Why MAHS can play basketball when other SCS schools can't
Memphis Academy of Health Sciences didn't play football in 2020. It forced four-star receiver Cameron Miller to miss his junior season.
But things are different for Miller when it comes to playing basketball. He scored 15 points to help MAHS secure a 64-60 win at Briarcrest on Friday.
"I missed football a lot. I was kind of down because we didn't get to play," said Miller. "But when I found out we could play basketball I hit my coach up and told him I'm going to get back in the gym and help you get back to state like we did last year."
Shelby County Schools did not play fall sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and winter sports are still indefinitely suspended. But charter schools under the umbrella of Shelby County Schools like MAHS can make their own decisions on whether to play sports, Shelby County Schools chief of communications Jerica Phillips said.
"In-person learning and athletics, that is up to the decision of the charters," Phillips said Saturday. "They have their own board and the autonomy to make those decisions on their own."
MAHS coach Vernard Watkins said that two more charter schools, MASE and MBA, will be competing with MAHS in a three-team region in Class 1A this season. He said that teams competing in the region will be eligible for TSSAA playoffs.
The MAHS girls and boys basketball team teams started playing about four weeks ago.
"It was tricky to me, too, because I thought the same way, I thought we weren't going to be able to play," Watkins said. "But then once we met and (MAHS' executive director the Rev. Derrick Joyce) laid it out, the girls jumped on it and we still were hesitant about doing it, but we decided we had a few seniors that needed to play."
Watkins said that the Lions weren't able to do their normal preseason routine of conditioning, weightlifting and skill work.
"We're really just jumping right into the fire. But we feel like we have a good group and we felt that once we got their bodies in shape we would be able to compete with anybody," Watkins said.
MAHS advanced to its first state tournament last year, but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The Lions are looking to make it back with an almost entirely new group. Last year's region MVP David Dixon transferred to a prep school in May.
"This is a whole new group, we had a lot of scorers last year," said Miller. "But now we're rebuilding and we've just got to play like dogs and just be on top of our game and play hard. Defense starts with all of us. We score when we can in transition and on the offensive side."
But for now, the Lions are enjoying just having the opportunity to play.
"It feels good just to be active again after not being able to play football this season. That's the main thing," Miller said.