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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maplesville High School’s Nehemiah McCary is this year’s The Clanton Advertiser’s basketball player of the year as his 15.6 points per game helped lead the Red Devils to the sub-regional round in the AHSAA state basketball playoffs.

McCary was a major force inside in his first season on the varsity squad averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game to lead Maplesville in both categories. He posted five double-doubles throughout the season, and added 38 steals and 18 assists to his season stats as well.

McCary’s stellar season helped Maplesville make its first sub-regional round appearance in many years, and capture the AHSAA Class 1A Area 7 regular season championship.

“He is one of those old-school guys where he is a force inside as a young kid, and he already has it in being aggressive, doing what he knows how to do and nothing else, crashing the boards and rebounding … He brings it all in his game,” Maplesville High School head coach Undra Rush said. “These days, kids do not want to be banging inside, they want to take it outside on the perimeter and shoot. Him being an eighth grader is good for us because we have a few more years with him, and it is going to be exciting to see what he brings in the next couple years.”

Rush said McCary soaks in everything that he lays out for the team quickly, and he knows what he and his teammates should be doing on all plays. He added that there is no ceiling for how good the eighth grader can become on the basketball floor if he stays humble, continues to hit the weight room hard and remains a coachable player.

“He is special,” Rush said. “It just does not take one player to make everything work, and it takes a buy in from everybody. One thing I teach my players is to know your strengths and weaknesses, but also know your teammates strengths and weaknesses. That is how we work as a team and as a unit. He put up points because his teammates trusted him and they got him in the right position.”

 

2023-2024 The Clanton Advertiser All-County Team

D.J. Caffey, Chilton County, Sr. (11.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG)

Eli Dale, Chilton County, Sr. (6 PPG, 4 APG)

Justin Godwin, Chilton County, Sr. (8.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4 SPG, 3.5 APG)

Bradin Yates, Chilton County, Sr. (9.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.9 BPG)

Anthony Ford Jemison, Sr. (6 PPG)

Trenton Gaines, Jemison, Sr. (6 PPG)

Luke Gann, Jemison, Sr. (10 PPG)

C.J. Kidd, Jemison, Sr. (6 PPG)

Christian Davenport, Thorsby, Sr.

Aiden Seeley, Thorsby, Jr. (17 PPG)

Austin Porter, Isabella, Jr.

Garrett Price, Isabella, Jr.

Aidan Abbott, Maplesville, Jr. (8.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 31 assists, 26 steals)

Nehemiah McCary, Maplesville, 8th Grade: (15.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 38 steals, 18 assists, 5 double-doubles)

Jakobe Nix, Maplesville, Jr. (9 PPG, 31 rebounds, 49 assists, 35 steals)

Johnathon Wilson, Maplesville, Sr. (8.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 35 steals)

Ethan Hand, Verbena, Jr.

Caleb Short, Verbena, Jr.

Jamiah Smith, Verbena, Jr.