Boys Co-Coach of the Year: Tobin Reid, Brownsboro

Tobin Reid and Hosea Lee have shared a lot over the years, from conversations to meals to tactics.

After outstanding years coaching their respective basketball teams, they have one more thing to share.

Brownsboro’s Reid and Laneville’s Lee are the 2014 All-East Texas Co-Coaches of the Year for leading their teams to thrilling postseason runs. The duo follows Brent Kelley, who won the honor with Jacksonville last year.

Reid and Lee’s relationship began on the Robert E. Lee junior varsity team in the 1980s. Lee, a 1987 graduate, was a keen player who sought the why behind the tactics taught to him by his JV coach, Reid.

Nearly 30 years later, both are successful coaches.

Reid guided a young Brownsboro squad to the Class 3A Region II semifinals; Lee took Laneville to the Class 1A Division II championship game.

Though different coaches in different classifications, the two share an intrinsic belief in how to build teams. For both Reid and Lee, it all comes down to family.

“Any time you can get the family atmosphere going in coaching and get the kids believing that you care about them and capturing their hearts that success is going to follow along,” Reid said.

Added Lee: “Once we became a family … we saw the togetherness that we were lacking from last year. I thought the togetherness and the family atmosphere that we had really carried us.”

The Bears, who had won two straight district titles under Reid prior to this season, finished second in District 15-3A behind Athens. However this time Brownsboro, with a team Reid described as “extremely close,” made it past the area round for the first time in his four-year tenure.

After overcoming injuries early in the season, the Bears were able to come through when it mattered most late in the year.

Brownsboro opened the postseason with a 45-37 win over Chapel Hill before edging Wills Point 47-44. With a spot in the regional tournament on the line, the Bears held off North Lamar 59-55. The run finally came to an end with a 57-40 loss to Frisco Lone Star in the regional semis, ending Brownsboro’s season at 21-13.

“It was a miracle ride for this team,” Reid said. “I think this team reached goals a year early. … I kind of penciled in next year’s team to possibly do something like this and the power of the youth surprised and we did a year early.”

Laneville went a few steps further, reaching the state championship game. It was Lee’s seventh trip to state and he said it never gets old after going with Gainesville and Roxton. He said thinking about coaches like Reid and Larry Jones, his varsity coach at Lee, who have never made it to Austin ensures that he relishes each trip.

“I’ve been blessed; I thank God for the ability that He’s given me,” Lee said. “When I think about going down there I think about Larry Jones, I think about Tobin Reid, the coaches that I’ve put up on a pedestal since I was in high school because they coached me and for them not to get the opportunity, … I feel like I’m living their dream also.”

The Yellowjackets defeated district rival Oakwood to book a spot at the Frank Erwin Center. They then took down Miller Grove 55-54 in the semifinal before falling to Water Valley 68-44 in the final, ending the year with a 33-7 mark.

Laneville will return four starters next year and have freshmen coming in who will be expected to contribute as the Yellowjackets hope to return to state.

“The kids know how to get down there,” Lee said. “They know what they’re playing for. They know what they’re fighting for. I think they’re focused in because they want that ring.”

Brownsboro will likewise be loaded for another playoff run, with first-team all-district players Will Bailey and Tamrick Pace coming back, among others.

For the Bears and Yellowjackets, future success will come down to the chemistry and the family atmosphere instilled by their coaches.

“It goes way beyond coaching, it’s all about life,” Lee said. “That’s what I teach in my program. It’s not about the Xs and Os, it’s not about how many games we win, it’s about the game of life.”

Laneville players hug and pat each other on the back before taking the court so everyone knows their teammates have their back. Brownsboro players slap a sign that says “Brothers” before every home game and practice to reinforce the sense of unity.

“You’re coaching to win ballgames but you’re also coaching to teach life-long lessons,” Reid said. “When you get that family chemistry built into your team and there’s no jealousy out there … when you get beyond that you’ve got yourself a true team.” 

---

Boys Player of the Year

No one could stop Athens senior Sanders from filling up the scoresheet

Chris Parry, cparry@tylerpaper.com

Athens senior guard Anthony Sanders began the 2013-14 season with a simple mindset — no one could stop him.

Not double teams, shading defenses or anything else opposing coaches drew up against the Hornets.

Sanders was going to shoot — and make — most of his shots. He drained 109 3-pointers this past season making an eye-opening 44 percent of the shots he took from beyond the arc.

“When I am on the court I am looking at the goal and not worried about the defender,” Sanders said. “I think that’s why I hit shots in people’s faces because really and truly I don’t see them there.”

Now add to that strong drives to the basket, powerful moves in the paint off rebounds and you get the picture.

Sanders filled up the scorebook for the Hornets, averaging 28.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.8 assists per game in leading Athens to a 29-2 record.

Much like how opposing coaches would circle Sanders as the main player their teams needed to focus on, the Tyler Morning Telegraph and ETFinalScore.com sports staff circled Sanders as the main player for East Texas.

