When Allen Tolliver took the head coaching position at West Greene in 2021, he was not much more than a kid himself. He was straight out of college and the only coaching experience he had was when he interned and helped the coaching staff as a part of his degree.
The Buffs had not had a winning season in over two decades when Tolliver took over but he had a vision, that vision was to build a winning program at his alma mater. That vision became a reality last season as he guided the Buffaloes to a 16-11 record, five games over .500, giving the Buffs their first winning season this century.
Tolliver also knows if the Buffs are going to keep winning it is going to take a lot of challenging work from him and his players.
Last season’s success was due in part by the man in the middle, Ayden Lamons, now a senior. Lamons stands bout 6’6” tall and can play facing the basket or with his back to the goal. Tolliver’s voice gets to a different level when he talks about Lamons saying, “He’s bout 6’6” but he has a massive wingspan so he plays like he’s 6’8” or 6’9” at times. He’s a great passer and rebounder and he possesses the ability to knock down the three-ball . He’s left-handed so he’s hard to defend on offense, and was one of the state’s top shot blockers last season on the defensive end of the floor.”
Elijah Williams, also a senior this year, will be the floor general for Buffs.
Tolliver says, “He just plays ball, the kid never makes the wrong decision. He’s not the biggest kid on the floor but you can’t measure heart. He seems to always make the right pass at the right time and just has a nose for the game, his basketball IQ is off the charts.”
Peyton Shelton is also a senior this upcoming season and Tolliver will look to him to bring more leadership to the floor.
“Peyton is a smart player. He’s another that’s always in the right place at the right time,” Tolliver said. “We’re working on getting his touch back right now. He played golf and didn’t get a lot of off-season workouts, but he’s getting back into basketball shape”.
Tutus Shelton, no relation to Peyton, is another that Tolliver spoke well of saying, “He’s a sophomore with good size about 6’4” or 6’5”, he’s put in a ton of work this off season, he can play outside the arc or penetrate and find the open man.”
Luke Heck is also a sophomore, “He’s a super hard worker probably one of the most physical guys we have on the team, it’s a shocker he doesn’t play football, he really excels on the defensive end,” Tolliver said.
The Buffs only have two juniors on the squad, Skylar Thornburg and Bradley Caldwell, both guards. Both should see rotational minutes.
Tolliver says, “Bradley is streaky, once he sees one go in the rim gets bigger and he can’t miss.”
Tolliver also said of Thornburg, “He’s not going to wow you with points, but he’s going to do the small things and be in the right spot and on defense. He’s going to keep the ball in front of him, his progress from his freshman year to now is huge.”
The Buffalos also have a couple freshmen that figure to see playing time and contribute this season in Josiah Dawson and Carter Stills.
“Dawson will give us minutes at the point and can also play the two-guard position, he works his hind end off, always putting in extra work in the gym. He is a super great kid and see’s the floor well and has a great fell for the game and always locked-in”, Says Tolliver.
On Stills Tolliver said, “I’ve really been impressed with the basketball IQ of these freshmen. Carter reads the ball off the rim as good as anyone we have. He is a great rebounder, he thrives on defense. He can score, but focuses on defense currently and I can see both my freshman really contributing to the team this season.”
The Buffs open the season at University High November 18th.
The West Greene Buffaloes are stampeding towards the 2025-26 basketball season. We got the chance to catch up with them at their media day.
Make sure to follow us to keep up with this upcoming basketball season!#FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/5BAUX0LzmW
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 15, 2025
Buffaloes Head Coach Allen Tolliver spoke with us at West Greene’s Media Day on Friday and detailed what his squad is looking like going into the brand new season starting this week. pic.twitter.com/cIKGQ7JZUU
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 17, 2025
West Greene senior Ayden Lamons (@AydenLamons) gave us some insight on what to expect in the Buffaloes new season. pic.twitter.com/UTeJ80M2KB
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 17, 2025
West Greene senior Elijah Williams detailed his excitement and anticipation with his senior season approaching soon. pic.twitter.com/klTPdvFDRR
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) November 17, 2025
