You can feel the ball bouncing. 

You can hear the sneakers squeaking. 

This is the sound of basketball. 

Some limitations remain in tact but the fact is we were able to have the 2021 Tennessee State High School playoffs and everything went off without a hitch. 

Three classifications and three state champions were crowned last week at the Murphy Center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Lets break down each classification with some talk of the action, the top scorers and three players who stood out among the field. 

CLASS AA

State Champion: Greeneville
State Tournament MVP: Jakobi Gillespie (Greeneville)
Mr. Basketball: Toris Woods (Bolivar Central) 

Greeneville defeated perennial Class AA state power Jackson Southside 47-46 to bring the Gold Ball home to East Tennessee. Reid Satterfield (Greeneville) and Jakobi Gillespie (Greenville) dropped 19 and 17 respectively as the Green Devils claimed the title. 

Gillespie was named the MVP of the Class AA division. 

Top Scoring Efforts: 

Jakobi Gillespie (Greeneville) 28pts vs. Bolivar Central
Will Reed (Community) 24pts vs. Kingston
Jakobi Gillespie (Greeneville) 23pts vs. Upperman
Alex Rush (Upperman) 21pts vs. Pearl Cohn
Colby Raymer (Kingston) 21pts vs. Community
Colby Raymer (Kingston) 21pts vs. Jackson Southside

Three Players Whose Efforts Shone Large

Brandon Maclin (Jackson Southside) 

I'm pretty sure it is illegal to run the Class AA state tournament without the presence of Jackson Southside. Maclin was a beast helping lead the Hawks to the title game against Greeneville. Maclin did his work in the paint delivering a double/double in every game including a monster 17 caroms in the title contest. 

Colby Raymer (Kingston) 

Junior guard averaged 21 points per game helping lead the Yellowjackets to the final four in Class AA. Raymer is a leader, a winner and just makes everyone around him better. He has a will to compete, he understands tempo, he can get a big bucket, he keeps possessions alive, he rebounds well for his size and he wins. Plain and simple. Her wins. 

Jakobi Gillespie (Greeneville) 

The growth and maturation of this kid has been remarkable. He finished the event as the tourney MVP, averaged 22.7 points per game and was a Mr. Basketball finalist. His body has caught up to his skill level and the results are what you see before you. Just watch as he gets better over the summer and does this again next year.