JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Maybe Jon Bon Jovi – of all
people – said it best.
“It’s all the same. Only the names will change.”
Two seasons in Johnson City for the Big South tournament.
Two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Two extra golden guests on the bus back to
High Point.
If you ask the back-to-back champion Panthers – including tournament
MVP Terry Anderson – they’ll tell you that last year and this year have more in
common than they have differences.
“To be honest, I don’t feel any differences (between the
teams),” Anderson said after the Panthers’ 91-76 victory over Winthrop Sunday
at Freedom Hall. “(Last year’s team) are my brothers. (This year’s team) are my
brothers. We’re all family.”
Family is a common thread at High Point. First-year head
coach Flynn Clayman knows that more than anyone. His wife, Katie, is an
assistant coach for the women’s team that also had a date with history Sunday
night in the same building. Clayman’s family has grown while at High Point. The
Panthers clearly want to keep Clayman in their family, giving him a five-year
contract extension through the 2030-31 season earlier this year.
That’s not to say families don’t have their share of tough
times. Earlier this season, transfer forward Cam Fletcher missed several games
as part of what was described at the time as an “internal team issue”. While
some wondered if Fletcher would be welcomed back to the family, the players in
the locker room felt he never missed a moment.
Fletcher picked the biggest day of the season to have his
biggest day of the season. The Xavier transfer scored 17 points and hauled in 19
boards, turning in a performance that sent everyone on press row scrambling for
the Big South single-game record book.
Fletcher and Clayman embraced after the victory, just like
family.
“That was a special moment,” Clayman said. “He’s so talented.
He’s such a good guy. He really has been through a lot this year and in his
college career. He’s had a lot of injuries. He’s had a lot of things not break
his way.”
“Earlier this year, he made the decision that he was going
to be about the team. I promised him that if you’re about the team, when it
matters most, you’re going to be the best player on the floor. He’s the best
player in the league, if you’re just talking talent. Tonight, he showed that.
If you’re just getting down to the keys of the game, they would have killed us
on the glass if Cam didn’t step up and do what he did, and we probably don’t
win this game. I’m so proud of him that he got to do that in this moment.”
There’s also the new family member. Point guard Rob Martin,
who transferred from Southeast Missouri after last season, was the league’s
Newcomer of the Year and a member of the all-tournament team. Martin’s story
also got its happy ending.
“I met with Flynn about two or three months ago, and we were
just talking about my plan and my playing the right way,” Martin said. “I got a
little emotional about it, because I thought I wasn’t playing the right way or
leading the team like I should. That meeting really changed my perspective.”
That family member that always sacrifices for the rest of
the family? He’s wearing purple, too.
Guard Chase Johnston has been through a college career
marked by injuries, success, and now multiple NCAA trips. He learned from
guards Trae Benham and Abdoulaye Thiam, two mainstays on last year’s
championship team, of the value of giving of yourself for the gain of the
family.
“First and foremost, I just want to give all the glory to my
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He’s the reason I’m able to sit up here and to
be the servant I’m able to be,” Johnston said. “Laye and Trae kind of paved the
way. I learned so much from Trae and his leadership last year. That’s my best
friend and brother in Christ.”
“Yeah, it’s a different role (than last year). Flynn and I
talked about it 11 games in, and is it hard to take that? For sure. When you’re
part of something bigger than yourself and you have your eyes fixed on Jesus,
you’re able to do things you never thought you could. I’m just so grateful to
be sitting here. Words can’t express the gratitude I have right now.”
Anderson is the family member that sat at the head of the
table Sunday. The 6-foot-6 guard scored 18 on 6-of-10 shooting despite battling
foul trouble much of the day.
“I’m thankful to be here and I’m thankful for the award,”
Anderson said. “It’s just a team effort. We all stuck together throughout the
season.”
Clayman was not shy in his praise for Anderson.
“This is a special kid right here,” Clayman said. “I don’t
know one teammate who doesn’t respect the heck out of him and I don’t know one
person who’s ever coached him who doesn’t respect the heck out of him. He’s
selfless. He gives everything he has. You see that in the way he plays. He’s a
real underdog. He’s had to work his way up. He had no offers out of high
school.”
“He has super high character. He could have had a negative
attitude. He could have checked out. He could have done all those things. He
stayed ready. He knew he was ready for the moment.”
So now, the entire family will load up the planes or buses
and head off to another family reunion at the NCAA tournament. There will also
likely be some extended family there, in the form of the loud, partisan fan
group that packed the entire Panther side of the arena Sunday. They’re always
welcome at the table, too.
“(The fanbase) gives us an extra bit of energy,” Clayman
said. “When we blew the lead – we were up 13 and they came back and took the
lead – your fans are right there to get you back going. In those moments, you
could feel really lonely or feel like the sky is falling, and when you’ve got fans
there who are supporting you like these guys were, you’re just thankful.”
“I’ve said since I’ve been here that I think we have some of
the best fans in mid-major basketball. We could compete with some high-major
schools,” Johnston added. “They don’t just show up for these three days (in the
conference tournament). They show up throughout the year and sell it out. We’re
so grateful for them, and they give us an edge in big games like this.”
Oh – and there’s one more family event to attend before any
of that happens. Katie will also be going dancing if the Panthers can pull it
off Sunday night against Radford. Flynn will, as one might imagine, be there to
cheer her on.
“I’ll absolutely be staying (for the second game), because
my wife is coaching,” Clayman said to laughter in the room. “If we had lost, I’d
probably be hiding out in the top (of the arena), but now I get to kind of be
comfortable and enjoy it.”
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