Bearden’s boys basketball team has started the 2024-25 season undefeated, and one factor in the great start has been the fact that the seniors have played together for so long.
Seniors Drew Parrott, King Hubbard, Dominic Mahoney, and Anderson Doettl have been playing together since sixth grade at West Valley.
“Playing with these guys over six to seven years really led me to believe in them and know I can always trust them and know that they will come through in each and every game,” Mahoney said.
Jamichael Blair and Andrew Baker joined up with that group their freshman year, meaning Justice Watson (who moved from Arkansas last year) is the only senior to not have played for Bearden all four years.
The Bulldogs have won their first 11 games, averaging 78.2 points per game along the way. They travel to district rival West (5-1) on Tuesday night.
“So far we’ve been playing very well together,” Parrott said. “I feel like team chemistry is better this year, and it shows through our record right now [as] we’re undefeated.”
Added Hubbard: “This season feels more like a brotherhood.”
Bearden is off to a hot start despite not having as much size in the post as they have in recent seasons.
“We don’t have as much height as we did last year or the year before, so [we’re] playing a lot faster,” Mahoney said. “We’re playing defense up the line and also offensively getting the ball up the court quickly.”
This senior class has been a part of two runs to the state tournament in Murfreesboro, including a heartbreaking loss in the state championship game as sophomores.
The Bulldogs are hoping their tight-knit group can win just one more game than that team did.
“I feel like we’ve grown up together these past four years and some of us played together in middle school,” Hubbard said. “So at some point it was bound to click and now it’s really happening.”