Triple threat: Senior trio leads Titans into battle

McDowell Titans head coach Brian Franklin talks about the Titans

3 - Marshall Lamb, Soph., G, 5-10 – “Marshall will play point and two guard, and has shown tremendous improvement as a player over the past year. High-energy player that never takes a play off. He has gotten better with every practice and scrimmage through the summer and the preseason. He is a good shooter from the perimeter that has started to shoot it better in practice and games as he has settled into his role as a sophomore on the varsity. Great distributor of the ball, getting the ball to teammates where they can score.”

5 - David Olivo, Soph., G, 5-6 – “David will start at the point guard position from the start of the season, and much of how our team plays early will depend on how quickly he adjusts as a sophomore playing point guard. David has had a great summer. He plays way bigger than his actual size. He’s a very quick player that is an absolute pest on defense. He does a great job of pushing the ball on offense and finding teammates ahead of him in transition. David can eventually develop into a great player for us with a combination of a great work ethic, instincts on the floor, and the ability to penetrate to the basket to create for himself and others while still being able to knock down 3s.”

10 - Jeryah Cash, Sr., G, 6-2 – “Jeryah has been a great surprise for us early in the season after not being with the team as a junior. Long, athletic guard that can really lock people down on the defensive end. He has been a great addition to our team early in the year as a player that brings enthusiasm and energy to the practices and games. He plays as hard as he can when he’s in and is the team’s biggest cheerleader on the sideline. He has a very good basketball IQ and has really picked up quickly on what we are trying to do after being away from the program last season.”

12 - Ashton Burnette, Jr., G, 6-0 – “Ashton has spent a great deal of time in the offseason working on his game. He is a player that helps us when he plays to his strengths, while still developing his game. Ashton is at his best as a high-energy player, who defends and rebounds at his position, and looks to finish at the basket in the open court and take open shots in range. Must stay mentally into the game and what the team is trying to do on both ends to be successful.”

14 - Josh Smith, Sr., F, 6-4 – “Josh is a long athletic player that at some point during the course of the season will be asked to play every position on the floor. One of those special types of players that can help your team in almost every aspect of the game. He has had a great offseason training and preparing for his senior season. We will rely heavily on Josh to rebound the ball on a team looking for rebounding and playing a small lineup at times. He’s great in the mid-range and getting to the basket. Has improved his perimeter shooting a great deal in the offseason with hours of gym time. Josh is a winner that just wants to help the team anyway possible.”

20 - Ethan Hensley, Sr., G, 6-1 – “Ethan is an athletic and strong wing player that is best in transition and penetration to the basket to either create shots for himself or draw the defense and dish to his teammates. He can be very good rebounding and defending at his position. Three-sport athlete, who works hard every day. He’s the ultimate representative of our basketball team and our school, a leader every day in everything he does.”

22 - Mason Lamb, Sr., G, 6-0 – “Mason has worked on his game tirelessly since the last game of our season a year ago until now. He has completely changed his body and has improved from what I thought was a good player as a junior to what I think is a great player as a senior. The strength of his game is penetrating, where he is a strong finisher around the basket and can also score at the mid-range. Very capable shooter from the 3, which makes him even more effective at driving to the basket. He plays hard all the time and is the type of leader that all coaches love; does not have to say much. He leads by example, always there, always reliable. Set to have a breakout season.”

24 - Jackson Marsh, Soph., F, 6-2 – “Jackson is another sophomore that is a long athletic player that can split time between playing on the perimeter and in the interior. He’s one of the very best athletes in the entire school, and the fastest player on the basketball team. He has a tremendous upside if he works on his individual skills, strength, and continues to learn our system. Jackson can use his athleticism as an advantage against opposing teams’ post players, and his length and size against perimeter defenders. He could develop very quickly as a player with hard work and acceptance of coaching.”

30 - Xavier Taylor, Jr., G, 5-11 – “Xavier is a hard worker who just loves the game and has potential to become a very good Titan basketball player. He’s a skilled player that has a great feel for the game. He needs to add strength to become as effective a player as he is capable of being. Extremely invested in the game and expects a great deal out of himself at all times, which can be his greatest strength and other times be his biggest weakness. He must learn to channel all his thoughts and energy into the next play and forget about the last play. Very good communicator on defense that works very hard on both ends, the kind of player every good team needs.”

32 - Jandon Robbins, Sr., G, 5-10 – “Jandon is a three-year varsity player. He’s a streaky hot shooter who is consistently our greatest threat from the perimeter. He will be counted on to contribute to ballhandling duties especially versus pressure. Jandon can be a great defender when he is focused and locked in on the defensive end. Understands the game and has a great feel for basketball. He has done a great job early in the season as a leader of the team. It’s critical that he does all the little things and stays into the game mentally even when things are not going well for our team or him individually. Jandon has grown so much as a player and person since his sophomore season.”

34 - Kaiden Compton, Jr., F, 6-1 – “A post player with size and strength that adds depth at that position. He has improved greatly with his footwork. Can run the floor, sprinting for easy baskets versus a lot of the post players he will play against. With experience and confidence, he will become much better finishing around the basket and making the right decision with the ball in his hand. Our team needs him to go after every rebound and work to defend the post. He has always had the nickname ‘Moose.’ I want him to play in a way deserving of that name.”

35 - Matthew Spivey, Jr., G, 5-10 – “He’s a junior coming off a great finish to his sophomore year on the Jayvee basketball team, where he made some big plays to help win games, and he had a really good junior season on the football field. He’s a sneaky athletic guard whose greatest strength is shooting the ball in the mid-range out to the 3-point line. He’s nursing a groin injury in the early season that has cost him valuable practice and scrimmage time. With time to develop, he has potential to fill an important role for our team in the future.”

40 - Devyn Cash, Jr., G, 6-0 – “Devyn is a quick guard that has shown the ability early to defend and knock down open shots on the perimeter. He’s coming off a very good season on the football field that has helped him as a basketball player. Devyn is an unselfish player that has brought high-level intensity to basketball every day. With time, Devyn can become the type of player that can help our team in a variety of ways.”

42 - Jeremiah Ellis, Jr., F, 6-3 – “Jeremiah has missed the first two weeks of the season due to a concussion suffered in football versus A.C. Reynolds. Now that he is back and 100%, we need to get him up to speed as quickly as possible. Jeremiah brings physical play, interior defense, rebounding, and the ability to score in the post to a team that is in need of players that can fill all those roles. He has improved a great deal with his footwork and ability to finish around the basket and is a much more aggressive and confident player than he was a year ago at this time. He’s a great teammate and extremely coachable.”

44 - Collin Hinson, Sr., F, 6-3 – “Collin is a long athletic player that can play on the wing or in the post who is returning to our program after playing as a freshman but not being with us as a sophomore or a junior. He has shown the ability to be a very good rebounder and defender in scrimmages. How much Collin will help our team this year will depend on how quickly he picks up our system and how quickly he becomes comfortable playing. If he had been with us throughout his four years, he would be playing big minutes right now. He’s a great teammate and young man.”