Hawks soar to first-ever region tournament victory
In a video shared by Diamond Clear Media, Smith — a freshman for Hardin Valley Academy — barreled into Arendt, who lifted his point guard in a bear hug to celebrate the Hawks’ 57-55 win over Central in the Region 2-AAAA quarterfinals.
The Feb. 28 win put Hardin Valley into Tuesday’s semifinal matchup with Farragut, but it
also locked up the Hawks’ first region tournament win in school history.
“When people talk about Hardin Valley basketball in the future, they’ll talk about this group,” Arendt said Sunday. “And it’s something we need to take pride in
and understand the significance. This is a big deal for us and hopefully it becomes the standard.”
Tennessee Tech baseball signee Jax Sparks led HVA with 19 points, while Smith totaled 12 with eight points each from Mike Fritts and Kristian Oliver, who also led the team with nine rebounds.
“We really struggled in the last four minutes of the game to just hold onto the ball,” Arendt added. “It got really physical, and with our lack of weight, we struggle with that sometimes; Central threw us around like rag dolls — but we did enough to hang on.”
The physical nature of the game spoke to Arendt’s relief, which he detailed as he drove to practice. When he arrived, he began preparing the Hawks for Tuesday’s tilt with FHS.
“I hope they’re not satisfied, but you never know with teenagers,” he said. “Farragut is a better team than we are on paper, but you still have to go play the game. So we’ll give great effort and find out what happens.”
That game will tip off after press time, so results will be available online. Regardless of the result, though, Arendt reinforced his pride in his team — and in Smith specifically.
“He probably thought I would jump and shoulder bump him in that moment, but he might not realize I leave the ground,” Arendt said with a chuckle. “So when he jumped, I just bear-hugged him. He’s a special kid and a stud.
“Kymani chose Hardin Valley because he knew he would have opportunity here, and he liked us. The relationship is crucial between a point guard and head coach, so I’m excited about his future. He’s a dream to coach.”
