All coaches want players who are more concerned with team success than individual glory. Harlan County coach Kyle Jones knows that he has that kind of player in senior guard Brody Napier.
Napier showed how much he meant to the Black Bears’ success last season as their sixth man. Harlan County won the second 13th Region Title in school history and earned a trip to the state tournament. Napier found himself guarding future Mr. Basketball Travis Perry in last year’s state championship game and played a big role in helping the Bears become the first Harlan County team since 1944 to play in the state finals.
Napier moved into the starting lineup this year as a senior and has played a big role in the Bears taking a 24-8 record into the 13th Region Tournament and winning a third straight 52nd District Tournament title with a victory over Bell County on Friday. Napier averages 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while also playing a key role on defense.
“We’re really pleased with what Brody has provided for our program. He’s going to be one of those kids we’re going to truly miss — not only his play, but his leadership in the locker room and the way he handles himself on and off the court,” Jones said. “He leads by example. He plays hard and gives maximum effort. He’s a team first player.”
With former HCHS all-stater Trent Noah now playing at the University of Kentucky, several players have taken on bigger roles this season.
“As we go into the tournament, Brody is one of our biggest keys. I mean, we have Maddox (Huff), of course, and he’s our primary scorer. Everyone knows that, but when guys like Brody and a couple other guys pick up the scoring, it makes us a lot harder to beat,” Jones said. “He’s important because he does all the little things that don’t show up in the paper. Brody is just a really intelligent player — a high IQ player. I’ve really enjoyed coaching him these last few years. He’s as important to this program as anybody else.”
Napier has been around sports all his life. His mother, HCHS Principal Kathy Napier, was a starting forward on the only district championship team in Evarts High School history in 1988. His father, Scottie, was a standout running back at Evarts in the late 1980s. His uncle, Kerry Vanover, starred on Evarts’ district championship team in 1983 that made it to the 13th Region semifinals and won the 52nd District title.
“I played basketball for as long as I can remember. My whole family played and I grew up around it,” Brody says. “I always enjoyed playing and watching basketball.”
As the end of the school year approaches, the ideas of adulthood and life after college becomes a priority.
“My plan is to go to college and work in the medical field,’ he said.
Napier would like nothing better than to close his high school career the same way he ended his junior season — at Rupp Arena in the state tournament.
“I feel like I’ve had my ups and downs this season. We have improved in each game we play,” he said. “My goal is for the team to win district and region, so we can make it back to state. To reach that goal, we have to improve on the defensive end and have more movement on offense. There have been games where we didn’t guard as hard as others. As we get close to the tournament, we need to guard everyone the same. We just have to play harder than the other team.”