Hamilton Heights Christian Academy goes from small school to basketball power
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (BVM) — Nestled among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains sits a small Christian charter school. The school’s enrollment is not large with approximately 50 students total in grades nine through 12, which is surprising considering it’s located in the fourth biggest city in the state. However, within this tiny, religious school is a dynasty in the making.
Hamilton Heights Christian Academy is home to some of the best high school basketball players in the country.
The boys basketball program, which had 12 players on the team this past season, currently has the No. 53 recruit in the country, Samson Ruzhentsev, in the ESPN 100 Class of 2020 and two more, Bayron Matos and Dominiq Penn, in the top 350, according to 247Sports. Boys basketball head coach Zach Ferrell credits both the school’s culture as well as its development for its success with having highly ranked recruits.
“We have built a culture that has attracted really good players, but mainly I believe (our success) is in our development,” Ferrell said. “We will have 18 kids who have signed Division I in the last seven years, 14 of those had zero scholarship offers when they came to our school and 17 out of 18 went to a higher level than they were being recruited at when they came. Our culture is competitive and pushes you to be your best everyday which I believe has led to us having some of the best recruits in the state.”
It’s not only the boys program that has received national recognition. The girls team also boasts two top recruits. Kamilla Cardoso is the No. 5 ranked girl in the ESPNW Class of 2020 prospect rankings, while her teammate Treasure Hunt is ranked No. 28.
“I believe that we have been blessed over the years to have some amazing student-athletes going all the way back to my first year at Hamilton Heights,” Lady Hawks head coach Keisha Hunt said. “Each team was built upon the hard work of the team before them and every Lady Hawk team has contributed to our legacy. I think the success of our teams and players makes our program stand out because it attracts like-minded people who love basketball, love to compete and want to be a part of the Hamilton Heights legacy.”
The programs have also become a dominant power in the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) during recent years. In February, both programs won the Division 1 NACA championships with the boys defeating Tennessee Prep, 64-54, and the girls defeating New Hope, 70-51. The wins marked the third straight Division 1 championship for the boys and the third in four years for the girls.
“A commitment to sacrificial day in and day out work has allowed us to maintain a high level of success the last few years,” Ferrell said. “It’s an incredible accomplishment for our players and our program to have those banners hanging and that accomplishment will never go away.”
“Being able to say we are the NACA National Champions means we were able to reach one of our team goals that we set for the year. … The goal of winning a national championship keeps us focused throughout the year,” Hunt said. “It gives us the motivation to keep going when we are tired, and the motivation to hold our teammates accountable in a positive way. … We firmly believe just facing the right direction towards improvement is not enough. You have to continually move forward, or you will get run over.”
Not only have highly sought-after recruits attended the school and played for the programs, they have also had tremendous success following their time at Hamilton Heights.
Jazmine Massengill, the No. 25 recruit in the ESPNW 2018 rankings, committed to play basketball for her home-state University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers and averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 assists and four rebounds per game this season. The school’s most famous basketball alumnus is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The one-and-done Kentucky Wildcat went 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Clippers. Gilgeous-Alexander is currently on the Oklahoma City Thunder where he is averaging 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
“Almost every kid who comes to our program has the dreams of playing in the NBA,” Ferrell said. “To be able to see two individuals that came through the same place, the same gym, the same coaches and teachers gives them great hope and belief that they could make it one day.”
The teams weren’t able to finish their seasons in totality with the GEICO Nationals being canceled due to COVID-19, but the coaches still feel the season was a success and the championships allowed the teams to have a sense of closure.
“We have two goals every year, to win NACA and to get invited and win GEICO Nationals in New York City,” Hunt said. “This year we accomplished part of our second goal by being invited to participate in the 2019-2020 GEICO Nationals. Unfortunately, with the pandemic going on, everything had to be cancelled. It’s disappointing, but we understand it is necessary. Life is more important than a game. We have remained close as a team throughout these trying times and make sure we check on each other. I’m proud of this team. We were able to accomplish two wonderful goals, and each player left their mark on the Hamilton Heights Lady Hawk legacy.”
“We obviously wish we would have had an opportunity to play in GEICO Nationals,” Ferrell said. “However, being able to finish our year as a NACA champion I think gives great closure and a sense of accomplishment for our players. We will finish the year ranked in the top 10 in the National which will be the best year Hamilton Heights has ever had.”
Although there has been a lot of notable success in the past, there is no sign of the team slowing down. With more nationally ranked recruits coming down the pipeline, Hamilton Heights basketball may have struck gold in the mountains of Tennessee.
