“This tattoo is my grandma’s handwriting,” said Republic senior Brenley Hagewood as he pointed to the inside of his left wrist. ” You know, she comes over every day pretty much. If I sleep in too long and I don’t see her, she always writes me a note that says ‘Love you, Oma’ on it.
Brenley flips his hand around to show the outside of his left wrist.
“Then this is my other grandma’s heart that I had her draw because I wanted to remember her as well.”
Little reminders of his biggest fans who get to watch their grandson in his last high school season of hoops.
“Been a four year starter for us and that doesn’t happen a lot of times at schools our size,” said Republic Head Basketball Coach Tim Brown. “To have that opportunity to play as a freshman, and not only did he play, but he was expected to be a double-digit scorer for us.”
“I was about as nervous as it gets, and especially with those older guys,” Brenley said. “I didn’t want to let them down and I went from playing eighth graders to playing some adults and you know, it kind of hit me hard for a little bit. Took me a while to really figure it out.”
By his second year, it all clicked.
“I felt like I could do more and I want to thank all the guys that I had in that group. That group really helped me a lot.”
Senior Ahlante Askew took Brenley under his wing. In that 2022 season, the Tigers won 24 games including Brenley’s most memorable game: The Blue and Gold championship against Sparta.
“We knew that it would be a tough game and I knew that Coach Brown hadn’t got a championship yet,” Brenley said. “I also knew that everyone else was chasing that as well. So that feeling of winning that game, you know with that group of guys was just amazing. Especially as young as I was and that’s the biggest reason as to why I wanted to give these guys we have now the opportunity to feel that way. We have a lot of sophomores this year, so I’m hoping they felt the same way as me.”
The senior-sophomore connection showcased in this year’s Blue and Gold championship, but this time Brenley taking the reigns as the senior leading the way to gold.
“I think he’s taking some of the things that he’s learned and he has tried to pass along some of that,” Brown said. “Those things he’s learned and the tricks of the trade. And he’s done a nice job leading them. It’s a group that I think going into the season, we knew we had a chance to have a good season, in a group that I think he felt comfortable leading.”
Brenley is honoring the legacy of the republic basketball team, while also honoring the legacy of his family.
