Getting your Trinity Audio player ready. By John Henson Sports Writer Players change, but as far as Harlan County Kyle Jones is concerned the expectations remain the same for the HCHS basketball program. Harlan County has set the bar extremely high during Jones’ three-year run as coach with three straight 52nd District Tournament titles, a 13th Region title and state runner-up finish in 2024 and a 2A state runner-up finish in 2025. The Black Bears have won eight of the last 11 district titles and 10 of 17 overall in program history. But while the level of success is impressive, the players who have moved on the past two years make continuing to play at that level very difficult. Five of the top six players from the Sweet Sixteen final appearance two years ago are no longer around with Trent Noah now playing at the University of Kentucky and Maddox Huff at East Tennessee State University. Even with those losses, the Bears find themselves again ranked among the 13th Region’s top five teams after last year’s 25-9 campaign that ended with an overtime loss in the regional semifinals to eventual champ North Laurel. Jaycee Carter and Brody Napier also graduated from last year’s squad “Obviously, we’ve lost of lot of productivity over the last few years and don’t have a lot of experience coming back other than Trent (Cole) and Reggie (Cottrell). We do have those two guys to lean on,” Jones said. “We do have a small lineup and we’ll try to play at a faster pace than the last two years. We’ll get up and down the floor and press more. There may be times we back off from that when we need more help on the boards. We can go bigger and then play a little slower. I think we can play a couple of different styles depending on what lineup we are playing. That makes it fun to coach.” With the Bears expected to start five guards, Jones says improved pressure on defense and more depth options are crucial. “We’re going to definitely play more kids than we have in the past,” he said. “We have a good group of kids who haven’t had a chance to play much on the varsity level because they played behind some really good players, and I think that makes those kids hungry. I was a little worried this summer, but they played really well. I think they played with a little chip on their shoulders, and I hope they continue to do that the rest of the year.” Cottrell (9. 3 points per game last year, 5. 5 rebounds), an ultra-athletic 6-3 senior, is the last remaining starter from the 2024 state runner-up team. Cottrell showed more consistent shooting ability over the summer and has always had a knack for scoring in the open court. “He’s the toughest kid I’ve ever coached,” Jones said. “He’s a great athlete and defender, and I think people will get to see how his offense has developed over the summer. He will take on a bigger scoring role for us this year. He has to be our leader.” Cole (9. 3, 2. 2) had a big impact in his first season with the Bears after two years at Harlan and will take on more scoring responsibilities with Huff gone. “Trent worked his way in with us last year and got stronger as the year went on as far as production,” Jones said. “I think he will take a big jump this year as far as scoring the basketball. We’ll depend on his leadership at point guard. He’s a really good passer and floor general. You feel good when he was the ball. We’re excited to see what he will do this year.” Brennan Blevins (2. 5), a 6-2 senior, will move into the lineup this year after a strong summer when he helped with both scoring and rebounding and became a more consistent threat. “He has grown some and is an under-rated athlete with good quickness and jumping ability,” Jones said. “He plays extremely hard, and we’ll depend on him for rebounding and hustle plays. He is capable in transition and on the perimeter to get around people and score. He will probably be matched up against bigger guys a lot of the time.” Two sophomores who were junior high standouts two years ago, Brady Smith and Kaden Jones, are expected to move up from the junior varsity squad into the varsity starting lineup. “Brady is hard-nosed, tough and a good defender. He’s arguably our best passer. He’s a good downhill driver. He just knows how to play basketball. He may not look the best in ball-handling drills, but it’s hard to take the ball away from him out on the floor. He’s one of those throwback players. I think he will help us scoring wise. He’s hard to keep out of the lane because he’s strong and quick and uses his body real well. He plays bigger than he is,” Jones said. “Kaden will add quickness and ball-handling to our lineup. He’s not got a real opportunity yet, but I think he’ll be a person people have to guard on the floor because he’s a capable shooter,” Jones said. “The biggest thing with him is getting varsity experience. It will be a learning experience for him.” Junior guard Landon Brock will play a bigger role this season as he provides grittiness on both ends of the court “Landon has been a really good JV player the last couple of years. He plays hard and never complains,” Jones said. “He is a capable scorer, especially in transition. He gives us a lot of energy. He plays hard and is a good rebounder for his size. He’s a hard-nosed kid.” Tucker Curtis, a 6-5 sophomore, gives the Bears some much-needed size and could start against some opponents. “The uniqueness about this team is we can go small or big. Tucker gives us some size,” Jones said. “He’s footwork has improved, and he’s gotten stronger over the offseason. I think he will be one of those kids who continue to improve throughout his high school career.” Hayden Grace, a 6-2 sophomore guard, showed over the summer he’s capable of providing scoring help with his ability to score inside and outside. “I think Hayden is one of those kids not afraid of the moment. He can come off the bench and score. He’s a good shooter, and we’re working on him using his size more. I think sometimes he doesn’t realize how big he is,” Jones said. “Once he builds on the aggressiveness he gained this summer, the sky could be the limit for him.” Bell County has finished second to the Bears in the district the last two years but return five of the top six players from the squad last year that split four games against HCHS last season. “Bell will be a top 20 team in the state, in my opinion. They have been building this team for the past couple of years,” Jones said. “They are well coached. They have good size. (Blake) Burnett and (Ethan) Buell are really good players, and they will be tough for anyone to beat. Harlan is much improved and bring back their entire team. I thought they played hard all season. Middlesboro has a new coach, and I’m sure he will bring a lot of energy. I know the program is important to him, and they had some good young kids last year. I look for them to improve. We just have to focus on us and get better as the season goes. I hope we can compete with teams like that by the end of the season. “Our goals are not going to change. We talk about that every day at the end of practice. We’re still the defending champs of the district. We take pride in that,” Jones said. “We know it’s going to be an uphill battle, but these kids are ready for the challenge.” Jones ranks Bell and North as the early favorites in the region. “North Laurel will be awfully tough with a Division I player (Reece Davidson) who showed how good he really is last year during the district and state tournament,” he said. “You have North and Bell and Clay and Corbin and South. I think you can throw Harlan County in there. We aren’t going to take ourselves out of the mix. There are several teams that are close, but I think right now North and Bell are ahead of the rest of us.” Jones is counting on this year’s younger squad to live up to the expectations set for the program by previous teams. “I told the kids you represent what you’ve done in the past. People know who Harlan County is because of what we’ve done and will be gunning for them,” he said. “We’re going to have ups and downs this year. I know that, but I’m real confident in these kids. We haven’t had many bad days of practice, and they worked hard every day. I think it’s one of those deals when you’ve had some success that they don’t want to be the team that falls off. I think they are playing with that in mind now.”.
https://harlanenterprise.net/2025/11/23/48504/
