Champs show the way for Sparkman rebuild

HARVEST – The season opener on Thursday for the Sparkman boys basketball team offered the benchmark for what the Senators are striving to become.

“I think our kids learned that they can compete with anybody in the state,” Sparkman head coach Obadiah Threadgill IV said.

“I was just simply worried about if we could match their energy.”

The 2023 and 2024 7A State Champion Hoover Buccaneers were in town and they brought a formidable challenge with a size advantage along with skill.

Hoover would win the game 70-57 with a dominating second half, but this opportunity proved invaluable for a Sparkman program that is a work in progress with its new coach Threadgill.

“These guys are still getting used to me,” Threadgill said.

“My style of play and style of coaching is a little bit different than what Coach Coggins was doing.”

Threadgill is building a standard that will bring a fast pace, in-your-face style with a focus on guard-play and toughness.

Hoover was led by the senior UAB commit Salim London who collected 24 points in the victory for the Bucs.

Another dangerous player for the defending champs was the towering junior bigman Jackson Sheffield who scored nine mostly in the second half as Hoover pulled away from Sparkman.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Senators though as Orlandis Beale proved to be a threat on the hardwood for Sparkman with a solid 15 points in the losing effort.

“We got a little rattled towards the end with all of the turnovers and stuff,” Beale said.

“If we take care of the ball, limit the turnovers, limit some of the bad shots, box out and rebound, I feel like we are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

For a complete breakdown of Sparkman’s first game of the season, be sure to pick up a print copy of The Madison Record on Wednesday, Nov 13.