On the Heels of a Superstar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawson Lee is done with high school. Cutter Sisk will never wear a Beech jersey again. Bearden's amazing 2026 class will be hard to forget. And yet the world keeps spinning. Hoopers keep coming along, and amazingly there is so little drop-off in elite talent. Read about two elite youngsters on the heels of these graduated superstars. You will be able to tell your friends you knew about them first.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Superstar:</strong> Justin Nordin<br><strong>On his heels:</strong> Connell Bryne</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With just under 2,000-career points All-State guard <strong>Justin Nordin</strong> accomplished much. He earned his first @PrepHoopsTN ranking as a sophomore and earned early varsity playing time thanks to his relentless preparation. Never in his entire high school career did Nordin appear or act less than the fittest guy in the gym. He signed to play basketball for The Naval Academy this upcoming winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Justin Nordin </strong>was named 5 Star Preps Co-Player of the Year along with <strong>Cade Murphy</strong> (Eastern Kentucky signee).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bearden consistently reloads regardless of the departed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We have a guy, actually I will mention to you, a rising freshman that is going to play on our varsity," revealed Bearden Head Coach Jeremy Parrott via phone call. "That is not normal. I think Justin Nordin was the last one to get a little tick as a freshman. I think this kid, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3686022' first='Connell' last='Byrne'] </strong>is going to get a chance to play in our varsity rotation."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2026-2027 Bulldogs will not lean on Connell as seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2881278' first='Damian' last='Cullom']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2885732' first='Brendan' last='Murphy']</strong> now take on leadership roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3686036' first='Ben' last='McDonald']</strong> is another one," expanded Coach Parrott. "A sophomore that is going to be good for us."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Superstar: Tae'Shawn Shelton<br>On his heels: [player_tooltip player_id='2884439' first='Jevon' last='Lee']</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shelbyville Central lost a rare athlete and program staple in Tae'Shawn Shelton, but<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2884439' first='Jevon' last='Lee']</strong> is capable of picking up the mantle as a tough rebounder. Check Shelton's very first impression upon us here in full evaluation form.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Insanely gifted athlete. He might have been the best in the combine-only portion. What a joy to watch him compete in the lane agility (11.93, 11.78) at 6-foot-5. Currently, his basketball-specific skills are very raw. If he plans to be a faceup-four or wing, then he needs to work a lot on his jumper, the touch, and his handle. A lot. Shelton's physical gifts and apparent willingness to compete are wonderful starting points. Now the work needs to begin in earnest. High ceiling. He can run and jump at an elite level and he is already very tall as a sophomore-to-be. Wildly athletic. For us, Shelton was a complete unknown entering the event. Jumps out of the gym. Faster than a deer. Tall, long legs. He is built like a high jumper. - June 2023 PrepHoopsTN Combine eval</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shelbyville Central teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2815194' first='Tommie' last='Cannon'] </strong>is an exciting guard certain to push double figures in scoring each night. Jevon finds more success in the paint than his modest height predicts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2884439' first='Jevon' last='Lee'] is an undersized "4" that will do some face-up attacking. His dribbling is not a weakness, and he can slash better than in years' past. Shelbyville will need him to get even better as a rebounder now that they are shorter team without Shelton.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->