Area basketball teams tip off on new season
MADISON- The 20252026 high school basketball season has tipped off with local teams in hot pursuit of dedicated play on the court, victories on the scoreboard and the dreams of winning an Alabama High School State Championship.
Basketball is the third most popular high school sport for boys in America with 536,668 players in 18,587 schools and fourth most popular among girls with 367,284 players in 18,090 schools. Included in the national statistics are the number of players from the four local schools of Bob Jones, James Clemens, Sparkman and Madison Academy.
Here’s a look at the local teams in boys action for 2025-2026:
Bob Jones
Youth is not an issue for Bob Jones head coach Bryant Starkey in his third season to lead the Patriots, but with the upperclassmen dominating the 13-player roster with seven seniors and five juniors, only two starters return this year for the Class 7A squad.
“We lost a lot of great players from last year where we were 19-11 on the season, but we return a really good core group of players, many of which have been on our varsity team for three seasons,” said Starkey.
The two starters from last season wearing the red, white and blue colors of the Patriots are Air Force Academy commit Jacob Parks (G, 6-6, 9-1 points-4.0 rebounds per game, Sr.) and M.J. Robinson (G, 6-3, 4.5-2.7, Sr.). Harrison Lockett, (G, 6-3, 4.9-2.1, Sr.), who saw lots of playing time last season, is being heavily recruited by several JUCO and Div. II offers. As the season tipped off, he is undecided on his direction he’s headed once he graduates next May. Additional returnees will feature Ethan Whorton (G, 5-10, 2.6-1.8, Sr.), Reese Lockett (G, 6-2, 1.21.0, Jr.) and B.J. Carter (G, 5-10, 1.0-0.3, Sr.). Starkey is looking to have additional athletic prowess from Bob Jones football quarterback Gakobey Gill (F, 6-4, Sr.) who will bring athleticism to the court after completing his senior season on the gridiron.
“This group will not have the same length as our team last year, but will be able to play at a faster pace and put pressure on teams in the full court,” said Starkey, who has been with Bob Jones as a teacher and coach since 2015.
The season schedule includes hosting the annual N2HOOPS Tournament Nov. 24-26 and attending the long-standing, threeday Huntsville City Classic which begins the day after Christmas. The highly anticipated battles with crosstown rival James Clemens are on the calendar Dec. 16 and Jan. 23.
James Clemens
The 2025-2026 version of the boys basketball team at James Clemens is loaded with experience. No fewer than nine returning players, including three starters, are part of the team roster which is made up of eight seniors, three juniors and four sophomores.
Frankie Sullivan, in his seventh season as head coach, sees this year’s squad as one of experience he hopes translates into victories.
“Some of our kids have been around this program four years. Besides the three starters returning, we have five of our eight seniors who have played a lot and overall nine on the roster have varsity experience,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan feels his three returning starters should carry the burden of leading the Jets, but knows the overall team makeup is one of being well-rounded. The expected starters are Seito Yokota (G, 5-10, 145, Sr.), Isaiah Cleaves (G, 6-0, 170, Sr.) and Alexander Blue (G/F, 6-7, 200, Jr.), all of which were starters a season ago, along with Kydn Harris (G, 6-4, 185, So.) and Nickolas Harris (G, 6-6, 175, Sr.), who are not related.
Yokota is starting guard and team captain for the Jets where he has played since his freshman season under the guidance of Sullivan. Last season, the shooting guard poured in 12 points per game as the squad posted a 16-14 record. Sullivan is anxiously looking to Blue to come into his own. He said of Blue, “He’s growing up. He’s bigger, faster and stronger.”
The Jets’ offense will be of high intensity and more solid than a season ago. Sullivan looks for this year’s offense to work towards to get off as many shots as it can. “Our threepoint shooters have improved a great deal since last season, but we have a different plan as we want more drives to the basket and more chances to draw fouls,” Sullivan added.
The expected defense will be the same as Sullivan has had in his previous six seasons with hard nose, face-to-face characteristics. “Yes, we want to sit down at half court and force face-to-face pressure on opposing offenses. With our height and strength a good factor, we plan to box out underneath and grab the defensive rebounds.”
The team motto is simple: “Aim high, fly high.” Sullivan is strongly expressing on this year’s team to “leave a legacy.” Though the season is just now tipping off, Sullivan already sees the true character of team of having resilience. He added, “This squad is steady.”
Madison Academy
Change. High anxiety. Untested territory. The boys basketball team at Madison Academy will face all of those directives as the newest season of high school basketball has jumped into action for 2025-2026.
The change for the Mustangs is the fact the team lost five senior starters and 76-percent of its scoring from last year’s squad which was 24-9 on the season, Area 15 champs, and lost in the Class 4A Elite 8 to Plainview. Three members of the 2024-2025 squad now hit the hardwood in college. Their talent will be missed, but there’s more talent from where they came from.
The newest team features four seniors, six juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. High anxiety is at an extreme level due to many on the roster are placed in new ideas by head coach Tom Berryman.
That uncertainty will guide the newest roster of Mustangs stepping into untested territory. For Berryman, he’s strongly looking to the “Cooper Show” to lead the squad into what is for many of the players the valley of the unknown.
“I’m really looking forward to watching this team compete,” said Berryman. “Senior guards Cooper Acuff (G, 6-1, Sr.) and Cooper Finley (G, 6-0, Sr.) are both highly skilled and will provide great leadership. Guards Tahj Phillips (G, 6-3, Jr.) and Charleston Owens (PG, 5-9, So.) received valuable experience last year and are ready to take the next step. Forwards Evan Harvey (F, 6-5, Jr.) and Duncan Robertson (F, 6-5, Sr.) are versatile offensively and should provide a good combination of scoring and rebounding. Newcomer Blake Bell (G, 6-2, So.) is a versatile three-level scorer who should fit in well with our returners.”
Owens is a two-sport star for the Mustangs as he’s the starting quarterback for the football team and led that team into the post-season playoffs as the ninth-ranked in Class 4A. He’ll join his basketball teammates once the football season comes to an end.
The huge plus for the new group of those wearing the maroon and gold is the fact this team has more basketball length and athleticism than last year’s team, which should help on the defensive end of the court. The lineup will include some talented offensive players who must adapt to new roles.
“We’re not nearly as experienced as last year’s group, and we’ll have some young guys that have to grow up quickly. I think we’ll continue to improve as the season goes on and we gain more experience,” added Berryman.
The fourth-year Madison Academy head coach has laid out his game plan for the season. He feels he has the pulse of this group of student-athletes and explained what’s on his mind.
“We’ll try to play really fast offensively in transition. In the half court, we should have a balanced scoring attack with a good mix of perimeter shooting, attacking off the dribble, and scoring in the post. Defensively, we’ll full court press a lot and try to be disruptive. In the half court, we’ll be play a lot of man-to-man defense and mix in a little zone look as a change of pace,” said Berryman.
On the recruiting trail, both Acuff and Robertson are being zeroed-in by college scouts with each having their decisions on choice of college coming soon.
