Turning around a Middlesboro basketball program that had dropped to 9-22 the year before he arrived as coach turned into quite a challenge for John Wheat last season.
The Jackets showed some flashes of improvement but found the going tough in a 52nd District that included two teams (Harlan and Harlan County) ranked among the state’s best for much of the season. Middlesboro found itself in the same spot as a year ago and finished with the same record, but with a roster that now includes five seniors and two juniors, the Jackets have become one of the region’s most experienced teams. Wheat likes his team’s chances of breaking through in 2024.
“I see us improving a lot this season. I’m looking forward to this season to see what happens with this group,” he said.
Harlan County, with all-state guard Trent Noah and junior point guard Maddox Huff back, remains the favorite in the 52nd District and one of the favorites in the 13th Region, but Wheat likes the Jackets’ chances against everyone else in the district and feels they could challenge Harlan’s four-year run as regional All “A” champs.
“The mentality I have is I don’t care who is on the floor. Even if it’s the Los Angeles Lakers, I expect us to go hard and have a chance to win down the stretch,” Wheat said. “Trent and Maddox are special players, and I hope people in the mountains appreciate what they see in those players. Harlan just had one machine after another last year. (Bell County coach) Brad (Sizemore) does such a great job at developing players and took those eighth and ninth graders and had a chance to beat Harlan in the district tournament. Our inexperience showed at times last year. We went into games outmanned a lot last year. This is a tough district, and it will be again this season. Fans of all four schools should enjoy seeing some good basketball this year.”
Wheat brings back his top two players from last year with 6-6 senior forward Trey King (12.5 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game) and junior guard Jerimah Beck (12.7, 4.2) returning after breakout performances last year.
“Trey has gotten bigger and stronger and is a football prospect. He’s every bit of 6-6, 270 now and will be a load inside. I’m looking for him to have another season with a double-double most nights,” Wheat said. “Jerimah and I had a heart-to-heart talk after the season. He has the talent, but sometimes he would take plays off and sometimes he’d take days or weeks off. We had a come to Jesus meeting about that, and he has taken it to heart. He improves his ball handling and is working on a mid-range game and shooting and his defense. I can’t say enough about how hard he’s worked to solidify himself in our rotation.”
The Jackets’ chances of becoming relevant in the All “A” Classic and 52nd District races were given quite a boost in the summer when guard Cayden Grigsby, a starter since his freshman season, and 6-5 center Bryce Bowling returned to the team for their senior seasons.
“That will give me a lot of options on the floor. There are a lot of possibilities now. Cayden is a pure athlete who is a go-to guy. He wants the ball in his hands in a tough situation. We really didn’t have that last season. He will bring that mentality back to us this season, plus he can shoot the ball, which will open things up for us,” Wheat said. “Bryce can step out and hit the 3 and has a decent mid-range game and can move people out of the way down low. He has good hands and feet around the bucket.”
Senior guard Brayden Barnard (7.9) is one of several candidates to round out the backcourt.
“Brayden is another one who took what I said in the exit meetings last spring to heart. He hit the weights and gained 30 pounds of muscle. His confidence level has improved,” Wheat said. “I like the way he has worked on his passing and finding the open man quicker.
Junior wing Jack Smith and 6-4 senior forward Peyton Turner are also in the mix for starting spots.
“Peyton will back up Bryce and Trey. I have a lot of lumber down low with those guys. Peyton has worked on finishing around the bucket,” Wheat said. “Jack and Jerimah have lived in the gym all summer. Jack has worked on shooting off the bounce and has worked hard in improving his game.
Wheat says a key to improvement for the Jackets revolves around continued improvement, especially on the defensive end.
“Our goal is to win the All ‘A’ region. We talk about it every day in practice, and everything we do is built around that,” Wheat said. “We only have seven in practice now with our football team doing so well, which is great for these kids to experience. It’s going to be rugged the first part of the season, but I hope by around Christmas we’ll start looking like a team with an identity. We want to keep improving on defense and in our rebounding. Anyone can play offense, but it takes a special team to do the dirty work with rebounding and defense.”
DATE | OPPONENT | SITE | SCORE | STATS? | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 30, 23 | Lynn Camp | home | 7:30 PM | 1 Stop Phone Shop Tip Off Classic | ⇄ | ||||
Dec 5, 23 | Williamsburg | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Dec 7, 23 | Barbourville | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Dec 12, 23 | Whitley County | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Dec 15, 23 | Harlan | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Dec 16, 23 | Thomas Walker (Ewing), VA | at Lincoln Memorial University | 12:30 PM | Railsplitter Classic | |||||
Dec 20, 23 | Johnson Central | at Leslie County | 4:00 PM | Hyden Citizens Bank Classic | ⇄ | ||||
Dec 22, 23 | Leslie County | away | 6:00 PM | Hyden Citizens Bank Classic | ⇄ | ||||
Dec 28, 23 | TBA | at Pineville | Chain Rock Classic | ||||||
Dec 29, 23 | TBA | at Pineville | Chain Rock Classic | ||||||
Dec 30, 23 | TBA | at Pineville | Chain Rock Classic | ||||||
Jan 6, 24 | Oneida Baptist Institute | 4:00 PM | 13th Region All “A” Classic | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 12, 24 | Harlan County | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 16, 24 | Pineville | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 19, 24 | Bell County | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 23, 24 | Jackson County | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 26, 24 | Harlan County | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Jan 29, 24 | Campbell County (Jacksboro), TN | home | 7:30 PM | ||||||
Jan 31, 24 | Letcher County Central | home | 6:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 2, 24 | Harlan | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 3, 24 | Thomas Walker (Ewing), VA | away | 12:30 PM | ||||||
Feb 6, 24 | Pineville | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 9, 24 | Bell County | home | 8:00 PM | Coach Larry Tom Davis Classic | ⇄ | ||||
Feb 10, 24 | Wayne County | home | 1:30 PM | Coach Larry Tom Davis Classic | ⇄ | ||||
Feb 12, 24 | North Laurel | away | 6:00 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 16, 24 | Oneida Baptist Institute | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 20, 24 | Lynn Camp | away | 7:30 PM | ⇄ | |||||
Feb 23, 24 | Corbin | home | 7:30 PM | ⇄ |