All-Area Players of Year go to Anderson, Chisholm; Coach of Year to Clover’s Hopkins
Rikoya Anderson of Rock Hill and Tracus Chisholm of York Prep were named as the All-Area Players of the Year, while Sherer Hopkins of Clover and Michael McCray of Lewisville were tabbed as the Area Coaches of the Year.
Anderson, a junior forward for the Rock Hill Bearcats, scored 17.7 points per game and pulled down 10.2 rebounds per contest.
She also had 2.l steals, 1.2 assists, and 97 deflections. She shot 81 percent from the free throw line and made 37 three-point goals, while shooting 46 percent from behind the arc.
She was selected to the Class 5A All-State team and chosen as the Region 4-5A Player of the Year. It marked the second time in her career that she was named to the All-State team and chosen as the Player of the Year in the region.
Anderson participated in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Elite Camp, as well as the South Carolina Hoops Festival Junior Showcase All-Star event.
“Rikoya is an extremely hard worker when it comes to basketball. She is constantly working on aspects of her game to get better,” said Rock Hill coach Kenny Orr. “ She is a very imposing player that can do so much on the the court.”
Orr also prasied her leadership abilities.
“Rikoya's leadership is more of I lead by my game,” added Orr. “Her leadership comes from how she plays, how she performs. She doesn't say much, but it speaks volumes.”
Tracus Chisholm, a senior forward for the York Prep Patriots, scored 21.9 points per game and pulled in 4.1 rebounds per outing. He also had 4.3 assists per game and 2.0 deflections per contest.
Chisholm scored over 100 three-point goals and shot 81 percent from the free throw line. He scored more than 40 points in two games, had four contests where made more than 30 points, and had two games where he scored more than 20 points.
He was named to the CMAC All-Conference team, and was selected to the All-Tournament team at the Queen City Classic and Hoodie House Classic.
“Tracus is without a doubt the most efficient scorer I've ever coached,” said York Prep coach Frank Hamrick. “He is clearly one of the elite shooters in our state and probably one of the elite shooters anywhere.”
Hamrick has been impressed with Chisholm’s work ethic.
“ I told him at the end of last season that he needed to completely transform his body if he wanted to make it to the next level,” added Hanmrick. “Tracus went to work last summer and did what we asked. He put in the work and the result was a senior season that won't be forgotten.”
Hopkins led the Clover Blue Eagles deep in the Class 5A playoffs with a young team.
Clover finished 16-9 overall and a 5-3 in Region 4-5A this past season. That earned them a second-place finish in the region.
They opened the playoffs with a 63-54 win over Byrnes before taking to the road and knocking off Region 1 champion T. L. Hanna 62-55. They lost to Wade Hampton in the third round.
Hopkins improved her team from an 11-12 mark a year ago. The veteran mentor has been the head coach at Clover for 16 seasons. She was a star player at Clover before enjoying a stellar career at Francis Marion College.
McCray guided the Lewisville Lions to the Class A state championship game in his third year at the helm.
His club finished 19-7 overall this past year. That was a marked improvement from the 14-10 mark they had in the 2015-16 campaign. Their 10-0 region mark this past year earned them a first round bye in the playoffs.
They knocked off Estill 76-41 in the second round before dispatching Williston 76-70 in the third round and Calhoun Falls 71-46 in the Upper State Championship.
They lost to McCray’s alma mater Hemingway by a score of 72-71 in the state championship game.
McCray was standout performer for Hemingway, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was the point guard in basketball for three years and played wide receiver and defensive back in football for three seasons. He patrolled centerfielder in baseball for two campaigns.
Girls
Player of the year: Rikoya Anderson, Rock Hill
Coach of the year: Sherer Hopkins, Clover
First team
Rikoya Anderson, Rock Hill - The junior scored 17.7 points per game and grabbed 10.2 rebounds per game. She was the Region 4-5A Player of the Year and was picked to the Class 5A All-State team.
Meredith Christopher, Fort Mill - The senior played both forward and guard. She scored 16.2 ppg and pulled down 3.4 rpg. She also had 2.4 spg. She was named to the All-Region team for third time in her career and was tabbed for the Class 5A All-State team.
Nia Pressley, Indian Land - The senior averaged 20.1 ppg and hauled in 10.3 rpg. She also got 2.3 spg. She was selected as the Region 4-3A Player of the Year and was tabbed for the Class 3A All-State team for the second consecutive year. She was also named to the North-South All-Star game.
Amber Bass, Lewisville - The sophomore averaged 15.5 ppg and was sixth in the state in scoring in Class A. She got 10.7 rpg and had 3.9 spg. She had six double-doubles during the season. She was named to the Class A All-State team and also tabbed for the All-Region team.
