How first-year coach Clyde Wormley has Bethesda basketball team in hunt for a state title
In his first year as the Bethesda Academy head basketball coach, Clyde Wormley has a talented Blazers squad in the SCISA Class 2A state semifinals.
Bethesda knocked off Calhoun County 72-48 Tuesday night in a quarterfinal matchup at Wilson Hall in Sumter, S.C. The Blazers improved to 20-6 on the season with the win and are set to face Dillon Christian in a state semifinal at the same venue Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Wormley came to Bethesda from Savannah State, where he served as an assistant men's coach under Horace Broadnax for 17 seasons. He took over as the Blazers head coach when Clevan Thompson stepped down. Now Wormley has the Blazers in contention to win their third state title -- having won a GISA crown in 2012 and a SCISA title in 2015.
"It's been an excellent experience in my first head coaching job here at Bethesda," Wormley said. "We've got a great group of kids and the administration and school community has been so supportive. I'm figuring out the kids and they are figuring out me as they adjust to a new system and it's been great watching them improve as they develop skills and learn the game."
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Wormley said he has a slightly different approach working with high school players instead of college athletes, but it still comes down to teaching the sport of basketball.
"You have to be patient working with college players, but a little more so with the high school guys," Wormley said. "We've been focusing a lot on developing our basketball IQ -- trying to understand the game and not beat ourselves. We've been working on the little things like boxing out. Watching film with the players has been one of the biggest things that has helped with their development."
The Blazers won the SCISA Region 2-2A title and senior Ashton Wright was named the Region Player of the Year. The gifted guard is averaging 17.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.5 assist and three steals per game. His younger brother, junior Israel Wright, was also a first-team all-region selection and is averaging 10.4 points per contest. Senior Jacari McKay is averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists and was also an all-region first-team pick.
"Ashton (Wright) is our primary ball handler, but we've been playing him off the ball a bit more lately to increase his scoring," Wormley said. "He is a great kid who carries a 3.6 GPA and he's a leader on and off the court. Israel is our shooter, and when he is on, we are tough to beat, and he plays really hard on defense.
"Jacari (McKay) is a 6-foot-3 wing and we use him a lot inside," Wormley said. "He has really improved with his ability to knock down the open three and he's playing really well."
The Blazers had an impressive non-region win over Savannah Country Day on Jan. 27 as the host Blazers prevailed 56-52 in a victory over the Hornets, who went on to win the GHSA Region 3-3A championship.
"That was a big win for us," Wormley said. "It was great preparation for the kind of teams we'll see in the playoffs. And it showed that if we play to our potential, we can compete with any team in Savannah."
If the Blazers beat Dillon Christian in the semifinals, they will play in the state championship game at the Sumter Civic Center in South Carolina on Saturday, Feb. 24, with tipoff set for 2:30 p.m.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bethesda basketball team in state semis under new coach Clyde Wormley
