Freshmen Wunderkinds
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PICTURED: Condis Cherry Condis Cherry 5'5" | PG Ausin-East | 2027 State TN (Austin-East) Freshmen so rarely play varsity basketball. Even more rare is an instance of a freshman impacting games at the varsity level. Below you will read about…
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Continue ReadingPICTURED: Condis Cherry Condis Cherry 5'5" | PG Ausin-East | 2027 State TN (Austin-East)
Freshmen so rarely play varsity basketball. Even more rare is an instance of a freshman impacting games at the varsity level. Below you will read about multiple examples. These are Freshmen Wunderkinds.
Condis Cherry Condis Cherry 5'5" | PG Ausin-East | 2027 State TN (Austin-East) defended Ty Glasper Ty Glasper 6'1" | PG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2025 State TN (Mr. Basketball-Finalist) the entire second quarter with quite good results. For Coach Bertram to even give a freshman such an assignment is revealing of how competent Shane’s younger brother already is. Defensively, Condis reminds of those Whitehaven point guards Kavion McClain and Alvin Miles. He is so quick, but at this stage he gambles a lot. Later in that riveting District Tournament semifinal he did foul out.
Jamir Dean Jamir Dean 6'2" | PG Alcoa (football) | 2027 State TN (Alcoa)
Before the season even tipped, Gatlinburg-Pittman Head Coach Rashid Moore alerted PrepHoopsTN that Alcoa had a wonderful freshman hooper. Jamir Dean Jamir Dean 6'2" | PG Alcoa (football) | 2027 State TN was a football guy to most, but his basketball productivity was apparent right away. Jamir Dean Jamir Dean 6'2" | PG Alcoa (football) | 2027 State TN and Alcoa will play in the Class AA State Tournament next week. He is a starter with the squad, an important energy guy. Dean’s explosiveness is rare though his shooting needs to improve quite a bit long-term.
Armani Smith Armani Smith 6'2" | SG Kirkwood | 2027 State TN (Kirkwood) started for Kirkwood all season, for the school’s debut squad. Head Coach John Stigall sees a big future for Armani.
John Stigall 2/3/24He has been the best player on every team he has played on since sixth grade. Maybe younger than that. He is physically gifted. He has a great feel for the game. And he works at it. I think his ceiling is unlimited.
Will Jones Will Jones 6'1" | SG Maryville | 2027 State TN (Maryville) plays limited minutes for a state-bound Maryville outfit though he did score a career-high 16 points against Knowledge Academies.
Jalen Chapman Jalen Chapman 6'0" | PG Springfield | 2027 State TN (Springfield) earned First Team All-District. Chapman’s mother, Sheena Bowling Chapman, is in the Robertson County Hall of Fame, played collegiately for the University of Montevallo. She is also in the Springfield High School Hall of Fame.
Springfield Head Coach Anthony Griggs took over in July. He took over with no preconceived notions of who should play. Chapman quickly established himself as one of the team’s top players.
“He has been one of our key guys,” said Coach Griggs. “Coming in as a freshman and playing varsity it has been a different speed for him. But he caught on…His breakout game was against Greenbrier. He turned the corner that game. He really had a great game.”