Last week, we unveiled our All-County girls basketball team for the 2015-16 season. Now, it’s time to hand out some hardware (in the virtual sense) on the boys’ side. Let’s dive right in.
First-team All-County
Player of the Year: Max Nolen, senior guard, Tharptown
Nolen achieved newfound stardom in mid-January as an internet sensation, even getting a brief run on Sportscenter and the Today Show, but long before that deflected pass from teammate Bailey Motes bounced off his noggin and into the basket in a game against Hatton, Nolen’s claim to fame as the best all-around player in Franklin County had already been well established.
The 6’3 senior took his versatility to a new level this season, shifting from the post to the point and quickly validating head coach Jonathan Odom’s long-held belief that Nolen possessed the skills and athleticism to thrive anywhere on the floor. His unselfishness made him a natural facilitator, and Nolen started stuffing the stat sheet like never before: 16 points, nine rebounds, nine assists in a rout of Mars Hill on December 1; 14 points, 15 boards, eight assists in an 84-81 win over East Lawrence on December 4; then a total of 44 points, 21 rebounds and 12 assists in back-to-back wins over Colbert County and Lexington at the TimesDaily Classic.
Nolen eventually moved off the ball again, but his knack for playing his best in the biggest games never changed; he scored a season-high 25 points to lead the Wildcats past Phil Campbell in the county finals and then delivered 24 points, 13 rebounds and six steals in an overtime win at Mars Hill on January 26 that wrapped up the regular-season area title.
By season’s end, Nolen had become Tharptown’s all-time leading scorer with more than 1,600 career points. He averaged 16.1 points as a senior, reaching double-figures 27 times in 31 games and topping the 20-point mark on seven occasions. Nolen impacted the game from both the outside [he made 32 threes] and the inside [he led the Wildcats in rebounding and blocked shots]. He put his length and quickness to good use on the defensive end, recording seven games with at least five steals.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Nolen was a winner; he led Tharptown to a 52-9 record, two county titles and one area championship over the past two seasons.
Bailey Motes, junior guard, Tharptown
An offensive-minded guy on an offensive-minded team, the 6’1 Motes filled it up for the Wildcats this season to the tune of a career-best 546 points scored. His average of 17.6 points per game was tops in the county, and he was capable of going on scoring binges that few others could match. Motes topped the 20-point mark 11 times, including four in a row from December 22-29, a stretch during which he averaged 26.0 points in games against Russellville, West Limestone, Lawrence County (TN) and East Lawrence.
Motes struggled at the foul line this season, but he set a new career-high with 48 threes made and failed to reach double-figures in scoring just three times in 31 games. In three seasons at the varsity level (one at Phil Campbell and two at Tharptown), Motes has already eclipsed the 1,400-point mark for his career.
Josh Seal, senior guard, Russellville
After reaching double-figures just three times in a limited offensive role as a junior, Seal blossomed this season into a big-time scorer, one capable of doing damage in a variety of ways. His eight games of 20-plus points were second-most among county players and included a clutch 22-point effort in a 68-61 win over West Point in the area tournament final.
On his best nights, the 6’0 Seal presented the total offensive package—a dangerous perimeter stroke [he made a team-best 42 threes on the season], the handle and athleticism to get to the rim and finish, and impressive mid-range chops as well. He shot a solid 66 percent [61-for-92] from the foul line and led the Golden Tigers in scoring at 13.7 points per game. He could be a disruptor on the defensive end, as well, using his quickness and long frame to get in passing lanes and hassle opposing scorers.
Peyton Thomas, sophomore guard, Phil Campbell
Thomas missed the Bobcats’ first four games with an injured ankle, but upon his return he proceeded to build on a strong finish to his freshman season. With five games of 20-plus points (including a career-high 29 in the county semifinals against Belgreen), Thomas was the team’s most explosive scorer, but he impacted the game in a variety of other ways as well; he led Phil Campbell in assists (34 total) and steals (1.8 per game) while ranking second in rebounding (4.3 per game).
The 6’0, 185-pound Thomas possessed the skills to play on the perimeter [his 16 threes made were second on the team] and the strength and toughness to score on post-ups and contested drives. He shot an impressive 51 percent from the floor and 65 percent from the line, upping his scoring average from 9.2 points per game as a freshman to 12.6 as a sophomore. Following his 19-point, nine-rebound performance against Mars Hill in the regional semifinals last month in Hanceville, the arrow is most definitely pointing up.
