By: Alex Northcut, Sports 731 Reporter
Over the past decade, one school in the city of Jackson has slowly developed into a local powerhouse on the basketball court – South Side High School. Coaches Brent McNeal and Damonn Fuller laid the foundation many years ago and now continue to produce talented teams each year. However, while fans all over West Tennessee will be paying attention as usual, these two groups will actually have quite a bit to prove in 2023-2024.
The previous season couldn’t have gone better for the South Side girls’ program. After knocking on the door for several years, the Lady Hawks finally broke through and completed the magical run to a perfect season and a Class 3A state championship. It was a team, a season, and an experience that will never be forgotten, but the page does in fact have to be turned to a new chapter.
Coach McNeal will be looking for a new cast of players to step up and lead his team this year following the departure of three key seniors from the state title team. Kimora Currie, a returning starter, will be tasked as the primary defender for the Lady Hawks. Jaidynn Askins will be another individual to watch from this South Side roster, a versatile athlete already earning a few Division 1 offers going into her junior season.
“My kids know that we hang our hats on defense,” said McNeal. “We’re a defensive minded team. We’re a team that feels like if we can force havoc, not necessarily with steals, but if we can create the turnovers and force teams to speed up a little bit, it helps us out so much more on the other end.”
The boys team has followed a similar pattern of success in the past, a program accustomed to playing deep into the postseason on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, the Hawks will now be relying on their youth to get them back to a state tournament caliber team. This year’s group will have no seniors, however, Coach Fuller doesn’t see that as a reason not to be competitive as usual.
“This is a resilient group of guys,” said Fuller. “We’re young, so we have a lot to prove. Our new district is very talented from top to bottom. We’re going to have some tough games against teams like Chester County and North Side, so our guys are going to have to step up. My goal is for our team to progressively get better and grow up by the time we hit January.”
South Side is known to produce some of the best basketball players in the area, but fans can expect to see more of a balanced attack in 2023-2024. According to Coach Fuller, offensive production could come from a different guy every night. He also expects his team to be dominant on the glass, and that will start with Simeon Graham. A star wide receiver on the football team this past fall, Graham possesses a natural athleticism that makes him a rebounding machine.
The South Side basketball teams tipped off regular season play Monday night in Middleton. The Lady Hawks picked up their first win of the year, defeating the Lady Tigers 61-48. The boys team came up short on the road by a final score of 52-43.
