BCAT Summer Hoopfest: Recruiting notes/Friday’s notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first day of the BCAT Team Camp is complete. A lot of teams from across the state were in action. College coaches were in attendance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are the biggest highlights from Friday:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Recruiting notes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Air Force, UT-Chattanooga, Austin Peay, and Central Arkansas were in attendance to see 2025 point guard <strong>KJ</strong> <strong>Neville</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle Tennessee State University was in attendance to see 2027 wing <strong>Dylan</strong> <strong>Jones</strong> (Bartlett).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>UT-Chattanooga, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State, Austin Peay, and Belmont were in attendance to see 2025 guard <strong>Cortez</strong> <strong>Graham</strong> (Hillsboro).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Radford was in attendance to see 2028 prospects <strong>DJ</strong> <strong>Okoth</strong> and <strong>Braylon</strong> <strong>Williams</strong> (Bartlett).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior point guard <strong>Jacob</strong> <strong>Walker</strong> picked up his third offer from Jacksonville.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Knoxville Webb can contend for a state title</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans are coming off a final four run from last season's TSSAA Division II-AA Boys' State Tournament. Knoxville Webb lost only one player from last season (Drake Ingram) and is bringing back six key pieces ([player_tooltip player_id='1642603' first='Owen' last='Lentz'], [player_tooltip player_id='1299479' first='Jaylen' last='Pompey'], Alex Leeth, [player_tooltip player_id='1277258' first='Tahj' last='Bowers'], [player_tooltip player_id='2296673' first='Wilson' last='Luton'], and Cameron Swearengen) to try to reach another state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After watching this team defeat a deep, talented Bartlett squad, I came to the conclusion that the Spartans can contend for a state title. Offensively, Knoxville Webb moves the ball well and lives and dies by the 3-point shot. Lentz made key 3s and got into a nice rhythm in the second half. The rest of the key players made key shots and plays to get the win. This is a competitive bunch. This team doesn't lack heart.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cobb is him </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Upperman's 2027 point guard <strong>Ty</strong> <strong>Cobb</strong> put on a solid performance in his team's win over Ezell Harding. He made a fadeaway jumper from the baseline, made swiftly passes to teammates driving into the lane, and wasn't fazed being face guarded by multiple defenders. Cobb is off to solid start to his high school career. Things are looking up for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Big responsibilities for Lewis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defending TSSAA Division I Class 4A state champion Independence will depend a lot on senior point guard <strong>Tylan</strong> <strong>Lewis</strong>. Lewis won't have a floor full of guys going to war with him like he's had the past three seasons. The 6-foot-0 floor general will have to lead the team in scoring, taking the place of Jett Montgomery. He will have to make big shots like Brayden Buck, Houston Hicks, and Korben Walling did for the program in the past. Lewis will have to show balance on offense, facilitating when needed then scoring when the team needs a bucket. His shot has improved. Lewis plays with high confidence. He's ready to lead a roster full of inexperienced players at the varsity level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can Houston contend for a 4A title?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs aren't sure senior point guard <strong>Jacob</strong> <strong>Walker</strong> (state champion at FACS) will be eligible for the 2024 season, but Walker and 2027 point guard <strong>Justin</strong> <strong>Frison</strong> in the backcourt will be difficult to guard. It may be the best backcourt amongst all of the 4A teams in West Tennessee. Walker likes the challenge of guarding the other team's best guard. He wants the basketball in his hands in crucial moments. Walker goes 100 miles per hour on every possession. He's a dog. Walker wants to lead. Houston can use all of his intangibles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->