Team and photos of individual players are available for purchase from Mast Visions
Coach: Mr. Herman Rice, email bucscoach55@gmail.com
Assistant Coach: Mr. Jeff Meredith
Assistant Coach: Marty Story, email storyml@etsu.edu
2020-2021 University High Basketball Schedule
Nov. 19 @ Unicoi (varsity boys only) 7:30
Nov. 20 J. Frank White– HOF Game 5, 6:30, 8
Nov. 23-27 Sullivan East Thanksgiving Tournament TBA
Dec.4 Science Hill High School (boys only) 6:30, 8
Dec.8 KACHEA 5, 6:30, 8
Dec. 11 North Greene 5, 6:30, 8
Dec. 12 @ Elizabethton 5, 6:30, 8
Dec. 14 Davy Crockett 5, 6:30, 8
Dec. 19-22 Cherokee Christmas Tournament TBA
Jan. 8 @ Unaka 5, 6:30, 8
Schedule Revised 1-7-21
Jan. 11 @ Tri-Cities Christian (boys only) 5:15, 6:30
Jan. 16 @Knoxville Ambassadors 2, 3:30, 5
Jan. 19 @ Elizabethton (boys only) 6:30, 8
Jan. 20 @ Science Hill (boys only) 6:00, 7:30
Jan. 23 Cherokee (girls only) 5:00
Jan. 25 @Unaka 5, 6:30, 8
Jan. 26 Hampton (varsity Only) 6:30, 8
Jan. 28 @ North Greene 5, 6:30, 8
Jan. 30 @Cloudland
Feb. 5 @Hampton 5, 6:30, 8
Feb. 8 @Sullivan North
Feb. 9 Cloudland 5, 6:30, 8
Feb. 12 Sullivan North (Senior Night) 5, 6:30, 8
Feb. 13 Unaka (varsity only) 6:30, 8
Feb. 16 North Greene 5, 6:30, 8
District Tourney - TBA
-- GAME TIMES ARE JV BOYS, VARSITY GIRLS, VARSITY BOYS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
.................................................................................................................................
Local trio receives all-state honors
April 21, 2021
Northeast Tennessee grabbed a trio of spots on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state basketball teams.
Science Hill’s Keynan Cutlip, Sullivan East’s Dylan Bartley and University High’s Kaleb Meredith earned honors in their respective classifications.
On the Class AAA team, Cutlip was honored with one of the 15 slots. He was one of only four players chosen to the team from a school in the eastern part of the state.
Cutlip was one of the area’s most consistent performers, averaging 19 points and three assists per game. The 6-foot-2 junior guard helped Science Hill win 25 games and reach the regional semifinals.
On the Class AA team, Bartley made the cut. The 6-foot-2 junior guard was an all-around threat, averaging 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, two treys, and two steals per game. He helped the Patriots reach the Class AA sectional round.
State champion Greeneville had two players on the team, juniors Jakobi Gillespie and Reid Satterfield.
On the Class A squad, Meredith was selected after a dominant season. He averaged 28 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game. For his career, the 6-foot-1 senior guard scored 2,687 points and finished in fourth place on Northeast Tennessee’s all-time list.
North Greene’s Chriss Schultz was also picked for the Class A team.
In Division II Class AA, former Liberty Bell Middle School standout B.J. Edwards of Knoxville Catholic was chosen.
================================================
NET lands numerous players on TSWA all-state teams
Douglas Fritz
April 21, 2021
There was plenty of representation for Northeast Tennessee on the recently announced all-state basketball teams.
The Tennessee Sports Writers Association found spots multiple players on each of the boys and girls teams. Here's a look at each of the squads.
BOYS
Northeast Tennessee grabbed several spots on the boys' team.
Science Hill’s Keynan Cutlip, Sullivan East’s Dylan Bartley and University High’s Kaleb Meredith earned honors in their respective classifications.
On the Class AAA team, Cutlip was honored with one of the 15 slots. He was one of only four players chosen to the team from a school in the eastern part of the state.
Cutlip was one of the area’s most consistent performers, averaging 19 points and three assists per game. The 6-foot-2 junior guard helped Science Hill win 25 games and reach the regional semifinals.
