How Cortez Graham-Howard plans to flip Hillsboro's TSSAA basketball state tournament fortunes
MURFREESBORO ― Cortez Graham-Howard can still remember how he felt after Hillsboro's 71-61 loss to Memphis Overton in the 2023 TSSAA boys basketball state tournament. But it wasn't so much about the loss as much as it was about feeling he'd let his senior class down.
That feeling has lingered in Graham-Howard's gut. It's never fully evaporated. Salt was poured on that wound in last year's Class 4A sectional loss to Brentwood in which Graham-Howard sat with an injured ankle. It prevented a possible return trip to state that would have made this year's run to Murfreesboro the team's third straight.
But Graham-Howard, if anything, is adaptable.
"You learn from those lessons and you either grow or you wilt," Graham-Howard said after leading Hillsboro to a 53-47 win over Maryville in a Class 4A quarterfinal Thursday at MTSU's Murphy Center. "If I haven't learned something about myself after those moments, than I don't think I'm a better player."
Hillsboro (32-5) finds itself in the same position as 2023. The Burros play at 7:15 p.m. Friday against Bradley Central (25-8) with a chance to advance to the school's first TSSAA boys basketball state championship game since 1956.
"Cortez is finishing out his career," Hillsboro coach Rodney Thweatt said. "He's got his scholarship (to North Alabama) and his Mr. Basketball finalist. He's got all these MVPs. Now it's all about going out here and trying to find a way to lead his team to a championship."
Graham-Howard sat for several key minutes in the fourth quarter Thursday, saddled with four fouls. Memories of last year's sectional loss could have creeped, a game in which he sat for the entire second half with ligament sprain in his ankle.
But Graham-Howard has grown. His 17 points and six rebounds against Maryville put to rest any notion that he, or his teammates, would fold as the Rebels made two runs at Hillsboro in the final quarter. Lonny Holland added 16 points and Xavier Washington finished with 10 as Hillsboro won its 19th straight game.
"He's played unselfish all year long," Thweatt said. "All year long. He probably could have averaged seven or eight more points a game. So my pride is in watching him grown and mature."
Graham-Howard has played significant minutes since he was a big-guard freshman opponents had trouble keeping in front of them. The 6-foot-5 star is still big and he's added weapons to his offensive arsenal from mid-range pull-ups to turnaround fadeaways.
Friday's semifinal stage won't faze him. He's seen it before.
"It's about how you carry yourself," Graham-Howard said. "It's that way in life. If we carry ourselves with confidence and discipline we can do big things. That's what this moment is about."
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Hillsboro advances in 4A
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