Better late than never, high school basketball returns
Ty Pitman surveys the court. (File photo)
If you’re anything like me, you truly missed heading down to the gym in Ledger on a chilly night and hearing the sound of squeaking sneakers, the basketball hitting the hardwood and coaches barking strategy across the court.
Finally, it’s that time again— high school basketball is back.
The Mitchell High girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams both will be exciting to watch during this coming shortened season.
The boy’s team returns its top player in Caius Arrington and an exciting guard in Jeremy Sparks while the girls’ team should be must-watch with seniors Jill Pittman, Paige Johnson and Marley Cloer returning.
The Mitchell girls came within one win of playing for a state championship this past season and were edged by a quality Murphy team that never lost a game.
If you were at that game in Hickory, you remember how emotional and exciting it was and just how close the Mountaineers were to advancing.
They certainly have unfinished business and the quest to try to return to the top begins this month.
Of course, it’ll also be great to see what new faces step up for Mitchell basketball. Future stars lie on these rosters, but who will they be?
This season— much like most of the past year— will be decidedly different. There will only be 13 regular season games, players will be masked up and attendance will be limited.
But, at the end of the day, it’s the same basketball we all know and love.
The shortened season will be a true sprint to the finish and the excitement begins now.
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Girls’ team to lean on returning veterans
The Mitchell High School varsity girls’ basketball team will look to its veteran leadership to lead the way during the shortened 2021 season that begins this month.
The Mountaineers are fresh off of a 22-6 2019-20 campaign that included an 8-2 mark in Western Highlands Conference play.
Mitchell downed regular season conference champion Mountain Heritage in the conference tournament and surged into the 1A state playoffs as a No. 3 seed.
The Mountaineers marched to the state semifinals but were edged 63-62 by Murphy, which finished with an unblemished 30-0 record.
Mitchell graduated several members of last season’s roster, the most glaring of which is starting point guard Hannah McMahan who led the team with 6.4 assists per game and scored 10 points per game, which was good for third on the team.
Mountaineers head coach Zackary McCartha said he expects senior Jill Pittman to start at point guard in McMahan’s place.
Pittman, who finished fourth on the team with 8.6 points per game last season, announced this past November that she will play college basketball at Brenau College after graduation.
“She’s excited,” McCartha said about Pittman taking on a new role. “She likes playing the point. She’s a different kind of point guard than Hannah. She’s very crafty and has good vision. She knows how to get us in and out of everything.”
In addition to leaning heavily on Pittman, McCartha will also look to returning seniors Paige Johnson and Marley Cloer for big contributions.
As juniors last season, Johnson led the team with 10.8 points and five rebounds per game and Cloer scored 10.3 points per game and hit a team-high 38 percent of her 3-pointers.
“Marley can really shoot it,” McCartha said. “She’s one of the best 3-point shooters in Western North Carolina.”
McCartha said Johnson, despite already being one of the team’s most dynamic scorers a season ago, still had room to grow and she has taken advantage of it.
“She’s really improved,” he said. “She’s doing things in practice that none of us have ever seen her do.”
McCartha said he expects senior Clarissa Blevins and junior Chandra Jenkins to take on increased roles this season.
Jenkins, McCartha said, should help the team down low, especially as a rebounder.
Junior Savannah Banks, who appeared in just one varsity game last season, is also expected to bring help and size to the Mitchell interior.
“Savannah Banks is going to really help us,” McCartha said. “She’s long and can really cause some havoc on defense.”
Jenkins and Banks both clock in at 5-10, which makes them the tallest players on the team.
McCartha said the shortened season, which is set to feature just 13 regular season games, will be all about identifying the team’s depth and doing it quickly.
“We’re working hard to develop that depth,” McCartha said. “At one point last year, we were just finding our way before we went on a winning streak. We don’t have time for that this year. You have to be ready in game one. That’s no excuse because it’s going to be weird for everybody.”
