Spartans looking to replicate scenes from 2 years ago

By KYLE PARMLEY

The parallels are striking to this point.

Two years ago, in Tyler Davis’s first year at the helm of the Mountain Brook High School boys basketball program, the Spartans held an 11-6 record at the turn of the calendar to 2021. Mountain Brook then ripped off 19 straight wins to claim the Class 6A state title.

This season, the Spartans also held an 11-6 record as the calendar flipped to 2023. Where they go from here remains to be seen, but there are some similarities in the journey to this point.

“Playing those big-time games at the beginning of the year is always going to help us toward the end,” junior guard Ty Davis said. “It really reminds us of two years ago, when we struggled a lot at the beginning of the year, with everybody finding their niche. Now, we feel like we’re about to start rolling.”

This season, the Spartans started out by winning their first six games, before embarking on a six-game road trip that dealt them four losses. Defeats to a gritty Hewitt-Trussville team, a talented Vestavia Hills squad and two strong Tennessee teams left the Spartans 8-4. They also suffered tight losses to Bob Jones and Buckhorn in the Huntsville City Classic in late December.

“We beefed up the schedule to play some solid opponents this year, to ultimately make us ready for this time of year,” head coach Tyler Davis said. “The schedule has definitely played out to that.”

There were flashes of what the Spartans are capable of early on, as they won their Turkey Jam tournament with impressive victories over Tuscaloosa County and a Sandy Creek team out of Georgia.

“We know we have the talent, it’s just a matter of going through the adversity,” Tyler Davis said.

Tyler Davis said he would rather his team go through the tough times early on in the year, as opposed to “mowing people down” through a soft schedule. Building character through difficult times is a process that cannot be shortcut.

“After every loss, it’s more of a learning lesson,” forward Julius Clark said. “We can take things that we did wrong in those games and help us in the future.”

The Spartans rue some of those tight losses, feeling like they should have won a few of those contests. Turnovers at inopportune times and spotty free throw shooting have been the primary culprits in those games.

“We’ve got to be consistent for 32 minutes,” Tyler Davis said.

But as Mountain Brook gets rolling in a new year, hoping to replicate the finishing dominance of the 2020-21 team, Tyler Davis said he feels as if the team is starting to find its rhythm.

The Spartans feature five players that played football this fall. Mountain Brook’s football team went as far as it could go, playing in the state championship game Dec. 2. Those guys’ first game with the basketball team was Dec. 6 at Vestavia Hills, the team’s ninth game of the year.

“We knew we were going to need those guys, but they’re winners and high-character guys,”

Tyler Davis said.

John Colvin has jumped into the mix and been the team’s third leading scorer many nights.

“John Colvin has brought us a lot of scoring that we needed to have,” Ty Davis said.

John Carwie and Andrew Kohler have also brought a spark to the Spartans this season to supplement the scoring role that Ty Davis and Clark take on most games. Ty Davis lauded Carwie’s ability to come off the bench and make plays. Coach Tyler Davis pointed out Kohler’s willingness to do whatever the team needs as well.

The team is still unsure whether Kyle Layton will be back at some point late in the season. Layton played a starring role for the Spartans last season but suffered a knee injury in the summer.

In the meantime, Ty Davis and Clark have done a stellar job of leading the way for the team. Ty Davis has begun to get plenty of recruiting attention, as the guard has displayed his ability to lead the team from the point guard position and score at a high clip. Clark received high marks as well.

“He knows how to win,” Ty Davis said of his teammate. “He’s always made the winning play every time. If there’s a ball on the floor, he’s going to dive on it. And he’s the most athletic guy on the floor.”

The Spartans hope to be playing deep into February once again, and the veterans have been there and done that. Two years ago, they won it all. Last year, eventual champ Huffman clipped Mountain Brook in the regional final.

Above: Mountain Brook’s Julius Clark (23) dribbles the ball downcourt in a game against McAdory at Spartan Arena on Jan. 6.

Left: Mountain Brook’s Ty Davis (3) shoots a layup guarded by McAdory’s Jacobe Whitted (2). Photos by Erin Nelson.

“Once you’ve been there and done it once — twice for us — you know what it takes to win,” Ty Davis said.

“You hope everybody on the team keeps the right mindset.”

Clark added, “You’ve done it before, so it’s time to let it all out and go have fun.”

Mountain Brook running back Cole Gamble (19) runs the ball during the Class 6A state championship game at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium on Dec. 1.

Photo by Erin Nelson.