Tyler Stevenson worked hard over the summer to improve his skills.
Playing on the Caledonia Kings 16- and 18-and-under Amateur Athletic Union basketball teams, Stevenson had a chance to double his workload and increase his profile. The work paid off in August, when Stevenson was one of nine players between the two Caledonia Kings teams to be selected to participate in the Eighth-Annual National All Star Weekend, held by D1Spects and UnderArmour.
“I gained a lot of confidence because in AAU ball I could do my thing and take over games,” said Stevenson, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound forward.
Stevenson hasn’t missed a beat in translating his success in the summer to results on the court for the New Hope High School boys basketball team. On Tuesday, Stevenson led New Hope with 22 points in a 69-54 victory against Louisville.
“We have a big game coming up, so we have to do our thing and play as a team and play within ourselves,” Stevenson said.
Terryonte Thomas added 16 points for New Hope (3-2), which will play Chalmette (Louisiana) at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Lighthouse Classic at Corinth High. The annual basketball tournament features some of the top talent in the Southeast. New Hope will get a chance to test itself against 7-footer Mitchell Robinson, who signed earlier this month to play for former Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury at Western Kentucky. Robinson, a five-star prospect by 247 Sports, Rivals and ESPN, had committed to Texas A&M when Stansbury was a coach at that school, but he changed his mind after Stansbury left to become head coach at WKU.
Stevenson and Thomas are looking forward to the challenge of playing against one of the nation’s best players in a premier showcase event.
“It is going to mean a lot,” Thomas said. “It is going to be a big test, so it is going to really show what we are made of playing under pressure.”
New Hope High junior Kyree Fields joined Stevenson as one of the nine Caledonia Kings to participate in the Eighth-Annual National All Star Weekend. With senior JaQuante Bell, a transfer from West Lowndes High, senior guard Jay Shinn, and junior center Andrew Junkin, who is a 7-footer, New Hope has pieces some in the state believe will carry it to a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State title. The Trojans never were seriously challenged Tuesday against the Wildcats, who used a 3-point shooting barrage to offset a significant size disadvantage.
Thomas said Stevenson and Junkin have improved significantly since last season. He feels both players have good work ethics that will help them make the Trojans even more dangerous.
“He has made a big improvement,” Thomas said of Stevenson. “His confidence is one of the biggest areas of improvement. He has improved his shot and is more versatile. He is posting up, he is getting rebounds, scoring on the perimeter, and playing defense.”
New Hope used a 10-0 run in the third quarter to build an 18-point lead and then cruised form there. The Trojans showed a willingness to share the basketball, even if coach Drew McBrayer felt the team didn’t have its usual intensity on defense.
“I thought we executed really well offensively,” McBrayer said. “I think we got a little lazy defensively, especially in the second half. We didn’t contest shots very well and they made a bunch of them. But a bunch of those shots we left wide open.”
McBrayer said the team will have open practice this morning to try to stay fresh and work on individual skills. He said he, too, is looking forward to seeing how the team responds to playing against a quality opponent. After only two weeks of having everybody back following football season, McBrayer said things are coming together. He remains confident in the team’s potential and doesn’t want the players to put too much stock into one game in November when the goal is to still be playing in March in Jackson.
“It is just another basketball game,” McBrayer said. “We’re excited. We get to play one of the best players in the country and a really good team out of New Orleans. We know it is not the end of the world or anything else we are measuring our whole season on. It is just where we are right now. Win or lose Monday we will come back and go back to work.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.