophomore basketballers.

District 8-4A Teams

Cane Ridge
Smyrna
Antioch
Stewarts Creek
LaVergne

Jordan Clay-Joseph (Smyrna) Jordan Clay-Joseph is also deserving of mention in the forthcoming story focused on the district’s biggest improvements. Clay-Joseph stands 6-foot-6, down a bunch of weight. “When I tell you…he has made tremendous strides in his game,” said Smyrna Head Coach Omar Smith in an October @PrepHoopsTN phone interview. “Honestly, I cut him his freshman year. I brought him back the next day. He works really hard [Laughs].”

Midway through 2021 Jordan weighed around 240 pounds, at 6-foot-4. “The kid, to be honest, He struggled to make a layup…struggled to get up and down the floor.”

JCJ is now 6-foot-6, approximately 210 pounds. Coach Smith is eager to see what Clay-Joseph can develop into, as a player. “He is a project, but you can see the potential there. He works so much.”

Travon King (Smyrna) – “He could give us some really good minutes off of the bench this year,” said Coach Omar Smith. “Six foot guard, built like a linebacker. Very Unorthodox. Scores 6-7 ppg.”

Landon Bryant (LaVergne) – Skilled combo. Ran with Team Mookie 15u over the summer. Nice two-foot leaper. Shooting form is beautiful…the elbow tucked in wonderfully.

Jaiden Claybrook Jaiden Claybrook 6'5" | SF Antioch | 2025 State TN (Antioch) – Wow. Just wait ’til you see this gazelle. He is the kind of athlete that immediately catches the novice eye. It takes no experience in the craft of talent evaluation to see Claybrook’s potential.

Ta’Khyian Whitset (Antioch) – Big, bruiser. Whitset is already attracting college football attention midway through his high school football career. He is probably going to start immediately for the bigger, better Bears.

Tyreque McCarver Tyreque McCarver 6'1" | PG Smyrna | 2025 State TN (Smyrna) – “ Tyreque McCarver Tyreque McCarver 6'1" | PG Smyrna | 2025 State TN transferred to us in the spring,” said Head Coach Omar Smith. “We are hoping that we can get him eligible, but if not, he is able to practice. He will play JV up until the last date he played and dressed out for Oakland. We know we will have him in the post-season for sure.” McCarver’s older brother is a college freshman basketball player for Dyersburg State Community College.