Mitchell was set to open the season at Smoky Mountain on Jan. 7 and then host Smoky Mountain on Jan. 9 but those games will likely be rescheduled or replaced with another opponent, McCartha said.
While the shortened 13-game regular season schedule will likely be shuffled around as schools navigate COVID-19 concerns, the season will close with a Western Highlands Conference semifinal and final.
Teams are allowed a maximum of 14 games before the state playoffs, but an additional game will be permitted to accommodate a conference final.
Following conference championships, state playoffs with a reduced field will be played.
McCartha said he hopes his team will need to play the additional 15th game and prepare for the playoffs from there.
“I really feel like we’re hungrier than ever because of the way the season ended last year against Murphy,” McCartha said. “It does put a target on our back this year. We have a lot of work to do. We’re not going to win just because last year’s team won.”
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Mitchell boys will look for new leaders during shortened season
LEDGER — It’s time for new contributors to step up for the Mitchell High School varsity boys’ basketball team.
The Mountaineers, who finished 10-13 overall and 5-5 in Western Highlands Conference play last season, will head into the shortened 2021 season without the services of six graduated seniors.
Zeus Ponder, Mitchell McMahan, Tyler McKinney, Noah Pitman, Jess Ledford and Jacob Ward have all graduated. The six combined for 43.2 points per game last season.
Additionally, Ponder was second on the team in scoring (11.2 points per game) and second on the team in rebounding (6.2 per game). McMahan, Ledford and McKinney finished in the top three on the team in 3-point shooting with percentages of 34, 31 and 29 percent, respectively.
Mountaineers head coach Chad Dellinger said he’s ready to see a new group of leaders step up to fill the void.
“We lost several from last year but we have a good group coming up,” he said. “We have a lot of good chemistry. They’re a solid crew.”
Mitchell will return one of its top weapons in senior Caius Arrington who led the team last season in scoring (12.4 points per game), rebounding (9.4 per game) and steals (two per game).
Arrington, who is entering his fourth year as a varsity player, also shot 48 percent from the field last season, which was tops among Mountaineers who attempted 100 or more field goals.
“He’s a captain and he’s a leader by example,” Dellinger said. “He’s been working hard in the offseason. He’s gotten a lot stronger and he’s our go-to guy. He’s a big piece.”
The Mountaineers will also return guard Jeremy Sparks, who led the team in assists with three per game and chipped in 3.7 points per game last season.
“He could play some point or shooting guard,” Dellinger said about Sparks. “He’s always done a really good job with penetration. A lot of times, he does really well with the ball coming to him.”
Tim Hollifield, Adam Gortney, Ty Pitman, Tyler Buchanan, Konner Murphy and Cole Sparks also return from last year’s roster.
Dellinger said Pitman is smart and has a high basketball IQ, Murphy is a good all around player who does the little things well and Sparks is an aggressive and physical presence who has started for the team already during some scrimmages.
Dellinger mentioned Buchanan as a potential X-factor for the team. Buchanan stands about 6-4 or 6-5 and Dellinger said he could be a difference maker down low.
“Buchanan changes everything,” Dellinger said. “As big as he is, he just gives us that factor. Just having someone that big, he could be one of the biggest pieces we have.”
The varsity team will also add Ty Turbyfill, Jaden Barnett, Ethan Willis and Elijah Nave.
Dellinger said Turbyfill could see some time at point guard and said he “doesn’t back down from much.”
Barnett is dealing with a lower body injury but Dellinger still hopes to see him become a factor early in the season and Willis brings positional versatility, Dellinger added.
Mitchell will begin the regular season this month but the schedule will likely shuffle often as schools carefully navigate COVID-19 concerns.
The conference tournament and playoff setups will be identical to the ones planned for girls’ basketball.
“I’m just happy we’re playing,” Dellinger said. “I want it for the kids. They get four years of it and that’s it. I don’t want them to miss out on this.”