East Hamilton's Hayes Named USA Girls Basketball Player Of Year In Tennessee

East Hamilton’s Madison Hayes, the 2018-19 TSSAA Miss Basketball who is fresh off helping her TGB squad win the USA Basketball 3X3 national championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday was selected as the USA TODAY Girls Basketball Team Player of the Year for Tennessee.

The 6-foot-1 junior led the Lady Hurricanes to a 21-13 record this past season and a third-place regular-season finish in District 5-3A. East Hamilton lost to eventual state champion Bradley Central, 52-45, in the district tournament title game and saw its season end in the Region 3-3A tournament semifinals, 60-39, to Stone Memorial.

“It’s a great honor,” Hayes said in a telephone interview. “I feel really good about it and couldn’t have done without my teammates and coaches. We had a great season but I think we can do better next year. I think we’ll go to state and we’ll do fine. I’m excited.”

Bradley Central coach Jason Reuter, who has never been chosen as the district coach of the year although he’s won league regular season and tournament titles eight consecutive years, was named the state’s top coach by USA TODAY.

“This award was never on my radar, but when you have outstanding players committed to what we’re doing you might get an accolade that this. USA TODAY carries a lot of clout and if they send me a plaque or whatever, I’ll sure hang it on the wall.”

The Bearettes won the state title for the first time under Reuter’s guidance in Murfreesboro in March. It was the school’s sixth state championship and first since 1976.

Hayes, who is being recruited by about three dozen major colleges, averaged 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds and four steals per game as a junior.

A Naismith High School Girls All-America Team honorable mention selection in March, Hayes has 2,229 points, 1,220 rebounds, 353 assists, 367 steals, 178 blocks and scored more than 800 points last season.

In the region quarterfinals, Hayes had 29 points and 18 rebounds in the Lady Hurricanes’ 56-49 victory.

The other four picks for the all-state team are Jayla Hemingway of Houston High School (Germantown), Oak Ridge’s Jada Quinn, Brentwood Academy’s Maggie Brown and Gracee Dishman from Cumberland High School in Crossville.

Hayes beat out Hemingway and Quinn for the prestigious Miss Basketball award.

Members of the second team are Destinee Wells, Hemingway’s teammate at Houston, Alasia Hayes of Riverdale, Dontavia Waggoner of Ensworth, Lanetta Williams or Arlington and Karly Weathers of Loretto, a freshman guard who led her team to the Class 1A state championship game.

As for her TGB squad capturing the 3X3 national title, Hayes said, “It felt good and it was a lot of fun. I had great teammates and that made it easier for me. We lost our first game and that motivated us the rest of the way.”

Reuter has ruled the district during his nine seasons and his teams have won 68 consecutive games against league opponents. The Bearettes have reached the state tournament in five of the last seven years.

Bradley defeated Houston, 46-44, on Hannah Lombard’s 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds on the clock. It was Lombard’s only 3-point shot and only points in the game.

An assistant boys’ basketball coach at Bradley prior to taking over the tradition-rich Bearettes’ program, Reuter has a 267-32 career record. Over the past years, the Bearettes have won 131 games and lost nine. In the 2017-18 and 2016-17 seasons, Bradley’s only loss game in their final games: 52-49 to Houston in the state semifinals and 55-49 to Stewarts Creek in the sectional, respectively.

“Winning coach of the year in Tennessee caught me off guard,” Reuter said. “There are no balloons floating around and no fireworks because I just learned about it seconds before you called. Any award I might win is linked to the players because without them I wouldn’t be anything.

“The kids work hard for the Bradley Central Bearettes’ program and I’m happy for their success. This award is very humbling and I won’t decline it, but the players have put in a lot of hard work. When I look at all the girls that have played for me at Bradley Central, they have all left a footprint in some way or another.”

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)