What we learned from Week 1 in 4A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='2309002' first='Armani' last='Smith']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 'Big Boys' are off an running in 2025-2026. Just days into the young season a few themes are starting to take shape in 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kirkwood did not dip that far without big man Anthony Goring </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anthony Goring </strong>played with Kirkwood in June at BCAT Hoopfest in Brentwood, Tennessee. Well, he played with Kirkwood since the school opened in August of 2023. At BCAT Hoopfest KHS looked like a Top 5 team in the state. Then Goring and his family elected to transfer to Spire Academy. Surely, that was a blow to the Kirkwood High team's ambitions. Clearly the team did not stop working though and judging by their early season results...they are capable of making a deep postseason run still. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2309002' first='Armani' last='Smith']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2278560' first='Bryce' last='Garnett'] </strong>are too star guards with lofty PrepHoopsTN reputations. The two earned rankings in the sophomore seasons, heading into their sophomore seasons actually. Both deserved them then and ferociously continue to hold onto their Top 40 status. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two are very different players. Armani is a taller guard with insane first-step quickness and toughness in the lane. Armani holds an Austin Peay offer. Bryce is one of the best shooters in the state and the left-handers' form sets an example young players should follow. Garnett advanced his game into a full-scale point guard in the last year too. He sees the floor at an elite level and makes teammates better. He does not have a weakness offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Panthers of Bartlett are stacked...again</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nobody reloads a roster like Bartlett High and BHS Head Coach Dion Real. Coolest head coach name in the state? Likely. Regardless, Bartlett draws talent from the entire 901-area code thanks to school choice option and boy, do they draw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday night Bartlett defeated reigning State Champions PCA and started the following five: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2291122' first='Dylan' last='Jones']</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is undeniably the most talented starting 5 in the state. Check their rankings on PrepHoops.com/Tennessee in case you were uncertain.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan is #2 in the junior bunch. [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] sits #5 amongst the sophomores just a few spots behind teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'] (#2). [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'] ranked #12. Fellow seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2678918' first='Amaury' last='St. Ann']</strong> (#129) and [player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson'] (#71) are also ranked quite well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan scored 26 points in their debut against Rossview earlier in the week. The dude missed just four shots out of 15 taken! <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams']</strong> managed 16 points (4-7 3's) and [player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'] scored 18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brentwood is as good as expected</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Though reigning 3A State Champions Upperman gave them a real fight (62-59) Brentwood High did win all three opening week contests. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was not a surprise as the program returned as much as anybody in middle Tennessee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year BHS finished 20-7 and tied for the regular season District Championship with Franklin High. Nolensville ended their season earlier than the Bruins would have liked a week after Valentine's Day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bruins play around <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2376260' first='Davis' last='Cochran'] </strong>and largely identify as a team of guards. Davis even owns the ability to face the basket and score. Considering how much guard quality the team has the squad desperately needs Davis healthy and out of foul trouble to contend for a State Championship. He does so many things at an elite level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->