The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Championship is under way right now at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Neither Stone Memorial nor Cumberland County High School are participating, nor is nearby Clarkrange High School. All three boys programs had very good seasons, but couldn’t quite reach the state’s final tourney for all the marbles
The local 2025-’26 season for both boys and girls was an exciting campaign.
Some of the top highlights of the year included the job Christian Goodwin did with the Cumberland County Jets in only his second year at the helm. CCHS had not been a prominent figure in the state basketball world for some time.
However, Goodwin rebuilt the program from the ground up, installing his culture, his philosophy, and his type of players.
There were a lot of ups and even a few downs, but Cumberland County went from winning only eight games last year to 22 wins this year. That run also included a runner-up spot in the district and region tournaments. The Jets reached the sectional tourney before losing to powerhouse Alcoa.
Radhika Miller returned to Cumberland County and tried to pick up where she left so many years ago. She put together a squad of underclassmen, along with junior standout Sydney Wilhite, who fought tooth and nail every time they took the floor.
The Lady Jets won 16 games this year, and proved they will be a team to contend with next season. Besides Wilhite, Cumberland County got good performances from Sadie Swafford, Mady Spriggs, Olivia Futrell, just to name a few.
There is a bright future looming for the women in blue and gold.
Stone Memorial’s Mike Buck did great things this season with the Lady Panthers. After finishing 8-21 last year, Buck guides SMHS to a 27-4 ledger. That run included several weeks at the No. 1 ranking.
The black and gold run was made possible, in a large part, by an influx of players. The leader of the pack was senior Ashley Whittenburg. She could shoot and handle the ball well. She could rebound well for her position, and she could defend.
But she had a good supporting cast. Junior Lauren Clark, who possibly is the best player in the region, made a huge impact. Freshmen Taylor Amos, Bella Wyatt and Lexi Clark, among others, make the Lady Panthers a team to keep an eye on.
First-year coach Jess Raby did a terrific job with the Stone Memorial Panthers this hoop season. He took over for long-time mentor Neil Capps this year and kept the Panthers in the hunt in the postseason.
Raby didn’t have the luxury of having all-everything Cade Capps this season. The sharpshooter is now playing for Trevecca Nazarene University.
However, what Raby did was to find a way to get buy-in from his players for his coaching philosophy and the result was 20 wins and a spot in the region tournament. The Panthers were eliminated by former state champion Upperman. The Bees are odds on favorite to win the title again this season.
Raby did it with guys like Jack Cordell, Briggs Lowe, Hunter Haney, Evin Moseley, Tanner Bowman, Noah Potter and Charlie Vanwinkle, among others. They came together and proved to be the true definition of a team.
The 2025-’26 basketball season was exciting. The district the local teams play is undoubtedly the best district – boys and girls – in the state.
Scott Wilson may be reached at swilson@crossville-chronicle.com