Bearden’s Blevins Ready To Coach In Jordan Brand Classic

The game bears the name of arguably the most famous basketball player in history: Michael Jordan. And Mark Blevins, former Holston Cavaliers basketball coach, will be walking the sidelines and offering assistance.

Blevins, currently the head coach at Bearden High School (Knoxville, Tenn.), will serve as an assistant coach for the white team in the Jordan Brand Classic, a prestigious showcase game featuring some of the top high school players in the country. The Classic will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday in New York, N.Y., at Madison Square Garden and will be televised live on ESPN2.

“It’s going to be a great honor,” Blevins said. “I’m going to be everybody’s best buddy for once – I’m not making out the lineup.”

Among the top-name players scheduled to participate in the Classic are Xavier Henry (Oklahoma City, Okla., University of Memphis), Derrick Favors (Atlanta, Ga., Georgia Tech), John Henson (Tampa, Fla., North Carolina), DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, Ala., Kentucky) and Renardo Sidney (Los Angeles, Calif., USC).

The Classic gathers the top 24 high school basketball players in the country on one court before they head to college. Athletes expected to attend universities such as Duke, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Connecticut, among others, flesh out the roster. Current NBA stars LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Amare Stoudemire and Greg Oden all participated in past Classics.

“I’m just going to hang out with the players,” Blevins said. “See what they’re thinking.”

Blevins, who is from Bluefield, Va., coached the Cavaliers from 1980-82. He then coached at Johnson County (1982-84) and Bluefield College (1984-93) before joining Bearden in 1994.

Blevins said he is greatly looking forward to coaching in the Classic and compared the opportunity to a run from 1986-88 in which he was selected to serve as a coach on the small college All-American team.

But Blevins also took the time to look back on Bearden’s impressive 2008-09 season. The Bulldogs made a strong showing in the 2008 Arby’s Classic in Bristol, Tenn. They then finished the season 33-3 and made an appearance in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association 1-AAA state tournament.

Blevins said Bearden’s biggest accomplishment, though, is seen in the players who are moving on to the next level. According to Blevins, the Bulldogs should have five players signing Division 1 scholarships, including Blake Jenkins (Belmont), Nathan Parker (Wofford), Demonte Simpson (Florida Atlantic) and Dustin Craig (Air Force).

Now, Blevins is continuing Bearden’s upward trek with his selection to the coaching staff for the prestigious Classic.

“It’s definitely a big honor for us,” Blevins said. “I hope it helps put us on the map.”

| (276) 645-2569