Metro Nashville Begins the Season

Historical Metro Nashville High Schools began their 2023-2024 season Tuesday evening. Look first at the game between John Overton versus Glencliff High.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defensive Plans</h2>   Glencliff is defending almost entirely out of the 2-3 this year. Interesting look. My guess is that they don't like their perimeter defense in man. They look to be rebounding pretty well out of 2-3 in the first few min of my viewing from 11/14.   To open the game John Overton elected to defend the length of the court and play man-to-man fullcourt after their made baskets. Head Coach John Hopson is blessed with a veteran team, especially at the guard positions. With older guards you are able to implement more and count on execution.   [player_tooltip player_id='2497565' first='Ryleigh' last='Meanus'] came out hot, scoring five of his team's first six points. He took two three-pointers and made the second. It took a couple of plays for the Bobcats of John Overton figure out the 2-3 zone, but they settled in and created open shots via the pass. Meanus was the initial beneficiary.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Substitutes</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='2220992' first='Terron' last='Stricklin'] (Glencliff) was one of Glencliff's first subs. To bring a senior with some length off of the bench is a luxury many teams do not have. Unfortunately, Stricklin suffered an injury at the tail end of the first quarter. He did return.   Jeremy Polk (Glencliff) did not start, but his low center of gravity while driving was important to Glencliff getting anything going inside the arc. Teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1386326' first='Eric' last='Thomason'] is one of the best passers in Nashville, but his game is not slashing. Polk gave this dynamic to the team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Guards</h2>   When the Bobcats of John Overton take the floor, the game will inevitably come down to guard play, both theirs and the opposition.   [player_tooltip player_id='2275394' first='Jehmel' last='Madison'] (John Overton) moved to Nashville from Michigan. He is a sophomore and can play. Good strength. Pretty solid on-ball defender. Patient offensively. Shorter but powerful guard. Couples well with their senior guards. [player_tooltip player_id='1706873' first='Will' last='Carter Jr.'] entered the season with the highest ceiling and least to prove. [player_tooltip player_id='1140768' first='Kyree' last='Christian'] is a staple for the program at this point. He was solid making Glencliff play a little faster than they appeared comfortable.   Carter Jr. was too passive in the first quarter, considering how dominant he can be. Conversely, [player_tooltip player_id='2275497' first='Lazaros' last='Odwar'] (Glencliff) sizzled early. He used a quick step to get in driving lanes. The junior played great against a very fast and handsy John Overton frontline. John Overton is going to be a tough team to attack with the dribble, but he figured it out and pulled the Colts back to 26-26 late in the first half.   Will did get going. He was attack-minded in response to Odwar's surge for sure. Carter darted to the basket and succeeded at the free throw line. A little bit later Carter Jr. committed two turnovers, both marginal calls though cost worthy. First, Carter Jr. sought a lob or bounce pass in the lane and was whistled for a lane violation. Shortly thereafter Carter Jr. found an opening in a 2-on-1 and attempted to take the ball forcefully to the rack. Though he attempted to evade the player, he did crash into a planted man resulting in a player control foul.   Halftime: 31-31.   Turnovers stunted the Bobcat offense. Over and over, they failed to get off a shot. Considering their guard capabilities this was surprising. Down 37-31 mid-3Q, [player_tooltip player_id='1706873' first='Will' last='Carter Jr.'] became visibly frustrated.   For example, [player_tooltip player_id='1140768' first='Kyree' last='Christian'] spun around a defender and then hit the hesi at full speed, but then ended by charging towards an awaiting big feet from the basket. All that good for nothing.   End 3rd: 47-36 Glencliff.   After an outstanding third quarter, Glencliff sputtered to open the fourth. It looked like a mindset change. Instead of attacking the basket they played slower and attempted to stall. It does not happen every time, but downshifting from attack, attack, attack to 'take our time' does occasionally wind up harming teams. Glencliff did not handle this self-imposed change well.   John Overton created problems with their guards speedily dashing around the floor, poking at the basketball.   To paraphrase Brooks from Shawshank Redemption, 'Glencliff went and got itself in a big, damn hurry.' Turnover. Missed shot. Turnover. Some of that was the result of the Bobcats stepping up their defense and playing with more fire. [player_tooltip player_id='1706873' first='Will' last='Carter Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2497565' first='Ryleigh' last='Meanus'] were particularly disruptive in that fourth.   When [player_tooltip player_id='1140768' first='Kyree' last='Christian'] converted an acrobatic left-handed layup with 1:18 left, the Bobcats lead, 56-53!   To rebut, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1386326' first='Eric' last='Thomason'] attacked the basket with singular purpose. He drew a foul on Madison. Smart. ET made both free throws, 56-55 John Overton.