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Two former Clarksville High School basketball standouts to join Martin Methodist basketball program

Martin Methodist RedHawksPulaski, TN  The Martin Methodist College Men’s Basketball Program got a big boost this week as head coach Scott Combs recently announced the signing of Monte Burney and Dajion “Dada” Williams.

The Clarksville, Tennessee natives and former Clarksville High School standouts are expected to bolster a strong RedHawk returning roster that is gearing up for another NAIA national tournament run.

Former CHS basketball standouts join Martin Methodist Basketball program. (MMC Sports Information)
Former CHS basketball standouts join Martin Methodist Basketball program. (MMC Sports Information)

Burney, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, spent the past season at the NCAA Division I level at Eastern Kentucky University, a squad that won the Ohio Valley Conference and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

While at EKU, Burney was limited to just three contests due to an early-season ankle injury. Prior to his season at EKU, Burney spent two years at Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana where he averaged 10.5 ppg along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. As a member of the Trailblazers, Burney helped lead his team to the NJCAA National Tournament.

Williams, a 5-foot-8 junior point guard, spent the past two seasons at Chattanooga State Community College where he averaged 14.1 points per game along with 7.2 assists. During his senior season at Chattanooga State, Williams also earned All-Conference honors as a member of the Tigers.

During their prep careers, both Burney and Williams were a part of two Clarksville High School teams that made a run to the TSSAA Class AAA state tournament under the direction of head coach Ted Young.

The duo is expected to add depth to the RedHawk backcourt, which lost longtime guard Brandon Hunter to graduation.

“Monte is very active on the defensive end,” Combs said. “He is also great in transition and has the potential to impact a game on both ends of the floor. Dada is a floor general who knows how to play off the pass and dribble. They both have been coached by some of the best and know how to lead a team to win. They will definitely help us look to make a return to the national tournament.”

Combs also credited assistant coach Dugan Lyne as a key factor in landing both Burney and Williams.

“Dugan recruits the state of Tennessee with the best of them. His connections in Memphis, along with the Tennessee Junior College system, are well known. He did a nice job of recruiting these two and we look forward to welcoming them to campus this fall.”

Combs, who spent 15 years as a player and coach for Dave Loos at Austin Peay, recruited both Burney and Williams during his time as an assistant at APSU and his relationships with Young and the rest of the Clarksville High staff are well known.

“The city of Clarksville has always had great talent and good coaching,” Combs said. My first summer in Clarksville, I spent many days playing in the Red Barn with Trenton Hassell, Shawn Marion and Marques Maybin. That was obviously a special group of talent. But even since then, Clarksville has produced many that have gone on to play college basketball. I will always continue to recruit Clarksville kids.”

“Austin Peay is a special place with great basketball tradition. Coach Loos has done so much for the university and the basketball program and I would not be where I am today without him. He gave both Dugan and I our first coaching jobs and we just continue to try and make him and the entire APSU family proud.”

Combs will begin his third season as head coach at Martin Methodist next year and already has a national tournament appearance, Coach of the Year award and conference championship to his resume. The RedHawks finished 19-11 last season in their first year of play in the ultra-competitive Southern States Athletic Conference, a league that went on to produce the national runner-up, Emmanuel (Ga.) College.

Martin Methodist is a private, four-year institution located in Pulaski, Tennessee. The RedHawks currently field 15 intercollegiate athletic programs and compete as a Division I NAIA program.

For more information on RedHawk Athletics, visit the Athletic Department’s official website, www.GoRedHawks.com

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