The Mount Pleasant Tiger basketball team was well represented in the District 15-5A All-District selections with an incredible 27-1 season that ended on Tuesday. The Tigers had all their starters recognized for their accomplishments along with several key role players.

Head coach Joey Chism was named Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his seven years at the helm of the Tigers. Chism has led the Tigers to two straight district championships and his third overall along with compiling a 147-62 record.

The tandem duo of senior Zaveion Chism-Okoh and sophomore Payton Chism were named District Co-MVPs as both players wreaked havoc on opposing defenses from the guard position. Chism-Okoh led the Tigers in scoring at 16.2 points per game while finishing second on the team in steals at 2.6. He also led the team in three point makes with 51 and set his career scoring mark with a 40-point game against Paris. Chism also finished the season in double digit scoring averaging 13.0 points per game while also leading the team in assists (4.0), steals (3.1), and free throw makes (110). He matched a Tiger record with 8 steals in a game versus Oklahoma City Storm in the first game of the season.

Junior Will Hills was named Defensive MVP for the district with his prowess felt in the paint nearly every game. Hills finished the season averaging 6 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals to go along with 6.4 points per game. He finished with three double-doubles on the season including a monster 17-point, 14 rebound performance against Huntsville in the third round of the playoffs where he also connected on three long range shots.

First Team All-District honors went to senior Jakybrein Hines and sophomore Kelcey Morris. Hines was a stalwart in the starting lineup for the Tigers and made his presence known with his on-the-ball defense and sharp shooting from the outside. Hines finished the season averaging 5.1 points per game, 1.6 steals, and connecting on 17 three-pointers. His best performance was a 15-point game versus Royse City early in the year. Morris was a jack of all trades moving in and out of the starting lineup based on matchups. One of the speediest players on the floor, Morris finished the season averaging 4.9 points per game and 1.4 steals. His season high was a 15-point performance versus Texas Alliance of Christian Athletes.

Two Tigers earned Second Team All-District honors with their dominating play inside the paint. Junior Miller McCrumby and senior Xzavier Brown were both key players off the bench early in the season with Brown working his way into the starting lineup for most of the second half of the season. McCrumby provided depth and size at the forward position finishing with averages of 3.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. His best performance came against Pine Tree with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Brown gave the Tigers flexibility at the forward position with his ability to handle the ball and bang inside. Brown finished the season with two double-doubles and came on strong in the playoffs with two double-digit rebounding games versus University and Lancaster. He averaged 6.1 points per game and pulled down 5.8 rebounds, good for second best on the team.

Junior Edward Wilder earned Honorable Mention All-District with his game-changing energy off the bench. Wilder’s effectiveness doesn’t show up in the stats as he averaged only 3.1 points per game, but his presence was felt on the court with his suffocating defense and downhill drives to the basket. Wilder’s best game came against Maud where he had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Tigers also had six players receive Academic All-District recognition by maintaining at least a 92 GPA during basketball season. Those players are sophomore Payton Chism, senior Brock Cooper, senior Jakybrein Hines, senior James Jimerson, junior Miller McCrumby, and senior Eliyah Tagg.

 

Images courtesy of CJ Cannon
Write-Up By Drew Barkley