Hayden Copeland, junior post player, Phil Campbell
There was no shortage of quality big men in the county this year, but Copeland’s consistent work as a game-changer on the defensive end set him apart. Despite missing five games with an early-season bout of mono, the lanky 6’4 junior still swatted 81 shots on the year—an average of 3.7 blocks per game—and altered countless others.
Copeland was no one-trick pony, though. An accomplished passer out of the post, he finished one assist behind Thomas for the team lead. He also averaged 12.3 points on 56-percent shooting and pulled down a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game.
Given that Phil Campbell went just 1-4 in Copeland’s early-season absence, it’s no surprise that head coach Brett Thomas singled him out as the team’s most valuable player.
Second-team All-County
Blake Gray, senior post player, Tharptown
Motes and Nolen were the team’s top two scorers, but Gray may well have been the Wildcats’ most clutch performer. The 6’2, 240-pounder developed a knack for coming up large in late-game situations.
At Haleyville on January 19, he tied the game with a buzzer-beating foul line jumper at the end of regulation and then scored seven of his season-high 23 points in overtime to help secure a 74-67 win. One week later, he capped off a monster fourth quarter at Mars Hill with another game-tying basket in the final minute of regulation, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds in a 73-68 overtime win. Finally, Gray grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback with 30 seconds remaining to lift Tharptown past rival Russellville 66-64 on January 29.
For the season, Gray averaged 12.0 points per game and posted a slew of double-doubles, starting with 16 points and 12 boards in the season-opener against Belgreen and also including 14 points/17 boards in the TimesDaily Classic semifinals against Brooks and 13 points/11 rebounds in the sub-region at Tanner. An underrated shooter, Gray even knocked down the occasional three-pointer and shot a solid 61 percent (54-for-89) from the foul line.
Adonnis Bailey, senior post player, Russellville
The supremely talented Bailey drifted at times, but he was also capable of dominant stretches on both ends of the floor. At his best, the 6’6 senior cleaned up the offensive glass, protected the paint and ran the floor for easy dunks and layups in transition.
Bailey reached the 20-point mark just once, but he scored between 16 and 19 points on eight other occasions. He finished the season as Russellville’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game. Bailey went out on a high note, scoring 18 points to lead a senior night win over Haleyville on February 5 and then totaling 32 points in two games at the area tournament to help the Golden Tigers bring home a championship.
Noah Williams, senior post player, Phil Campbell
In retrospect, Williams’ strong finish to his junior season [he averaged 13.2 points over his final six games] was a sign of things to come. The 6’2 post player sustained that level of production throughout his entire senior year, averaging a team-best 12.8 points per game while shooting 59 percent from the field and 66 percent from the line.
Crafty and skilled around the basket, Williams slashed and slithered his way to double-figure scoring 18 times in 26 games. He went over the 20-point mark on three occasions and also pulled down 4.0 rebounds per game. Head coach Brett Thomas praised Williams constantly for his leadership, effort and work ethic.
Avery Sears, sophomore guard, Russellville
Sears broke out in a big way with four threes and 21 points (both career-highs) in a hostile road environment at West Point on January 15; he finished the season third on the team in scoring at exactly 10.0 points per game and second in threes made with 39. He also ran the point extensively, flashing playmaking ability and the overall skills and quickness to be a dynamic combo guard going forward.
One gets the feeling that the 6’1 Sears has only just scratched the surface of his potential.
Heath Hatton, senior guard, Tharptown
Every great team needs role players like Hatton, a perimeter marksman and active defender with the willingness to take—and make—big shots but also the unselfishness to defer to others and do the dirty work when the situation calls for it.
Hatton knocked down multiple three-point shots in 10 games and finished the season with 41 made threes, good for third on the team. He was Tharptown’s best free throw shooter at 72 percent (31-for-43) and finished the season averaging 7.6 points per game.
Rising Stars
Mason Bragwell, freshman post player, Belgreen
The 6’4 Bragwell announced his presence as a force to be reckoned with on November 24 when he scored 32 points—18 of which came in the fourth quarter—and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead an 81-76 upset of Covenant Christian. Head coach Matt Noah was impressed by Bragwell’s footwork in the post and ability to finish around the basket with either hand.
Bragwell posted another double-double against area rival Vina in early December and dominated the interior with 21 points and 17 boards in a loss to Phil Campbell two weeks later. He finished his freshman season as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging 13.3 points per game.
