BRIARCREST 2011-2012
The last time the Hoopers staff
wrote a bio for the
Saints
was in 2007-2008 when
Leslie McDonald
(North
Carolina) led them to a
state championship and state runner up bid in a two year
span. The
Saints
are back with Coach
John Harrington
in his 10th year at the helm and with hands down the
best overall player in
Austin Nichols
(6'8 - 200 lbs.
rivals #
41)
since
Jarnell Stokes
(Tennessee)
went on to the college level in his senior year and a
feat yet to be duplicated with his prowess at top form.
Nichols
in a short period of time has transformed into a serious
comparison in the Hoopers eyes as a Duke type of player
accordingly, with some added weight to an already sturdy
body frame the sky is the limit. When
Nichols
masters the jump shot from
long range he will garner skills overall as he already
best all other attributes in accordance with great
dominance and follow thru. Senior
DeMarr Richardson
(6'3 - 180 lbs.
rivals #)
will provide strong overall play with his athleticism
with the ball and good ball handling skills. Junior
Sean Tuhoy
(6'0 - 185 lbs.
rivals #
-
Loyola (MD. Maramount)
at the 1 brings solid point guard skills and knows how
to facilitate the team in great fashion.
Tuhoy
has played the best guards in the city wit the
Saints
strong by and large schedule and has handled the
pressure in surprising fashion to the Hoopers staff.
Another senior that will provide valuable minutes
minutes and will be a major piece to their success with
double teams and of the sort coming on
Nichols
is
Chris Jones
(6'1 - 200 lbs.
rivals #)
who plays his position all over the court and is
very aggressive at all times. Another senior that will
help at the guard spot is
Nelson Ollie
(5'10 - 180 lbs.
rivals #)
with his solid ball handling and good court vision.
The
Saints will participate in the Harding Christmas
Tournament Dec. 19, 20, and 21 at Harding Academy.
Another prestigious tournament they will attend is the
Corn Palace Classic in South Dakota held by the Mike
Miller Foundation December 27 and 28, 2011. Other big
teams in attendance is Findley Prep and others of
significance.
Freshman
Chris Chiozza (5'10
- 170 lbs.
rivals #),
will start some this season due to his high level
knowledge of the game and extensive summer experience
will pay off for this young man tremendously. Transfers
in senior
Cory Hopkins (6'4 - 185 lbs.
diamond in the rough)
and junior Heber Arnold
(6'4 - 180 lbs.
diamond in the rough)
with garner valuable minutes throughout the season and
make the difference in certain important games.
respectively.
College
Coaches:
Diamond in the Rough Team with legitimate off the
radar prospects,
(college coaches click here).
Recap 9-20-2010
By Staff Writer Harold Rivera
Players:
Corey
Hopkins |
6'3 |
Senior |
Kirby
Franklin |
5'9 |
Junior |
Marquarius
Boddie |
6'1 |
Junior |
Athlon
Bell |
6'3 |
Junior |
Latrell
Cunningham |
5'9 |
Junior |
Gene Nolan |
6'0 |
Junior |
Jeffrey
Dockett |
5'9 |
Junior |
Jonathan
Withers |
6'0 |
Junior |
Tim
Clayborn |
6'1 |
Junior |
Heber
Arnold |
6'3 |
Junior |
Chris
Chiozza |
5'10 |
Freshman |
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Demarr Richardson |
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Recap 8-25-2005
BY : ANDRE WHITEHEAD
OF TENNESSEE PREP HOOPS
It was the best
of times, it was the worst of times. I think there is a
book that starts off that way, but I digress.
The anticipation of the upcoming AAU or summer campaign
was alive and kicking all over the country in May of
2005, especially in Memphis.
The expectations seemed enormous, having finished second
in the 17 and under nationals last season as 16's the
Memphis YOMCA seemed primed for the ultimate run.
Something happened on the way to the gym.
It was apparent the Bluff City faithful were not the
only parties interested in getting a piece of the star
studded squad.
Adidas wanted to get a foothold in the ever burgeoning
Memphis hoop scene and this seemed to be the initial
move to start this particular ball
rolling.
So the YOMCA was no longer in the loop and the Memphis
Pump-N-Run were officially born.
Taking a peek at the roster one could not blame Adidas
for their bold move. Thaddeus Young, Willie Kemp, Wayne
Chism, Pierre Niles and Brandon Powell made up a nucleus
that would surely lead Team Memphis to the promised
land.
The summer campaign started with a most interesting
scenario as the "PNR" lost a game to the Mid-State
Ballerz, who ironically had Willie Kemp running the
show. This was an illusion that would soon change, as
Kemp
shortly thereafter joined the PNR.
With all their ducks in a row, the PNR set out to
establish themselves and put a benchmark on the national
attention that would follow.
The Real Deal on the Hill, the first major tournament of
the summer that coaches could attend. The pundits pined
for the impending matchup between Team Memphis and the
defending mythical goliath The Indy Spiece Heat. The
Heat were led by the consensus top player in the class
Greg Oden and numerous other high level prospects who
could actually match the
PNR with name recognition.
The reputation was established and the aura of the PNR
was created as the boys from Memphis soundly defeated
the Heat and made a huge cry across the land as the best
summer squad in existence.
Another funny thing happened on the way to their future
endeavors, nothing.
For some inexplicable reason the PNR did not suit up for
any of the Memorial Day festivities and was sparsely
seen until the Adidas Super 64 in Atlanta, following the
shoe camps.
The aforementioned players participated in various high
level exposure camps and the three major shoe camps and
kept their names on the tongues of coaches nationwide.
After achieving individual success at these various
camps, the boys got back together with the purpose of
putting the finishing touches on a grand and final run
through the top programs the country had to offer. They
added Ridgeway jumping jack Ernest Fields and ECS
powerhouse Tim Johnson to the fold and things looked
bright.
Once again a funny thing happened on the way to the gym.
The time off and the lack of continuity played havoc on
the chemistry of the PNR and they bowed out early in
Atlanta.
Heading to Las Vegas for the final big time event of the
summer, the PNR seemed poised and ready to achieve.
After dominating pool play the lack of chemistry once
again reared it's ugly head and some resentment among
the players seemed to end this summer campaign on a sour
note.
This team had the potential to be one of the best of all
time. It is truly unclear what precipitated these events
that grounded this team for much of the latter portion
of May and June, but it truly had it's effect on their
success.
None the less these kids are part of the best class of
seniors to dot the Tennessee landscape in many years.
The decision to completely disassociate themselves with
the
organization that they grew up playing for in retrospect
now seems like a mistake. The YOMCA will continue on
with quality younger teams and what to make of the
Adidas affiliation with the Bluff City at this juncture
is
unclear.
BY : ANDRE WHITEHEAD
OF TENNESSEE PREP HOOPS
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