Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tenn.) head coach Jason Reuter has coached a lot of great players, including Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream, but his 2024-25 team might be the best he has seen in 31 years of coaching.
Bradley Central went 35-1, won its third straight Division I Class 4A title and finished No. 4 in the final MaxPreps Top 25.
For his efforts, Reuter has been named the 2023-24 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year.
"Our girls always felt it was a state title or bust," Reuter said. "They never played down to competition, never came out flat. If they knew they could be a team by 50, they beat them by 58.
"I'm appreciative of this honor. It's humbling and I wasn't chasing any awards, but it's a nice byproduct."
Standout junior
Kimora Fields, a Clemson commit, earned MaxPreps Tennessee Player of the Year honors as well as being named Miss Basketball.
The lone blemish on the record was an 80-59 loss to national power Montverde Academy (Fla.). But the Bearettes claimed wins over several state champions and teams that made deep runs in the postseason. Additionally, they became the winningest program in state history, boys or girls, this season.
Reuter, who has coached the Bearettes for 15 seasons, said he told his team that if they went undefeated he would take them all out to eat.
"If we went undefeated I was going to take them to the Cheesecake Factory, but I also knew if we got close we were going to have a hell of a team," Reuter said.
He praised not only his players for their selfless play, but assistants Adam Belford, Amy Tinsley and Keith Freeman for keeping expectations high and his wife Melissa.
"We were trying to win every time we stepped on the floor, not hoping," Reuter said. "My job was more above the shoulders than below."
Reuter also praised his team for being one of three public schools to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings. In an age when high-level players often chase bigger stages and dreams, he said staying home to play for your local school still can mean high achievements.
"Public schools are the backbone of this country," he said. "Each of my players came into this earth in Bradley County and have a bus route at this school."
