Connect with us

Basketball

Meet The Tennessean’s All-Decade 2000s high school boys basketball team

Published

7 months ago

on

Meet The Tennessean’s All-Decade 2000s high school boys basketball team

In the 1990s the Nashville area produced some of the best Tennessee high school boys basketball players and by the 2000s, not only did that trend continue, but the area also started to produce NBA caliber players.

Players such as Portland’s Corey Brewer and Station Camp’s John Jenkins along with Brentwood Academy’s Brandan Wright and David Harrison were all first-round NBA Draft picks.

There were plenty of other outstanding high school players who didn’t get a shot in the NBA but proved to be among the best to ever play in the area.

Here is The Tennessean’s Nashville area All-Decade 2000s high school boys basketball team. The year each player graduated is in parenthesis.

Corey Brewer

Portland | Forward (2004)

McDonald’s All-American … Parade All-American … Mr. Basketball … Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year … AP All-State … Tennessean Midstate Player of the Year … two-time All-Midstate … a 6-foot-8 forward who led the Midstate in scoring (29.4 points) as a senior. Also averaged 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists … “We saw a 1-3 zone defense with a chaser on Corey and then they ran doubles at him,” Portland coach Tris Kington said at the time. “We saw a triangle with two guys on Corey. We saw a box-and-one, and some people played man with two guys on Corey and left one of our guys uncovered. I’ve never seen such crazy defenses.” … averaged 21.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and led Portland to its only state tournament appearance as a junior … signed with Florida … led the Gators to two national championships in three seasons … named the 2007 Final Four Most Outstanding Player … posted the only triple-double in Florida history at the time … All-SEC and SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year … declared for NBA Draft after his junior season … selected in the first round (7th overall pick) by the Minnesota Timberwolves … played in 819 games over 13 seasons in the NBA … 7,097 career points and 2,287 rebounds … became player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020.

Jamont Gordon

Glencliff | Forward (2005)

Mr. Basketball … AP All-State … a 6-4 wing who led Glencliff to its second state tournament appearance and a 26-7 record as a junior … averaged 27.4 points, 16.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and was an outstanding 3-point shooter … rated by Rivals.com as the nation’s ninth-best junior prospect … scored 38 points and made seven 3-pointers in a 90-60 win over Overton … “It’s not just Jamont’s athletic ability, but his drive and love for the game that makes him get better,” Glencliff coach Steven Wright said. “And he’s fun to watch.” … transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior season … expected to sign with Tennessee before Vols coach Buzz Peterson was fired and ended up signing with Mississippi State. New Vols coach Bruce Pearl admitted not trying harder to sign Gordon was his first big mistake at UT … All-SEC Freshman … All-SEC … averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists for his career … played eight seasons professionally overseas.

Jamie Graham

Whites Creek | Guard (2007)

Tennessean Player of the Year … a 6-3 guard who is the only athlete to make The Tennessean All-Decade football and basketball teams … led Whites Creek’s basketball team to a 93-38 record and back-to-back trips to the Class AAA state tournament semifinals in his four years as a starter … Cobras’ third all-time leading scorer (1,657 points) and all-time assists (570) and steals (530) leader … averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 assists and 5.5 steals per game as a senior … shot 57.0% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range … only the third person to win the Hume Award (Metro’s top student-athlete in football) and Moss-Oliver Award (Metro’s top student-athlete in basketball) … signed a Vanderbilt football scholarship with plans also to play basketball … first athlete to play both sports at Vanderbilt since 1994-95 … transferred to UCLA as a graduate student where he played football … joined the Hillsboro boys basketball coaching staff in 2015. Became an assistant football coach at Lipscomb Academy under coach Trent Dilfer and followed Dilfer to UAB as offensive quality control coach … named Lipscomb Academy’s football coach in December.

David Harrison

Brentwood Academy | Center (2001)

McDonald’s All-American … Parade All-American … USA Today All-American … Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year … two-time Mr. Basketball … Tennessean Midstate Player of the Year … a 7-foot post player who scored 40 or more points in three games, 30 or more in eight games and recorded 23 double-doubles as a senior … averaged 28.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game … led Brentwood Academy to runner-up in the state tournament as a junior. Had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the state championship game against Montgomery Bell Academy … had 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Kentucky Derby Classic All-Star game … also played football … father Dennis Harrison was a Riverdale, Vanderbilt and NFL star who also coached football at Vanderbilt and made The Tennessean All-Decade 1970s Football Team … the nation’s No. 10 college prospect by Rivals.com and No. 16 by Sporting News … narrowed his choices to Vanderbilt, Colorado and North Carolina before choosing Colorado … Big 12 All-Freshman … All-Big 12 … first Colorado player since 1995 to record a triple-double (31 points, 17 rebounds, 10 blocks) against Stetson and recorded another against Nebraska (20 points, 10 rebounds, 11 blocks) in the season finale … had 1,317 career points, 707 rebounds and set the school record for blocked shots with 225 … selected in the first round of the NBA Draft (29th overall pick) by the Indiana Pacers.

