5STAR PREPS 2022 Boys Basketball Underclassmen of the Year: Fulton’s Tyler Lee, Taj Kimber, Denaj Kimber

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BY JESSE SMITHEY

No one in North Knoxville — more specifically, the Broadway area — fell victim to any shock factor by the success the Fulton High School boys’ basketball team had this past season.

They had been expecting it.

And now, they’re likely thirsting for more.

The Falcons won 30 games during their 2021-22 campaign, and at the center of it all were the same three Class of 2024 college basketball prospects who had wowed the area only a couple years before in the middle school ranks while at Whittle Springs — Tyler Lee and twin brothers Taj and Denaj Kimber.

The trio entered the high school ranks with lofty goals and promise.

And they’re starting to deliver, leading Fulton to a 2022 Class 3A state semifinal appearance and also garnering and sharing the 2022 5Star Preps Underclassman of the Year honors.

It may seem like a cop-out decision to not award one above the others, but to see the three play over the course of the season truly makes you understand their equal importance and production for Fulton.

All three started as freshmen in 2020-21. Fulton won 20 games that season but eventual state-champion Greeneville eliminated the Falcons in the state sectionals.

Fulton’s Big Three took a tremendous step forward as sophomores, showing enhanced physiques, more profound maturity levels on the court and natural improvements in their respective on-court games.

Lee, a 6-foot-4 forward, averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, shooting better than 80 percent at the foul line. He had 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting in a 2022 Class 3A state quarterfinal win over Fayette-Ware, which boasted a 6-10 Division I college prospect in the paint.

“(Lee) is such a huge presence for us,” Fulton coach Jody Wright said during the state tournament. “He’s a 6-4 guy that can play in the post and can slide out and play on the perimeter. He’s so versatile for us.

“He had a fantastic year for us this year.”

Denaj Kimber averaged 11.3 points per game from his guard position and led Fulton in assists with 4.2 per game. He had 17 points and five assists in the quarterfinal win, going 3 of 4 from the 3-point line. He had a 3-for-6 day from 3 in the state semifinals against Jackson South Side.

And Taj Kimber posted 12.9 points per game and contributed 4.4 rebounds. He had 12 points, six rebounds and three steals in Fulton’s 51-50 semifinal loss to South Side. He made 11 of his 22 field-goal attempts while in Murfreesboro.

The Kimber’s are 6-1, left-handed guards and are as smooth and confident as any coach could hope for out of players that age. Neither they nor Lee seem to ever get rattled on the court.

“It’s really been fun to watch these guys grow and mature,” Fulton coach Jody Wright said about Lee and the Kimbers while at the 2022 state tournament.

“The thing that has impressed me about these guys is: the bigger the stage, the better they are. The bright lights don’t bother them. They play within themselves. They’re a fun bunch to coach.”

Fulton’s six losses this past season came by a combined 21 points. After losing consecutive games Jan. 27 and Feb. 1, the Falcons peaked at the right time, piecing together a 15-game win streak that eventually met its end in a heart-breaking manner to South Side.

Denaj Kimber’s 3 from the left wing at the buzzer was just an inch short, and South Side survived 51-50 to advance to play eventual-champ Greeneville in the state title game.

Fulton graduates just two players off its 2021-22 roster.

And the pangs of that narrow defeat to South Side now fuels the Kimber twins and Lee this offseason. Their trajectory feels similar to that of former Fulton greats Jalen Steele and James Gallman, who had to endure a tough moment or two at state as underclassmen before winning consecutive state championships in 2008 and 2009.

“When you see one, you see all three,” Wright said of Lee and the Kimbers. “The impact all three of those guys made, it was fun to watch them on this stage.

“I think they answered a lot of questions. To get to the semifinals, starting three sophomores and playing four, that’s a testament to them and their ability. I told them when they came to Fulton on their first day that they had no idea how good they could be. They can quote me on that. But also, that they don’t know how hard it is to be special and to be good.”

Now two seasons later, they know.

And yet they’re still learning.