BARTLETT 2011-2012                                                      

     With enrollment down from usual numbers the past couple of years the enrollment is back on the rise as well as the basketball team. In his fourth year Coach David Owens has put together one of the best senior classes in the city and a solid AAA foe that can beat anyone in the city on any given night. Also the freshman class at Bartlett is also very strong this year with a lot of promise to come. Last year the question was can they advance in the crowded AAA postseason scene, to go down to Arlington in district action and not even make regionals was a total disappointment. This year it is a totally different answer with high aspirations on the horizon even though they don't have a big man, they still can prosper. At the start of the season it was one of the largest senior classes in the state with 9 seniors on the roster but with defections in senior Latrell Cunningham to West Memphis, Ark. and Kirby Franklin to Cordova it definitely will still be one of the best senior classes in the city but down from 9 to 4, a major difference. The Panthers will be led by Arkansas commitment, senior Athlon Bell (6'3 - 190 lbs. rivals #) with his high I.Q of the game combined with his high athleticism. He also possess a very deadly and accurate jump shot from all over the court. Bell displayed his overall game this summer with Memphis YOMCA  (54-4) as he recorded a very strong summer under his belt which has paid off ten-fold. Bell is also an 3.2 g.p.a. student on the academic side making him with the whole package. Senior teammate  Marquarius Boddie (6'1 - 185 lbs. rivals #) strong overall playmaking skills and aggressive play around the rim makes him a special player to keep your eyes on all season long. Point guard Jeffrey Dockett (5'10 - 165 lbs. diamond in the rough) will play the position running the team with his good passing and very quick ball handling skills, Coach Owens states, "Dockett is quicker with the ball than without the ball. Sophomore Chris Chiozza (5'10 - 170 lbs. rivals #), will start at the point this season due to his high level knowledge of the game and extensive summer experience that has paid off for this young man tremendously. Chiozza will be one of the best guards to come thru not only Bartlett but thru the city of Memphis before he graduates a Panther.

     The Panthers will travel back to Carbondale, Illinois for the 49th Annual Carbondale Holiday Tournament to claim another championship as in 2010 year when the Panthers started to make notice in the basketball world. One of the oldest tournaments in the country that has produced many Division 1 players turned a lot of heads with Bartlett winning it in 2010. Before Illinois they will participate in the Arlington Turkey Shootout on November 23rd, 2011. A very solid and strong senior nucleus class you will definitely hear from these Panthers this year and with a strong freshman class coming thru. Remember in 2000 when they came out of nowhere and won the whole thing behind Ole Miss signee Jonathan Loe and Ben Madlock. 

      Juniors Eric Wadell (6'1 - 175 lbs. diamond in the rough) and Gene Nolan (6'0 - 180 lbs. diamond in the rough) with garner valuable minutes  throughout the season and notch major minutes accordingly. Sophomores Ryan Miller (6'0 - 175 lbs. diamond in the rough) and Jeff Tell (6'6 - 185 lbs. diamond in the rough) also will contribute in certain situations.

College Coaches: Diamond in the Rough Team with legitimate off the radar prospects, (college coaches click here).

Recap 12-20-2011

By Staff Writer Harold Rivera

Players:

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