As was the case for the football season, the Rivercrest Colts have flooded the All-Courier News basketball team. With a 3A state championship under their belts, it's no wonder that this year's Courier News Player of the Year is the Colts Demoine Brown and the Courier News Coach of the Year is Rivercrest's Rick Wilson. A three-year starter and three-sport star for Rivercrest, Brown led a group of players who had plenty of experience coming into the season and their years of hard work paid off at the end of the season with a state crown.
At 6-foot-2, Brown could do it all.
He could take on a team's best post man or guard the perimeter when needed.
On offense he could take it to the opposition's post players, beat you off of the dribble or drain a three-pointer.
Like the entire Colt squad, Brown seemed to be everywhere on defense as Rivercrest provided full court pressure for most of the season, a big reason for his first-team All-CN selection.
On the coaching side, veteran Rivercrest head coach Wilson delivered Colts fans a long awaited state title this year thanks to a talented squad that he seems to have been coaching forever. With nearly 600 wins to his credit, none was bigger than his team's 63-48 win over West Fork in the 3A title game.
Here is the rest of the team:
First Team
-- Jimmy Aldridge, Blytheville: The senior guard averaged just over 13 points a game for Coach David Hixson's 5A-East championship team. His pocket-picking skills on defense gave opposing guards nightmares. He had the ability to get his team rolling on offense or on defense and at times he seemed like a one-man full court press.
-- Levester Stone, Blytheville: Averaging almost 13 points a game, the senior swing man was a perfect compliment to Aldridge in Blytheville's offense. Deadly from the outside, Stone always seemed ready and willing to hit a shot when the Chicks needed it the most.
-- Terrence Banks, Rivercrest: Banks was a big reason the Colts hoisted the championship trophy. Banks made the all state tournament team.
-- Tevin Howard, Rivercrest: Howard was another key piece to the state championship team, earning all state tournament team along with Banks and state tournament MVP Brown.
Second Team
-- Jimmy Johnson, Osceola: The senior sharpshooter was selected to the Class 4A All State Team. Johnson, a three-year starter for the Seminoles, served as the team captain in 2010-11. He concluded his Seminole career with a 19-point effort in the Seminoles state tournament loss to Stuttgart.
-- Ke'Andre Diamond, Blytheville: He may have been the smallest player on the court, but few played larger than the ultra quick junior guard. Diamond was a fierce defender and, on offense, he was fearless on his drives to the basket.
-- Russell Royals, Blytheville: If there was a category for 6th Man of the Year, Royals would be at the top of the list. When Coach Hixson needed to give his starters a break, Royals came off of the bench with a seemless transition. His big third quarter helped the Chicks solidify the conference championship in late season win over Forrest City.
-- Keyston Claybrooks, Gosnell: Claybrooks was one of three starting athletic guards for coach Len Whitehead's Gosnell Pirates to average over 10 points a game this season. The senior averaged 12.3 points a game, could break down defenses off of the dribble and spread them out with his outside shooting from beyond the arc.
-- Tre Howe, Gosnell: The talented sophomore guard showed why the future is bright for Coach Whitehead's Pirates. Howe averaged just over 11 points a game and was a menace on the defensive end. His ability to hit from beyond the arc kept defenses honest.
Third Team
-- Robert Cooney, Rivercrest: Cooney played a big role on the Colts' state title run. He may have been the unsung hero of the team.
-- Darrien McKinney, Gosnell: The junior guard averaged 11.4 points a game for the Gosnell squad. Like the other two guards in Coach Whitehead's lineup, he could break down the defense off of the dribble or spread them out with the three- pointer.
-- Devione Sherman, Blytheville: The versitile senior could play inside or outside depending on what the Chicks needed. He had the ability to take the ball to the basket and hit the shot from the outside as well.
-- Kyle Walker, Blytheville: Despite usually being smaller than the man he was guarding, Walker repeatedly helped shut down a team's big man and was one of many senior leaders for coach Hixson's squad. When he wasn't getting dirty underneath the basket, he was more than capable of spreading the defense with a nice outside shot, averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds a game.
-- Chris Clark, Armorel: Clark helped an injury plagued Tiger squad stay in the hunt in the 1A-3 East. The senior guard's outside shot on offense and toughness on defense kept the Tigers competitive this season.
cnsports@blythevillecourier.com