The Nettleton Raiders welcome new coach Dominic Lincoln after finishing 26-6 last season and making their way to the 5A State quarterfinals where they experienced a last second heartbreaking loss. Coach Lincoln takes over for Bubba Deaton, after Deaton transitioned into administrative roles in the district. Nettleton has a couple of high level returnees along with a strong supporting cast to navigate their way through the 5A East and get back to the state tournament. All-State high flyer TJ Whitney leads the way for the Raiders. The senior forward is an explosive player who plays above the rim. Whitney averaged 18 points and nine rebounds last season, and flew around the court defensively. Junior TeJay Daley is back at the point guard position. The floor general can shoot it, get to the rim, and create for others making him one of the top guards in the state. The reigning Best Under the Sun Newcomer of the Year was also selected All-Conference during his sophomore campaign. Jordan Orr is back looking to expand his role from last season. The slasher can finish around the rim and be very disruptive on defense. Jeremiah Jackson is a shooting guard that Coach Lincoln calls a“ three and D guy.” Markel Roddy is another catch and shoot guy that could provide the Raiders with some outside depth. Coach Lincoln feels that playing together and playing fast in transition will be the keys to Nettleton’ s success.“ We must utilize our athleticism on both ends of the floor,” he said. The Raiders will hope to get some of the younger guys experience and build depth early on to be ready for the gauntlet of 5A East play come January. Look for the Nettleton Raiders to battle at the top of the conference, get back to the state tournament, and be a difficult matchup in the postseason.
The Nettleton Lady Raiders made their way back to the postseason getting to the state quarterfinals finishing last season 19-13. A balanced attack is what Coach Kevin Frisbee depended on last season, and with four starters returning and a large group of talented newcomers, the Lady Raiders could be hard to handle this season. Seniors Takylah Marshall and Taylor Thomas lead the way for Nettleton. Marshall missed most of last season with a knee injury but averaged seven points a game as a sophomore. Marshall has great instincts, is a tough defender, and good rebounder. Coach Frisbee touts Thomas as“ a glue player that does a little bit of everything.” Junior Kaedyn Hardaway is the Lady Raiders leading returning scorer at 10 points a game. Hardaway handles the ball well and is the team’ s best outside shooter. Sophomore Tori Cunningham is the team’ s best athlete according to Frisbee. Cunningham is explosive to the basket and a great rebounder. She contributed 8.5 points and seven rebounds a night as a freshman. Juniors Kiyuna Grayson, Sy’ Mone Smith, and Zacchara Postell are looking to fill big roles this season. Grayson had a great offseason and is a strong inside presence with a touch from the outside. Smith is an elite rebounder, is very physical inside, and runs the floor well in transition. Postell is a transfer from Trumann who is a strong on-ball defender. Sophomore Joyden Cole has good guard skills, can finish at the basket, and hit the outside shot. Coach Frisbee is very excited about his team.“ I ' ve really enjoyed watching this team gel,” he said.“ I think we have a group who shares the ball well and we can score in a variety of ways. I think we have the speed and skill set to be a solid transition team. We lost two key pieces from last year who helped handle the basketball, so we need players to step up in that area. I expect this group to have a good season, and I think they will be fun to watch.” The 5A East will be a gauntlet each and every night, but that is something the Nettleton Lady Raiders are used to. They expect to be in the hunt for a conference title and postseason berth and this year is no exception. With so much returning experience and talented newcomers, expect the Lady Raiders to be right in the hunt in one the state’ s toughest leagues.