January made me shiver but the stars shined bright and the points came in bunches all over the state. As the playoffs approach let's break down the action during the month of January from all four corners of the Volunteer state starting with the eastern part of the state.

 

East Tennessee headlines

Jahvin Carter (Alcoa) truly has my undivided attention. The junior guard is lighting it up on this end of the state. He has made himself a viable candidate for Mr. Basketball with his efforts. So how has he done, well try this on for size, 44 against Sevier County in 2OT, 42 against Union County, 40 against Fulton, 35 against Gatlinburg-Pittman and 27 against Sevier County.

 

Jason Britton (North Greene) is rewriting the record books in Upper East Tennessee. Let's start with a school-record 56-point effort against Unaka. He continues to bring the shine with a 31-point game against University and a 27-point spot against West Greene.

 

Shane Cherry (Austin East) and Jaquarius “Zeus” Sanders (Austin East) have the Knoxville area all excited about this version of the Roadrunners. Cherry has been scoring big all season and this month was no exception as he dropped 36 against Knoxville Catholic, 31 against Union County and 25 against Carter. Cherry also surpassed the 1,000-point barrier in only his sophomore season. Sanders has been the huge surprise dangling 32 on Union County, 30 on South Doyle and 26 against Carter. This duo will be making more noise, BEEP BEEP.

 

Caden Windle (William Blount) and Grady Robertson (William Blount) have the Governors in uncharted territory. State-ranked and blistering hot as the playoffs approach. Windle, who went past the 1,000-point barrier this month has been outstanding with his overall play. His scoring has produced games of 29 against Bearden and a 27 spot on both Fulton and Farragut. Robertson dropped a big 30 on Farragut to bring home that these Governors are for real.

 

Scoring Exploits

Jamar Livingston (Daniel Boone) is moving on up the all-time state scoring charts. The legit Mr. Basketball candidate has another fine month with efforts that include 35 against Dobyns-Bennett, 30 against Gate City (VA) and 27 against West Ridge.

Chris Bozeman (Knoxville Central) made us all stand up with a 54-point effort against Campbell County this month.

Drake Fisher (Sullivan East) is next in line to score massive points for the Patriots. He dropped 42 against Elizabethton, 34 against Volunteer, 31 against Unaka and closed with 27 against Tennessee High.

Reese Frazier (McMinn County) has the Cherokees poised for some noise in the playoffs. His efforts during the month of January are worth mentioning including 32 against Meigs County and 26 against Walker Valley.

Dalton McNew (Carter) continues his monster senior season dropping a 40 spot on perennial state participant Fulton in a close loss.

Dante Oliver (Dobyns-Bennett) returned from an injury and showed he was ready to go dropping 31 against West Ridge.

Landon Ramsey (Unaka) had himself a big month in scorebooks dropping 36 points against Sullivan East and following that up with 35 against North Greene.

 

Here are more huge scoring efforts from the month of January

Tucker Patterson (Polk County) 41pts vs. Marion County

Hasane Jackson (East Ridge) 35pts vs. Signal Mountain

Andrew Knittel (Volunteer) 35pts vs. West Ridge

Brandon Dake (Anderson County) 34pts vs. Oliver Springs

Mason Ball (Elizabethton) 33pts vs. Sullivan East

Garrett Giles (Greenback) 33pts vs. Harriman

Devon Jones (Campbell County) 32pts vs. Oneida

Brady Mullins (McMinn County) 32pts vs. Howard

Carson Bolton (Jellico) 31pts vs. Sunbright

Ty Glasper (Gatlinburg-Pittman) 31pts vs. Seymour

Matthew Sharpe (Chattanooga Central) 31pts vs. Tyner Academy

Jonovan Gillespie (Dobyns-Bennett) 30pts vs. Science Hill

Andrew Knittel (Volunteer) 29pts vs. Sullivan East

Dalton Mitchell (Elizabethton) 29pts vs. Sullivan East

Lukas Walls (Knoxville Webb) 29pts vs. Knoxville Catholic

Devon Jones (Campbell County) 28pts vs. Knoxville Central

JJ Faulkner (Karns) 28pts vs. Knoxville West

Christopher Kennedy (Signal Mountain) 28pts vs. East Ridge

Caleb Shaffer (Knoxville Halls) 28pts vs. Seymour

Gabe Masingale (McMinn Central) 27pts vs. Meigs County

Brody Stump (Dobyns-Bennett) 27pts vs. Gate City (VA)

