Marion Patriot Basketball: A look ahead

By CHUCK LIVINGSTON

Marion School District

Emmanuel Wade speaks quickly and excitedly about the question he was just asked.

The Marianna native, who’s already lived quite the basketball life, was asked about his vision for the Marion basketball program, and his enthusiasm was obvious.

“I’m happy to be in a place where basketball matters and is encouraged, we have great kids, coaches, administration, and fan support,” said Wade. “There’s nothing easy about building up a great program that everyone can be proud of, but it is exciting and rewarding. We think we have the chance to do that here, starting this season.”

The 2023-2024 Marion boys basketball season got off to a surprising start when former coach David Clark suddenly resigned his post just five days before the Patriots were scheduled to open their season against Class 6A power Bentonville.

Wade, who spent the 20222023 season as Clark’s lead assistant, succeeded Clark on the bench and led Marion to victories in seven of its first eight outings this season, including resume wins over Bentonville, Jonesboro, Christian Brothers (TN.), Terry (Ms.), and Olive Branch (Ms.).

While he may be a new face around Marion, Wade is no stranger to the game of basketball. He grew up in Marianna, Arkansas, and became one of the nation’s top prep players, topping 2,000 career points. The all-state performer helped the Trojans earn three conference titles, and he was nominated for the prestigious 1999 McDonald’s All-American game.

He signed with the University of Mississippi out of Marianna, and he played a key role on teams that averaged more than 22 wins per season and advanced to the school’s only Sweet 16 in 2001.

Wade returned home to take over Lee County High School in 2019 and performed one of the more immediate turnarounds in state history.

A Trojan team that finished 3-17 the previous season finished 29-5 after one off-season under Wade, claiming conference regular season and tournament titles, a regional championship, and a spot in the 2020 state semifinals.

Wade’s Trojans returned the next year to finish what they’d started in 2020, finishing the 2020-2021 season by winning their final 22 games en route to another conference title, and the Class 2A state championship.

While Marianna was something of a rebuilding effort when Wade took over at the Lee County school, Marion is less of one. The Patriots averaged more than 23 victories per season in five years under Clark, winning conference titles in 2019 and 2023, and earning the school’s first state championship in 2019.

Last year’s Patriots overcame the loss of four starters to spend most of the season ranked No. 1 in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and ScoreBookLive.com’s weekly rankings en route to winning the 5A East conference championship.

Marion escaped a plucky Greenbrier outfit in the opening round of the Class 5A state tournament at Pine Bluff before a frantic second-half rally against eventual state runners-up Lake Hamilton fell short in the quarterfinals.

While last year’s Patriots watched four starters exit the program prior to tip, this year’s club returns four starters, and three other players who logged major minutes.

“We like this group of kids a lot because it allows us to play basically any way we need to,” said Wade. “We have good ball-handlers, long kids who can jump, we can protect the rim, and we can play man to man. As a coach, I really hang my hat on defense. I think that’s where championships are ultimately won. We will play with a faster pace up and down the floor on offense, which will allow us to extend the defense a little bit more. We never want teams to be comfortable.”

Marion’s returning starters all earned some sort of postseason honors last season, including all-state performers Jalen White and Lyndell Buckingham, Jr., and all-conference ballers David Brewer and Kayden Nesbitt.

Look for White to play more forward this season after primarily residing in the paint over the past two seasons. The six-foot-six-inch senior postman blocked three or more shots in 12 of Marion’s 14 conference games a season ago. White owns offers from Arkansas-Pine Bluff and several D2 schools and junior colleges.

“J. White is playing much tougher basketball right now,” said Wade. “We want to get him a look at small forward more this year, get him out on the floor more because he has those skills. He’s come a long way over the past year shooting and in the post. He really comes across that paint now and calls for the ball. This should be a big year for him.”

Buckingham has appeared in each of the past two state tournaments for the varsity team, and his game-winning runner last year against Greenbrier vaulted Marion into the round of eight. Marion’s leading scorer from a year ago “has grown in every facet,” said Wade. “His IQ has gone up, he’s defending like I’ve never seen before, he loves to make plays for others. It’s going to be pretty scary if this keeps up over the next two years.”

