Trae Rideau's leap has Clarksville Academy basketball eyeing return to state tournament
Even by the standards of a 25-year coaching veteran, Matt Hoppe is well-versed in quality point guard play.
Hoppe, now in his second season at Clarksville Academy, was an assistant at Brentwood Academy from 2016 to 2019. There, he coached current Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland for his final two seasons. As the Eagles' head coach from 2019 to 2022, Hoppe coached Tyler Tanner, a two-time Mr. Basketball finalist and Vanderbilt signee.
That's the place Hoppe speaks from when he praises his current starting point guard, Trae Rideau.
"I've coached some pretty good point guards in the past," Hoppe said. "(Rideau) has those skills and those abilities to be a scoring point guard, but also be able to help his teammates get open, find ways to get guys in scoring positions, and controlling the game on the defensive end."
Even after graduating four seniors, the Cougars (20-5) have reloaded for another run at the Division II-A state tournament, and Rideau, their lone returning starter, has led the way. The 6-foot-1 junior is averaging 21.6 points, five rebounds, four assists and 2.6 steals.
Clarksville Academy will host Nashville Christian in the first round of the DII-A District 4 tournament Wednesday.
Last season, Rideau averaged 10.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals and was named All-District and All-Region. But he was a secondary or tertiary scoring option on a team that was led by Mr. Basketball finalist and current Morehead State forward Eddie Ricks III (23.6 points per game) and also featured seniors Jacques Wyatt, DJ Merriweather and Tyler Moss.
Clarksville Academy finished 26-10 last season and fell 48-47 to Goodpasture in the state semifinals. Goodpasture went on to win its second state championship in three years.
Hoppe didn't have many doubts that Rideau would be able to handle an expanded load, but he wasn't quite sure who would step up alongside him. Although senior Cam Phillips, who's averaging 18 points per game on 40% 3-point shooting, has been a perfect complement in the backcourt, many of CA's other major contributors — Tahj Davie, JaRohn Johnson, Andrayas Scott, Marcell Jackson — are sophomores.
"I think I just took in more of that leadership job," Rideau said. "Being more aggressive on offense and defense, being that guy to help, because we got a lot of younger guys this year."
Hoppe describes Rideau as the epitome of a modern lead guard: a three-level scorer and efficient facilitator who is often tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player in clutch moments.
"He's just kind of turned himself into a complete player," Hoppe said. " . . . His athleticism is just overwhelming, he can get to the rim whenever he wants. He's got great lateral quickness on defense. He can handle the ball. He's a good passer. His shot's come a long way."
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Rideau has received interest from Austin Peay and Belmont, but for now, he's set on guiding the Cougars back to Cookeville. The challenging Middle Region includes three teams ranked in the most recent AP Poll — No. 2 BGA (22-4), No. 4 Providence Christian (20-3) and No. 5 Goodpasture (21-4) — though CA defeated Goodpasture 54-48 on Jan. 23. The Cougars finished the regular season as District 4 runners-up with an 11-3 record.
"We'll be a tough out," Hoppe said.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: TSSAA basketball: Trae Rideau steps up to lead Clarksville Academy
