For Polk County Middle School coach Billy Alm, it was a basketball season unlike any other in school history in so many ways.
As he found out well before the first practice ever occurred.
“Halfway through football season I was being told that it should be an undefeated basketball season,” Alm said. “Sometimes it’s harder in a way because your expectations are set for you before the season starts. If you don’t exceed those expectations, you feel like a failure as a coach.”
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By season’s end, though, the Wolverines had proved worthy of those lofty goals. Polk Middle rolled to a 15-0 record, the first perfect basketball season in school history, and claimed the school’s third Blue Ridge Middle School Conference championship with a 57-35 win over Waynesville Middle in the conference tournament championship game.
That victory capped a season in which the Wolverines won nine of 15 games by 20 or more points and only had one victory, a 44-38 home triumph over Hendersonville Middle, with a margin in single figures. Polk Middle was perhaps at its most dominant in the season-ending Blue Ridge tourney, winning those three games by a combined score of 184-106.
Four returning starters – DJ Twitty, Arnie Twitty, Holden Owens and Dillion Overholt – plus Kendal Wilkins formed a starting five that brought versatility, athleticism and a focused will to win to the floor every time they played. Reserves such as Peyton Kemmerlin, Jared Wolfe, Jaylon Bontrager and Wilson Edwards led a deep bench that contributed throughout the season.
“When we got in the locker room the other day before the (Waynesville) game, I asked Arnie Twitty, ‘How long have you been playing basketball?’ He said, ‘Since I was four years old.’ That’s how pretty much all of them were,” Alm said. “That’s all they talk about. Someone like DJ is probably more of a football guy. Dillion’s probably more of a football guy. But they’re just great athletes and good at whatever they do. Holden and Arnie are basketball guys.
“Every one of those kids remind me of me. If they lose a competition at practice or if they lost at checkers, they can’t stand it. That’s how I was, and all I talked to them about was find a way to win and that’s the only trhing that matters. It doesn’t matter how many points you scored or how many times you touched the ball. If we come out at the end and play as a team we’ll have a W in that column every time.”
Many of the Wolverines grew accustomed to playing as a team not only as seventh graders, but also during the offseason in Polk County’s fledgling AAU program, Polk County Youth Basketball, led by high school assistant coach Jon Hampton.
“Jon Hampton coached thse boys all summer for probably twice as many games as I did,” Alm said. “This is just as much his championship as it was mine and Coach (Rick) Casey’s championship.
“The importance of the AAU is that it’s another 20 or 25 games they played, and playing together so they know each other. That’s huge. Jon is probably better coaching some things than I am and they get a little bit of each coach and they can take what they like from each coach and move on and grow as a human being and as an athlete.”
The Wolverines crushed Canton Middle 49-29 in the season opener and cruised to a 7-0 record before being forced to battle for a 31-18 win at Apple Valley in mid-January. Following that came the toughest game of the season, a home game in a nearly-full gym, against Hendersonville.
Polk County built an 11-point lead in the second period, but Hendersonville fought back and took a nine-point lead in the third quarter, holding the Wolverines scoreless for more than six minutes.
The Wolverines still trailed by six in the fourth period before exploding for a 16-2 run to take command of the game.
“We had the Apple Valley game up there which was close at halftime and which we blew it out at the start of the second half. They realized there that we’ve got to start playing better,” Alm said. “Then the Hendersonville game, I was late calling the timeout (in the third quarter) because they hadn’t faced any adversity yet and I thought that was very important for them. We finally called the timout and brought them in and talked to them and told them there was plenty of time left. We told them our defense would be our best offense, and next thing you know we’ve taken the lead again.
“You look out on the court, especially the starting five, and I don’t think they even pay attention to pressure. They’re as cool as the other side of the pillow. They never get riled up. Of course, that’s one thing I try to do as a coach is to never show my emotions and keep it cool. If the kids see you being nervous or upset they tend to be nervous or upset. That’s one thing you have to do as a coach is play it cool and kind of be even keeled.”
The win over Hendersonville clinched an Eastern Division title for Polk Middle, but it was always the conference title that remained foremost on Polk’s minds. A Waynesville squad that won the Western Division title and entered the title game with a 13-1 record remained the final obstacle toward that goal, and the Wolverines easily cleared it, never trailing, building a nine-point halftime lead and steadily pulling away in the second half.
The mission, finally, was complete.
“It meant I could go home and sleep a little bit,” Alm said. “I tell the kids before every game I wish I could play. You spend a lot of sleepless nights wondering what you did wrong or what you could do better. When the season came to an end you take a big sigh of relief and get a chance to relax a little bit.”
But not for long. Alm, assistant coach Rick Casey, girls basketball coach and wife Brandy Alm and girls assistant coach Stacy Shields have begun making plans for a busy offseason that they hope will bring more seasons like this one to the area.
“I don’t get to relax long because the way I’m put together, we’re getting ready to start for next season,” Alm said. “We’re starting a basketball clinic. Brandy and I have come to terms with Coach Casey and Mr. Shields that we want to build a dynasty here and be successful every year we play no matter who we have.”
The bulk of the Wolverines’ roster will move next season to Polk County High School. There will more expectations, visions of Overholt finding Owens open on the wing for a jumper, of Arnie Twitty driving for a basket or drilling a 3-pointer, of DJ Twitty and Wilkins fighting inside for rebounds and points. Alm says all of those visions are possible, but none will come easily.
“They’re going to face their challenges,” Alm said. “They’re going to go to high school and people are going to have high expectations for them. Athletically, this is the best group that has come through here.
“They need to keep being challenged and the mental part of the game is going to be huge for them as they get older. They need to deal with that. That will be one of the biggest challenges they have when they go to high school. All of these guys are A/B students and they’re smart as a whip.
“I think as they move to the high school they’re going to be very, very successful.”