Brewer broke out as a junior, locking down a starting role in the backcourt, while also becoming the team’s most dangerous three-point shooter and a secondary ball-handler.

“He’s playing with more confidence than ever,” said Wade. “We like having him at point guard, we like him off the ball, and you know, he’s a strong-bodied kid who is a more than willing defender. He’s had a huge off-season just because of his effort and attitude.”

Nesbitt excels on the offensive glass and has routinely drawn the opposing team’s most dangerous offensive player in his previous two seasons.

“He’s the type of guy who’s going to make something positive happen when he’s out there,” said Wade. “He’s not a complainer, and he’s a hard worker. He just gets the job done however he can. He’s a great one.”

Sophomore LaDaryl Robinson, Jr., who measured at six-foot-eight-inches at off-season camps, paced the past two junior high conference championship teams in rebounding, and he led last year’s 22-3 team in scoring before being promoted to the varsity and appearing in both of Marion’s state tournament games last spring.

“Daryl is a kid who can play any position for us on the floor, but we’ll focus on him at 3, 4, or 5,” said Wade. “He’s a long kid with unreal athletic ability. He’s a very versatile, important defender, and it can be tough to match up with him offensively because of his size and skill set. He lets us play a big lineup and still get up and down the court.”

Junior Mikell Lewis “has been a difference-maker for us,” said Wade. “His energy level is contagious. He’s ready to go in practice, he doesn’t lose a sprint, he sells out on defense. He rebounds like a madman, and he’s shooting it better. He’s doing the little things that we need. If he can be a little more vocal and give some confidence to the other kids, that’ll be huge for us.”

Sophomores Jackson Black and Mykal Knighten offer defensive tenacity and rebounding ability with long arms and tenacity.

“They’re both athletic, coachable kids,” said Wade. “We don’t worry about effort or smarts when they’re out there.”

Senior Ronnie Townsend moved into the district during the summer after starting last season at Wynne, and at sixfoot- two-inches, he can play guard or forward.

“Ronnie gives us max effort all the time on defense,” said Wade. “He or Mikell have probably taken the most charges this fall. He digs in on defense, loves playing defense, and he gets downhill on offense.”

Juniors D’Quenton Scott, Timothy Matthews, Daryan Selvy, Jr., and Taheem Frost, and sophomores Dexter Higgins, Jr., and Chandler Randle offer scoring ability off the bench.

“Everyone in that group can play and you’ll hear from them this year,” said Wade. “They play with great intensity and they’re hard-nosed. We expect to make a run when they’re in the game.”

State and Conference outlook

Marion looks to defend its 5A East crown, but the league could prove more formidable than a season ago.

The Patriots opened league action on Friday, January 5, turning back a challenge from Crittenden County rival West Memphis. Marion has now beaten West Memphis in 12 of the past 12 meetings, including eight in a row. Marion welcomes last year’s conference runners- up, Nettleton, on Tuesday, January 9. The Pats remain at home on January 12 and 16 when they host Searcy and Batesville, respectively, and Marion travels on Friday, January 19 to play Greene County Tech. Marion hosts Paragould on January 23 before traveling to Valley View on January 26 to complete the first run through league action.

Following a conference- wide off date on January 30, Marion travels to West Memphis (February 2), Nettleton (February 6), Searcy (February 9), and Batesville (February 13). The Pats wrap home dates with Greene County Tech (February 16) and Valley View (February 23) around a return trip to Paragould (February 20).

Marion debuted in Score-BookLive.com’s first Top 25 ranking of 2023-2024 at No. 8, making the Pats the second-highest ranked Class 5A school in the state behind defending state champion Pine Bluff (No. 5). Little Rock Christian (9), Benton (10), Lake Hamilton (12), Russellville (15), Vilonia (16), Mountain Home (17), Harrison (18), White Hall (19), West Memphis (20), Little Rock Parkview (21), and Nettleton (22) account for the rest of the ranked Class 5A outfits.

The 2023-2024 Marion Patriots are locked and loaded for the always tough 5A East Conference.

Photo by Smith Artisan Photography