Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Gatlinburg-Pittman (5) Houston Byrd looks on as Brainerd (4) Jakyse Locklin shoots the ball on Monday, March 7, 2022 at Brainerd High. Brainerd hosted Gatlinburg-Pittman in a boys state sectional basketball game. Jakyse Locklin has made a difference in his first and last year with the Brainerd Panthers.
A year after leading the Chattanooga Patriots’ home school basketball program to an NACA Division III National Championship, Locklin’s presence has helped an illustrious Brainerd program to the TSSAA Class AA state tournament.
“My junior year I was home-schooled the entire year,” Locklin said. “Then I came to Brainerd. It was a pretty big transition from being in my room 8-10 hours a day on a computer to going back to school. It’s been a breath of fresh air to be around everybody and my friends. I am a really big people person. This season has been special and I am going to continue to give my all for this team.”
Locklin has been a breath of fresh air for Brainerd (16-11), which will face Memphis’ Power Center Academy (17-4) at 12:15 in Tuesday’s state quarterfinals at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
The versatile 6-foot-3 high-motor guard has turned up his game during this postseason’s biggest moments.
Locklin’s 14 points, 12 rebounds and strong box out late in the game helped the Panthers win a region championship over Tyner. Then in a thrilling sectional overtime win over Gatlinburg-Pittman he flirted with a triple-double scoring 12 points while adding 13 rebounds and eight assists.
“Jakyse is definitely our energy guy,” Brainerd coach Levar Brown said. “He is extremely athletic and he can guard all five positions. Coming from his previous team, he had to get used to sharing some of the responsibility. He often talks about his home school experience and he had to carry a lot of weight.
“While he doesn’t have to do it all for us, he is capable of doing a lot when he slows down and lets the game come to him. We are really excited about how he’s finishing up here lately.”
The Panthers will have a tall task against Power Center, which has six players who range from 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-6. They will also have to contain star guard Caleb Jackson who averages 19.2 points and is part of a defensive unit that averages nearly 15 steals per game.
Brainerd’s star juniors Dennis Lewis Jr. (16 ppg.) and Donivon Thomas (10.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4 blocks per game) are X-factors as their game and energy wears off on those around them.
“When we go out on the floor we have to be locked in and have an unbeatable mindset,” Lewis Jr. said. “I definitely believe our team is state champion caliber. There is also some magic on this group that I have seen ever since the region tournament.”
The Panthers won state championships in 1984, 1988 and 1992 and had a runner-up finishes in 1995, 1997 and 2016. They are two wins away from adding another ball to the trophy case.
“Our guys often talk about the legacy they want to leave,” Brown said. “Being at Brainerd you have a rich tradition. They just want to make sure they are keeping the standard, which is competing for a state championship. So we are going to try and get us one.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.