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Basketball Season is Here!!!!!
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Written by Staff
The newspaper staff sat down with three of MGM’s varsity basketball players the week before their first tip-off. Trevian Spears, Dylon Kirksey, and Tony Bridges were laid back and quiet for the most part. They save all their hype for the court.
Trevian is a senior on the team, and he said he has no superstitions when it comes to hitting the court. He just trusts in the prayers the players say before the games and counts on his mom being in the stands to cheer him on. He laughed about a time he was embarrassed by his mom’s committment to his play. She was watching him play on the team against Baker in Baker’s gym. Someone in front of his mom stood and made her miss part of the game. She got aggrivated and expressed it verbally loudly, and almost got thrown out of the gym. Trevian loves his mom, and the small forward admitted that his mom picks out his ties to wear to school on game day. The 6’2″ student is the tallest member of his family, and he is usually called Trey. Sometimes, his friends call him Red because of his skin tone.
Tony Bridges is the baby on the team. He is a sophomore playing varsity, and he can’t decide whether he likes playing on the football field or on the basketball court better. As long as he is playing a sport, he is happy. He played on the varsity team as a freshman, and he didn’t start playing organized basketball until eighth grade. He admitted to quitting the team in the eighth grade, but he is happy he has picked it up again. He said, “I just want to play.” Tony said he doesn’t play basketball much around the house, and he said he doesn’t even have a goal in his yard. He does have good genes he tributes with his basketball skills. His mom made it to the state championships with her basketball team from Williamson High School. His dad also played high school basketball in Marietta, Georgia.
Senior Dylan Kirksey may confuse some folks on the court. He has a twin brother who looks much like him on the court with him. The brothers both play on MGM’s varsity team. Dallas is in the eleventh grade. Dylan said his dad named the two boys after characters in the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The boys attended Calloway-Smith Middle School where they played basketball. Dylan said he and his brother are competitive but also very encouraging to each other. Dylan is really quiet, and he said usually on the way home from the ballgames, it is quiet in the car. They don’t talk much about the game or anything.
All three guys said they like to eat with the team before the games. The team comes to school on game days (maybe two to three times a week) wearing their dress shirts and ties. They also sometimes wear their special basketball sweater vests during the school day. After school, they all head to the locker room where one of the families of the players has brought dinner for the team. They guys said it is usually Little Caesars pizza, and the team can put away some slices. Tony said his mom always buys the food when it is her turn to feed the boys. Tony said, “Mom’s not a cook.” While Trey enjoyed the pizza, he said he really liked what he had for dinner last night. He dined on Hart’s fried chicken, cole slaw and mashed potatoes. One can only imagine how much it would take to fill his 6’2″ frame.
The guys recognize and get to know some of the guys on the opposing teams. They said they can be friends with the guys, but it is all business when they step on the court. They look to Blount or Baker to be their biggest competition, and they mentioned these were regional games which help decide the playoff positions post season.
The guys would love to see more participation from the student body at their games. They would love to see more students and people at the game to support them. They hope some talk about a few pep rallies for the basketball team really happens. A positive vibe and show of support would mean a lot to the guys.
As far as the team goes, the guys say Seth Tyler is a team favorite. They said Seth kind of holds the team together with his hard work. He can be a funny guy, but he knows when to get serious. He is one player the team tends to follow and look up to. Coach Davis got a nod in the conversation. The guys grew a little quiet when talking about their coach. They said, “Coach Davis is hard to please.” He “expects perfection.” One also added he can get “pretty loud.” The team has been practicing together for about three weeks, so they have had plenty of time to get to know what Coach expects. They impressed him enough to make the team, and now they have to live up to that impression during the season. Besides Spears, Kirksey, and Bridges, the rest of the team is as follows: Brandon Washington, Kendal Jones, Jeremy Pope, Seth Tyler, Quinton Campbell, Kyle OShea, Joseph Jones, Jarred Johnson, Dallas Kirksey, Shaquil Ward, Eric Sewell, Jereme Romero, and Jordan Smith. The head coach is John Davis, and the assistant coaches are Thomas Whittaker and Bryand Oditt. Mrs. Peggy Etheridge is their athletic trainer, and Mrs. Laura Brannon helps the team with bookkeeping respoonsibilities.
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