On the Class AA team, Bartley made the cut. The 6-foot-2 junior guard was an all-around threat, averaging 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, two treys, and two steals per game. He helped the Patriots reach the Class AA sectional round.
State-champion Greeneville had two players on the team, juniors Jakobi Gillespie and Reid Satterfield.
On the Class A squad, Meredith was selected after a dominant season. He averaged 28 points, nine rebounds and four steals per game. For his career, the 6-foot-1 senior guard scored 2,687 points and finished in fourth place on Northeast Tennessee’s all-time list.
North Greene’s Chriss Schultz was also picked for the Class A team.
In Division II Class AA, former Liberty Bell Middle School standout B.J. Edwards of Knoxville Catholic was chosen.
GIRLS
Northeast Tennessee was well-represented on the girls' side.
Leading the way was Class AA honoree Bre Yarber. The Sullivan Central standout was the Johnson City Press/Times-News All-Northeast Tennessee player of the year. The senior averaged 17 points and eight rebounds and was also a dominant shot blocker. She helped Central win 19 games and reach the region semifinals before losing to eventual state runner-up Grainger.
Also on the Class AA squad was Sullivan East sophomore Jenna Hare. She averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per game.
Earning the honor on the Class A team was Unaka’s Lyndie Ramsey. The sophomore had NET-best averages of 23 points and 4.2 steals per game. Also getting a spot on the team was North Greene junior Brooklyn Anderson.
On the Division II Class AA squad, former Science Hill standout Jeila Greenlee joined teammate Sydney Mains earned spots. Mains, a freshman, played at Liberty Bell Middle School before moving on to Knoxville Catholic and playing with Greenlee this season.
Over the past four years, Kaleb Meredith has excelled as both a student and as an athlete. He has amassed over 2,700 career points, placing him in the top three all-time leading scorers in Northeast Tennessee. He has been voted four times to both the All-Conference and All-Region teams, been voted Player of the Year in District 1A multiple times, has earned multiple tournament MVP awards, multiple All-Northeast Tennessee 1st Teams, and the Tennessee Sports Writers All State team. Showing his commitment to being a complete player, Kaleb has also been named Johnson City Press’ Northeast Tennessee Defensive Player of the Year. This season, Kaleb is leading Northeast Tennessee in scoring, averaging 30 points-per-game in addition to 9 rebounds-per-game and 4 steals-per-game. Congratulations to Kaleb on receiving this University School Career Achievement honor!
(Photo used with permission by Mast Visions)
.................................................................................................................................
Roundup: Head's buzzer beater lifts Boone over Volunteer
Douglas Fritz
Feb 12, 2021
....
UNIVERSITY HIGH 49, SULLIVAN NORTH 47
With 2.9 seconds left on the clock, Hank Stott took an in-bounds pass from John Carter and drained the game-winning bucket at the buzzer.
The Buccaneers got 21 points from Kaleb Meredith and used a spirited fourth-quarter rally to edge the Raiders. UH trailed by 13 points entering the final period before outscoring North 23-8.
It was the second league win of the season for the Buccaneers (2-6) as they improved to 7-11 overall.
Meredith also totaled seven rebounds. Ashmon Murphy added 13 points and six rebounds for UH.
North was led by Isaiah Pruitt, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
.................................................................................................................................
Fast start lifts Cyclones over UH
Tanner Cook Jan 19, 2021
ELIZABETHTON — A fast start sets the tone and the Elizabethton boys basketball team did that and more in Tuesday night's 80-65 non-conference win over University High.The Cyclones heated up Treadway Gymnasium in the first quarter by scorching the net for 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting.
Jake Roberts finished with a team-high 27 points for the Cyclones on an 10-of-18 effort from the field and making his only free throw.
University High's Kaleb Meredith finished with a game-high 34 on 14-of-26 shooting
and 4-for-5 at the charity stripe.
The Bucs got as close as 69-59 in the fourth quarter, but could not get over the hump.
"That was one of our best starts of the year," Elizabethton coach Lucas Honeycutt said. "Coming out of the gate, that gave us the cushion that we needed to sustain throughout the game and they got close there late.