Jamia Blake, South Pointe - The freshman averaged 14.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg. She also had 3.8 spg and 2.1 apg. She scored more than 20 points in nine games. She had 10 double-doubles and was named to the All-Region team.
Second team
Zaria Woods, Lancaster - The junior scored 14.1 ppg and had three 20-point games. She had 8.1 rpg. and 1.3 apg. She was named to the All-Region team.
Renee Carter, Clover - The junior scored 11.4 ppg and had 8.1 rpg. She also had 1.9 spg, 1.5 bpg, and 56 deflections. She was named to the All-Region team.
Scarlett Gilmore, South Pointe - The sophomore scored 12.4 ppg. She had one game with more than 30 points, and three games with more than 20 points. She had 3.7 rpg, 2.1spg and shot 70% from the free throw line.
Makenna Thompson, Rock Hill - The junior scored 11.1 ppg and pulled in 3.3 rpg. She also had 2.3 apg and 3.7 spg. She made 25 three-point baskets, and shot 71 percent from the free throw line. She was tabbed for the All-Region team.
Aylesha Wade, Clover - The 8th grader scored 11.6 ppg and got 5.4 rpg. She also had 1.4 apg, 1.5 spg, and 35 deflections. She was named to the All-Region team , and was selected as the Newcomer of the Region.
Honorable mention
Lilly Wallace, Clover; Kimber Haley, Fort Mill; Jabree McMullan, Northwestern; Sami Tuipulotu, Nation Ford; Abriana Green and Jasona Ballard, Rock Hill; Natalee Graham, York.
Boys
Player of the year: Tracus Chisholm, York Prep
Coach of the year: Michael McCray, Lewisville
First team
Tracus Chisholm, York Prep - The senior scored 21.9 points per game and pulled in 4.1 rebounds per outing. He also had 4.3 assists per game and 2.0 deflections per contest.
Chisholm scored over 100 three-point goals and shot 81 percent from the free throw line. He was named to the CMAC All-Conference team.
Mike Hill, Lewisville - The senior scored 16.0 ppg, and had 3.5 rpg. He also had 4.1 apg and 3.2 spg. He was named as the Region 3A Player of the Year and was selected to the Class A All-State team.
Malik Williams, Chester - The senior averaged 20.5 ppg, and 5.0 rpg. He was tabbed as the Region 4-3A Player of the Year, and was selected to the Class 3A All-State team.
Myliek Durham, Northwestern - The senior scored 21.1 ppg, and pulled in 7.0 rpg. He also had 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg, and shot 81 percent from the free throw line. He was selected to the All-Region team and was MVP of the Lindberg Moody Tournament.
Zeb Graham, Nation Ford - The sophomore scored 17.3 ppg. He made 67 three-point goals and shot 53 percent from the field. He had 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 1.6 spg. He was named as the Region 4-5A Player of the Year, and was also selected to the Class 5A All-State team.
Second team
Quise Robbins, Clover - The senior averaged 15.6 ppg, and 5.1 rpg. He also had 2.3 spg, and was selected to the All-Region team.
Ryan DeLuca, Fort Mill - The senior scored 14.2 ppg and had 3.8 rpg. He also handed out 4.1 apg and had 2.1 spg. He scored more than 20 points four times and was named to the Class 5A All-State team and the All-Region team.
D. J. Burns, York Prep - The sophomore scored 14.2 ppg, and got 8.1 rpg. He also had 3.2 apg and 3.1 bpg and shot 55 percent from the field. He had three games with more than 20 points and another 12 contests in double figures.
DeAndre Green, Great Falls - The sophomore scored 14.9 ppg, and pulled in 6.0 rpg. He also had 6.3 apg. He had three games in which he scored more than 20 points. He was tabbed a the Region Co-Player of the Year and was picked for the Class A All-State team.
Trey Keels, Lewisville - The senior average 14.0 ppg and hauled in 11.5 rpg. He also had 2.1 bpg. He had 13 double-doubles and was selected to the All-Region team.
Honorable mention
T.J. Hollis and Quay Hardin, Chester; Aaron Milner, Clover; Keaton Griffin, Fort Mill; Shamon Alston, Indian Land; Xa Martin, Northwestern; Lance Crayton, Rock Hill; Maliek Wilcox and B.J. Davis, South Pointe; Malcolm Kennedy, York; Jaron Williams, York Prep.
This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 10:02 PM with the headline "All-Area Players of Year go to Anderson, Chisholm; Coach of Year to Clover’s Hopkins."