Picking up from the Standouts list are the guys who crashed through the wall like the Hulk in a Marvel movie. These young athletes caught my attention and in doing so they’ve placed themselves on the radar. These are the Breakouts. Ron Towns 5’11 PG Southwind HS 2025– I think he was a bit overlooked…
I watched quite a few games during June to get a good gauge of what high school basketball will look like next season. Some athletes look ready to make a jump and breakout next year. Some stood out a little bit but are definitely worth introducing. Up first, my standouts from the month of June….
New Faces, New Places The story of the spring is about former FACS Coach, Dee Wilkes, moving to St. George and is now the head coach there after leading FACS to a state title, his second in 4 years. Wilkes is one of the rising young star coaches in Tennessee. With a new opportunity, comes…
Are They Ready? 1. There are a few other teams who represented in June I think have shots to be in the thick of things. One could even have winning the league on their mind, the Southwind Jaguars. Last year, they were on the cusp of a few upset wins. They were in games with…
Is Houston Among the Elite In 4A? I can’t lie, the Mustangs got me. For those who know me, at the beginning of the year, I was really high on the Houston Mustang squad. Did I think they would win their league, no, I didn’t go that far. However, I was confident they had…
Briarcrest & CBHS Are Still the Faces of Their League Fresh off a state title run, Briarcrest is still on a basketball high, and they should be. Will they miss their all-time leading scorer in school history? Yes, they will. Cooper Haynes had a really good career there and he’s off to Belmont University. Who…
Bartlett Will Be There Once Again The demise of Bartlett has been greatly over-exaggerated. I heard it through the season last year and after the state was over with, “No R’Chaun King, no Alston, no so and so… Bartlett might be a little down next season.” I say, not quite. Here is why, 6’6, Dylan…
June team camps are over. The scrimmages are over. The practices, all done. We will not see high school basketball teams back in action until the fall but I can give you something to look forward to as we edge closer and closer to the 2024-2025 season. Whitehaven Looks Legit I like this team. I…
Jones Reclassification Should Pay Dividends Tyler Jones, formerly of ECS, will reclassify into the 2026 class next season and attend Christ School in Arden, North Carolina. The 6’3 combo guard played all year at the lead guard position for his high school team propelling them to a state tournament appearance for the first time in over…
Each spring and summer, players from all over the country try to perform well enough to garner scholarship opportunities. The ultimate goal for most is NCAA Division 1. Production has to meet the potential for that dream to take place. For the 2025 and 2026 classes in Memphis, the time is now, and a few…
I was on social media the other day and a question was asked to me, “Who is going to be good next year, what teams? Do you have any idea?” I stopped to think and said to myself, “Chuck, why not put out a way to early top 5 list.” I went and did a…
For the first time in school history, the Middle College Bulldogs are headed to the state tournament! Was it easy ? Not at all, but it was was worth the price of admission to see the looks on the players faces, coaches and fans as they ran across the floor after winning the sub-state…
Neville See’s State Tournament in Sight I’ve seen the social media talk during the high school basketball season. Time and time again, the comments are, “He can’t score enough, he can’t shoot, he can’t, he can’t, he can’t.” On this day though, the biggest game of his high school season, Kylan Neville is the lead…
Youngsters aren’t going to get the song references in the title, but old heads who are cheering on their kids will remember Raphael Saadiq’s album Instant Vintage and GangStar’s Step into the Arena. Cordova vs Whitehaven was like classic Hip-Hop and R&B; an old school battle with everything on the line. The vibes felt…
In my Stephen A. Smith voice, Last night was a magnanimous night of mystifying amazing high school hoops in the city of Memphis. I don’t know what else to say but if last night was any indication, we are in for a treat the rest of the way. I have to break this down Play…
District tournaments are over, now the real season begins as regionals start February 21st. Private school sub-state and quarterfinals are ready to roll as well. My top 5 is now top 10 heading into the last few weeks of the season. Soon we will know who’s representing the area in the Tennessee High School State…
The 2024 Memphis class was shook up in a major way when high-major talent decided it was best to compete against a national schedule. I won’t list those athletes here because that takes the focus from an incredibly talented group of young men. No knock on those players, if it works, it works and for…
At this time of the year being comfortable can be a problem. It could even have you holding an L at the absolute worst time of the season. An upset last week by MUS of the number 1 team in the state, Briarcrest shows how relaxing can catch up with a squad. The teams in…
Sometimes it’s not the pretty ones you have to win, you have to win a rock fight as well. That’s exactly what MASE did last night advancing to the city title game in a tight, low scoring affair. Coach Moody told me after the game “Chuck, we have averaged 78 points all year and tonight,…
This is the first edition of Chuck’s Power 5. The top 5 basketball programs in the city of Memphis deserve to be celebrated. They’ve earned their way to this list, so you can jump on the bandwagon now so you won’t have to fake like you were rocking with the best the entire time. Let’s…
FACS Looks Primed For A Run In Div II-A With 4 to 5 games remaining on their respective schedules, 2 teams stand out as the private school regular season winds down. Briarcrest Christian and First Assembly Christian or FACS as called by most in the city. First up, let’s look at the Crusaders. Coach Dee…
Last but not least is the 1A Classification. There are a few teams that I considered. MASE is the first. I like this team especially because their league is competitive but isn’t a huge challenge for them. Jordyin Buckley is their leader and best player. The class of 2024 hooper hardly has any athlete in…
