How Mr. Basketball Will McCrary led Jackson County boys to first TSSAA state title
· Yahoo Sports
MURFREESBORO — Jackson County's Will McCrary had long dreamed of lifting a gold ball, and the reality proved equally as sweet as imagined.
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The Mr. Basketball winner dropped 18 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils past Humboldt, 52-39, and claim the Class 1A TSSAA boys basketball state championship, the first state title in program history.
"I'm just so proud ... to be able to bring a state championship to the community is just awesome," coach Kevin Thomas said. "Tonight was their 100th win as high school kids, in their career, it's just been a great ride. We knew this goal was out there for us and you just feel so blessed to reach it.
"You know there are some good teams out there, and they don't get to bring home the hardware and you do, that's something they can't take away from you."
While it's the first state title in program history, there is plenty of basketball tradition permeating throughout the halls of Jackson County. The girls basketball program has won eight state champions, while finishing runner-up five times, a legacy which the boys team now adds to with a gold ball of its own heading back to Gainesboro.
It was the crowning moment of a near-perfect senior campaign for the Blue Devils' leading scorer McCrary. On March 10, he became the first ever Mr. Basketball winner from Jackson County, before making further history as he pushed the team into the championship game for the first time with a pair of double-doubles in the state quarterfinals and semifinals.
He made it a third straight double-double against Humboldt, earning Class 1A state tournament MVP honors just moments before hoisting the state championship trophy to raucous cheers from the packed Blue Devils student section.
"I'm excited man, it's a lot to take in," McCrary said. "Of course I know it wouldn't have been possible without my teammates and glory to God obviously. I'm just excited. Our hard work has paid off."
Alongside McCrary, Jackson County started four more seniors who each played nearly every minute of the state tournament. Seniors Parker Patterson, Alex Meadows and Aden Netherton were each named to the all-tournament team.
"They mean everything to me," Meadows, who scored 10 in the game, said of his teammates. "Every time we go somewhere far away, we always stay in the same hotel sleeping together ... I love all of them and I'm glad I got to play with them four years."
The Blue Devils' core led the program to its first state tournament appearance in 17 years last season, falling in the Class 2A semifinals to eventual runner-up Alcoa. Despite the emotions in the aftermath of last season's state tournament defeat, with time it ultimately served as a confidence boost for Meadows and his returning seniors, as the team was reclassified to Class 1A ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
"I really think (last season) built their confidence," Thomas said. "They found out, 'Hey, we're pretty good.' I mean when you can get on the floor with the teams we get on the floor with, that goes a long ways in high school basketball.
"If you play with confidence and believe in one another that sets you apart."
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will McCrary, Jackson County capture TSSAA boys basketball state title