MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When COVID-19 first broke out, Wes Shappley was the coach of Arlington girls basketball. Mya Pratcher and Kennedy Claybrooks played for Whitehaven.
Both teams were among the final four schools remaining in the 2020 AAA girls state tournament, until the pandemic forced its cancellation.
Almost two years later, all three are now on the same team at Bartlett, and all eyeing their first state title.
"It really turned me and Mya into dogs," Claybrooks said of the cancelled tournament. "We just work 24/7. We're humble, but we're trying to go after it each and every time."
Pratcher signed with Auburn. Claybrooks with Texas State. But they are not the only Div. I bound athletes on the team.
The Panthers also feature a 6-foot-5 center in Mallory Collier. The junior recently announced a Top 10 that includes offers from Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Memphis, North Carolina, NC State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
"I haven't seen an individual yet stop her." Shappley said. "She's just tough to guard. With her size, skillset and footwork, it just makes it really tough."
"Mallory, she just dominates," Pratcher said. "There's really nothing much to be said. Everybody is going to see when we get out here."
It's that kind of confidence that drives Bartlett this year, along with the hope of finally getting their seniors the gold ball that was taken away just two years ago.
"Especially since it's their last year, we've got to do it for them," Collier said. "So they can walk away saying they won a state championship before they went off to college."
"We got hype because it's Bartlett," Claybrooks said. "But we're just trying to do us, not really stunting it. We're just trying to win."