"That's no surprise with the talent like they have in that Meredith kid. He's amazing."
ALL ALONE IN FOURTH
By hitting his average, Meredith moved into fourth all-time on the unofficial Northeast Tennessee scoring list, surpassing Cherokee's Ryan Lawson (2,397). Meredith now has 2,415 career points.
Lawson, oddly enough, is a former travel-ball coach of Meredith's.
"Any time you can move up in a list like that is a huge honor," Meredith said. "For it to be a great basketball player like Ryan Lawson means a lot and he's definitely getting a text from me tonight."
Up next on the list is former David Crockett and East Tennessee State sharpshooter Patrick Good with 2,716.
"We knew that he was going to get 20-plus points," Honeycutt said. "We made a goal
of 15 and he ended up getting 34. It wasn't what we wanted, but that happens sometimes
with a player like him."
TWO BIGS
The Cyclones have won 11 of their last 12 games with the only blemish coming against Three Rivers Conference foe Sullivan East last week.
Elizabethton torched the nets at a 52.3% clip (34-for-65) and made eight shots from 3-point range.
"Both of us got off to pretty hot starts," Honeycutt said. "I didn't think for a little bit there that they were going to miss either."
Nicholas Wilson was 9-of-13 from the field and finished with 18. Front-court mate and versatile senior William Willocks finished with 17 on 8-of-15 from the floor.
"Nicholas has had some very consistent games here and kind of quiet," Honeycutt said. "He's doing a lot of the dirty work and that's what he needs to do. Will has settled in and he knows what to do.
"If Will gets it in the paint near the bucket, he's hard to stop one-on-one."
Braden Phillips also finished in double digits for Elizabethton with 12.
FOR THE BUCS
John Carter was the only other player to finish in double figures for the Bucs, totaling 13 points (5-7 FG). He made all three of his 3-point attempts.
UH shot 26-of-54 from the field and turned the ball over just 11 times.
......................................................................................................................................................................
Roundup: Meredith Leads UH Romp Over Ambassadors Jan 16, 2021
KNOXVILLE — Kaleb Meredith went on a tear with 34 points and 15 rebounds to lead University High to an 81-52 romp over the Knoxville Ambassadors on Saturday.
Meredith scored 12 points off turnovers and hit 13 of 22 shots from the field.
John Carter also had a big game offensively, knocking down six attempts behind the 3-point arc in a 29-point effort.
Overall, the Bucs went 10-of-20 from 3-point range with Ashmon Murphy and Ben Vargo
also connecting from that distance.
Ethan Smith led the Knoxville home school team with 15 points and eight rebounds.
.............................................................................................................................................................
Meredith, Ramsey Top NET Scoring Leaders
Douglas Fritz Jan 14, 2021
University High's Kaleb Meredith leads all Northeast Tennessee high school basketball players with an average of 34.2 points per game.
Unaka's Lyndie Ramsey is tops on the girls' side with an average of 21.7 per game.
BOYS
SCORING
Player, team Avg.
Kaleb Meredith, University High 34.2
Carter Metz, Cherokee 22.4
Jake Roberts, Elizabethton 19.4
Keynan Cutlip, Science Hill 19.1
Wade Witcher, Tennessee High 18.6
Mason Britton, David Crockett 18.0
Ethan Lane, Sullivan Central 18.0
Breiydon Gilliam, Daniel Boone 17.8
Dylan Bartley, Sullivan East 17.7
Isaiah Pruitt, Sullivan North 16.6
Jack Browder, Dobyns-Bennett 16.5
Ayden Begley, David Crockett 16.0
Jackson Earnhardt, Johnson Co. 15.6
Brandon Dufore, Tennessee High 15.2
Amare Redd, Science Hill 15.2
Joseph Slagle, Unaka 14.0
Cooper Johnson, Sullivan South 13.7
Morgan Lyons, Hampton 13.6
Malachi Hale, Dobyns-Bennett 13.4
Jonavan Gillespie, D-B 13.3
Jason Sattler, Cherokee 13.2
William Willocks, Elizabethton 13.2
Will Sexton, Unaka 13.0
Ethan Bradford, Sullivan East 12.8
Brady Stump, Dobyns-Bennett 12.8
Andrew Knittel, Volunteer 12.4
Ty Barb, Sullivan Central 12.0
Robbie O'Dell, Unicoi County 11.7
Lucas Slagle, Unicoi County 11.5
Nick Ellege, Sullivan South 11.4
Clayton Cross, Johnson Co. 11.2
Joltin Harrison, Sullivan Central 11.0
Jacob Cross, Sullivan North 10.7
Zack Parsons, Johnson Co. 10.5
Jahson Dennis, Dobyns-Bennett 10.5
Brayden Phillips, Elizabethton 10.4
Grant Hensley, Unicoi County 10.4
Braden Minton, Volunteer 10.1
Isaiah Lang, David Crockett 10.0
Jackson Dean, Sullivan South 10.0
GIRLS
SCORING
Player, team Avg.
