Thurman looking for first state title

Little Rock Parkview Coach Scotty Thurman knows a thing or two about winning championships, considering he knocked down arguably the biggest shot in University of Arkansas basketball history to help bring the Razorbacks their lone national title in 1994.

But the Louisiana native isn't quite familiar with the feeling that comes with winning a high school state title.

"I never won one when I played in high school," he said. "That's one thing that I've told my guys all year, I didn't get a chance to win one. That's what drives me right now, to try and win one. Not necessarily for me, but for them.

"They put in the work each and every day, and they've bought in to what I've been trying to teach them."

Thurman's instruction methods have certainly rubbed off on the Patriots, who'll have a chance to give their second-year coach that elusive high school crown when the Class 5A state tournament kicks off today at Hot Springs High School's Trojan Arena.

The format for this year's postseason showcase will look a little different than in years past. Due to covid-19 protocols, only a maximum of four games will be played each day, with three-hour windows in between each contest. That time frame will allow administrators and workers to clean the respective tournament sites in all areas, including locker rooms and bench spaces. The time period will also give fans and teams from the previous game enough time to vacate the facilities safely before the next one starts, which will help with crowd control and social distancing directives.

First-round play for teams in Class 5A, 3A, 2A and 1A will begin today and last through Thursday. The quarterfinals will be held Friday and Saturday, and the semifinals are set for Monday. Opening-round games for Class 6A and Class 4A won't begin until Tuesday, with the quarterfinals scheduled for Thursday and Friday, and the semifinals planned for Saturday.

Parkview (20-3), which earned the top seed from the 5A-Central by beating Sylvan Hills 51-49 on a buzzer-beating basket from junior forward Cam Wallace, will play Greene County Tech (15-9), the fourth seed from the 5A-East, today at 1 p.m. The other boys' first-round matchup set for today has 5A-East No. 1 seed Jonesboro (20-3) playing the 5A-Central No. 4 Jacksonville (8-14).

On the girls' side, Little Rock Christian (23-1), the 5A-Central champion, will take an 18-game winning streak into today's game against 5A-East No. 4 Marion (10-15), and 5A-East winner Jonesboro (19-6) battles Beebe (11-18), which finished fourth in the 5A-Central.

Parkview, which has won 13 of its past 14 games, will enter the field as one of the favorites to walk away with a state title, which would be its first since 2018. The Patriots, however, will have a surplus of challengers.

Jonesboro, Marion and Sylvan Hills have all been ranked among the state's top 10 overall teams for much of the season, while Pine Bluff and Russellville rolled to conference titles in the 5A-South and 5A-West, respectively. Defending champion Jacksonville, despite a below .500 record, Maumelle and Lake Hamilton all figure to be tough outs as well.

But for Thurman, finishing out the year with a championship in just his second season would be extra special.

"All I was told when I first got here was what we didn't have, that we can't play and all those things," he said. "One of the things that I try to instill in my guys is that you control your own narrative. Your work ethic can do a lot of things for you.

"People can say what they want, but at the end of the day, you've got to step out on the court and play. I just think these guys' confidence right now is starting to peak at the right time. We'll lace them up and see what happens."

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Class 5A State Tournament

WHEN Today-Monday

WHERE Trojan Arena, Hot Springs High School

TOP SEEDS Boys: Little Rock Parkview, Jonesboro, Pine Bluff, Russellville; Girls: Vilonia, Little Rock Christian, Jonesboro, Lake Hamilton

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