BY JESSE SMITHEY
The 2024 graduation of Jahvin Carter from Alcoa High School undoubtedly left a sizable wake for the boys’ basketball program to navigate.
Instead of trying to find an heir apparent to replace the Mr. Basketball winner and two-time All-5Star Preps Player of the Year, the Tornadoes approached the task by committee.
And two of the most prominent committee members for the 2024-25 run back to the Class 2A state title game for Alcoa were sophomores Jamir Dean and Condis Cherry.
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The duo not only ranked atop the team’s scoring charts but they produced in a number of big moments for Alcoa during a 31-6 season, earning each an equal share in the 5Star Preps Boys Basketball Underclassman of the Year award.
Dean, a 6-foot-3 forward, averaged 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 assists and roughly 1 block per game.
Cherry, a 5-7 guard, gave Alcoa 14.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
He averaged 18 points in the state tournament, including a 20-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, three-steal performance in the 2A title game loss to undefeated Loretto.
“We have a lot of kids like (Condis), who want the ball in the big moments. I think there were questions throughout the year: ‘OK. In those biggest moments, who are we actually going to go to?’ There were a lot of times when we didn’t go to the same guy. You ride a matchup. You ride the hot hand,” Alcoa coach Ryan Collins said.
“(Condis) played well in that state championship game and played well enough to give us a chance. At the end of the day, as a coach and a team, we trust a lot of guys. But just the confidence to go for it all — even though it didn’t happen for him or for us — just the confidence to go for it speaks a lot about who he is and the trust and respect he garnered throughout the year from the rest of our team.”
Cherry played his freshman season at Austin-East, occupying a significant role in the Roadrunners reaching the 2024 state tournament.
He enrolled at Alcoa for the 2024-25 school year and helped the Alcoa football program win a 3A state championship in December.
His transition to the basketball team and to the court went smoothly, all things considered.
“Everybody had a role. Coming in, I had to find it and not step on anybody’s toes,” Cherry said. “Once I found my role, I feel like everything just worked out for us.”
Condis Cherry of the Alcoa Tornadoes on Friday, March 21, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.(Photo by Danny Parker)
“I was always impressed with how seamless the fit was with Condis. And he never tried to come in and do too much,” Collins said. “It’s easy to come in in a situation like that and try to prove yourself. And he came in and was such a good fit. It was like, ‘Hey, I got a taste of the state tournament, and I know where we want to go. And I’m confident I can add to that.’ I think he did, every step of the way. Phenomenal on both sides of the ball with what he delivered. Very consistent in the biggest games and moments.
“To win some of those games, you got to have dudes. He was a dude when it mattered the most.”
Same could be said for Dean.
Known as a freshman for his high-flying skills opposite of Carter’s overall polish, Dean grew his game for his second season of prep basketball at Alcoa. His length affected games on the defensive end. And the work he put into his game from 10 feet and beyond on offense paid dividends, as well.
“I think Jamir is a kid who impacts winning on a lot of different levels,” Collins said. “We don’t do what we did last year in terms of the (2024) state championship without his transcendence. And it’s crazy to see the kind of impact he had as a freshman. A
“And then this year, he was a kid who was going to garner that much more attention. Can he take it to a new level? He had the highest plus-minus (rating) in our program. I think that speaks to the impact he has on winning.”
Jamir Dean of the Alcoa Tornadoes on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
Dean had a 21-point, eight-rebound game in Alcoa’s state quarterfinal win. He had 17 points and 10 boards in the title game, going 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and making three blocks.
“As a sophomore, the moment can be too big for you. He was never like that,” Collins said. “When we needed big plays in big games, he consistently made them. It didn’t always have to be the big 3. It’s the timely put-back because he made the effort to crash (the boards). Or the timely blocked shot at the rim. It came in a variety of ways.
“I’ve always appreciated how he operates. He’s very consistent in his work ethic and what he brings to the table. You never have to worry about him taking plays off when you watch him play. He’s a kid who puts all of himself out there.”
Dean connected on 38 percent of his 3-point tries as a sophomore, finding some motivation in the press to push himself all the more to round out his game.
“I was told by a lot of people that I can’t shoot. Last year, there was article about how I need to work on my shooting more, before the state championship. I’ve just been focusing on my 3-point shot and my shot more,” he said. “I can finish. I play above the rim so good that if I can hit my shots, I can be a good player.”
Alcoa will jump up to Class 3A for the 2025-26 season, a classification ruled recently by the Fultons and Greenevilles of Tennessee high school basketball.
Collins hopes that not only another challenging schedule but also a desire to return to championship glory will fuel Dean, Cherry and the rest of the Tornadoes.
“I think, to an extent, there’s another hunger that will come to the surface. You were so close and came out on the wrong side of it. I think that hunger and desire to be on the top again will lead to another emergence,” Collins said of what he thinks the next step will be for Cherry and Dean.
“But I’m really excited about our entire sophomore class. Those two kids in particular. I think the biggest area in which they’ll grow is leadership and being able to understand that you don’t go out and do it themselves. ‘So how do I continue to take the confidence I have in myself and my abilities and breed it in others to where everybody feels that way and can be their best in the biggest moments?’ I’m excited about our future and those two guys leading us, going forward.”