District 2 Tournament Preview (DII-A)
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The 2024 TSSAA Division II-A playoffs kick off this week. Last season Notre Dame won the Regular Season Title and advanced to the State Championship Game. Here’s a look at the field in District 2. DISTRICT 2 THE FAVORITE –…
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Continue ReadingThe 2024 TSSAA Division II-A playoffs kick off this week. Last season Notre Dame won the Regular Season Title and advanced to the State Championship Game. Here’s a look at the field in District 2.
DISTRICT 2
THE FAVORITE – Silverdale (23-3)
Note that Boyd Buchanan earned the #1 seed via tiebreaker. The two teams split the regular season and Boyd won their win by more points than Silverdale. Alas, this is PrepHoopsTN’s prediction, so Silverdale is the pick for favorite. Reasonable minds can certainly differ and both teams are excellent.
Silverdale Academy has three players averaging in double figures, led by senior guard Brett Wright Brett Wright 6'7" | SG Silverdale Baptist | 2024 State TN (16.7 ppg). Wright signed to play for Trevecca Nazarene University next season, a budding D2 program in Nashville. Wright returned to the Chattanooga area after spending his junior year with Huntington Prep, a basketball power in West Virginia. Teammate Kennedy Okpara Kennedy Okpara 6'7" | SF Silverdale Baptist | 2025 State TN , only a junior, will absolutely play college basketball somewhere. Okpara is a monster on the glass and defends the rim. This year he improved his offensive game quite a bit. KO is up to 15.0 ppg on 159 made buckets. Houston Holland Houston Holland 6'2" | PG Silverdale Baptist | 2024 State TN is playing very well too.
“He is a senior,” said Brett Wright Brett Wright 6'7" | SG Silverdale Baptist | 2024 State TN via phone call. “He can really shoot the ball. He has about 12.5 ppg, 5r, 3a. He is the glue to our team. And we have a point guard, Elyjah Richardson Elyjah Richardson 6'0" | PG Silverdale Baptist Academy | 2024 TN . Good at getting to the middle of the floor and kicking it. His brother, a sophomore, is really good at driving and finishing.”
Elyjah just got offered by Capitol University (d3) Saturday February 3rd.
TOP CONTENDER – Boyd Buchanan (21-6)
They will be the first seed. The Buccaneers experienced a lot of turnover from last season, graduating Caden Johnson and Jacob Shockley specifically.
Noah Reid is a veteran that the team can lean on. Sophomore Caleb Hardaway put in a District MVP-caliber regular season. His candidacy is not without equal, but only Kennedy Okpara Kennedy Okpara 6'7" | SF Silverdale Baptist | 2025 State TN rebounded as well. Hardaway’s 10 rpg glittered nearly as brightly as his headlining 16.3 ppg. Do not try to sneak a shot over him. Caleb blocks over three a night!
DARK HORSE – Notre Dame (7-17)
The Irish are a much better team now that Cole McCormick Cole McCormick 6'5" | SF Notre Dame | 2024 State TN is healthy and back playing, after the star wing missed much of the season to injury. Cole signed to UAH, a powerful D2 program in Huntsville, Alabama led by former McCallie Head Coach John Shulman. Then he sustained an injury shortly after signing and did not return until after Christmas. Gaas Herman Gaas Herman 6'3" | SG Notre Dame Chattanooga | 2025 State TN was already enjoying impressive scoring success last winter as a sophomore for Notre Dame. His role augmented beyond imagination when McCormick went down. Even though Gaas produced (20+ ppg, 7+ rpg) the team needed much more scoring. Cole and Gaas together again makes them a different team. They won four of their last five games, including a one-point loss to Silverdale, 55-54.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gaas Herman
Gaas
Herman
6'3" | SG
Notre Dame Chattanooga | 2025
State
TN
– Notre Dame
Cole McCormick
Cole
McCormick
6'5" | SF
Notre Dame | 2024
State
TN
– Notre Dame
Kennedy Okpara
Kennedy
Okpara
6'7" | SF
Silverdale Baptist | 2025
State
TN
-Silverdale Baptist Academy
Brett Wright
Brett
Wright
6'7" | SG
Silverdale Baptist | 2024
State
TN
– Silverdale Baptist Academy
Houston Holland
Houston
Holland
6'2" | PG
Silverdale Baptist | 2024
State
TN
– Silverdale Baptist Academy
Noah Reid – Boyd Buchanan
Notre Dame will be hosting the 2024 TSSAA Div. II, Class A, District 2 Basketball Tournament on Feb. 8-9 in Phifer Gym. See tournament brackets & info 👇
🎟 𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬: https://t.co/HChHAidXHg
💻 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌: https://t.co/OFhnfZSNZi pic.twitter.com/nY7G88gGR5— Notre Dame High School Athletics (@NDChattAthletic) February 2, 2024
1st Boyd Buchanan
2nd Silverdale
3rd Notre Dame
4th Grace Baptist
5th Collegedale
6th Sawanee
District Semifinals
Boyd Buchanan over Grace Baptist
Silverdale Academy over Notre Dame
District Championship
Silverdale Academy over Boyd Buchanan