Sanders is the Player of the Year on this year’s All-East Texas Boys Basketball team.

Sanders follows recent Players of the Years Tyus Bowser of John Tyler and Levi Yancy of White Oak, who shared the honor last year.

“I am excited about (this honor),” Sanders said. “I always hear talk that I am just a 3A basketball player, but when you get something like this, it means you’re not just a 3A player, but up there with everybody (in the higher classes too).”

Sanders received MVP honors for District 15-3A for the second straight year. This was after he led the Athens football team to a 10-0 record.

Athens was upset early in the playoffs for both football and basketball, but Sanders prefers to focus on the positives.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year,” Sanders said. “In football we went 10-0 and end up losing in first round, but that’s only one game. Then in basketball, we went 29-3, so overall I only lost three games my whole senior year, so that’s pretty good.”

Sanders chose Navarro Junior College to continue his athletic career, signing a basketball scholarship with the Bulldogs. He said Navarro won him over during his visit and he is excited to play with “some pretty good ballers coming in next year.”

Sanders has already been chosen all-state by Texas Basketball Magazine, among other accolades.

Sanders said he is looking forward to the future.

“I am glad I am going to a junior college right now to develop my game a little more,” Sanders said. “I think even if I had gone to a D-I, I wouldn’t get as much playing time and I know I still have a lot of stuff to work on. But I feel like this is a good home for me.” 

---

Boys Newcomer of the Year

Sophomore guard Gray helps pilot Lindale into postseason

Travis Yoesting, tyoesting@tylerpaper.com

Lindale was down and all but out with two games left in the District 16-4A schedule.

But Jordan Gray and the Eagles weren’t ready to call it quits.

Lindale, with Gray running the offense, pulled off an upset of John Tyler in the Lions Den.

Gray, a sophomore point guard, then scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles stunned Corsicana with a 25-10 rally in the fourth to secure a three-way tie for third place.

The Eagles went on to earn a playoff spot with another come-from-behind victory over Corsicana, this time winning in overtime.

Key to the late surge was Gray, who is the Tyler Morning Telegraph and ETFinalScore.com’s 2013-14 All-East Texas Basketball Newcomer of the Year. Gray follows John Tyler’s Isaac Warren, who won the honor last year.

“It was a great start to my high school career, a great honor and it was just really exciting,” Gray said Tuesday. “We struggled to make it into the playoffs but we definitely earned it and deserved it for how hard we worked.”

Gray, who was also the 16-4A Newcomer of the Year, was the sparkplug for the Eagles, igniting the offense with unflappable ball handling and pinpoint passing ability.

Lindale finished the year with a 15-16 record after a slow start. Gray said running the offense became easier as the team built chemistry throughout the season.

“Our older guys did a great job of welcoming me and making it just like walking into any other team,” Gray said. “They had an open mind about having a sophomore as their starting point guard and allowing me to come in and do my thing.”

The chemistry was apparent in the must-win game against John Tyler, which had beaten Lindale 55-50 in the first meeting. Gray had a game-high five assists as the Eagles used superb ball movement and stifling defense to topple their Smith County rival 50-43.

“Going into that game knowing we had to win and knowing that the game we had at our place was a close game we knew we could do it and we had to put everything we had and we did and knocked down some big shots and came through,” Gray said.

The game had added significance for Gray and his family. Gray’s grandfather, Mike Smith, is the head coach of the JT girls basketball team.

“It was a cool and weird experience at the same time,” Gray said of beating his granddad’s school. “Knowing he was the coach at the opposing school, it was definitely weird.”

After falling in the bi-district playoffs, Gray now has his sights on getting back to the postseason and going further. Two things he said he’s working on to improve his game are getting more people involved and being more of a leader on the court.

If Gray and Lindale play as well as they did down the stretch of this season and Gray continues to develop, the Eagles may not need a mad scramble to reach the postseason in the Newcomer of the Year’s junior and senior seasons. 

---

 2014 All-East Texas Boys Basketball Team

Superlatives

Most Valuable Player: Anthony Sanders, Sr., Athens — The senior guard averaged 28.2 points per game and made 109 3-pointers. District 15-3A MVP for the second consecutive year. Navarro Junior College signee.

Newcomer of the Year: Jordan Gray, Soph., Lindale — Gray averaged 10.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game to go along with 76 3-pointers. District 16-4A Newcomer of the Year after guiding the Eagles to the playoffs.

Co-Coaches of the Year: Hosea Lee, Laneville; Tobin Reid, Brownsboro — Both led the their teams on memorable playoff runs with Brownsboro advancing to the Class 3A region tournament and Laneville finishing as Class 1A Div. II state runner-up. 

First Team

Patrick Mahomes, Sr., Whitehouse — Despite missing time with injury, Mahomes averaged 19.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Was MVP of District 16-4A.

