The Greeneville boys basketball team will be led by maybe the best player in East Tennessee, but the Greene Devils’ success this year will likely be determined by who steps up around him.
Trey Thompson is back for his junior season after a remarkable sophomore season in which he was named a Mr. Basketball finalist, but if the Devils are to improve on their Region 1-3A semifinals finish they will need more consistency from the rest of the lineup.
“Everybody’s eyes are going to be on Trey, so it comes down to who steps up around him. I really feel like you are going to see some guys take big steps this year. It’s really important to have other guys that can score consistently,” Greeneville coach Brad Woolsey said. “I feel like that was probably something we were missing last year. We had guys that could score. We just didn’t develop into consistent scorers, and that is what we are going to have to have this year.”
The two players who Woolsey has the highest expectations for are Isaac McGill and Zaydyn Anderson.
McGill, a 6’3” senior, had some big moments a year ago, but now the Devils will be looking for him to be one of the top players on the floor every night. Where Woolsey has seen the most growth out of McGill over the offseason is on the boards. He has been more aggressive in attacking the offensive glass and Woolsey feels like that might be the biggest change he has seen from his team over the offseason.
Anderson will primarily handle the Greene Devils point guard duties. The track state champion will be the fastest player on the floor most nights, but where Woolsey has been impressed with him over the offseason is ability to control the pace of the game. He will be expected to handle much of the ball-handling duties, and he has improved his shooting to become a more dangerous scorer.
Both McGill and Anderson, and more than half of the varsity roster still have some things they are looking to accomplish with the Greene Devils football teams. They may miss the first few games of the hoops season, and have not been able to participate in preseason practice. That may mean the team takes some time to mesh early in the year, but Woolsey feels like he has a talented group that can be dangerous by the time February rolls around.
The star of the show for this year’s Greene Devils will once again be the 6’7” Thompson. Much of his offseason has been spent collecting Division I scholarship offers, including from powerhouses like Tennessee and Purdue, but more importantly Woolsey has seen growth in his game.
A year ago Thompson averaged 23.4 points per game while he grabbed 9.4 rebounds per night. This year fans of the Devils may see him handle the ball more and play a more up-tempo style of game.
“He’s really grown his game in the last several months,” Woolsey said. “I feel like his perimeter game is actually better, he’s always been a great shooter, but I think he is handling the ball better. He’s tough to defend. You have a guy that shoots it, can post up and play and can handle the ball. It makes him a really, really tough matchup, and that’s why college teams like him, because of his versatility.”
Through his first two seasons with the Devils the way most teams have chosen to defend Thompson is to throw multiple bodies at him and play physically. To take that away the Devils plan to move Thompson around the formation more this year, and to play faster than the plodding posts who usual bang on him.
Rounding out Greeneville’s starting lineup will likely be seniors Jherivus Moore and Dominic Tweed. Moore is someone Woolsey describes as a high energy defender who brings some physicality to the lineup. Tweed has shown himself to be a great outside shooter in his time at Greeneville, but Woolsey thinks his ability to slash through the lane and get to the rim will be welcome addition to his repertoire this season.
Greeneville’s most experienced bench player will be sophomore guard Jordan Mills who showed at times he could be a capable scorer in his freshman season. Aside from Mills the Devils have little varsity experience coming off the bench, but Woolsey thinks he has some talented athletes who are ready to make a difference.
At the guard sports junior Cole Smith and sophomore Taren Claridy are a pair of capable athletes that will provide the Greene Devils with some depth. Ryan Maggert will be another player that will be competing for minutes on the perimeter.
In the post William Woolsey and Cole Smith will the players Greeneville looks at to add to the rotation.
Greeneville finished last year with a 20-8 record and went a perfect 8-0 in District 2-3A play, but the season ended in the Region 1-3A semifinals with a 57-56 loss to Tennessee High. Woolsey expects the region to once again be tough with David Crockett and Tennessee High both returning talented rosters.
