The Kell boys basketball team is ranked No. 1 in the state. Now the rest of the nation is finding out why, too.
The Longhorns (11-1) went Las Vegas to compete in the Shark Classic and went 3-1 in the tournament’s Platinum Division. Coach Jermaine Sellers’ team beat Liberty of Henderson, Nev., lost to West Ranch of Valencia, Calif. (the eventual tournament champion), beat Calvary Christian of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and beat St. Augustine of San Diego. Kell is now ranked No. 12 in the Public National Rankings and No. 21 in the MaxPreps National Rankings.
“It was good experience for our guys to travel and see different competition than you see in this area,” Sellers said. “There’s a different style of play, a different level of basketball. I feel like it went really well with three wins.”
Sellers said the trip also helped the team grow closer as a group and become more comfortable playing elite competition.
“Just understanding the level of play you have to play in those type of events, not having the prep time, so being able to adjust in game situations,” Sellers said. “And we got to play at the Orleans Arena, which is an open-type setting, so they kind of got a feel for what it’s like to play in a big arena. There’s a ton of things that we took away from that trip and I think it’s going to help us as we move forward.”
Kell moved down from Class 6A when the GSHA realigned. The Longhorns are heavy favorites to win Region 6 and have won their first two league games by a combined 79 points. But Kell frontloaded its schedule against some of the state’s best programs – Dutchtown, Greenforest (twice), McEachern, Pebblebrook and Mount Vernon -- and will play at Class 7A No. 3 Grayson on Saturday.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves,” Sellers said. “I felt we are a very talented team and we don’t worry about who we play, we want to compete. Of course, you want to win, but we take the early season games as learning experiences. We’re not backing down from anybody. We want to see how good we really are and if we can make a run for the state championship.”
The talented roster is junior-heavy. The Longhorns are led by 7-foot, 300-pound center Peyton Marshall, a junior who has committed to Auburn and was named to the Shark All-Tournament team, and C.J. Brown, a 6-2 junior guard who has been offered by Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.
Jaylen Colon is a 6-2 junior point guard, the floor leader and a dangerous 3-point shooter who knocked down five in one of the Vegas games. Cannon Richards is a 6-5 junior who brings the energy and “makes us go,” Sellers said. Parrish Johnson is a 6-5 forward who may be the top defender on the roster.
The senior starter is Aaron Smith, a 6-5 forward who has signed with Alabama A&M, and Connor Staphylaris is a 6-foot sophomore who has been a big contributor off the bench.
The Longhorns got stuck in Las Vegas because of the winter storm that cancelled flights and paralyzed the nation’s travel grid. Some host teams helped take care of the players and staff on the coach, but the much-anticipated appearance in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Hoophall East event.
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