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Minute</h2>   John Overton missed a challenged layup and the ensuing offensive rebounding battle. In fact, they fouled junior Michael Harris (Glencliff) in the effort. Harris missed both free throws badly, but he miraculously recovered his own miss after a tap. 56-55 John Overton still lead. Without the bonus, GHS took the ball out of bounds and tried to run the clock down and win it. Until...   [player_tooltip player_id='1776315' first='D'Azjon' last='Dowell'] found a wide-open lane. He drove and MISSED a layup. Bizarrely, the Bobcats endured a wild turnover and GHS took and missed another layup! GHS fouled Madison and then he missed BOTH free throws! Under ten seconds. Glencliff decided to take another layup, but Christian ripped it upon the elevating attempt. Then he missed two MORE free throws. Glencliff got a poor, pressured shot off and missed as the game ended.   Insane ending. Just wild. John Overton won, 56-55.     Overton Starters: #1 [player_tooltip player_id='2275394' first='Jehmel' last='Madison']* #2 [player_tooltip player_id='1140768' first='Kyree' last='Christian']* #3 [player_tooltip player_id='2497565' first='Ryleigh' last='Meanus']* #4 [player_tooltip player_id='1706873' first='Will' last='Carter Jr.']* #20 Kaleb Hurt*   Glencliff Starters*: #2 SG [player_tooltip player_id='1776315' first='D'Azjon' last='Dowell']* #3 Jeremy Polk #4 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1386326' first='Eric' last='Thomason']* #5 G [player_tooltip player_id='2275497' first='Lazaros' last='Odwar']* (2025) #13 F Curtis Wonderly* (2025) #23 F Michael Harris* (2025)   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Preseason Evaluations by Overton Head Coach John Hopson</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>He should be back. He looks good. Improved. Showing more leadership. He is really, really fast with the ball. He has another gear that I have not seen many kids get to. He is really fast and explosive in getting it to the rim. He can really fly with the ball. </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1140768' first='Kyree' last='Christian'] G • Sr. • 5' 6" • 142 lbs</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>He is back. He had a real good summer. Put a lot of work in the gym. Starting to see a lot of growth on the floor. He is our best defender. Working on knocking down the three-ball. Last year he was 7th/8th man. This year he has a chance to be a starter. He played well over the summer at team camp. If he continues on the trajectory he is on, then he should be a starter. He is by far the hardest worker on the team. [program_tooltip program_id='2078774' first='Tennessee' last='Panthers'].</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2497565' first='Ryleigh' last='Meanus'] G • Jr. . • 5' 11" • 152 lbs</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>I didn't see him much this summer. He looks good. He looks like Will. If he improves him decision making, I am expecting him to have a good year. If he decides to really commit to the game, most definitely [can play college]. Naturally talented. </td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1706873' first='Will' last='Carter Jr.'] G • Sr. • 6' 3" • 156 lbs</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>He is coming back. He will be a sophomore this year. He will have a more improved role. He is fearless. He is left-handed. Strong. Crafty. Unorthodox. Finds ways to score the ball. 5'11"</td><td>Will Livingston G • So.</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>He is one of the leaders of our team. He is in football, but he came to a few practices and got his body right. He is going to be the grinder on our team. Do the dirty work. Set hard screens. Rebounding the ball. Banging on the inside. From what I saw this summer he can really hit the open 3. About 6'2."</td><td>Zach Lee F • Sr.</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>One of those guys, senior, he is very soft-spoken. Really competes. He focused a lot of academic stuff, but you could tell he could really compete. We were going to use him as a low post guy, but he improved his ball-handling. Natural maturation. </td><td>Kaleb Hurt F • Sr.</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>He is about 6'4". He is thin. We really are looking for him to knock down the three-ball. If he can just shoot the ball consistently, then he can help us out a lot. </td><td>Jordan Pica G • Sr.</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>If he understands how to work at a varsity level, he can really help the team. He is about 6'3.5", scraping 6'4". He is not a shot-blocker, but when he puts his hands up he blocks shots, if that makes sense. If he decides to work at the game, her can take us to another level.</td><td>Elijah Brown F • Jr.</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Not sure if he is coming back. Some off of the court things he has to figure out.</td><td>Tavon Manuel-Bugembe . Sr.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>     Hunters Lane vs. Stratford   John Overton vs. Glencliff   Metro Nashville High Schools Antioch Cane Ridge East Nashville Glencliff Hillsboro Hume-Fogg Hunters Lane James Lawson John Overton Maplewood MLK McGavock Pearl-Cohn Stratford Whites Creek

Historical Metro Nashville High Schools began their 2023-2024 season Tuesday evening. Look first at the game between John Overton versus Glencliff High.