Ooltewah basketball coach Jesse Nayadley directs his team.Ooltewah High School basketball coach Jesse Nayadley paused Monday while preparing for his Owls’ Class AAA state quarterfinal opponent, Memphis Central.
“I’m just happy to be making a game plan right now,” he said.
The Owls, making their first state tournament appearance since 1980 and first ever in Class AAA, have a tough road ahead of them, but they’ve also had a tough journey to get to this point. That spans 31 games for some team members, but three years for seniors Mikhail Creech, Jervon Johnson and Andre Moton.
“This is a great group of guys,” Johnson said. “They’re crazy, but we’ve had a lot of fun together the past few years.”
After a District 5 tournament-runner-up finish to Bradley Central, the Owls avenged that defeat with a two-point victory over the Bears in the region final. They then disposed of LaVergne by 14 in the sectional.