Upperman basketball players who survived tornado to get Courage Award at Tennessean Sports Awards

COOKEVILLE — They stood on the pile of rubble, weeks removed from being the site of Rex Davis' home.

Three Upperman classmates –— Torie Brooks, Ashland McClellan and Davis — told their story of survival and perseverance from when an EF-4 strength tornado blew through Putnam County early on March 3. It destroyed Davis and Brooks' homes.

McClellan's home located next door to Davis' still stands, but it had damage. The garage behind her family's home was destroyed.

It all came hours after a regional basketball semifinal win for the Lady Bees, and Brooks and McClellan were star players. Davis and Upperman's boys basketball team were scheduled to play the next night.

The trio are the recipients of the 2020 Kaia Jergenson Courage Award, which is part of the fifth annual Tennessean Sports Awards presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans that were held at 6 p.m. Thursday online at sportsawards.tennessean.com.

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"All I remember was the shaking of the house," Davis said. "I tried to grab on to something. But I was in the hallway and there was nothing to grab on to.

"I don't remember anything after that. I just passed out."

The three returned to the basketball court after the tornado and helped lead their respective teams to the TSSAA basketball state tournaments before the coronavirus pandemic canceled them after the girls quarterfinal round.

Davis recalled it being just a "regular night." He had gotten on his Playstation 4 to play video games. Brooks was staying at McClellan's house after the Lady Bees' win.

"It was a warm day, too," Davis said. "It was a really pretty day. I wasn't expecting anything like this happening."

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"We could hear it," McClellan said of the tornado. "It was like it was in our backyard. We made it downstairs to the bathroom.

Brooks, McClellan and McClellan's 8-month-old sister stayed in the bathroom. McClellan's mom and stepdad were outside the bathroom because there was no room for them. Her stepdad jumped on his wife when glass began to break to protect her.

"We couldn't breathe," McClellan said. "Torie and I had our mouths open in shock. But we couldn't breathe. It was like the wind was being sucked out of bodies.

"Our house was shaking. It felt like I overloaded the washing machine. I can't even describe it. It was scary."

After the tornado passed, McClellan and Brooks went outside to see the damage. They saw Davis' house destroyed and began to look for his family.

They found Davis first and got him out. They then turned their attention to Davis' mom.

"She was in a big pile," McClellan said. "It looked like their kitchen and bathroom was all into one place. She was up in a hole."

McClellan shined a flashlight on her and helped her get out. She then carried her to safety because she was barefoot.

"We all hugged when we all were safe," she said.

Why they played on

It would have been easy for the three basketball players to pass on playing after the tornado. All three were shook up from living through it.

They were displaced to different homes while they began to assess the damage. Davis' face had been bloodied by scratches caused by debris and broken glass.

But the girls told their coach Dana McWilliams they wanted to play on. And Davis told his coach Bobby McWilliams — Dana's husband — he too wanted to play on.

"I figured it was better for me to play to get my mind off of everything," Davis said. "That's my family, too. It's my life. If I can play, I want to play every day of my life."

McClellan said she played on not for her, but for the close-knit Upperman community, which needed something positive during this time.

"We play for our team and our community," McClellan said. "If you let one down, you let everyone down. We just stuck it out and played. And we got our minds off of it.

"Basketball is a great way to get away from everything. You are focused on something way different than something going on outside of the gym."

Numerous basketball programs came forward to help. Macon County, the team's biggest rival the past couple years, presented monetary gifts to the athletes. Meigs County gave gifts after the Lady Bees beat them in a sectional to reach the state tournament. Gatlinburg-Pittman, the Lady Bees' quarterfinal opponent, presented a monetary gift to Dana Williams for the team at the state tournament and gave them T-shirts.

York, which played both the boys and girls team, also gave money along with several others.

"They were all very generous," Brooks said. "We appreciate it so much. It helped a lot."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.