The 2020-21 basketball season was certainly one to remember for CSRA hoops fans. We had several teams make deep playoff runs, with Josey’s girls winning a state title. The Lady Eagles were not alone, as Cross Creek pulled a super-rare double feat as both the girls & boys teams claimed state crowns.
In addition, we had several players establish themselves as the most exciting and dynamic in the area. Therefore, selecting players and coaches to honor with individual awards was no easy task. In the end, here are the players and coaches that deserved top honors for the area this season.
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Aiken County
Girls Coach of the Year: Chasen Redd (Silver Bluff)
The Lady Bulldogs came within one win of the school’s first-ever state championship. They finished 9-1 on the season and topped Philip Simmons HS 51-40 to win the Lower State Title.
Girls Player of the Year: Kiana Lee (Sr. / North Augusta HS)
Lee & her Yellow Jacket teammates came up short in their quest for a fifth consecutive state title, but it’s hard to find much wrong with her stellar prep career. The 5’9 guard, who has signed with Francis Marion, was named the Class-AAAA State Player of the Year after averaging 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals. During her four years on the varsity team at North Augusta, the Lady Jackets were 96-7 overall, 36-0 in region play, and won multiple state championships.
Boys Coach of the Year: Darris Jackson (Aiken)
Do not let the 14-8 record overall fool you. This team was a tough out. They went 7-1 in region action and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. Jackson has guided the Hornets to 38-12 mark over the last two campaigns.
Boys Player of the Year: R.J. Felton (Sr. / Aiken HS)
Felton burst on the scene as a freshman. After spending two seasons at North Augusta, he transferred to Aiken and has been a beast for the Hornets. As a junior, he led Aiken to a 24-4 mark and a 9-1 record in region play. This season, Aiken was 14-8 overall, but they won the region crown with a 7-1 mark. The 6’3 200 lbs. Felton did it all for his squad, including coming up big with the spotlight on… as evidenced by his 35 point – 19 rebound effort against arch-rival South Aiken. He captured MVP Honors at the CSRA All-Star Classic and has signed to play at East Carolina.
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Columbia County
Girls Coach of the Year: Ryan Morningstar (Greenbrier)
This was a tough call. George Dukes did an excellent job at Grovetown, but in the end, it had to be Morningstar. He led his Greenbrier squad to an outstanding season. They finished 22-4 overall and 13-1 in region play. Even more impressive was the fact that Greenbrier’s top five scorers were all underclassmen. Keep an eye on the Lady Pack next season for sure.
Girls Player of the Year: Keona Curtis (Junior / Grovetown HS)
Curtis is a coach’s dream. She does all the little things that help carry a team. She averaged over 15 points per contest, but she did so much more than score. Rebounding, defending, making the correct pass, basically anything Coach George Dukes needed Curtis to do, she did it. She helped guide the Lady Warriors to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. The 6’1 junior will get plenty of attention from college coaches this summer.
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The Danny Black Columbia County Coach of the Year:
Co-Winners: Dee Howard (Greenbrier) & Brandon Dotson (Augusta Christian)
This is a special award that is named in honor of the legendary Danny Black. Black was a beloved figure in Columbia County and was a fierce competitor and excellent coach. Last season, one of Black’s former players, Kevin Kenny (Evans HS) won the award, and he could have easily captured the hardware again this season. Evans finished 21-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs.
However, sometimes it’s about what you can do with what you have and because of that, it was hard to ignore Greenbrier’s Dee Howard. Howard may have been outmanned in most games this season, but his Wolfpack squad battle every second they were on the floor. The Pack were 16-11 this season and earned a state playoff berth.
Augusta Christian’s Brandon Dotson led his Lions to the state finale, despite starting the season 2-8. After the rough start, ACS went 11-3 down the stretch, including winning six of their last seven contests. Dotson also managed to pull off this great season with freshman Elijah Crawford as his top player.
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Eric Marshall Columbia County Boys Player of the Year:
Rashad King (Sr. / Evans HS)
King moved in from Alaska in June of 2019 and quickly established himself as a terrific all-around player that played the game the right way, almost an “old-school” approach. He could defend, he had a high basketball IQ, he was coachable, had an excellent mid-range game and always seem to make the extra pass that would lead to a bucket.
This year, the 6’5 wing player stepped his game up to another level. Despite being in a Region with three major D-I recruits, there was rarely a night where King was not the best performer on the floor. He averaged over 15 points (could have been much higher if he were not so unselfish), seven rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest this season. Most importantly, he was a winner for the Knights, helping lead the team to a 43-10 mark over his two seasons with back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight. He signed to play next season at the Air Force Academy, and in all the years of presenting this award, he may be the player that is most like its namesake, the late Eric Marshall.
Richmond County
Girls Coach of the Year: Co-Winners Kim Schlein (Cross Creek) & Jawan Bailey (Josey)
Ok, I copped out on this one. But how do I choose between two state champions? Each coach did a remarkable job, but in different ways. Cross Creek was a pre-season favorite to go deep into the playoffs, but Coach Schlein did not let her group get lackadaisical. They game to play night in and night out, as evidenced by their 23-2 record and 12-0 mark in region contests and the school’s first Class AAA Title.
Coach Bailey was not exactly an underdog, but after a 3-5 start to the season, a state championship certainly did not appear to be in the cards. However, the Lady Eagles won 17 of their last 18 games and captured the school’s second state crown as Class AA Champs.
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Girls Player of the Year: Jordyn Dorsey (Sr. / Cross Creek)
The 5’9 guard had a spectacular prep career at Cross Creek. She capped her career with the Class AAA State Title and State Player of the Year Honors. Along the way, she poured in 22.5 points, grabbed 6.0 rebounds, dished out 2.4 assists and had 2.6 steals per game. And as the games got more important, Dorsey stepped up her play and she dominated the state tournament. She will play at the Division I level next season after signing to play at North Carolina A&T.
Boys Coach of the Year: Lawrence Kelly (Cross Creek)
The Razorbacks advanced to the state title game last season. However, they lost their best player from a year ago, Kobe Stewart, to graduation. Obviously, there were a few question marks heading into this season, but Coach Kelly’s squad spent the entire year proving they would be a team to reckon with in the playoffs. They piled up a 25-4 record over all and 13-1 mark in region play. The Razorbacks only lost two games to schools in Georgia and, of course, captured the Class AAA State Crown. Over the last two seasons, Cross Creek is now 50-11 overall, 20-2 in region play, with one state runner-up finish and one state championship.
Boys Player of the Year: Richard Visitacion (Sr. / Cross Creek)
There may have been players that put up more gawdy numbers, but no player was more important to his team’s success than Visitacion. The Butler transfer may be, pound for pound, the toughest player in the area. The term ‘floor general’ was meant for him. He was great on both ends of the floor all season.
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However, it was in the playoffs where the diminutive guard really shined. In the first round, he went for 23 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals. Then, as Cross Creek eliminated Lafayette, Visitacion poured in a game high 27 points and was simply all over the floor. His name may not go down in history like Ricky Moore, William Avery, or Gerald White, but there was no one better in Richmond County in 2020-21
Ashley Brown covers sports for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Ashley.brown@theaugustapress.com.
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