The Big Interview: Stone Memorial HC Jess Raby

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: Stone Memorial team</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stone Memorial Basketball History</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>State Championship Record:</strong>&nbsp;2-3<br><strong>State Tournament Appearances (3):</strong>&nbsp;2022, 2012, 2011</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Upperman and Stone Memorial sit atop District D7-3A. February 7th, Stone Memorial Head Coach Jess Raby shared his time with @PrepHoopsTN, specifically speaking about several Panthers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong>&nbsp;Tell me about [player_tooltip player_id='3278546' first='Briggs' last='Lowe']'s season.<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='3278546' first='Briggs' last='Lowe']. [He] is about a 6-foot-7 forward. He is averaging about 14+ ppg, which is really good for our team. We have about 6-7 guys who score the ball and quite a few who score almost double digits. We share the ball a lot. He shoots a high percentage. He also leads our team in assists and leads our team in rebounds. He is averaging about 7.5 rpg. Averages I believe 2 assists per game and about three assists in district play. Last year was his first time getting varsity experience, but how the team was made up he was kind under the radar. He has handled (opposing) scouts very well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong>&nbsp;I obviously watched a lot of Cade Capps last year and kept an eye open for any other talent. I liked [player_tooltip player_id='2281026' first='Jack' last='Cordell'] and saw Briggs had something. He was a little raw. You said he was inexperienced last year?<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong>&nbsp;He is a young senior. They have that phrase a "baby deer." As a sophomore he became our JV MVP and we went undefeated and won big. He is a much better defender [now]. Still not the quickest person, but he is tied for our team's lead in blocks. And he keeps getting better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong>&nbsp;<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong>&nbsp;And you mentioned Jack. [player_tooltip player_id='2281026' first='Jack' last='Cordell'] has a unique ability to score the ball at his height (6'2"). He has a unique way to get his shot off. He leads our team in offensive rebounds. He is a really good shooter even though he has probably not attempted as many 3's as he did in the past. He is also averaging about 14+ points per game, and he is second on our team in rebounds. At the beginning of the year, he was turning the ball over too much, but now he is doing better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Is Jack your most experienced player?<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong>  He is a four-year starter. He started his freshman and sophomore year at Clarkrange, a smaller school. He has probably started every game...I think he even started last year for Senior Night...of his career unless he was injured.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Is he trying to play after high school? What are his plans?<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong> He wants to go into the Air Force, but he wants to go to college first. Both Jack and [player_tooltip player_id='3278546' first='Briggs' last='Lowe'] want to play college basketball if they find the right opportunity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Is Kadyn [Page] going to be back [playing]?<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong> Kadyn is probably out all season. He played in eight games, but we have not had him since then. Since before Christmas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PrepHoopsTN:</strong> Oh, tell me about [player_tooltip player_id='3278540' first='Tanner' last='Bowman'].<br><strong>HC Jess Raby:</strong> Last year he was my starting point guard for JV, but this is his first real varsity playing time. At times this past summer he was our best player in games. He is a competitor that plays really hard. He is a little more talented than his brothers, but his brothers were team-first hard-nosed players. He kind of fits that same description. Recently he is over 40% from 3. Does not take a ton. Tip of the spear for us defensively. We have been really happy with him. We did a lot of screen'n'roll action, and we are still working on that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Jake Hennessee</td><td>G</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Kadyn Page</td><td>G</td><td>Jr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='3141031' first='Evin' last='Moseley']</td><td>G</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='3278540' first='Tanner' last='Bowman']</td><td>G</td><td>So.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Hunter Haney</td><td>PF</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2281026' first='Jack' last='Cordell']</td><td>F</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>Charlie Vanwinkle</td><td>G</td><td>Jr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>Gabe Aytes</td><td>G</td><td>Fr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>21</td><td>Denim Darville</td><td>G</td><td>Jr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>22</td><td>Jackson Bryson</td><td>F</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>23</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='3278546' first='Briggs' last='Lowe']</td><td>PF</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>24</td><td>Clay Reeves</td><td>G</td><td>Fr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>25</td><td>Noah Potter</td><td>F</td><td>Sr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>34</td><td>Kyle Page</td><td>F</td><td>So.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>35</td><td>[player_tooltip player_id='3026354' first='Jacob' last='Howard']</td><td>C</td><td>Fr.</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table -->