Latest news with #Upperman
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Ty Cobb was difference for Upperman's first TSSAA boys basketball state championship
MURFREESBORO — Ty Cobb took off from the free-throw line after the final horn blew, threw a fist in the air and then bounced himself off the post beneath the basket. Cobb had seen his older sister, Jayla, have her championship celebration moment with Upperman when the Bees won the 2022 TSSAA basketball 3A girls state title. Cobb's mom, Amanda, didn't win a title but also played in a championship game for Upperman. Now, it was the Cobb's turn. And he reveled in the moment. Cobb finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds in Upperman's 65-55 victory over Tullahoma for the Class 3A TSSAA boys basketball state tournament championship Saturday at MTSU's Murphy Center. He was an easy pick for tournament MVP, averaging 31.3 points in three games. 'Ever since I was little bitty, I dreamed of playing in this game,' said Cobb, who was also named Class 3A Mr. Basketball earlier this week. 'I was a ball boy when we got put out in the final four against Greeneville in 2021 … It's just awesome. I'm really at a loss for words. It's surreal. I don't even know what to think right now, I'm just trying to soak it all in and go back and party with the community at home.' Upperman (32-3) captured its first TSSAA basketball title by winning a heavyweight rematch. Tullahoma (32-5) defeated the Bees, 59-51, in the Region 4-3A championship game just weeks earlier. Cobb wouldn't accept the same result this time. He had 16 points and six rebounds by halftime and scored 10 of Upperman's 13 points in the second quarter to put the Bees up 23-19 at the break. 'Sometimes you'll hear us in transition just say, 'Go!' and let him just go make a play,' McWilliams said. 'It's not necessarily real good coaching, but it (actually) is. You just get out of his way and let him do his thing, and he can break a drought.' Cobb picked up a Division I offer from Tennessee Tech this week. More could follow. He turned heads with his play as a freshman but became dominant as a 6-foot-2 sophomore, putting on 20 pounds of muscle and increasing his bench press to 275 pounds. Cobb finished with five assists against Tullahoma. He calmly swished a 3-pointer near the end of the first half, but it was his drives to the basket that challenged the Wildcats. Cobb wasn't necessarily at full strength, either. He played with a sore groin muscle Saturday, he said. 'He's super athletic and he lowers his head and goes,' Tullahoma coach Jason Welch said. 'He's a super, super player. I think he's a tough matchup sometimes the way the game's called in high school. I thought we guarded him good at times and he made a couple good shots.' LORETTO: How chasing perfection wasn't just a fantasy for Loretto in TSSAA basketball state title win Amid the postgame celebration, McWilliams found his wife, Dana, who has led Upperman's girls program to three state titles since 2017. 'It was really emotional for her, emotional for me. We put in a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of work,' McWilliams said. 'Just to see each other be successful was pretty incredible. And I know how she was feeling, because I've done that three times. And every time has been good.' Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball state tournament: Ty Cobb leads Upperman to title
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Bronzden Chaffin's emotional side led to Upperman's to first-ever TSSAA basketball state title game
MURFREESBORO — Bronzden Chaffin picked up the basketball, secured it in his right hand and flung it as far as he could towards the ceiling of the Murphy Center. Screaming and flexing throughout the afternoon, Chaffin showed more emotion than anyone on the court during Friday's Class 3A semifinal between Upperman and Greeneville. And as the Bees' 55-47 win became official, the junior's teammates joined in the display. The Bees (31-3) advanced to the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament championship game, where they'll face Tullahoma (32-4). Before Friday, they were 0-4 in state semifinal games, including a loss to Fulton last season. Now they have a chance to win the first title in program history. It's especially sweet for Chaffin, who's come achingly close to a championship in not one, but two sports. As a sophomore in 2023, he started at quarterback for Upperman's football team, which lost to Pearl-Cohn in the Class 4A BlueCross Bowl, and helped the Bees reach the state basketball semifinals as well. Last football season, Chaffin guided the Bees to another undefeated regular season before eventual champion Macon County brought their run to an end. "It's crazy," Chaffin