Bearden’s boys basketball team will carry a 12-2 record to Murfreesboro this week as the Bulldogs prepare to play in the Adidas Shootout at Riverdale High School.
This is nothing new for the program.
Under Coach Jeremy Parrott, it has become the norm – regardless of how much talent graduates, regardless of how difficult the schedule is – that Bearden consistently stays among the elite teams in the state. The Bulldogs have made it to the state tournament in five out of Coach Parrott’s seven seasons, making it to the championship game twice and winning a state title in 2019.
The start to the 2023-2024 season has been just as promising with the team’s only losses coming against undefeated Fulton and rival West.
“Good players make good coaches, and we have always had good players here,” Coach Parrott said. “Every team has to have some rebuilding time, but here we take on the viewpoint that we have to reload instead of rebuild.
“Last year, we started to play a lot of young guys, and this year the experience they gained is paying off.”
The experience was a good boost for the guys who are now seeing more of the hardwood this year, but also coming up through the ranks of the Bearden system and getting to learn under Coach Parrott has been instrumental to the good start to the season.
“A lot of our success so far is due to the coaching that we have been receiving,” junior forward Domenic Mahoney said. “They have been preparing us to play at a high level since we got to Bearden, and that has been crucial for us as a team.
“There have been a number of guys who have stepped up and played really well during this stretch.”
Bearden will play three games in two days at the Adidas Shootout, including two out-of-state opponents, before district play becomes the focus in the new year. Playing in tough tournaments like this one helps prepare the players for the level of competition in the postseason and the potential to play so many games in a short window of time.
Coach Parrott also said he feels good about the team’s depth to handle situations like that this year.
“We had five guys in double figures [against Alcoa], and another that was two points away, so when you can spread the wealth like that it makes us much harder to guard, and helps us to overcome things such as injuries or sickness,” Coach Parrott said.
Bearden starts its holiday tournament Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Centennial (Ga.). After winter break, the Bulldogs will travel to Maryville (Jan. 9) and Farragut (Jan. 12) before finally returning home to play William Blount on Jan. 16.