More area basketball players than you can shake a stick at get state recognition
By David Morrison
High School Sports Reporter
Published: March 23, 2009
(Note: I’m taking a page from the Tim Cottrell book with the title)
That’s Loachapoka coach Terry Murph clapping during his team’s 53-37 win over Parkway Christian in the Class 1A state title game, the Indians’ first boys basketball title in 12 years.
Murph was one of three coaches and 16 area players to get state recognition in All-State teams and Player and Coach of the Year awards released by the Alabama Sports Writers’ Association on Saturday. (Yeah, I know it’s a little late. Get off my back already, alright?)
Lee-Scott’s Jessie Washington won AISA girls Player of the Year for punishing opponents from outside the arc, making 127 3-pointers and 42 percent of her 3-pointers this year. She averaged 20.7 points per game for the state champion Warriors and finished her career with 1,433 points.
Loachapoka’s Tommy White Jr. capped off his high-school career by winning the 1A boys Player of the Year after averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. But he wasn’t even Lee County player of the year according to the county’s coaches. Puzzling…
White was the only area boy to receive first-team All-State recognition. Teammate Jontavius Willis (1A), Central’s Joseph Thompson (6A) and Lyman Ward’s Justin Minor (AISA) all earned spots on the second team. Honorable mentions were: Dadeville’s Dominique Wilkerson (3A), Edward Bell’s Damien Carr and Chambers Academy’s McKeldric Daniel.
(Kind of interesting aside: Daniel and Minor will be football teammates at Erie (N.Y.) Junior College next year.)
Washington and teammate Melissa Maddox were the only area girls to earn first-team honors, in the AISA. Smiths Station’s Erika Jones (6A) and Melissa’s sister, Olivia Maddox earned spots on the second team. Honorable mentions were: Beauregard’s Valeeta Bellamy (5A), BTW’s Carman Freeman (5A), Dadeville’s Amilia Boone (3A), Lanett’s Cortney Sims and Loachapoka’s Chantal Hall (1A).
OK, I’m going to use some bandwidth to air out my one beef with this list: Chantal Hall deserves to be better than an honorable mention.
She averaged 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists (and that’s only because he told her to stop passing so much, says Indians coach Anthony Edwards) and 6 steals per game for the 15-12 Indians. She scored 44 of their 50 points in their sub-regional, overtime loss to Donoho, which made it to the Central Region finals.
And she got bumped by Spring Garden’s Tara Mullinax, who averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds for a team that made it to the regional semifinals, only one game further than the Indians. One round further does not make up for Hall’s vastly superior stat line. I’m sorry. She was robbed. I have nothing against Mullinax or Spring Garden, but Hall was robbed.
Oh well, she’s only a junior. There’s always next year.
Murph won boys Coach of the Year in 1A for leading the Indians to a 22-8 record and the state title. Smiths Station coach Shana Johnson won 6A girls Coach of the Year for leading the Panthers to a 29-5 season and their first-ever state semifinals. And their first-ever regional round.
Lee-Scott coach Chad Prewett won AISA girls Coach of the Year for doing everything but work the scoreboard for the Warriors this season. He led the girls to a 28-2 record and a state championship, along with taking the boys to the state semifinals with a 23-6 record. That’s a 51-8 record this year. And about three months of 90-hour work weeks.
Read my story here.
Also, two of Ballard Christian’s players got recognition from the ISCGA over the weekend. Both forward Kyle Hammock and guard Judson Butler made the ICSGA (Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama) Class A All-State team for their efforts in helping lead the Eagles to the semifinals.
So congratulations to them.
And I’m still mad about the Chantal Hall thing…
