The last time the Greeneville basketball team took the floor it was at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro in the Class 3A State Tournament semifinals.
But the squad that takes the floor next for the Greene Devils will look wholly different, after graduations, injuries and early departures.
“This has been an interesting offseason. We’ve had guys graduate early, we’ve had injuries,” Greeneville coach Brad Woolsey said. “But these guys have worked hard to try get ready for the upcoming year. Sometimes it hasn’t been pretty, but what has been consistent is that these guys are giving great effort.”
The most notable loss for the Greene Devils is All-State forward Trey Thompson who graduated early and is now playing for the University of Iowa.
Without Thompson’s physical presence on the inside the Greene Devils will have a new look this season, but what that look is has not been determined yet. With most of the roster upheaval happening after summer camp the Devils have not been able to work much with the roster in its current form.
Finding out what the rotation looks like and what combinations work best together will take time for the Greene Devils, and with much of the roster on the football team it may be a few weeks still before the whole group takes the floor at the same time.
“It’s all about how the pieces fit together, and unfortunately, we have not been able to have these pieces on the floor together, so there is a lot of unknown. But in terms of how we are going to play won’t change a ton,” Woolsey said. “A lot of times you come out of the summer with a good idea about how everything fits together, but we are still figuring that out. I hope our football team is playing for a long time, but with that it could be a long time before we really know who we are.”
Leading that effort to find the team’s identity will be a pair of talented junior guards in Taren Claridy and Yordan Mills. The duo are the only players Greeneville brings back that played in the state tournament a year ago.
Claridy will be counted on to be an athletic mismatch most nights with his combination of speed and explosiveness.
“Taren really had a great summer and he is guy that plays with a lot of heart on both ends of the court. He can get to the rack and finish. He is guy that plays with a lot of passion, but the thing he has to work on is containing that and applying it the right way,” Woolsey said.
Mills has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons with the Devils, but now his role becomes much larger and Woolsey is excited to see what he can do as a primary option on offense.
“Yordan shoots it so well and has a great feel for the game,” Woolsey said. “Really, I’m interested to see how if effects Yordan to be a top guy after being that second, third or fourth guy. I think it can help him to know that he is the guy that we need to go score.”
The Greene Devils will rely on two seniors to provide leadership this season. Sharpshooter Ryan Maggert is the only other player who has varsity experience. William Woolsey was expected to play a varsity role a year ago, but had to deal with injuries. Now he will be counted to be a all over the floor with his versatile skill set.
“Will and Ryan have done great job of leading in the weight room and in our open gym work,” coach Woolsey said. “I’m excited to see those guys lead us this season. Neither of them have much varsity experience, but they both do things the right way and you can see the improvement they have made. Will is going to be that glue guy, the guy who can do the little things, and you have to have that guy. I feel like he can play the one through five, and that is really valuable. Ryan has always been able to shoot, but he has gotten a lot stronger over the offseason and has improved his ball handling as well.”
Another shooter coach Woolsey feels good about is junior Parker Quillen who will be counted on to boost the new-look Greene Devils offense this season.
“Parker shoots the ball really, really well. He’s such a competitor and he loves the game. I could see him having a really good year for us.,” Woolsey.
Freshman Zyaire Neal is someone who the Greene Devils believe has a bright future, and the long athlete will be counted on to provide important minutes this season.
Junior Braylen Kidwell is someone who Woolsey has seen a lot of growth from over the offseason, and he will be another perimeter player the Greene Devils will count on.
Junior Ryan Jobe is another guard that will battle for minutes this season, and sophomore Amir Knight will provide depth inside.
The Greene Devils will rely on a small lineup this season and they will be without all of their top rebounders from a year ago. Woolsey knows they will be at a size disadvantage in most contests this season, and that means his team will have to fight for every ball it can get its hands on.
“It’s going to be a fight every night to rebound the basketball just because we will be limited size wise,” Woolsey said. “We have to find ways to do the little things to give us some kind of advantage. We are going to give up some rebounds this year simply because we are small, but we have to find ways to use that to our advantage as well.”
Greeneville has challenged itself with one of its toughest non-district schedules in recent years. That includes state tournament contenders Alcoa, Maryville and Bearden. Regional powers Science Hill and Dobyns-Bennett are back on the schedule, as well as strong Class 4A programs Morristown East and Sevier County. In addition to that the Devils will play in the always tough The Classic Tournament in Bristol after Christmas.
“Our schedule might be the toughest we’ve had,” Woolsey said. “We are playing some big teams and good 4A teams. We have to look at every night as an opportunity to improve ourselves. At the end of the day we are trying to get prepared for the postseason, and this schedule should certainly do that.”
The Greene Devils have not lost a district game since 2019, but Woolsey knows that Greeneville’s foes in District 2-3A play will provide some challenges this season. The coach expects to see stronger squads from Cherokee and Volunteer and knows that Grainger will always be tough to beat.
The 2025-26 Greeneville Media Day was a success! With on-air interviews, behind-the-scenes exclusives, and some incredible highlights, GreeneSportsZone and WGRV are here to fulfill all your content needs.#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/5tyJ5Pc7H4
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 11, 2025
Greeneville 🏀 Media Day was a blast! We look forward to hitting more schools this week and showcasing the local county talent we have in this area! pic.twitter.com/6n2rgzg87o
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 11, 2025
Greeneville Head Coach Brad Woolsey spoke about the Greene Devils season ahead and how excited he and the new-look Devils are going into next week. pic.twitter.com/7d2cg8WPLN
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 11, 2025
Greene Devil Junior Taren Claridy (@claridy_taren) spoke about his excitement with basketball season around the corner and what’s expected of him in a larger role on this year’s squad. pic.twitter.com/x8pte78Suy
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 11, 2025
