How Travis Priddy has hit ground running in first year as Woodville-Tompkins basketball coach

Travis Priddy is a veteran basketball coach who is quite familiar with the importance of the game in Savannah.

The 50-year-old had previous stints coaching in the area at Effingham County, Savannah Christian and Savannah Country Day before landing the job at Woodville-Tompkins in July.

Woodville is a relatively young program that started in 2011. But the Wolverines have established success with trips to the state quarterfinals in 2018, 2019 and 2023 and a Final Four run in 2022 under Lenny Williams, who stepped down to take the job at Ware County after last season.

Priddy has hit the ground running with a group that is ranked No. 4 in the state among Class A Division I teams by Sandysspiel.com. On Friday night, the Wolverines (18-2 overall, 7-1 in Region 3-A Division I) avenged a previous loss at home by going to Savannah High and getting a block at the buzzer from Tyler Grant to beat the Blue Jackets 62-61 in a crucial region matchup.

Priddy said the win was one of the best he has experienced as a coach.

"That game ranks up there with the best I've been in, for sure, because of the rivalry and the atmosphere in Savannah High's gym," he said. "I've been on the short end of the stick in some of those type of games, so it was really great to win it with our guys. We celebrated it and will look to build on it, but that game didn't win anything for us in the long run -- we have a long way to go."

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The Wolverines lost their top scorer in Alfonzo Ross, who averaged 24.8 points last year and is now playing for USC Beaufort. But they have a number of players stepping in to fill the void. Jonathon Pickering led Woodville with 17 points in the win over Savannah High and Jamir Stevens scored 14, Joey Bell added 11 and Bam Williams had 10 points. Senior Ty Grant came up with the play of the game when the 6-foot-3 forward blocked a jump shot by DeShawn Davis, the 6-foot-8 junior from Savannah High.

"We've been working to make our team a family and have a positive approach to the game," Priddy said. "The guys are doing a good job talking to each other on the court and they are a close group. I'm trying to give them some input with our style. Against Savannah, I asked them if they wanted to go back to a man-to-man defense, and they did. So I'm giving them some freedom with that.

"They're developing a lot of confidence, and we're sharing the ball well. We don't have one guy who can take over a game, but we have four or five guys who are capable of scoring — so you can't just focus on one guy."

Pickering is a talented guard who has become a leader on and off the court for the Wolverines, and he said Priddy has fit in well with the squad from the start.

"Coach Priddy works well with all of our guys — he's a good coach and we listen to what he has to say," Pickering said. "He has a collaborative approach and we give him some input with our strategies. He doesn't always agree with it, but he always listens to what we have to say. He's down to earth and pushes a team-first style. We might not have one guy who will score 20 every night, but we move the ball well and can get three or four guys scoring in double digits. We're not a one man show."

Grant said the team is getting better with each game it plays.

"Coach Priddy does a good job explaining to us what we need to do," Grant said. "He's helping everyone believe in their selves and we're starting to play with a lot of confidence."

It looks like Woodville could meet up with Savannah High (12-7, 5-1 in region and ranked No. 5 in the state among Class A Div. 1 teams) again in the region tournament, which is expected to be played at Metter High.

"It's a great rivalry we have with Savannah High," Priddy said. "I have a lot of respect for Coach (George) Brown and what he's doing over there, and our kids have a lot of respect for their players. They all grew up playing together in Savannah. I've never understood rivalries where teams and players just hate each other. Of course, we both want to win when we're on the court. But we're trying to teach the kids to have a healthy rivalry and respect each other."

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: Priddy has Woodville-Tompkins basketball rolling in first year as coach