Devin Buckhalter, freshman wing, Russellville
The Golden Tigers must replace top scorers Seal and Bailey next year, but they may not slip much, if at all—and Buckhalter is a major reason why. As the first man off the bench for Russellville this season, Buckhalter averaged 5.5 points per game while knocking down 15 threes (third on the team) and shooting 75 percent (12-for-16) from the foul line.
Strong, skilled and athletic, the 5'10, 165-pound Buckhalter should have no trouble adapting to a much larger role next season; he flashed big-time potential on February 1 at Phillips, hitting five threes and scoring a season-high 21 points.
Sixth Man of the Year
Mikey Rosson, junior forward, Tharptown
The 6’3 Rosson’s size and versatility made him a multi-faceted weapon off the bench for the Wildcats. His diverse skill set was on full display in Tharptown’s final two games, when he drilled four threes and scored a season-high 18 points in the area finals against Mars Hill and then posted a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a sub-regional game at Tanner.
Rosson averaged 5.9 points per game this season and could easily double that next year, when the Wildcats will be looking to replace four starters.
All-Defense
Taylor Vincent, junior guard, Russellville
Vincent is only 5’8, but athleticism is not a question—he can dunk a volleyball on a regulation goal. Those hops, plus good lateral quickness and a competitive streak a mile long, make Vincent a handful on the defensive end. He’s crafty, too; on more than one occasion this season, Vincent sprung a surprise one-man press on an unsuspecting opponent to swipe the inbounds pass and get an easy layup.
Nathan Chaney, senior guard, Tharptown
Chaney was no slouch on the offensive end, finishing second on the team with 47 threes made this season, but his tireless work chasing ball-handlers and cutting off passing lanes made him equally dangerous in the Wildcats’ full-court press.
Max Nolen, senior guard, Tharptown
As mentioned above, the 6’3 Nolen led his team in blocks and steals, putting his length and quickness to good use as a disruptive defender.
Austin Stidham, junior post player, Russellville
Given that most opponents this season couldn’t match the Golden Tigers’ sheer size up front with two 6’5 post players, one of Russellville’s big guys usually wound up having to guard a smaller wing player away from the basket. Oftentimes it was Stidham, whose superior footwork and agility [he’s not an All-State left tackle for nothing] allowed him to more than hold his own. When he was down in the paint, Stidham gave the Golden Tigers a shot-blocking presence and dominated at times on the defensive glass.
Hayden Copeland, junior post player, Phil Campbell
Copeland had three things working in his favor as the county’s most prolific shot-blocker: Size [he’s 6’4], impeccable timing and the fact that he’s left-handed, which put him in better position to challenge all those right-handed shooters. He swatted 81 shots on the season, an average of 3.7 per game.
Coach of the Year
Jonathan Odom, Tharptown
Much like on the girls’ side, there was no shortage of deserving candidates among the boys coaching ranks. Brett Thomas helped Phil Campbell weather the storm of early-season injuries and frustrating losses to ultimately reach Hanceville for the first time in a decade. Thomas had the Bobcats playing their best basketball down the stretch, and his decision to dust off a 1-3-1 zone in a sub-regional upset of No. 2 Altamont was a particularly inspired move.
At Russellville, Patrick Odom faced numerous challenges in his first year on the job. He wasn’t hired until late in the summer; didn’t have essentially half of his varsity roster available for preseason practice until after Thanksgiving; and inherited a tough schedule featuring eight different teams (not games, but teams) that ended up in Hanceville. Despite all that (not to mention at least half a dozen losses in games that either went to overtime or came down to the final possession), Odom steered the Golden Tigers to their first area championship in five years courtesy of a highly satisfying 68-61 win over West Point in the tournament finals.
The Coach of the Year honor, however, goes to Patrick’s first cousin and counterpart at Tharptown, Jonathan Odom, who guided the Wildcats to another outstanding season. One year after presiding over a school-record 27 wins, Odom beefed up Tharptown’s schedule considerably—and proceeded to lead the Wildcats to 25 more wins, 10 of which came against teams from larger classifications. The ‘Cats didn’t make it to Hanceville, but they posted a 6-4 record against teams that did—a fact that likely only served to make their sub-regional loss to Tanner even harder to swallow.
Bitter endings aside, Odom and Tharptown deserve recognition for once again dominating the local hoops scene. Including a two-game sweep of Russellville, the Wildcats went a perfect 10-0 against county competition this season, winning those games by an average margin of 21 points. Odom’s free-flowing, offense-driven style has been a good fit for the ‘Cats, who topped the 80-point mark eight times this season and averaged 71.0 points per game.