Verlo Levels, Sr., Grace Community — Levels led the Cougars to a 25-6 record and to TAPPS 4A regional championships while averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. TAPPS 4A all-state selection.

Aston Francis, Jr., All Saints — Francis finished with 22.4 points per game and led the Trojans to a school-record 33 wins and to the TAPPS 4A state semifinals. Also averaged 5.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. Named TAPPS all-state first team.

Damiyne Durham, Sr., Oakwood — The senior is a Baylor signee who averaged 29.8 points per game and just less than 10 rebounds per game.

Patrick Walker, Sr., Grapeland — Walker averaged just less than 20 points and six rebounds per game to go along with nearly three steals per contest. Navarro College signee and MVP of District 20-1A Div. I.

 Second Team

Caleb Johnston, Sr., Robert E. Lee

Cadell Williams, Sr., Longview

Grant Hanks, Jr., Brook Hill

Davis Moore, Soph., Martins Mill

Trey Conrad, Kilgore 

Third Team

Bryce Westbrook, Sr., Douglass

Donta Harris, Sr., Laneville

Noah Burwell, Sr., Hawkins

Raybon Riden, Sr., Jacksonville

Keaunte Humber, Sr., John Tyler 

Boys Honorable Mention

Alba-Golden — Malcolm Fragosa, Dylan Harle, Kyle Miller; All Saints — Jaired Maddox; Alto — Zachris Sturns, Leroy Lewis, Jacolby Whitaker, Anfernee Black, Javie’Ontae Mumphrey; Arp — Clay Sieber; Athens — Chris Jefferson, Josh Garrett, Ryan Jefferson; Big Sandy — Russell Ditto, Matt Easley; Bishop Gorman — Judah Bell, Garrett Thibodeaux; Brownsboro — Quentin KcKenzie, Will Bailey, Tamrick Pace; Bullard — Major Tennison, Landemn Beckham, Hunter Landrum; Bullard Brook Hill — Clayton Engel, Alex Hale; Canton — Kelby Nixon, Reese Frosch, Brad Wiggins; Carthage — Jarrod McLin; Cayuga — Colton Harrell, Chris Wilson; Chapel Hill — Gabriel Robinson, Keith Minor; Cross Roads — Randy Flowers; Cushing — Lane Williams; Edgewood — Carlos Bolton, Tyler Germany, Jackson Tyner; Elkhart — Jeffery Wilson; Frankston — Kendrick Rodgers, Ozzie Buckner, Gunnar Murphy, Caleb Whitehurst; Gilmer — Malik Jackson; Gladewater — Treyvon Gordon, Caleb Williams; Grace Community — Trevor Gunter, Phillip McKinney; Grand Saline — Austen Truett; Grapeland — Shaun Walker, Jacolby Simpson, Dominic Decello, Jaquez Faulk; Hallsville — Jonathan Mitchell; Hawkins — Noah Burwell, Demarcas Wesley, Derek Craft, Lavon Davis; Henderson — Zane Boles, Tre Hollins; Jacksonville — Daytron Thompson, Datavion Thacker; John Tyler — Rodney Bendy, Jordan Caldwell; Kilgore — Clery Delmas, Nick Orange; Laneville — Ty Johnson, Tralon Alexander, Kendrick Anderson, Tiarel Franklin; Lindale — Mason Terry; Longview — Trez O’Quinn, Dorian Leonard; Marshall — Tiandre Jackson-Young, Chris Brown, Shimar Jones, Jayton McKnight; Martins Mill — Dylan Weatherford, Hunter Conway, Logan Jenkins, July Latimer; Mineola — Kourtland Sinches; Mount Enterprise — Dhailon Phillips, Ty Ham; Mount Pleasant — KD Cannon, D’Aundra Fields, Andrew Flanagan; Nacogdoches — Tyler Underwood, Kwa Jones; Overton — Julian Herndon; Palestine — Dakedrick McMorris, Kevin Parish; Palestine Westwood — J;J; Turner, Sam Carlisle, Damontrey House; Pine Tree — Blake Adams; Quitman — Dalton Capps, Evan Henry; Rains — Jacob Dowty; Robert E; Lee — Jack Calhoun, Rico Major; Rusk — Jadarian Skinner, Antonio Tilley; Sabine — Ivan Padrone, O’Shean Jagot; Spring Hill — Layne Patterson, Nick Irwin; Tatum — Donovan Centers, Robbie Rockwell, Chaston Brooks, Klifton Willis; Troup — Chance Selvidge, Marcus Kincade, An’fernee Ross; Union Grove — Garrett Gibson; Van — Carson Rucker; West Rusk — Tyrice Ross; Whitehouse — Spencer Shaw, Jaylon Dews; White Oak — Hayden Nichols, Slade Sutton; Wills Point — Tre Smith, Jah Golden, Hunter Sanford, Caleb Wallace; Winnsboro — Sheyan Thompson.