(by Donnie Meador)
A breath of new air came into Patriot basketball on the day in 2024 when Jeremy Garrett was introduced as the 17th basketball coach in the 52-year history of the Allen County-Scottsville basketball program. The high-energy Garrett was charged with turning around a struggling AC-S program.
The mission started last year as Garrett led the Patriot program to 11 wins in 29 games. At season’s end, Patriot players, the fan base, and Garrett recognized a proven fact----Patriot basketball was on the upswing. Just simple numbers told the story. Wins had increased almost four-fold. In 15 games, outcomes were decided by 10 points or less with AC-S the winner in seven games. The Patriots were 3-1 in games with a margin of five points or under. In District 15 play, AC-S went winless (0-7) but remained in contention until the final minutes in most contests---including a tough 50-43 loss to top-seed Barren County in the District 15 tournament.
As the 2025-26 season starts December 1, excitement abounds with continued improvement expected. However, the task will be challenging. The Patriots lost five seniors to graduation---Jackson Morris, Robert Robledo, Chase Ross, Weston Adams, and Carson Wimpee. Combined, the departed seniors averaged 27.5 points per game and accounted for almost half of the team’s scoring last year. However, Garrett’s returning players---combined with new faces expected to be in the hunt for court time---are more than capable of carrying AC-S to the next level.
An action-packed summer slate of games helped the Patriots gain valuable experience for both returning team members and new faces from the middle school program.
“We played about 25 games in the summer and came away with 11 or 12 wins,” Garrett acknowledged. “That actually more than I thought we would have considered all that we lost. We have played really well.”
The summer brought changes in positions which should be reflective on the court this winter.
“We moved Kyler (Pedigo) off the ball and put Braden (Spears) on the ball all summer to build his confidence, Garrett said. “Tyler (Turner) has woken up over the summer and Jonah (Hamby) has made a big improvement.”
Conditioning and practice continued to see AC-S take steps forward---both in skills and strategy development and the “vibes” around the team.
“The vibe is different,” Garrett added, noting that a new and expanded coaching staff is helping him see additional things to work on. “I have a whole new coaching staff this year. I’m fortunate to have six coaches on staff which brings more eyes. Because I have more coaches watching, our players are a lot more competitive in practice. So practice is a lot different this year. The kids’ attitudes are also different. Our kids are upset about how the District tournament played out. We were so close. They have a bad taste in their mouths from that first round district game. We also have new faces that have realized that they have to step up. I’m very impressed with how practice has been.”
Five seniors will provide leadership both on and off the court. The seniors include Kyler Pedigo, Tyler Turner, Jonah Hamby, D.J. Frields, and De’Ante Grainger.
“Out of that group, Jonah has been awesome,” Garrett explained. “He is probably our best pure shooter. He has been putting up 500 shots a week. Jonah realizes that he has to shoot the ball more and that we have to generate some scoring. De’Ante brings defense. He didn’t play with us over the summer but you can tell that he still played ball. He has gotten better. D.J. has come along and had his best practice this week. If he is able to keep doing that consistency he will help with his size.”
Pedigo and Turner are also looking to step up their games. Both are expected to bring both additional offense output and defensive toughness to the table.
“Kyler got snubbed last year by not being voted to the first, second, or third team selection on the All-Region team,” Garrett said. “He’s mad about that and wants to show why he should have been. Tyler has stepped up a lot defensively over the summer and vocally. He wasn't very vocal last year but this year he has realized he has got to be the vocal leader. I would like him to shoot the ball more.”
Pedigo was the team’s leading scorer (18.2 points per game) and top rebounder (5.4) last season. Pedigo finished his first season as a Patriot after transferring from Warren East with 529 points. He showed the ability to put the ball in the net with multiple 20-plus point nights included a 40-point night against the Bluegrass Blazers Homeschool). In addition, Pedigo led or shared in scoring in 18 of the Patriots’ 29 games last season. Not only can Pedigo score from the floor, Pedigo was among the state’s best at the foul line. He finished 36th in the state in FT% (82.5) last season.
Turner averaged 6.2 points and 4.7 rebounds as a junior, numbers that compared to 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds posted as a sophomore. The senior is the most experienced player on the team, having appeared in 60 games and made 55 starts in his high school career.
Garrett is fortunate to have a varsity roster to start the season which includes three talented juniors.
“I will be relying on three juniors a lot.” Garrett pointed out. “Braden Spears is our starting point guard. It’s not even close. He has a great basketball IQ and can handle the basketball. I tried to get him in (the game) last year. I put him in the Barren County game but, later, Braden told me he wasn’t ready for that. Going into the summer, I told him he was the guy at point guard. All summer, we worked to get him out of his nervousness. Jax Coffey is back and one of our best defenders. Boone Morgan has come a long way. He has bought into the fact that he’s not a guard and is learning to play as a big. He knows what he has to do to get playing time and he has done it. Those are a solid three guys that will get playing time this year.”
As the season approaches, Garrett and his staff continue to put the pieces of the Patriot offense and defense together. Several additional younger players are expected to be in the mix to earn time on the court in a line-up expected to go nine or 10 deep on average. The list includes sophomore Parker Meador and freshman Lane Temple, Truitt Turner, and Ay’Dan Grainger.
“We have a lot of depth this year,” Garrett stated. “Ay’Den Grainger may start some games this year. He started over the summer.”
Coach Garret is quick to note that a strength for AC-S revolves around a hard-working defense and ongoing improvements on the offensive end.
“Our strengths are how athletic we are and our defense,” Garrett said. “We are small but we have shifted our defensive focus. We will be doing some things differently and mixing it up a lot. We are focusing on being a blue-collar program. For example, taking charges. We practice taking charges every day. Last year we didn’t do that. We want to take possessions away from the opponent. On offense, if we have the right five or six guys out there, our offense is really good. We also will have to have more depth this year. Also, our kryptonite is our height.”
AC-S’s quest to return to the regional tournament for the first time since 2021is expected to go through Glasgow (5-23 last year) and Barren County (20-13). Warren East (14-15) will also be in the mix as well.
“On paper, I’ll put Glasgow but I think that Barren County is the favorite,” Garrett said when asked to pick the favorites in District15. “Barren has three kids that are 6’3 or 6’4 and two sophomores that are going to be really good.”
The Patriot schedule has also been “beefed up” to help AC-S improve through the challenges coming from stronger teams. Notable changes include the addition of defending Region 2 champion Henderson County (25-7 last year). AC-S and Henderson County meet in Henderson on December 13. Region 2 squad Caldwell County (16-11) is on tap for December 23. However, the biggest addition to the AC-S slate is defending Region 4 and state runner-up Bowling Green (31-7). The Patriots and Purples will meet on January 3---the first match-up between the two since February 1, 2022. Other strong teams AC-S will face include Clinton County (30-3), Greenwood (17-13), South Warren (15-11) and Logan County (19-12). The Patriots also will participate in the 2A Sectional tournament, starting with a sectional game at Hart County (12-17) on December 8. A win and AC-S advances in the sectional bracket seeking a sectional title in January.
“I think we are ready to take the next step,” Garrett admitted when asked if the Patriots can get beyond the first round of the District 15 tournament. “I may have said that Glasgow and Barren are the District favorites but we are right there with them. This year, the District is more level. I believe and I think the kids believe we can get to Diddle this year. That’s something on our agenda. Wins and losses doesn’t matter, it’s about winning the first district tournament game.”
AC-S tips off Monday night at 6 p.m. at Franklin-Simpson (11-14) in JV/V action. The Patriots’ home opener comes as part of a girl-boys doubleheader on Friday, December 5.