Kevin Cameron, Tyner hope to challenge Brainerd this season

Tyner's Kevin Cameron, left, shoots ahead of East Nashville's Terry Holt during Tyner's Class AA boys' state basketball tournament game against East Nashville on Thursday, March 13, 2014, at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Tyner lost 81-62.
Tyner's Kevin Cameron, left, shoots ahead of East Nashville's Terry Holt during Tyner's Class AA boys' state basketball tournament game against East Nashville on Thursday, March 13, 2014, at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Tyner lost 81-62.

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PLAYERS TO WATCH1. Cole Copeland, Bradley Central: The senior football commitment to UTC averaged 21 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game last year for a Class AAA state-sectional team.2. Kevin Cameron, Tyner: The senior has shown an ability to score since he was a freshman. He averaged about 21 points per game last season to go with five rebounds and two steals.3. Kentrell Evans, Brainerd: The assists leader a year ago as a junior, he helped the Class AA Panthers finish as state runners-up with a 29-6 record. He also averaged 15 points and four steals per game.TEAMS TO WATCH1. McCallie: The Blue Tornado should again have a deep bench similar to the one a year ago that helped them go 25-8 against a rugged schedule and tie for third in the Division II-AA state tournament.2. Brainerd: The Class AA Panthers return nine (two won’t be eligible until January) from last year’s team that won District 6 and Region 3. They won 15 consecutive games before losing in the state final.3. Tyner: The Rams have a veteran team. And though they didn’t win any title last year, their losses were to larger schools or fellow District 6-AA teams Brainerd and Central — both state-tournament teams.

Last high school basketball season, Tyner's boys had a nemesis.

It was neighbor and District 6-AA rival Brainerd, which has been a terror for many teams for many seasons. But this was specific.

Brainerd's Panthers return four starters from last year's state-runner-up team. Tyner returns four starters who remember half of last year's losses in a 19-8 season were to them.

The Rams' final three losses were to Brainerd, the last a 63-58 season-ender in a Region 3 semifinal.

"I think one of the things we learned is that we've got to concentrate all the time," Tyner coach Keitha Booker said of the 2015-16 season. "We can't take nights off. We can't show up one night and not be there the next night. We do have high expectations coming into this season, given the players we have back. They're starting to understand and buy into the system."

The most notable among those returning players is senior and leading scorer Kevin Cameron.

"He's a great player," Booker said. "A lot of teams are going to focus on him this year. But what a lot of people don't know, he's one of the most unselfish players in the city."

Cameron averaged about 21 points per game last season, but district opponents knew of him long before that. This will be his fourth year as a starter.

But teams can't just center all their attention on him. Junior Jeremy Elston should garner some, too.

Another junior, Jaylen Bowens, scored the Rams' first six points in their period against McCallie in the city jamboree at GPS last Thursday. Seniors Jerrion Christopher and Ke'Marcus Young are players who have logged key minutes in the past for Tyner.

"I've got to lead them," Cameron said of his teammates. "I've got to make sure they're where they need to be and that we play hard. I worked a lot during the summer. We all did. We want to get better at everything."

Which players emerge to help Cameron with scoring remain to be seen. But the Rams have one constant to lean on while that develops.

"Right now our strength is going to be defense," Booker said. "We can go eight or nine deep this year and still should be able to do the job. We're going to be small, but we'll be up-tempo. We'll be able to get up and down the floor."

Tyner and Brainerd aren't scheduled to meet for the first time this season until Jan. 17 at Brainerd, although they could face each other in the Times Free Press Best of Preps tournament Dec. 21-23 at Chattanooga State. In the meantime, the Rams have plenty to focus on if they're to get where they ultimately want to go.

"We've got to play every game as if we're playing an NBA team," Cameron said. "Last year we didn't make sacrifices. This year is going to be better. We just have to play together."

Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.

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