Harris getting early start in high school ball
Summer camps are often the first proving grounds for young players, the place where freshmen get thrown into the fire for the first time. The stakes may not be as high as the regular season, but nerves still hit when the uniform goes on and the ball tips off.
Moni Harris decided to start that process a couple years early.
The soon-to-be seventh grader is spending her summer competing with the Boyd Lady Broncos varsity team and got a moment she'll remember Wednesday at Rocky Top Sports Complex in Gatlinburg. Harris scored her first bucket against high school competition during Boyd's matchup with Powell High School, a milestone that brought plenty of smiles from teammates and coaches alike.
Harris finished with two points, two rebounds and one block while holding her own against players several years older than her.
“It was a really cool moment for Moni to get that bucket,” said coach Tim Page. “It’s not quite the same as getting that official first varsity point, but the girls really rallied around her and I think it built up some confidence with her too.
“Moni is going to be an exceptional player in high school - she already is in middle school. She’s a big part of a group of talented young kids we have at school.”
Members of the Boyd Lady Broncos are, from left, manager Karsyn Bain, Madi Noll, Channing Gannon, Moni Harris, Brooke Kesey, Brooke Jernigan, Allee Willmore, Kendall Kesling and Charleigh Gannon.
Because Boyd Christian School is a K-12 grade school, the Lady Broncos can move middle school players onto varsity rosters beginning in seventh grade under TSIAA rules. Harris and Hope Allen are two seventh graders expected to see time with the high school program this winter, while eighth graders Rain Curtis and Anna Long are also getting opportunities with the JV and varsity squads.
Harris was surrounded by a group of sophomores when she scored Wednesday. Boyd's varsity roster currently features one senior, the school’s leading scorer Brooke Kesey, along with six sophomores and several younger players gaining experience during the summer.
“Moni is getting a chance to work with a bunch of girls who she’s going to be teammates with for a long time. And they look after her and she’s playing hard just like them. It’s a great thing to see,” said Page.
Boyd split games against Halls High School and Sevier County High School on Tuesday before beating Marshall County 39-30 Wednesday morning. The Lady Broncos fell to Powell later in the day, but the final score was secondary for one young player.
In the middle of a gym full of hoopers looking to make an impact at a summer camp, a seventh grader got her first basket against high school competition. The celebration from her teammates came immediately.
For Moni Harris, it was the first of what Boyd hopes will be many memorable moments in a Lady Bronco uniform.
