D2-4A Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: Sevier County team 2023-2024</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pitted against District 1 in the Regional Tournament, the four District 2-4A teams each one decisively. While all four teams surely intend to advance as far as the Regional Quarterfinals again, positioning through the district tournament might matter. Preceding that tournament is obviously the regular season horse race. Who will win District 2-4A?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center"><strong>District 2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sevier County<br>Morristown-Hamblen West<br>Jefferson County<br>Morristown-Hamblen East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Morristown-Hamblen West</span></strong> (Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Joe Dobyns</strong><br>#1 [player_tooltip player_id='1611052' first='Bereket' last='Evans']*<br>#2 [player_tooltip player_id='2626276' first='Juan' last='Gallardo']*<br>#11 Will DesGroseilliers (2026)<br>#15 John Michael Rosen*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Starters Returning (2):</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1611052' first='Bereket' last='Evans'], [player_tooltip player_id='2626276' first='Juan' last='Gallardo']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1611052' first='Bereket' last='Evans'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2626276' first='Juan' last='Gallardo']</strong> are speedy, smaller guards who like to get up into the dribbler. Last February at Volunteer they forced a turnover each and the ensuing fastbreaks started the game 8-0, ultimately forcing a Volunteer High timeout. Mo West will want that kind of success from the pair again as they are the only returning starters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Jefferson County</span></strong> (Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Kyle Briggs</strong><br>#1 Jacob Shrader*<br>#3 [player_tooltip player_id='2635795' first='Zach' last='Coffey']*<br>#5 Jacob Chaney<br>#10 Brody Carr* (2026)<br>#11 [player_tooltip player_id='2635798' first='Kip' last='Parker']*<br>#12 Ryan Finchum<br>#13 [player_tooltip player_id='2539103' first='Hudson' last='Estes'] (2028)<br>#14 Gabe Sawyer<br>#22 Jeremiah Makua (2026)<br>#23 Shawn Jackson (2026)<br>#24 Tyler McMahan*<br>#30 Isaiah Kirk (2027)<br>#32 Israel Hurd<br>#33 Grant Arnold (2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Starters Returning (2):</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2635798' first='Kip' last='Parker'], Brody Carr</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2635798' first='Kip' last='Parker']</strong> is likely to land on All-District again once the season wraps in the spring. <strong>Brody Carr</strong> starts in basketball and baseball. "Brody is our scoring leader," shared [player_tooltip player_id='2635795' first='Zach' last='Coffey']. <strong>Tyler McMahan</strong> will start alongside the pair. "Tyler is our 3," said Coffey. "He is an athletic, good defender."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both<strong> Jacob Shrader</strong> and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2635795' first='Zach' last='Coffey']</strong> are certain to be the other starters. Coffey runs point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Morristown-Hamblen East</span> </strong>(Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Brice Cusick</strong><br>#4 [player_tooltip player_id='2702797' first='Cory' last='Carpenter']*<br>#15 Nathan Ball<br>#21 Parker Dale<br>#32 Caleb Billings</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Mo East did advance to the State Tournament, they graduated one of the greatest players in school history, Kyle Cloninger. What does this new squad look like?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Sevier County</span></strong> (Presumed starters*)<br><strong>Head Coach Ken Wright</strong><br>#5 Daniel Tarwater (2026)<br>#10 Trenton Lethco (2027)<br>Rylan Conley<br>#11 Jett Sutton*<br>#12 [player_tooltip player_id='2358523' first='Parker' last='Newman']* (2027)<br>#13 Cooper Newman (2027)<br>#20 Braydon Huffaker (2026)<br>#22 [player_tooltip player_id='2136958' first='Jayden' last='Barton']* (2026)<br>#23 [player_tooltip player_id='1277265' first='Reed' last='Ownby']*<br>#25 Jude Costner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jett Sutton</strong> is a new player to the program. He is going to slide right into the starting lineup...a lineup already capable of an already multi-pronged attack. Aspirations should be big for the Smoky Bears this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2136958' first='Jayden' last='Barton']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1277265' first='Reed' last='Ownby']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2358523' first='Parker' last='Newman']</strong> all enter 2024-2025 proven varsity men.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023-2024 DISTRICT STANDINGS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table {"hasFixedLayout":false} --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Mo East</td><td>6-0</td><td>28-9</td></tr><tr><td>Sevier County</td><td>4-2</td><td>20-12</td></tr><tr><td>Mo West</td><td>2-4</td><td>17-16</td></tr><tr><td>Jefferson County</td><td>0-6</td><td>9-20</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">2024 Postseason Recapture</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed <strong>Mo East</strong> (47) vs. #4<strong> </strong>Jefferson County (39)<br>#2 seed Sevier County (51) vs. #3 <strong>Mo West </strong>(53)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District Finals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed <strong>Mo East</strong> (57) vs. #3 seed Mo West (44)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mo East advanced all the way to the State Tournament before ultimately losing to Rossview in the State Quarterfinals, 64-43. Of the four teams Sevier County appears most likely to make that same trip to Murfreesboro in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">2023 Postseason Recapture</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed <strong>Mo East</strong> (40) vs. #4 seed Jefferson County (28)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#2 seed<strong> </strong>Mo West<strong> </strong>(43) vs. #3 seed <strong>Sevier County </strong>(57)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District Finals</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 seed <strong>Mo East</strong> (46) vs. #3 seed Sevier County (48)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Prediction</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table {"hasFixedLayout":false} --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>(1st) </strong>Sevier County</td></tr><tr><td><strong>(2nd)</strong> Morristown East</td></tr><tr><td><strong>(3rd)</strong> Morristown West</td></tr><tr><td><strong>(4th)</strong> Jefferson County</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table -->