2024-25 Roster
MARYVILLE – Maryville head coach
Raul Placeres has fine-tuned his roster in advance of the 2024-25 men's basketball season. Three new Scots –
Kyle Cloninger,
David Stone and
Jamal Ware – are joining the roster for a total of 17 when practice begins in September.
Cloninger is from Tennessee, Stone hails from Alabama and Ware is from Florida. Cloninger and Ware play the guard position and Stone is a forward, although these signees are able to play multiple positions.
"We feel good about the three young men we added to our basketball family," Placeres said. "It is not about collecting talent; it is about building a team for us. We are always looking for guys who won't let us lose. More importantly, we added student-athletes who will excel in the classroom, on the court and in the community.
"Like we say all the time, there is a direct correlation between academic success and on the court performance. David, Kyle, and Jamal are great teammates, extremely competitive, and will be ready as freshmen to contribute to winning. Toughness is a talent. It is getting more difficult to find kids who are unbelievably competitive and just play without fear. We know we found three guys who will do whatever it takes to help our team win."
Kyle Cloninger
6-1, 170
Guard
Morristown, Tenn.
Morristown East
Before Maryville
Attended Morristown East High School in Morristown … Played three seasons for head coach Alden Collins and one season for head coach Bryan Cusick ... Two-year captain.
Stats: As senior, averaged 24 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists ... For career, scored 2,408 points with 711 rebounds and 643 assists.
Honors: 2023-24 Class 4A All-State by Tennessee Sports Writers Association ... Two-time Conference MVP and three-time All-District ... 2024 District Tournament and Region Tournament MVP ... 2022 All-Region ... 2022 Team Most Improved Player ... Set program records for points in career and points in season ... Helped Hurricanes win four conference championships, two district tournament titles, region tournament for first time and 2024 state tournament berth.
Get to Know: Also played baseball ... National Honor Society member ... Played one year of club basketball for ProOne under head coach Dylan Brewster.
Personal
Born: Kyle Blaine Cloninger in Knoxville.
Family: Parents are Tracy and Robby Cloninger … One sister, Hudson.
Coach Placeres on Kyle: "Kyle was an absolute steal for us. He is the all-time leading scorer in Morristown East High School history with over 2,400 points. We are very fortunate to get somebody with a lot of substance who has such a competitive spirit to him. He's very skilled and developed into a very good shot-maker, whether it be catch-and-shoot 3's or on pull-ups. He can hurt you in a lot of ways and has a unique ability to take good shots and make the right read. His shot selection and discipline on offense is something that really helps a team. Kyle has really good ball skills and is going to be a very good player at our level."
David Stone
6-6, 195
Forward
Homewood, Ala.
Homewood
Before Maryville
Attended Homewood High School in Homewood, Alabama … Played three seasons for head coaches Tim Shepler and Mathew Oberneder.
Stats: As senior, averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and shot 60 percent from field.
Honors: All-Birmingham, All-South Metro, All-Region, All-Area 9 and All-Over the Mountain Journal ... Helped Patriots to 2024 Regional runner-up finish ... Two-time Area champions and 2023 Area regular season champions ... KSA Orlando champs.
Get to Know: Also competed in track and field ... FCA and Mu Alpha Theta ... Played one year of club basketball for Pro One under head coach Ben Mullins.
Personal
Born: David Sevier Stone in Birmingham, Alabama.
Family: Parents are Caroline and Kevin Stone … Two sisters, Margaret and Claire ... Seventh great-grandson of John Sevier, first governor of Tennessee.
Coach Placeres on David: "David has the ability to play two positions at the four and the five and his athleticism, mobility and the ability to play both in and out is something that we really looked for in this class. David was an All-Region performer in a very competitive region in Birmingham. He is a great passer but also is extremely skilled down low. His versatility and size makes him interchangeable. David is the type of young man who will flourish in our system."
Jamal Ware
6-4, 185
Guard
Miami, Fla.
Miami Norland
Before Maryville
Attended Miami Norland Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Florida … Played four seasons for head coach Lawton Williams ... Two-year captain.
Stats: As senior, averaged 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists ... For career, average 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Honors: 2024 All-Dade County Honorable Mention ... Team Coaches Award, Defensive MVP and All-Around Award ... Helped Vikings to 2024 Florida state championship.
Get to Know: Also competed in track and field ... National Honor Society member ... Fashion Club ... Played one year of club basketball for Team Hardaway Jr., under head coach Chachi Rodriguez, averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Personal
Born: Jamal Nahjee Ware in Miami.
Family: Parents are Stephanie and Jimmy Ware … One sibling, Antaja Morris.
Coach Placeres on Jamal: "He is from NW 193rd Street. If you know Miami-Dade High School sports, you know anytime you get a Norland High School player you get a young man who is tough, coachable, tenacious, knows how to play a role, but is most importantly a winner. Jamal helped Norland high school win its seventh state championship as a senior. He had a team-leading 13 rebounds in the state championship game. Jamal's can really play a lot of positions because of his versatility. His athleticism and skill set is really impressive. We are a three-level scoring team, and Jamal finds a way to score from all three levels. He is still growing and expanding his game, but he's just scratching the surface in terms of what he can do. He is outstanding in structure, and he has a chance to be a very productive player here at Maryville."
