All-State honor is latest MJ award

By KENNETH COKER
Messenger Sports Reporter
The basketball season may be over, but the accolades continue to roll in for Union City’s MJ Brown.
The back-to-back Class A Mr. Basketball was named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association’s All-State team today for the second consecutive season.
Brown, who averaged 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals per game during the Twisters’ 37-0 Class A state championship run, was selected to the team by a vote of sports writers throughout the state.
“This accolade for MJ is a fine honor to cap the career of a young man who already has gotten a state championship, the Mr. Basketball award and the state tournament Most Valuable Player award this year,” UC boys’ coach Shane Sisco said. “The career he has had — and he would probably say this — is very indicative of the teammates he has had around him.
“For a player of his skill, MJ could’ve scored more points, but he chose to be unselfish and put the team first and I think that has helped him land all of these individual honors, as well, it has helped the team to the immense successes that it had.”
Brown — who is being courted by UT Martin, Murray State and Southeast Missouri among others, to play at the collegiate level — is regarded as a complete player by not only his peers and spectators, but his coach as well.
“Plain and simple, MJ is a complete player,” Sisco said, matter of factly. “He bottomed clutch shots for us when needed, brought down rebounds and he always made sure to keep his teammates involved.
“There were times during the season when I had to actually remind him to shoot the ball more.”
Despite that fact, Brown finished his career at UCHS with a pair of state titles on his resume and 1,810 points — a total good enough for fourth all-time in the storied program’s history.
Meanwhile, at the state tournament, Brown was especially exceptional, scoring 75 points with 17 assists, 15 rebounds and 10 steals over the course of three games.
The 6-foot point guard was pivotal in UC’s 83-81 comeback triumph over Manassas in the state finals, with 26 of his 29 total points coming in the second half. He was also the hero in the Twisters’ pair of regular season victories over Lake County — one of which was a 58-57 victory in early January that was made possible by his 24-foot jumper in Tiptonville.
Furthermore, Brown also helped to preserve Union City’s perfect record in December during the semifinals of the First Midwest Bank Shootout in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The UC standout poured in a career-high 39 markers in a 92-90 win over Raytown South (Mo.) in the event’s semifinals.
The Twisters trailed by 13 in that contest with under three minutes remaining to play.
Joining Brown on the glitter unit from rural West Tennessee is Lake County’s Channin Geanes. Meanwhile, Manassas’ Reginald Buckner and Derrick Richard, both of whom UC fans watched closely during the Tornadoes’ victory in the state finale, also were honored with a selection to the squad.
In double-A, Dyer County’s Justin Blake and Bolivar’s Chris Reaves carry the flag for rural West Tennessee.
On the girls’ side, a quartet of District 13AA competitors head the list with Gibson County’s Heather Butler and Westview’s Amber Rechis joining Milan’s tandem of Chantel Poston and Chaniqua Gray as All-Staters.
In Class A, rural West Tennessee is represented by Bradford’s Danielle Proudfit and Clarksburg’s Brooke Cary, along with Middleton’s Jasmine Perry.
A complete list of All-State team members can be found on Page 15.
Sports reporter Kenneth Coker can be contacted by e-mail at kcoker@ucmessenger.com.
Published in The Messenger 4.2.08