Off-season Metro Nashville Notes

Andrew Force May 20, 2023 @ 01:01 PM

Hume School opened in 1855, the first of Nashville's still-existing schools. Pearl opened in 1883. Both are now named slightly differently as Hume-Fogg and Pearl-Cohn respectively. Metro Nashville owns a proud tradition of athletics broadly and basketball specifically.   Next winter that tradition continues.   Which players are certain to be vital to their team's success?   2022-2023 Maplewood Roster (Starters*) #1 Monzo Sweeney* (2023) #2 [player_tooltip player_id='1776234' first='Chris' last='Williams'] (2024) #3 TJ Card (2023) #5 Donte Burchette (2025) #12 Cheese McClain (2024) #20 James Davis (2026) #23 Jason Wiseman (2023) #33 Antonio Joyner (2023)   Maplewood lost five of their top six scorers, including Monzo Sweeney (26.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg). [player_tooltip player_id='1776234' first='Chris' last='Williams'] is the leading returner after his 13.5 ppg season. After that it will be wide open to anyone in the program. Donte Burchette, James Davis, Cheese McClain all played sparingly last winter.   [player_tooltip player_id='1776234' first='Chris' last='Williams'] plays with speed. When he finds a small opening it becomes a big problem for the defense. Williams hits the hole like a running back. Williams does incorporate some elite dribbling, like a behind-the-back while going full speed.   2022-2023 Hume-Fogg Roster (Starters*) #3 Grant McConnell* (2023) #4 [player_tooltip player_id='2276554' first='Miles' last='Rucker'] (2025) #5 Patrick Morgan (2024) #12 [player_tooltip player_id='1259398' first='Michael' last='Nwoye']* (2025) #23 Alonzo Rhodes* (2025) #24 Bentley Polk* (2023) #25 * #32 RJ Dunlap (2025)   Lean and lithe, [player_tooltip player_id='1259398' first='Michael' last='Nwoye'] is clearly a college prospect on sight. Standing 6-foot-5+, Nwoye hovers under the bucket and operates smoothly enough. His velvety jumper will sneak up on you. Nwoye can improve a lot when finishing with his left hand though.   2022-2023 MLK Roster (Starters*) #10 [player_tooltip player_id='1400924' first='Kquinn' last='Donald']* (2023) #2 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1400906' first='Avery' last='Townsend']* (2025) #4 SG Azariah Anderson (2024) #1 PG [player_tooltip player_id='1400904' first='MJ' last='Floyd']* (2025) #15 SF Logan Cole (2024) #22 [player_tooltip player_id='1568588' first='Simeon' last='Williams']* (2023) #23 SG/SF Kendall Soloman* (2024)   Kendall is quick on his feet at 6-foot-3. Can cross you over. He plays with a little wiggle. Facing Fulton in the State Tournament Kendall dashed to the basket with [player_tooltip player_id='1381653' first='Denaj' last='Kimber'] on him. Soloman elevated with him on his shoulder, finished an and-1. He did miss the free throw though. And he missed another late in the second quarter, a front end, when MLK needed points desperately. He missed yet another less than a minute later. And then the follow-up to FT to that. Four straight misses when his team trailed by 7ish in the State Tournament! Soloman is a plus leaper on the wing. He draws plenty of fouls, which is encouraging. Improving those free throws is critical. The toughness helped his team re-enter the game though they did ultimately lose to the eventual champions.   [player_tooltip player_id='1400904' first='MJ' last='Floyd']'s physicality is impressive. As a sophomore he typically helped as a rebounder with a strong chest and mental investment committed to the cause. Wonderful shooting form. He tucks his elbow in. Facing Fulton High in the state tournament, Floyd converted a challenging runner and-1. Floyd plays with a lot of patience and competence around the rim. He is a point guard by profession, but his instincts underneath play like a natural big. Good offensive awareness. He can defend effectively without fouling. Going to his right Floyd is turnover prone and needs to tighten that up.   [player_tooltip player_id='1400906' first='Avery' last='Townsend'] is a spotty outside shooter. His flat-footed form enables shorter guards to challenge him if he does not release before their arrival. Townsend's first-step quickness sets him apart. Adept rebounder for a guard. Avery is a nice on-ball defender. He moves his feet and gets his chest in the way. Does not gamble or get out of position.

Hume School opened in 1855, the first of Nashville's still-existing schools. Pearl opened in 1883. Both are now named slightly differently as Hume-Fogg and Pearl-Cohn respectively. Metro Nashville owns a proud tradition of athletics broadly and basketball specifically.