Lyndie Ramsey, Unaka 21.7
Sadie Stout, Johnson County 17.2
Jenna Hare, Sullivan East 16.6
Breanna Yarber, Sullivan Central 16.5
Jabrea Johnson, Dobyns-Bennett 15.2
Caroline Podvin, Unicoi County 15.0
Emmy Miller, Johnson County 14.0
Chloe Nelson, Sullivan South 13.4
Hayley Grubb, Sullivan East 13.3
Delaney Trosin, University High 13.0
Morgan Headrick, Elizabethton 12.8
Emma Gouge, David Crockett 12.4
Emma Aubrey, Sullivan East 12.1
Ryleigh Owen, University High 12.0
Madi McClain, Hampton 12.0
Allie Jordan, Sullivan South 11.8
Riley Fritts, Tennessee High 11.8
Kijanae Marion, Science Hill 11.6
Lina Lyon, Elizabethton 11.6
Aliyah Crawley, Volunteer 11.1
Tori Ryan, Tennessee High 10.8
Kenady Knittel, Volunteer 10.5
Jaelyn West, Sullivan Central 10.4
Mackenzie Baldwin, Crockett 10.3
Katie Bailey, Happy Valley 10.3
Jasmin Myers, Science Hill 10.1
Mandy Benfield, Cloudland 10.0
Olivia Absher, Happy Valley 10.0
Atlee Dean, Volunteer 9.9
................................................................................................................................
The following article was printed in the Johnson City press:
University High romps in win over KACHEA
Jeff Birchfield
December 9, 2020
University High turned up the wick in the second quarter and romped to a 72-28 victory
over KACHEA on Tuesday night at Brooks Gym.
Leading 15-9 at the end of one quarter, the Bucs outscored the Wildcats 57-19 the
rest of the game.
Kaleb Meredith led the Bucs with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. He hit 13
of 24 shots from the field.
Joseph Kent barely missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Ben Vargo
hit three shots from 3-point range and also finished with 11 points.
John Carter scored nine points, while Eli Chaffin finished with eight points and six
rebounds.
Will Joyner was the leading scorer for KACHEA with 12 points. Landon Fuller was next
highest with six points.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UH's Meredith has all the right tools
By Tanner Cook, December 3, 2020
Kaleb Meredith has already had some big moments in his two-sport career at University High and he’s not even halfway through his senior year.
“I would compare being on the pitcher’s mound in those big moments to being at the free-throw line late in the game,” Meredith said. “Every single pitch is so important. You’re trying to block out everything else and not really focus on anything else except the batter and the catcher or you and the goal.
“It’s all about staying focused and getting your job done.”
Meredith, a Class A all-state guard for the Bucs basketball team, has already accumulated 2,251 career points and is averaging more than 36 points a game this season.
As a left-handed pitcher, he’s amassed 74 strikeouts in 69⅓ innings and a 2.47 ERA. And that’s without a junior season that got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
BIG MOMENTS
One of his highlight games came against Tennessee High two weeks ago when he scorched the nets for a career-high and school-record 49 points in Viking Hall.
“That was amazing because that’s where they play the Arby’s (Classic) and that’s a big gym,” Meredith said. “That’s where you want to play around here and it was an amazing feeling.
“I think the school record had been standing since 2009.”
