By Steve Williams
Justin Nordin has a lot going on when it comes to basketball these days.
Right now, the Bearden High School senior and his teammates are focused on getting to the TSSAA state tournament.
This coming summer, Justin will join the Naval Academy.
Will it be a career for him?
“As of right now it’s going to be four years of school with basketball in it, my commitment (to the Academy) afterwards, and God’s plan for me, so I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m just going to stay on for the ride,” he said.
Nordin also may find out today he is The Knoxville Focus / Coaches’ Player of the Year in Knox County and a runaway winner for that award. The 6-2 guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 steals during the regular season and is the Bulldogs’ go-to-guy when a game is on the line.
“He has led Bearden to an amazing season,” said West High Coach Tommy Eggleston.
During his recruitment, Nordin said: “They showed me so much love. They got me on campus two times. I just prayed a lot. It was a stressful decision, because there’s a lot that goes into that place. That’s just where my heart felt. That’s where it belongs, so that’s where I made my decision. So this past summer, that’s when I knew I was going to the Navy.”
Jon Perry, head coach of the Midshipmen, headed up the recruitment of Justin.
A 35-1 record at this point in the season shows Bearden has a lot of talent and is not a one-man show. Two teammates – Sean Capshaw and Carson Asbaty – also are first-team honorees and junior Brendan Murphy is on the second team. All four also average in double figures. In addition to Nordin’s 16.1 points, Capshaw averages 14, Asbaty 13.1 and Murphy 11.
Bearden has four good shooters. Nordin has hit 69 percent of his 2-point shots, 43.1 percent on 3-pointers and 80 percent of his free throws. From the same distances, Capshaw has connected on 58, 46 and 82 percent, Asbaty 74, 44 and 61 percent and Murphy 54, 40 and 89 percent.
Asbaty leads the team with 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Nordin also tops the assist category with his 4.2.
Catholic’s Cade Murphy, a 6-5 senior shooting guard, has the top scoring average – 21 points – for the All-Knox County first team. He is an Eastern Kentucky University commit. Fulton junior Nick Steen ranks second at 20.6, and West junior Kalou Fofana is third at 19.1.
Grace Christian’s 6-9 junior Segond Sompa is No. 1 with 10.2 rebounds per contest.
First team honoree Parker Lane of Farragut is among the Top 5 all-time scorers in school history.
Travis Martin, a Catholic sophomore point guard who is on the All-Knox second team, leads the state with 7.1 assists per game.
Fighting Irishman Malachi Brown is also on the second team and is committed to Michigan.
Another All-Knox County player on the second team, Farragut’s 6-4 senior center Reid Vining, who averages 12 points and 10 rebounds, is the record holder for double-doubles in a season with 17 or more.
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Jonah Smith of South-Doyle averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds and was probably one of the strongest players.
Kymani Smith, a Hardin Valley freshman, is on the honorable mention list and rising. He averaged 17 points, five rebounds and five assists.
CAK’s Rio Curry was another standout freshman this season as he averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and shot 38 percent behind the arc.
Berean Christian School, led by Kaden Duncan, had four sophomores who shot in double digits this season.
ALL-KNOX COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM 2025-26
FIRST TEAM
Carson Asbaty, Bearden High
6-2 Senior Guard
Sean Capshaw, Bearden High
6-3 Senior Guard
Ben Cross, Central High
6-0 Sophomore Point Guard
Kalou Fofana, West High
6-0 Junior Point Guard
Parker Lane, Farragut High
5-11 Senior Point Guard
Owen Lentz, Webb School
6-1 Senior Guard
Cade Murphy, Catholic High
6-5 Senior Guard
Justin Nordin, Bearden High
6-2 Senior Guard
Segond Sompa, Grace Christian
6-9 Junior Forward
Nick Steen, Fulton High
6-3 Junior Forward
Cam Swearengen, Webb School
6-5 Senior Wing
SECOND TEAM
Malachi Brown, Catholic, Sr.
Brayden Hazelbaker, Webb, Sr.
Colton Hoffmeister, Halls, Jr.
Wilson Luton, Webb, Sr.
John Martin, Grace Christian, Sr.
Travis Martin, Catholic, So.
Spencer Moore, Austin-East, Jr.
Brendan Murphy, Bearden, Jr.
Justin Pruitt, Austin-East, Sr.
Robert Shuler, West, Sr.
Jonah Smith, South-Doyle, Sr.
Reid Vining, Farragut, Sr.
Hudson Wilkins, Grace Christian, Sr.
Larrione Winton, Austin-East, Sr.
Rejuan Womble, Fulton, Sr.
HONORABLE MENTION
Cam Bates, Gibbs, Jr.
Justin Burris, Fulton, Sr.
Foster Coleman, CAK, Sr.
Miles Comparato, Halls, So.
Rio Curry, CAK, Fr.
Dylan Duncan, Berean Christian, So.
Kaden Duncan, Berean Christian, So.
Parker Hampton, Central, Sr.
D’Andre Hundley, Austin-East, Sr.
Landon Lee, Catholic, Jr.
Alex Leeth, Webb, Sr.
Hayden Scarbrough, Berean Christian, So.
D.J. Smith, Central, Sr.
Kymani Smith, Hardin Valley, Fr.
Huston Torres, Webb, Jr.
Lincoln Wilkerson, Berean Christian, So.
