The Big Interview: Baylor School Head Coach Quinn McDowell

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midway through September (9/16) <strong>The Baylor School Head Basketball Coach Quinn McDowell</strong> discussed his forthcoming season, his first at the helm of the Red Raiders after outgoing Head Coach Mark Price elected to take a role in The Baylor School's administration. The interview was conducted over the phone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Good morning. I am hearing a lot about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2560261' first='Mantas' last='Paldauskas']</strong> . He played great at <a href="https://x.com/BNFHoopsLeague">Ball in the Fall League</a>, which is run by my friend Trey Suttles.<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> I think he has a chance to be really good. From what I have seen so far, I think he is definitely a scholarship player and has a chance to be a Division 1 guy. He comes from the same club as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2327064' first='Kevin' last='Sacas']</strong>. He has a great feel for the game. And he is a really high-character. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Are both of those guys...I forget what it is called, living on campus?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> Those guys are boarding school students. The majority of our roster is from the Chattanooga area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Did Mantas' father or mother play sports, in college or pro maybe?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> I don't think so. Dad may have played in high school. His sister is a world-class dancer. She is pretty athletic in her own right.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> When did he arrive?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> The start of the school year. Early August. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> I heard he is an incredible player. My friends said he could be the best guard in Chattanooga right now, better than any seniors or juniors.<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> He rolled his ankle. He is out right now. We open with Tyner ([player_tooltip player_id='1259390' first='Rodney' last='Henderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1500690' first='Adarius' last='Brewster'], [player_tooltip player_id='2207470' first='Kohl' last='Ward']) in Hall of Champions Game. That will be a good matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> I saw on Twitter that [player_tooltip player_id='2327064' first='Kevin' last='Sacas'] picked up two offers this week [Marian University, Indiana Wesleyan University]. Did he travel to Indiana and both of those campuses in one swing?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> Kevin was in-person for both of those. I coached in that league for a year. That is a really high-level program. They run a really legit program. That Crossroads League is a really good league. That would rival a lot of D1's. Kevin's recruiting is going really well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/kevinas_32/status/1834621059242291671","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/kevinas_32/status/1834621059242291671 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> What about [player_tooltip player_id='1551555' first='Zane' last='Restelli']?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> Zane's recruiting is going really well. I think people will pull the trigger really soon. He is D1 with his strength. His decision-making is improving. Has a D1 skill set. People look at his frame and ask if he is a D1 athlete. I have no doubt that he will do well at the D1 level, but it does not mean he will end up there. I think Zane, if he goes to a D1 skill program he will fit in. Five or seven schools have said they don't have a scholarship right now. I think it hurt him to play Game Elite [AAU] this summer because he was behind two guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> My thoughts on [player_tooltip player_id='2327064' first='Kevin' last='Sacas'] last year were that was a great rebounder and defended pretty well but looked to be a tweener. Could he defend the perimeter at the next level, was my worry.<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> His offense might actually be ahead of his defense. We are going to switch a lot this year because Kevin is going to be able to guard 1-5. He has a lot of quickness at his size. He started making 3's last year. He is 6'7" and 225. Could you play him at a small ball as a 5 at the D1 level? I am not sure. He is going to show what he can do against good players this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Anything else?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2570444' first='Ezra' last='Sixto']. Borderline D3/D2 right now. Started to play a lot more for us last year. He will be a key contributor for us at 6'7". We have a kid from Pennsylvania. <a href="https://x.com/r_graysonkeg">[player_tooltip player_id='2570437' first='Grayson' last='Kegerreis']</a>. He is going to be an athlete. A shooter. High-IQ from an offensive standpoint. Sam Scearce. Probably a D3 level right now. Probably a Top 100 in the state. 2026. We have a pretty good junior class. Zios Whaley. Whaley is from Cleveland. He will play varsity this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Is he related to <a href="https://leeuflames.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/nyziah-whaley/4440">Nyziah Whaley</a>?<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> [Zios] is his younger brother. [player_tooltip player_id='2570431' first='Jake' last='Neal'] will play varsity this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Ok. Reach out anytime.<br><strong>Head Coach Quinn McDowell:</strong> Thanks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Thank you. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->