Boomer Herndon

Donelson Christian Academy | Center (2002)

AP All-State … Tennessean All-Midstate … a 6-10 center who was one of the state’s top scorers, rebounders and shot blockers as a senior and led DCA to the state tournament semifinals … averaged 26.7 points, 17.0 rebounds and 7.2 blocked shots per game … shattered a backboard with a slam dunk in a game against Smith County … outstanding passer for a post player … “He’s the centerpiece of our team, the focal point of every defense we play, so to put up the numbers he has against that defensive intensity is remarkable,” DCA coach Presley Ramsey said. … among the nation’s top 100 college prospects, according to recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons … narrowed choices to Tennessee and Vanderbilt before choosing the Vols … transferred to Belmont after his sophomore season … played in 64 games and started in 26 in two seasons at Belmont … helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths … averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots for his career.

John Jenkins

Station Camp | Guard (2009)

Parade All-American … Reebok All-American … Mr. Basketball … two-time Tennessean Midstate Player of the Year … a prolific scoring 6-5 shooting guard who led the nation in scoring with 42.3 points per game, which made him the state’s second all-time leader … scored at least 40 points in 18 games as a senior, at least 50 in five games and a career-best 60 against Gallatin in double-overtime in the region tournament … scored 3,192 career points, which is 10th all-time in the state … “I never had time to think about how much I was scoring,” Jenkins said at the time. “I was worried about making sure my team was winning and doing what my coach wanted. The only time I knew is when I scored more than 50. Then somebody would tell me.” … set the state record for consecutive made free throws at 68 … made 117 3-pointers as a senior … shot better than 60% from the field and 50% from 3-point range … season-low scoring effort was 30 points … averaged 8.0 rebounds per game … selected to play in the Capital Classic in Washington D.C. where he scored a game-high 27 points, and the Reebok All-American game in Philadelphia … Rivals.com 5-star prospect … signed with Vanderbilt … played in every game and averaged 11.0 points per game as a freshman then averaged 19.5 points as a sophomore .. averaged 19.9 points per game as a junior, which led the SEC for the second consecutive season … two-time All-SEC and All-American third team as a junior … declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season and selected in the first round (23rd overall) by the Atlanta Hawks … played six seasons in the NBA for five different teams … 855 career points and 255 rebounds.

Drew Kelly

Centennial | Forward (2009)

Mr. Basketball (first Class AAA Mr. Basketball from a Williamson County public school) … a 6-7, 230-pound forward who averaged 31.1 points, 15.2 rebounds, 5.5 blocked shots and 3.6 assists per game as a senior … scored more than 2,500 career points … shot 70.5% from the field … scored 67 points, which set the school record for single-game points, in a holiday tournament in Kentucky. Made 26 of 36 field goals and 11 of 16 free throws in that game … scored 37 points in wins over Hillsboro and Overton … four-time district MVP … four-year team captain … wore No. 00 as a seventh grader at Heritage Middle School and the older students teased him saying that’s how many points he would have the entire season. Kept the number as an eighth grader and had 45 points in the first game and wore the number the rest of his career … father Brian Kelly, the Centennial coach at the time, played basketball at Morehead State (1983-86). Grandfather Lake Kelly coached at Austin Peay (1971-77) and is a member of the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame. Cousin Chad Clifton played football for Tennessee and the Green Bay Packers (2000-11) … spent one season at Miami (Ohio) before transferring to Morehead State … played in a total of 123 games … 1,013 career points and 522 rebounds.

Zaccheus Mason

Christ Presbyterian Academy | Forward (2009)

All-State … Mr. Basketball finalist … All-Midstate … a 6-6, 240-pound, forward also known as Z who led Christ Presbyterian Academy to a 21-game win streak, which ended in the first round of the state tournament against No. 1-ranked Dyer County … led CPA to a 61-8 record over his junior and senior seasons … three-time all-region and tournament MVP as a senior … averaged 24.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocked shots per game as a senior … started being recruited by SEC and ACC schools as a sophomore when he averaged 21.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots per game … was also an outstanding tight end on the football team and rated as the nation’s No. 91 player by ESPN … decided to sign a football scholarship and narrowed his choices to Tennessee, Memphis and Ole Miss before choosing Ole Miss … transferred to Chattanooga after his freshman season to play basketball … became a fulltime starter as a junior … two-time All-Southern Conference … conference defensive player of the year as a senior when he averaged 18.1 points and set the conference record for rebounds per game at 9.1 … only Chattanooga player to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career.

