In the words of the late great Muhammad Ali‘, Houston shook up the world this past weekend with their huge win over Whitehaven High School. What does that do for them ranking wise among the best teams in Memphis?
This week, we will begin to see some district games take place with a few key ones that might affect rankings for the following week. Bartlett and Southwind begin 15AAAA play in their first meeting of the season thus far. That should be a pretty interesting game. I think Southwind can play with anyone in the city, and they will not be an easy out especially hosting tonight. Bartlett is coming off a nice showing in Utah over the weekend almost upsetting top 25 in the country, Harvard Westlake (CA) losing by just 3, 57-54.
The Top 5….
Bartlett this past weekend showed serious skill. Harvard Westlake is a program that plays like a collegiate team. California schools have the 35 second shot clock and Bartlett’s ability to play them close is a sign that they are moving in a different way. DJ Okoth is playing with more confidence. He had a solid performance in their last game against a good Lehi team (Utah) that won a state title last season. I think as he continues to get comfortable playing high school basketball, the better he becomes. Braylon Williams, right now, makes the case as a top 5 point guard in Memphis as a freshman. The second half of the season could be an eye opener. Dylan Jones and Sydney Thomas were good in the Harvard Westlake game which should give them a lot of confidence heading into tonight’s game. No change here, Bartlett is still #1
2. Houston High School (8-0) After that resounding win, they must face a solid Germantown team. The victory over Whitehaven was an emotional one with a little revenge from last season but that dreaded “trap” game could be today. They need to be careful of a letdown against Red Devils. They can’t overlook Germantown and get upset. I think their league is the best in the city and it starts tonight. Keys: Keiron, Keiron, more Keiron, he’s their focal point and it should be that way for the remainder of the year. He must be dialed in exactly as he was on Saturday along with Caleb Jeffries and Jordan Myles. Bench depth could factor into that game tonight as well.
3.Whitehaven High School (7-2) It’s on to the next game for Whitehaven as they take on West Creek (TN) in a few days (12/20). Hopefully, this is a get right game for them, but they shouldn’t take that team lightly. I think sometimes when you’re as talented as the Tigers, you tend to overlook teams. I think that kind of happened on Saturday, but Houston played great. There were some positives from that loss. I saw Dorion Bowen really trying to assert himself. He could be a player who could emerge as their vocal leader.
KJ Smith showed flashes too; which leads to the question of how will their rotation work going forward? Do they bring Jarmon Brittman back into the lineup as a starter? The Tigers have to rely more on the defensive end and get it out a little quicker for more opportunities score. I think they can struggle at times to score in the half court so getting some easy points off their defense and pushing it up a little quicker can earn them a few extra possessions and scoring. I think the makeup of their team should allow for that to happen with all of their options to score. Look for a bounce back game from Taquez Butler this week. He looked out of sorts on Saturday. I expect him to really play well in their next game. Note: 6’6 2025 Cameron Brown sparked them some as well and I think he along with Butler should be players they lean on more for offense.
4.Briarcrest Christian School (7-1) The Saints are 2-1 in their last 3 and play against Fairley on Friday at home where they are 4-0 on the season. The lost to last year’s state champs in Arkansas (Springdale) but came back with a win over an always scrappy Covington team by 15 points. They still have 3 more games before they get into conference play. After Fairley, they play MBA where Trey Benson will return having spent a little time at Briarcrest his freshman season. That should be interesting. Once again, it looks as though the Saints will be among the top 2 in their league with a chance to win it alongside Christian Brothers.
5. Southwind High School (7-3) Game of the night against Bartlett at home with a chance to make a statement. You beat Bartlett, it’s the biggest upset in the city. They will need their guys to be on tonight: Ron Towns, Kris Carroll, Dallas Berkley, Justin Edwards will have to represent and others will need to play great. Southwind played Bartlett tight in games last year, but Bartlett was older and more experienced with 2 Division 1 players.
Factor in Bartlett’s youth and Southwind’s experienced team (now with a host of juniors and seniors) and this game is completely different from last season. Bartlett starts 2 freshmen, a sophomore, 1 senior and a junior, they are the younger team now. Southwind will need to get off to a fast start in tonight’s game and not be overanxious. They can’t try to hit a home run on every shot.
That’s a little baseball analogy and here is another one, Southwind needs to hit some singles and rely on getting stops 1 possession at a time. This has to be a Core 4 Memphis Grizzlies grind it out game against a team like Bartlett. Then again, Southwind likes to get out and run this year more than in the past. This will be Southwind’s biggest test of the year so far and if they can limit turnovers, take good shots, rebound and score some in half court, who knows, anything can happen.
On The Brink
Is the city sleeping on Arlington? This team is 8-0 on the year so far with some pretty decent wins including Ridgeway and Central.
Harding Academy (7-1) 6’1 2027 Fred Martin is one of the best players you don’t hear a lot about, but you will. I think he’s a top 5 Sophomore.
St.George’s (6-1) Here is another young player that some are not paying attention to, Carson Crump. He has a couple of 20-point games under his belt and I think he’s only a freshman. Pay attention to him and that Gryphon team. They can win their side of the private schools.