said. "We work at this every day in both programs. Our school is known for a good program in sports. We love to work for it, and this is always our end goal." On Friday, Chaffin came up huge on both ends of the floor. He began the game defending Greeneville's Trey Thompson, a Mr. Basketball finalist with offers from Tennessee and Purdue, and held him scoreless in the first quarter despite giving up four inches of height. After halftime, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound forward gave Upperman a needed secondary scoring punch to complement Mr. Basketball winner Ty Cobb, who finished with 33 points. Chaffin helped the Bees extend their lead from 18-17 to 38-27 with eight points in the third quarter. "I just knew to let the game come to me," Chaffin said. "We have one of the best sophomores in the state, so they're gonna bring a lot of focus on him and we'll get the rest of the team involved." Then with 6:54 to play, Chaffin showed the athleticism and size that's made him such a sought-after football recruit. He turned the corner on Thompson, drove from the perimeter and threw down a one-handed dunk to send Upperman fans into a frenzy. MORE: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule and scores "(Thompson) was coming behind me, and he's 6-8," Chaffin said. "I was just trying to jump as high as I could." Chaffin threw for 1,383 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024 and also had 1,115 yards and 15 TDs on the ground. He has offers from Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Southern Mississippi. While his college future's on the gridion, Upperman basketball coach Bobby McWilliams raves about how much Chaffin's grown on the court — growth which has the Bees one win from a gold ball. "Our guys are going to do what the game presents and what's necessary," McWilliams said. "He just was a little bit more aggressive tonight." Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Bronzden Chaffin sparks Upperman
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Upperman star Ty Cobb is more than just TSSAA Mr. Basketball to the McWilliams family
MURFREESBORO ― To the Upperman basketball community, sophomore star Ty Cobb isn't just the boys team's best player and the TSSAA Class 3A Mr. Basketball. He's like a member of the McWilliams family. "He's been with us ... it's been vacations, been everything," Upperman boys coach Bobby McWilliams said. "Three of my sons are here, and they'll tell you that's a little brother to them. He's more like a grandson to me. He's just been around the program. It's all he knows. It's typical for these Upperman younger kids to feel that connected to the program. We're happy it's that way." TOP PLAYERS: Top players entering TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025 The 6-foot-2 Cobb, who took home the coveted Mr. Basketball award Tuesday night, backed up that honor with a 28-point performance in Thursday's 54-40 win over Hume-Fogg in the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament quarterfinals at MTSU's Murphy Center. The top-ranked Bees (30-3) will play in the semifinals Friday at 4 p.m. against Greeneville (26-11). Like many of his teammates, Cobb grew up around the Upperman program. He was a ball boy for the boys team during state tournament runs when he was young. His family connection also runs deep with the school and McWilliams family. Ty's mother, Amanda, played for Upperman girls coach Dana McWilliams in the late 1990s to early 2000s. His stepfather, Alan Asberry, played for Bobby McWilliams and is an assistant for the Bees. "It's awesome," Cobb said. "I feel like everybody here has been family. I grew up around here since I was 2. I've been on the bench cheering. It's been special to be a part of it. I always dreamed as a little kid to be here. Hopefully we can get to the state championship game for the first time in history." Dana McWilliams said Cobb is as good a young man as he is a player. "He's been really good with our grandchildren," she said. Cobb had outscored Hume-Fogg (29-4) by himself for the first three quarters of the game, including some dazzling moves and a thunderous dunk at one point. He was 12-of-12 from the free throw line and 2-of-2 from 3-point range, adding three rebounds and an assist in 29 minutes. That effort didn't surprise many, particularly Bobby McWilliams. MORE: Ensworth basketball's Jonathan Sanderson named Tennessee Gatorade player of the year "I thought collectively as a group, we all played pretty well," McWilliams said. "Ty does what he does. The rest of the guys did what they're supposed to do." Jack Torrence added nine points for Upperman. Michael Nwoye led Hume-Fogg with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Upperman, Ty Cobb advance
