Last
time Hoopers staff wrote a team bio on the Bears was in
2006 when Arnette Moultrie
(6'8 - 225 lbs.,
rivals #)
was at the school before he headed
to Raleigh Egypt for his senior year.
Moultrie
got drafted by the 76ers in the first round
of the recent 2012 NBA Draft. The
Bears
are back with a senior laden team and should make some
serious noise in Division AA on the north section and
definitely state aspirations on the horizon.
Coach Rodney
Tooles will battle Manassas for 15 - AA title. Senior
Tyrone Wooten
(6'3 - 175 lbs.,
rivals #)
the reigning top
leading scorer in the city from last year and looking to
repeat the feat since Joe Jackson
of
White Station
did in 2008.
Tyrone Wooten
high offensive game includes nifty slashes to the goal
with great open court vision.
Wooten
range is consistent from all over the court with mid
range and from the arc.
Tadarius Neely
(6'5 - 195 lbs.,
rivals #)
had a very solid summer playing with
The Phenoms.
Neely's
left hand moves are as strong as anyone in the city to
go along with some great rebounding from both sides of
the court.
Another senior that will contribute tremendously is
Dwight Waddell
(6'4 - 185 lbs.,
rivals #)
in the paint. The
Bears
should hold their own with rebounding a plus even though
no big presence. At the guard spots they will be
run by two other seniors in
Chris Sims
(6'0 - 165 lbs.,
rivals #)
solid point guard play to go along with defensive
stalemate in
Lamarcus Stewart
(6'1 - 165 lbs.,
rivals #)will bring
toughness to the 1 and 2 spots respectively.
The Bears
will participate in the annual Martin Luther King
Tournament at Melrose High School during the
Thanksgiving Holidays. They will also attend the Hughes
Classic in Hughes, Arkansas right after Thanksgiving
break.
Sophomores that will garner valuable minutes throughout
the entire season will be
P'Angelo Harris
(6'1 - 165 lbs.,
rivals #).
and
DeAngelo Stewart
(6'1 - 165 lbs.,
rivals #)
and contribute extensively.
College
Coaches:Diamond in the Rough Team with legitimate off the
radar prospects,
(college coaches click here).
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.
