Huntsville High: Hunters, Not The Hunted
Written by Jeff Johnson | Photo courtesy of Huntsville HS Boys Basketball
First off I want to congratulate you on all of your success so far this season. But I know hoisting that blue map in March is the most important thing on your mind right now. I'm going to ask you a few questions about yourself, the makeup of your team and you coming full circle this year as a head coach.
We go way back to our high school days. You won a state championship as a player at Trinity Presbyterian HS in 1999. Have you talked to any of your old teammates this season about things you guys did during your state championship run that you may apply with your current Huntsville high team?
I actually didn't win one as a player at Trinity. I was in 8th grade the year they won it, on JV and the manager of the team. I loved being around that team though. They were so good. Actually reminded me a lot of our Huntsville team this season. Long, tall, skilled, tough. My dad would absolutely have loved to watch this team play.
You guys set a torrid pace this year and have reached unprecedented heights for the program now being ranked on most of the major high school polls and of course you were a part of the run Mountain Brook made with Coach Bucky. Do you think your time there being the hunted prepares you for what's ahead these next few weeks as a coach?
It has been an amazing season. I thought that we could see this kind of success, but even I have been surprised at the consistency we have played with all season. My time at Mountain Brook absolutely has helped me get our program to the place it currently is now. Also, my experience there has helped us this season stay focused on the things that have made us good. Our mentality of being the Hunter absolutely was shaped in my time at Mountain Brook.
You played a brutal schedule, picking up games no matter who, where, or time. How do you think that schedule will help you during the playoffs??
Thank you for recognizing that. Most don't want to play a tough schedule in high school. We believe in being sharpened and getting better. Tightening up weaknesses. The only way to do that is to go out and play someone that can do that to you. We didn't care about the record when we put this thing together or when we reached out to play Montverde and Bartlett. The Big picture of getting better has to be there.
And everyone wants to know, what was the atmosphere like playing Montverde earlier in the season? And did that show your guys that they can play with anyone?
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience for our players, coaches, and program as a whole. They were as advertised. It would be like if you were in the deep end swimming with sharks and you are just trying to survive each second and plot your next move for survival. We knew we would be popped and bend...we just didn't want to break. We wanted to compete against them in the areas we could control. I thought we did that. Yes- Our players came back from that and felt a sense of confidence that they wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. We didn't really let up after and to this point as a result.
Everyone knows Samford signee Caleb Harrison (an absolute steal for Samford), 2025 Simon Walker and 2025 Brayden Rivers. But tell me how important glue guys like JD Gossett are to your teams overall success. I absolutely love him as a player and as an underrated prospect?
Yes, Caleb is a steal for Samford. No, JD is not a glue guy - He is a main cog in our machine. We aren't as good as we are without JD. He can score, handle vs pressure, rebound on both ends, lock up the other team’s best scorer, and create for others. Calling him a glue guy downplays his value in my opinion. He is a heckuva player and any mid major D1 program would be lucky to have him in two years. JD is not the only cog though many don't know about it. Josh Bowman, a 6-9 big comes off the bench and plays at a high level. He too is a key guy. Lastly, Eli Stapler, our PG--He shoots over 40% from three and is almost 3 to 1 in assists to turnovers. The ball gets moving when he is in and he has become a really good on ball defender. So many guys get caught up in size, potential, etc at the next level and are constantly in this "what could, would be / could transpire mode" --- that they miss the obvious: Guys who produce. Guys who win. Guys who get the job done. We have lots of those kind of guys.
We go way back to our high school days. You won a state championship as a player at Trinity Presbyterian HS in 1999. Have you talked to any of your old teammates this season about things you guys did during your state championship run that you may apply with your current Huntsville high team?
I actually didn't win one as a player at Trinity. I was in 8th grade the year they won it, on JV and the manager of the team. I loved being around that team though. They were so good. Actually reminded me a lot of our Huntsville team this season. Long, tall, skilled, tough. My dad would absolutely have loved to watch this team play.
You guys set a torrid pace this year and have reached unprecedented heights for the program now being ranked on most of the major high school polls and of course you were a part of the run Mountain Brook made with Coach Bucky. Do you think your time there being the hunted prepares you for what's ahead these next few weeks as a coach?
It has been an amazing season. I thought that we could see this kind of success, but even I have been surprised at the consistency we have played with all season. My time at Mountain Brook absolutely has helped me get our program to the place it currently is now. Also, my experience there has helped us this season stay focused on the things that have made us good. Our mentality of being the Hunter absolutely was shaped in my time at Mountain Brook.
You played a brutal schedule, picking up games no matter who, where, or time. How do you think that schedule will help you during the playoffs??
Thank you for recognizing that. Most don't want to play a tough schedule in high school. We believe in being sharpened and getting better. Tightening up weaknesses. The only way to do that is to go out and play someone that can do that to you. We didn't care about the record when we put this thing together or when we reached out to play Montverde and Bartlett. The Big picture of getting better has to be there.
And everyone wants to know, what was the atmosphere like playing Montverde earlier in the season? And did that show your guys that they can play with anyone?
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience for our players, coaches, and program as a whole. They were as advertised. It would be like if you were in the deep end swimming with sharks and you are just trying to survive each second and plot your next move for survival. We knew we would be popped and bend...we just didn't want to break. We wanted to compete against them in the areas we could control. I thought we did that. Yes- Our players came back from that and felt a sense of confidence that they wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. We didn't really let up after and to this point as a result.
Everyone knows Samford signee Caleb Harrison (an absolute steal for Samford), 2025 Simon Walker and 2025 Brayden Rivers. But tell me how important glue guys like JD Gossett are to your teams overall success. I absolutely love him as a player and as an underrated prospect?
Yes, Caleb is a steal for Samford. No, JD is not a glue guy - He is a main cog in our machine. We aren't as good as we are without JD. He can score, handle vs pressure, rebound on both ends, lock up the other team’s best scorer, and create for others. Calling him a glue guy downplays his value in my opinion. He is a heckuva player and any mid major D1 program would be lucky to have him in two years. JD is not the only cog though many don't know about it. Josh Bowman, a 6-9 big comes off the bench and plays at a high level. He too is a key guy. Lastly, Eli Stapler, our PG--He shoots over 40% from three and is almost 3 to 1 in assists to turnovers. The ball gets moving when he is in and he has become a really good on ball defender. So many guys get caught up in size, potential, etc at the next level and are constantly in this "what could, would be / could transpire mode" --- that they miss the obvious: Guys who produce. Guys who win. Guys who get the job done. We have lots of those kind of guys.