Zach Turner (Gibbs) 27pts vs. Northview Academy

Chandler Gamble (Knoxville Halls) 26pts vs. Clinton

Nick Johnson (Maryville) 26pts vs. Bearden

Reed Ownby (Sevier County) 26pts vs. Alcoa

Tilton Pickett (Marion County) 26pts vs. CSAS

Ethan Turner (West Greene) 26pts vs. Johnson County

Payton Armour (Meigs County) 25pts vs. McMinn Central

Matthew Clemmer (Maryville) 25pts vs. Hardin Valley

Leyton Frye (West Greene) 25pts vs. Hampton

Dennis Lewis (Brainerd) 25pts vs. Hamilton Heights

Grayson Strader (Oak Ridge) 25pts vs. Knoxville Central

 

Milestones

Luke Carter (CAK) is enjoying an outstanding senior campaign. The rough and tough lead guard moved past the 1,500-point barrier for his career with a 26-point effort against Grace Christian.

Brett Wright (Silverdale Academy) returned from his hiatus and moved into school history moving past the 1,000-point barrier for his career.

Connor Morton (Greenback) is hoping to help his Cherokee teammates make some noise this season. The senior guard forever made his name by scoring his 1,000th point this past week.

Grant Hensley (Unicoi County) dropped 25 markers on University and for his effort moved past the 1,000-point mark for his career.

Caden Buckles (Hampton) has his squad among the state's finest in Class A. His 28-point effort against Happy Valley was monumental as he surpasses the 1,000-point barrier for his career.

Carlos Orr (Gatlinburg-Pittman) is rounding into shape after a solid gridiron season. The rising junior recently moved past the 1,000-point mark for his career as a hopping Highlander.

Max Richardson (Union County) has had some shining moments in January for the Patriots. Richardson dropped a 29 spot on Grainger and moved past the 1,000-point barrier for his career.

Creed Musick (Tennessee) and Brandon Dufore (Tennessee) have been sterling teammates this season helping lead their squad to a state ranking. Musick has been tough since coming to Tennessee High, including a 31-point effort against Sullivan East and a 29-point effort against Abingdon (VA.). Musick and Dufore both achieved a milestone surpassing the 1,000-point mark for their careers during the month of January.

Cadin Tullock (Chuckey Doak) moves into school history etching past the 1,000-point mark for his career.

Denaj Kimber (Fulton) has his Falcons primed for a run at state this season. The junior combo guard chiseled his name among the school's greats moving past the 1,000-point plateau for his career.

Bradin Minton (Volunteer) etches his name into school folklore moving past the 1,000-point barrier for his career.

Tyree Smith (East Ridge) is among the top scoring threats in the Chattanooga area. Smith dropped 31 against Red Bank and 29 against Signal Mountain and then forever brings his name to the forefront moving past the 1,000-point mark for his basketball career.

Dre Jackson (Chattanooga Christian) has been a name to watch this month. Jackson made his presence felt early with a huge 36-point effort against CSAS and added a 26 spot against Boyd Buchanan. Along the way, he moved past the 1,000-point plateau for his career.

 

Players to Watch

Cole McCormick (Notre Dame) is a name that everyone better be getting to know. The rising junior wing is a threat as evidenced by some big scoring efforts in January including 30 against Collegedale and a cool 29 against CSAS.

Drew Branson (Grainger) has embraced his role for the Grizzlies. Branson has been scorching the nets with huge efforts including 31 against South Greene, 30 against Cosby and 25 against Union County.

 

Have You Seen?

Aaron Layne (Kingston) is an emerging sophomore with a wicked upside. His ability to play multiple spots on the floor has his squad among the top-ranked teams in their classifications and he is making headlines including a 26-point effort against Oneida.

The Keeton name has long been a staple in the Oneida community. Mason Keeton (Oneida) continues to impress with a 25-point effort against Campbell County while rising freshman Grady Keeton (Oneida) added 27 against Campbell County.

Ty Pryor (Rockwood) continues to grab headlines with his efforts. The junior guard had another fine month with efforts including 33 against Sunbright and 25 against Midway.