New Blood Infusion in TSSAA mid-year

PICTURED: Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN

Teams do not typically add players at the midpoint of seasons. In fact, it more common to lose a player to quitting, graduating early, or injury than to add a player. But two middle Tennessee teams have added Top 15 players within the last few days.

Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN returns to John Paul II after spending almost nine months at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. HHCA is a prep school that basically acts as a basketball factory with religious anchoring in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The program boasts such elite graduates as Felix Okpara (Tennessee), Samson Ruzhentsev (Pro in Europe), Shai Gilgeous Alexander (NBA-Thunder), Nickiel Alexander (former NBA), Jason Jitoboh, Uros Plavsic, Jordan Rawls, and on and on. When Talley left it was a surprise because he had a great culture and team around him at Pope John Paul II, a team that frankly was capable of winning the State Tournament both last year and this year.

But he did leave. And was playing ok for an underperforming squad. HHCA is not for everybody. You do not have a large school around you. You don't walk to different classes and see all of your bro's like young men are used to throughout their young lives. You do not see your parents before and after school. It works for some. For some it is a culture shock.

The reason is not clear to PrepHoopsTN at this time, but the fact remains Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN will play basketball tomorrow against rival Montgomery Bell Academy. MBA actually eliminated JP2 last spring in a riveting game that saw multiple twists and turns.

If Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN was trying to transfer from any team in the TSSAA, then he would have been ruled ineligible because players are not allowed to play for more than one TSSAA team within the season. Thank the Lord. As stated above HHCA is a different animal. It does not fall within the TSSAA though they do play TSSAA teams, which makes this transfer a little murkier and strange. Hypothetically, a player could have played against a HHCA Talley earlier this season and see him again as "JPII Talley" this month or next.

Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN 's inclusion can only help an already loaded JPII team. Osby Cavin Osby Cavin 6'3" | SG John Paul II | 2026 State TN , Trey Pearson Trey Pearson 6'2" | PG John Paul II | 2026 State #122 Nation TN , Anthony Wiggins Anthony Wiggins 6'0" | PG John Paul II | 2027 State TN , CJ Turner CJ Turner 6'3" | SF Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN compose the current backcourt. Like last year they are guard-driven with one big providing slim court balance. Talley will play because he is that good, but how often and who will play less to accommodate him?

Before he left Jarron was known and used by JP2 as a two-way player. He was an elite defender with dozens of games started and finished within the program. He and Pearson, in particular, played wonderfully off of each other. There is plenty of familiarity with Jarron Talley Jarron Talley 6'4" | SG Pope John Paul II | 2026 State TN and the team and the school.

He needed to be enrolled in JPII for three days, per source, before he could compete for the basketball team. That will be achieved prior to the Montgomery Bell Academy game.

Perhaps more shocking than Talley's transfer is the return to Nashville basketball of Jeromy Davis, who now plays for Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA). Davis left long ago from Brentwood Academy, electing to compete in talent-rich Atlanta. Davis played earlier this season for Combine Academy. Combine Academy operates in an almost identical galaxy as Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. They play against high school basketball teams but are not technically a high school in the traditional sense. They are more of a basketball team with a "school" around then what you grew up attending. Jeromy Davis also played for a time at Brewster Academy, which exists up in the northeastern United States, New Hampshire to be exact. Brewster Academy, unlike HHCA and Combine Academy, is a premiere preparatory school. It was founded in 1820 and boasts tremendous alumni over the decades.

What kind of a player is Jeromy Davis?

High-flying tall wing guard. Jeromy can score from a variety of areas on the floor. When younger Davis was primarily a catch-and-shoot guy for Brentwood Academy. I guess everybody was catch-and-shoot when they played with Tyler Tanner. Davis is better defensively than he once was. And he put on a lot of good weight, which will help.