Young Metro Nashville Talents

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='2955842' first='Francis' last='Nwoye']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fans always want to find or know 'Who is the next big thing?' Well, tell them you found these Young Metro Nashville Talents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3072259' first='Deacon' last='Ray'] (MLK '29)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin Luther King Jr. Head Coach Caden Anderson is excited about two of his freshmen hoopers, in particular. "[player_tooltip player_id='3072259' first='Deacon' last='Ray']...His dad was a head coach at Mississippi State University."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deacon's father is Rick Ray, currently an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University. On two occasions in his 19-year college coaching career Rick was the top guy. First, he coached Mississippi State University from 2012-2015 and then landed at Southeast Missouri State (now Southeast Missouri) from 2015-2020.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>According to Coach Anderson, Deacon stands 5-foot-11 inches tall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3072262' first='Ozi' last='Okolocha'] (MLK '29)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unlike [player_tooltip player_id='3072259' first='Deacon' last='Ray'], [player_tooltip player_id='3072262' first='Ozi' last='Okolocha'] is a wing. "Reminds me of Pascal [Siakim]," said Coach Anderson. "Work ethic is out of the gym. Long, athletic. Pretty skilled."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ozi stands 6-foot-0 in his first month of varsity basketball. Facing Beech Monday the 24th of November, Ozi busted a three-pointer in the third quarter. With outside shooting embedded in his game the freshman becomes a nightmare to mark.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3160489' first='Kemontez' last='Holman'] (John Overton '28)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a crosstown clash with East Nashville <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3160489' first='Kemontez' last='Holman']</strong> showed off solid handle, but his passing was spotty. More than once Holman threw this odd over-the-head and sideways sling pass instead of a more reliable and proven zipped chest pass. John Overton High gives him ball-handling responsibilities as a key player off of their bench. Quickness with guard height makes him worth watching long-term. Holman can defend the 1-3 at the high school level right now, though he needs to bulk up to deter bully ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2955842' first='Francis' last='Nwoye'] (Hume-Fogg '29)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abnormally athletic. Francis is the younger brother of 2024-2025 TSWA All-State forward <strong>Michael Nwoye</strong> and Hume-Fogg senior<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2373252' first='John' last='Nwoye']</strong>. Michael Nwoye is now averaging 10 ppg and 9 rpg for Cumberland Phoenix. The youngest, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2955842' first='Francis' last='Nwoye']</strong> won the TMSAA Class A title in the spring by running 400 yards in 52.3 seconds! Hume-Fogg actually needs Francis to score a bit as a freshman as they replace some special seniors. He comes through quite a bit as a young scorer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2423976' first='Roman' last='Northern'] (MLK '27)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scoring guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2423976' first='Roman' last='Northern']</strong> is a touch older than the previous MLK talents. As a junior, Northern is called upon to score and help offensively more too. Roman's quick release gives defenders trouble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3161267' first='Austin' last='Thomas'] (John Overton '28)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diminutive John Overton High freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3161267' first='Austin' last='Thomas']</strong> craftily evades the most rudimentary varsity defenders with impressive dribbling, but he will be expected to improve with the coming off-season. Intangibles that suggest Thomas will improve are effort, compassion for teammates, and grit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3102943' first='Stephon' last='Curry'] (Hunters Lane '28)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3102943' first='Stephon' last='Curry'] </strong>is one of many young players competing for Hunters Lane High School. Curry is kind of speedy and handles better than average. His touch around the rim needs some work certainly. Look for the young Hunters Lane team to take some lumps this year and ideally grow as players through the challenges. Curry's improvement is imminent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OTHERS:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dwaun Daniel (Lawson)<br>Kyson Wilmot (Lawson)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3038240' first='Steve' last='Williams'] (Lawson)<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Metro Nashville High Schools</span><br>Antioch<br>Cane Ridge<br>East Nashville*<br>Glencliff*<br>Hillsboro<br>Hume-Fogg*<br>John Overton*<br>James Lawson*<br>Hunters Lane*<br>Maplewood<br>Martin Luther King*<br>McGavock<br>Pearl-Cohn<br>Stratford<br>Whites Creek</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->