Ellis aims for state return
Brent Ellis, who begins his first season as Norris Middle School’s boys’ basketball coach, inherits a team that reached the TMSAA state tournament last season.
Ellis and the Senators will need to fill the gaps left by key players who graduated after last season, but he is optimistic about Norris making another deep postseason run in 2024-25.
“We have talent, and we have as good a chance as anybody to go back to state,” said Ellis, who replaces former head coach Travis Tummel.
The Senators played two games last week in the Education Foundation Tournament at Anderson County High School.
There, Norris defeated Norwood Middle School, but fell in the championship game to Clinton, 60-55, on Saturday.
Top returners include Colton Lawson (eighth-grade forward), Cooper Downs (seventh-grade guard), and Eli Lindsey (seventh-grade guard).
Ellis noted that his team has a bevy of talented newcomers who can make a significant early impact due to their skills and basketball IQ.
Eighth-grader Ty Page transferred in from Soldiers Memorial Middle School in Johnson City, and the coach said he has a high basketball IQ and excels at ball handling.
Other key players include Bentley Ellis, Conner Dabney, Mason Ellis, Mason Douglas, Liam Childress, Uriyah Pickett, Fisher Clark, and William Dorton.