Meredith scored his 2,000th point in last season’s District 1-A finals on a game-winning buzzer-beater against Hampton.
“The shot itself was surreal and I found out 20 minutes later that I had passed 2,000 on that shot,” Meredith said.
The Bucs made an appearance at the 2019 state basketball tournament in Murfreesboro, but lost to McKenzie in the first-round. Meredith scored 33 of UH’s 49 points.
“That whole experience was something else,” Meredith said. “Walking in and being able to have passes to get on a big floor with people everywhere was awesome. I really can’t describe it.”
The following spring, UH made a return appearance to the state baseball tournament behind a deadly 1-2 pitching punch of Michael Degennero and Meredith.
In the opening game of the 2018 state tournament against Loretto, the Bucs went up against future San Diego Padres first-round pick Ryan Weathers.
“Obviously, it’s an honor to go to the state baseball tournament, but it feels almost like a travel tournament because we’re playing at local high schools,” Meredith said. “(Weathers) was a force. I got lucky because I didn’t have to hit against him, but he faced six batters against us. He had five strikeouts and one of our guys managed to hit a grounder to third.
“He could hit, too. Pitchers don’t usually hit, but he hit one over the scoreboard against us.”
ON THE HARDWOOD
“I started coaching (Kaleb) in seventh grade,” UH basketball coach Herman Rice said. “That was his first year at University School. Kaleb is one of those kids within 15 minutes of the first practice, you knew that you had something special.”
Meredith won the Northeast Tennessee scoring title last season, averaging 24.6 points in 36 games.
Through his junior season, Meredith is averaging 20.3 points for his career, shooting 50.5% from the field, making 38% of his shots from deep and nailing 77.3% of his free throws.
Coming into his senior season, Meredith needed to make 116 3-pointers to make the top 10 list all-time in the state’s history (335).
If he were to have another monster season like he did last year, where he scored 882 points, Meredith could be looking at the magical 3,000-point mark.
“Another thing about him is that some kids with his talent would come to practice and not take it seriously, but he’s the hardest worker I’ve got,” Rice said. “He always has been. It shows in his game and also his leadership. These younger guys look up to him and it speaks to the quality of a human being that he is.”
CHASING HISTORY
Only 22 boys and 9 girls in the history of Tennessee high school basketball have ever scored more than 3,000 points, according to the TSSAA record books. Only one — 1979 David Crockett graduate Jennifer Taylor (Campbell) with 3,144 — from the Johnson City Press/Kingsport Times-News coverage area has achieved the mark.
Former Tennessee High and Kentucky standout and Cleveland Cavaliers draft pick Derrick Hord still maintains the Northeast Tennessee boys scoring title, having amassed 2,947 points in his illustrious career that ended in 1979.
ON THE BUMP
A dominant southpaw in high school is something that most baseball players don’t want to see when they step into the batter’s box.
“What drew me to Tennessee is it really is like that hometown thing,” Meredith said. “Everyone around here loves them and they have great team success. They were 11th in the country before the pandemic shut them down.”
Said UH baseball coach Josh Petty: “When he can spin the ball and bury it deep and in the right-handed batter’s box, they have little to no chance. We knew exactly what we were getting one of the first times we saw him.
“When you’ve got a fastball in the 80s and you have command, you’re going to play in college. Kaleb has all the tools to be successful at the next level.”
In league play in his first two seasons, Meredith is 4-0, has a 0.76 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP and a 10.7 strikeout per game rate.
Meredith isn’t shabby at the plate either, tallying a .415 career on-base percentage and has 29 steals.
“He does a great job working deep into the count and he sees the ball about as well as anybody,” Petty said. “The thing that speaks to his work ethic is on weekends — he goes out there in the winter and throws his bullpen session.”
OFF THE PLAYING FIELD
In the classroom, Meredith excels as well, toting a 3.9 GPA and has a 29 on the ACT.
“He’s always on time and he’s one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet,” Petty said. “He’s quiet and let’s his actions do the talking. He’s a real top-notch kid.”
Said Rice: “Kaleb doesn’t have a selfish bone in his body. He’s such a great kid and if you got to know him, you’d realize how much better of a person he is than he is an athlete. And he’s a really good athlete.”
