Can anybody beat Houston in TSSAA state tournament?
Will Houston win the Class AAA state title? That’s the main question of the TSSAA Division I boys basketball state tournament.
With the talent the Mustangs have assembled this year under firstyear coach and 17-year NBA veteran Mike Miller, it is easy to forget that Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup against Clarksville will be Houston’s first state tournament game in boys basketball since opening in 1989.
The Mustangs are heavy favorites this weekend, not just because they returned a strong core that includes 6-foot-9 Creighton commitment Mason Miller, 6-foot-8 forward Zander Yates, and 6-foot-3 point guard TJ Madlock.
Jerrell Colbert, 6-foot-10 LSU signee, moved into Houston’s zone from Texas in September. Then Oregon signee Johnathan Lawson, the reigning Class AA Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year, transferred to Houston from Wooddale in January after Shelby County Schools opted not to play basketball.
Houston has the state’s top three senior prospects in Colbert, Miller and Lawson, along with a deep bench that includes 6-foot-6 swingman Cal Greene and Ahmad Nowell, a talented freshman point guard from Philadelphia.
So who would you pick to bring home the gold ball this year? Houston or the field?
“From an outside perspective, I would take them, too,” said Siegel coach Dyron Birdwell. “You look at the talent they have (Creighton, Oregon, LSU signees), they should be the favorite. We would obviously love to play them, though. Anything can happen when the calendar flips over to March.”
Clarksville coach Ted Young, whose team will be Houston’s first opponent in the tournament, said he called one of his assistants to give him an idea of the roster. The assistant reported that four of the Mustang starters are 6-foot-6 or taller. Young responded, saying, ”No, not the University of Houston’; Houston High School.’
Despite Houston’s size advantage, Young says his game plan won’t change much.
“We’re not going to change everything now because we’re playing Houston,” Young said. “And Houston isn’t the best team in Tennessee. They’re the best team in the southern part of the United States. But we want to battle and try to keep it within two or three possessions by the fourth quarter. If we do that, then we’ll see what happens.”
Lawson feels like Houston has the best talent at every position on the floor. And since he already has a pair of state titles with Memphis East and Wooddale, he knows what championship expectations feel like.
“I feel like everybody is coming for us. But I also feel like we’re coming for everybody because we haven’t won a gold ball at Houston yet,” Lawson said. “We’re the big dogs I guess, but we’re still coming for everybody else. We just have to keep that dog mentality and focus on winning the game no matter who is on the court.”
The Mustangs have three scorers averaging double figures in Miller (18.7 points), Lawson (16.6 points), and Madlock (16.1 points). Colbert and Yates are averaging 9.7 and 8.7 points, respectively, rounding out the balanced scoring attack in the Mustangs’ starting five.
“We feed the hot man. We make plays for each other. If me or Mason aren’t doing nothing then TJ can step up,” Lawson said. “He and Zander played really big for us (in the sectionals) against Bartlett. They stepped up when my shot wasn’t falling and they came in and grabbed rebounds and helped us stay together.”
The only Tennessee opponent to beat Houston (18-3) during the regular season was Christian Brothers, which made the DII-AA semifinals. That was before the Mustangs had Lawson. Now, the Mustangs are at full strength and ready to take on anybody who stands in their way.
“It’s been fun,” Madlock said. “There was lot of high expectations coming into the season. I think for the most part we’ve lived up to it. But we still have a lot to prove.”