Spartan Hoops Tips Off Season: 5 Questions With Coach Tyler Davis

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — The 2020-21 high school basketball season tips off this week, and Mountain Brook enters the new season in a new classification, a new area and with a new head coach at the helm.

The Spartans fell just short of a third straight Class 7A state championship last year, but carries one of the most dominant 6-year stretches in AHSAA basketball history in the new season, this time in Class 6A.

The architect of that basketball dynasty, coach Bucky McMillan, left the Spartans at the end of the season last year to take over the head coaching position at Samford University this year, and longtime assistant Tyler Davis was handed the keys to what has been a nearly unstoppable basketball machine in recent years.

Mountain Brook opens the varsity season Thursday against Thompson.

Patch caught up with Davis to get his thoughts on what the new season, new team and new opponents look like for the coming season:

This being your first season as head coach, what are you looking forward to most this season?

I’m looking forward in my first year of carrying on the Mountain Brook tradition of maxing out on our potential as a team.

Where do you see the strengths of the team this season? Weaknesses?

Our strengths this year would be the work ethic these guys bring to the gym everyday. These guys love the game and love playing with each other. I’d say the weakness would be experience as a whole. A lot of these guys will be getting their first varsity experience or first opportunity to play for Mountain Brook this year.

In a new classification and new area, what changes for Mountain Brook this season as far as the approach?

Our approach doesn’t change with us going down to 6A. We will strive the be the aggressor on both ends of the court with our pressing style and fast paced offense. Playing Homewood, Briarwood and Chelsea in our area will be a change as we haven’t played these opponents in a long time. 6A still has some very good talent and we are looking forward to the challenge it will bring.

What is the breakdown of returning starters from last year's team?

Our starting line up will be five new players. We have a few players returning who got some playing time last year on our state runner-up team such as Mac Swoger, Colby Blackwell, Paulson Wright, and Julius Clark. I’m excited for everyone to get an opportunity to come out and see these guys play, including 6'6" Rayven Turner and 5'10" Point Guard Bo Barber. They will start and will be two of our most dynamic players. They were not on last years team and are both seniors.

What expectations have you laid out for your players this year?

The expectations I have set for our players this year is to get better every single day and to make the most of their opportunity to play since as we have seen with the Pandemic everyday could be their last game or practice. So I want these guys to enjoy the journey of playing together and to max out on our potential as a team together.