Mario Moore

Antioch | Guard (2002)

Two-time All-State … two-time Mr. Basketball finalist … two-time Tennessean All-Midstate … a dynamic 5-11 point guard who led Antioch to its first trip to the state tournament as a sophomore after the Bears had endured 13 consecutive losing seasons … averaged 23.7 points, 9.8 assists and 5.1 steals per game as a senior … “Mario is one of the best talents I’ve ever coached, an intelligent young man with all the potential,” Antioch coach Barry Mangrum said. … scored 35 points in the second half and 46 total against Riverdale as a junior … listed by the Sporting News as one of the nation’s top 10 junior point guards … ranked as the nation’s No. 48 college prospect and in the top 10 among point guards by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons … committed to Vanderbilt before his junior season … helped lead the Commodores to the Sweet 16 in 2004 … set the school record for 3-pointers in a game with nine … All-SEC second team … 1,137 career points … played professionally in Slovenia for two years … began his coaching career on the staff at Hunters Lane before becoming an assistant at Shorter University … inducted into the Antioch Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

DeMarco Polk

Stratford | Guard (2002)

Mr. Basketball Class AAA … AP All-State … Tennessean Player of the Year … a 6-1 guard who led Stratford to the semifinals of the state tournament … scored a total of 42 points in the two state tournament games … “He’s very, very aggressive,” said rival Whites Creek coach Jim Nollner. “He has no fear. He is going to the basket and he will throw his body in there. And he wants the ball with the game on the line.” … had a knack for making big baskets at key times to stop opponent’s runs … outstanding leaping ability … averaged 22.0 points per game while shooting 71.2% from the field as a senior … also averaged 5.0 steals, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists … scored more than 1,300 career points … known as one of the top defenders in Metro … helped Stratford post a 50-8 record over his junior and senior seasons … emerged as a leader as a junior while playing alongside fellow standout Jacques Curry, a senior, when he averaged 18.5 points and 5.1 assists per game … played in the Tennessee-Georgia All-Star game.

Gerald Robinson

M.L. King | Guard (2007)

All-State … Mr. Basketball finalist … Tennessean All-Midstate … a 6-1 guard who helped lead M.L. King to the state tournament semifinals in his freshman and sophomore seasons … one of the state’s leading scorers who averaged 28.5 points per game as a senior along with 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 steals … scored a school-record 64 points in a game against Kirby … listed as the nation’s No. 30 point guard as a junior by Scout.com … averaged 19.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior. … recruited by Mississippi, Belmont, Chattanooga, George Mason, East Carolina and Appalachian State before signing early with TSU citing his many ties to the school. His father Gerald Robinson Sr. was TSU’s tennis coach at the time and his uncle Allen Robinson had served many years as the Tigers baseball coach. … became a starter as a freshman and nearly led TSU to a win over No. 17-ranked Vanderbilt when he had 24 points including four 3-pointers in an 83-74 loss … All-OVC newcomer team … scored 1,021 points in two seasons at TSU then transferred to Georgia for his last two years … started a total of 60 games over two seasons at Georgia where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists … began playing professional basketball overseas in 2012 and is still playing today.

Tyler Smith

Giles County | Forward (2005)

Three-time All-State … three-time Mr. Basketball finalist … Midstate Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior … a 6-7 forward who led Giles County to its only state championship in 2003 … led the Midstate in scoring averaging 26.5 points per game as a senior. Also averaged 8.2 rebounds … averaged 23.1 points as a junior … state tournament MVP as a sophomore … father Billy Smith also played at Giles County and was one of the school’s best players of all-time … ranked as the No. 2 college prospect in the state and No. 63 nationally by Rivals.com … committed early to Tennessee then asked for a release from his scholarship after Buzz Peterson was fired as the Vols coach. New Vols coach Bruce Pearl denied Smith’s request so Smith attended Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. After graduating from Hargrave Smith committed to Iowa … led the Hawkeyes in rebounds (5.7) and was second in scoring (14.9) as a freshman … All-Big Ten Freshman team and All-Big Ten third team … transferred to Tennessee after his freshman season … averaged 14.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in three-seasons at UT … two-time All-SEC … played professionally overseas … joined the Giles County coaching staff as an assistant and helped the Bobcats return to the state tournament for the first time since he was a sophomore in 2023.

