Page 8 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2020
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Bulldogs
mented on the incoming freshmen. Other players that Smith is counting on to lead his team is Garrett Vines, Conor Jones, and Morgan Lyons – all of whom either started or were in a top rotation last season. Smith said the league is always tough and this year is no different. “Our league is always tough and competitive,” Smith said. “They do the same thing we do in playing a lot of 2A schools. “University High, North Greene, and Sullivan North have a lot of kids back. Cloudland and Unaka are county rivalries. By tournament time, whoever is playing good at the right time will be the key.” Smith said one thing will be the key. “Our chemistry. We have got a lot of kids that have been playing football. We have to get in the gym and get to work,” commented Smith. “The kids have to come together and play to form a good chemistry.”
2020-2021 Hampton Bulldogs Star Photo/Amy Banner
2020-2021 Hampton Bulldogs
Hampton shooting for the stars BY IVAN SANDERS STAR SPORTS EDITOR ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
M
Ned Smith Head Coach
arch 2020 is a month that the Hampton boys basketball team won’t too soon forget after battling their way through district, regional, and a substate win at home to qualify for the state tournament. Then the walls came tumbling down like the walls of Jericho when the boy’s state tournament was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Despite TSSAA trying to reschedule the tournament, it never materialized. Step forward eight months and the Hampton Bulldogs are as hungry as ever to earn the trip they never got to take as a new season starts. And while head coach Ned Smith is not a man of many words, he too would like to see his squad, first of all, get the opportunity to play out the season and two make it back to Murfreesboro for some unfinished business. “The kids are going to be competitive – they
are a good bunch,” Smith said. “I wish it was a normal season where we could get everything in as we wanted it and all the work we needed. “It’s going to be a crazy season, it really is.” Even though the ‘Dogs lost some key players from last season, there is still plenty in the cupboard to work with which has proven to be the case over the years at Hampton. “They have worked hard. We have some size and a lot of guards. The lineup could change night in to night out,” Smith added. “It’s going to be a competitive year for these guys as they battle for spots and playing time. “We have some young guys coming on. When we get to play, these guys have a lot of potential.” One positive for Smith is the fact that the Hampton Middle School boys team has been to the state championship for the last two seasons and with those guys moving up to high school, it has created instant depth. “It does and we are going to have a lot of depth and these guys are going to be battling it out for spots and playing time,” Smith com-
# Name 0 Nate Wilson 1 Dylan Trivett 2 Michael Harrison 3 Parker Henry 4 Conor Jones 10 Joseph Jenkins 11 Cadon Buckles 12 Dalton Holtsclaw 14 Logan Whitehead 23 Isaiah McCoury 24 Morgan Lyons 25 Garrett Vines 30 Conor Burleson 32 RD Ward 34 Hayden Campbell Head Coach: Ned Smith Asst Coach: Mike Matheson, Wesley Murray, Dewayne Humphrey Stats/Bookkeeper: Freddie Julian, Dave Ellis, Rob Fritts Principal: Jeff Bradley Athletic Director: Dewayne Humphrey