Barry Stewart

Shelbyville | Guard (2006)

First Shelbyville boys player to win Mr. Basketball … All-State … Tennessean All-Midstate … a 6-3 guard who led Shelbyville to the state championship game for the first time as a senior … had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the 76-75 double overtime loss to Hamilton in the championship game … led Shelbyville to a 34-4 record as a senior while averaging 23.1 points and making a total of 80 3-pointers … also averaged 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists per game as a senior … became Shelbyville’s all-time leading rebounder (681) and second leading scorer (1,768 points). … averaged 17.4 points and 7.1 rebounds as a junior … helped lead Shelbyville to a 92-44 record over four seasons … played in the TACA East-West All-Star game and tied with East teammate Keith Ramsey as leading scorer with 22 points … signed with Mississippi State after also considering MTSU, Austin Peay, Lipscomb and Chattanooga … Coaches All-SEC Freshman team … set Mississippi State’s freshman records for 3-pointers made (68) and attempts (174) … made six 3-pointers on eight attempts vs. Tennessee as a sophomore … became State’s 30th 1,000-point scorer as a junior and finished career with 1,602 points … set the school record for 3-pointers made (280), attempted (779) and minutes played (4,431). Tied with Jarvis Varnado for most games played (141) … two-time All-SEC Tournament team … helped lead State to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009 … played professionally overseas.

Julian Terrell

Ezell-Harding | Forward/center (2002)

Mr. Basketball finalist … All-State … Tennessean All-Midstate … a 6-8 post player who averaged 69.0% shooting from the field and 17.9 points per game as a senior … led Ezell-Harding to the state tournament championship game in his junior and senior seasons … “He alters the game,” Ezell-Harding coach Chris Burnett said. “He keeps opposing teams from driving in, he’s a shot blocker, his presence is felt.” … averaged 8.5 rebounds as a senior … led Ezell-Harding to a 60-7 record over his junior and senior seasons … scored a game-high 26 points in a 71-67 upset win over top-ranked Pickett County as a junior in the state tournament quarterfinals … signed with Vanderbilt after also considering Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama … after signing, the entire Commodores team came to watch him play in a game against DCA and UT signee Boomer Herndon … became the Commodores’ starting center at the start of his sophomore season and remained the starter the rest of his career … helped lead Vandy to the Sweet 16 as a sophomore and the NIT quarterfinals as a junior … team captain in his junior and senior seasons … left Vanderbilt as one of only two players (the other was Will Perdue) to have at least 600 career rebounds and 100 blocked shots … played professionally overseas for seven years … returned to Vanderbilt as director of video operations in 2013 … hired as an assistant at Austin Peay in 2015 … named assistant coach of the Chicago Bulls’ G-League team Windy City Bulls in 2017.

Brandan Wright

Brentwood Academy | Center (2006)

Two-time Parade All-American … McDonald’s All-American … USA Today All-American second team … Orlando Sentinel’s Southern Player of the Year … two-time All-State … first three-time Mr. Basketball recipient … played in the McDonald’s All-Star Game, Jordan Classic and Nike Hoop Classic … a 6-9 post who led Brentwood Academy to a record four consecutive state basketball championships … had 2,662 career points, 1,205 rebounds and 595 blocked shots … averaged 22.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots as a senior … posted four triple-doubles as a senior … blocked 10 or more shots in four games including a season-high 16 … helped Eagles post a 114-21 record for his career … ranked as the nation’s No. 5 college prospect by Rivals.com and No. 2 in the state behind Memphis’ Thaddeus Young … narrowed his choices to Duke, Kentucky and Louisville before signing with North Carolina … ACC Rookie of the Year, All-ACC freshman team, All-ACC second team … ACC Tournament MVP … played only one year at North Carolina before declaring for the NBA Draft … selected in the first round (eighth overall) by Charlotte and acquired on draft night by Golden State … played 10 seasons for seven teams before retiring from the NBA in 2018 … averaged 17.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in the 2013-14 season with Dallas then in 2015 signed a three-year, $17.1 million contract the Memphis Grizzlies. … 2,976 career points and 1,560 rebounds.

Coach

George Pitts | Brentwood Academy

George Pitts had already established himself as one of the best high school basketball coaches in Tennessee when arrived at Brentwood Academy in 2001. Then he did what no coach had ever done in Tennessee leading the Eagles to four consecutive state championships from 2003-06. Pitts developed extraordinary talent during his time at Brentwood Academy including Brandan Wright, who was Mr. Basketball in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Pitts’ record at Brentwood Academy was 130-34. His four Division II state titles at Brentwood Academy gave him a total of seven state championships having won three at Science Hill (1990, 1994 and 1995). The University of Tennessee graduate also coached at Bearden, Young and South-Young in Knoxville and his career high school record was 820-211. Pitts posted only one losing record in 36 years as a high school coach. Following Brentwood Academy’s 2006 state championship win over Evangelical Christian School, Pitts became the coach at King College in Bristol, which was moving from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Pitts is in the TSSAA Hall of Fame, Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee Hall of Fame, Knoxville Interscholastic League Hall of Fame and Northeast Tennessee Hall of Fame.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading