By Chris McCarthy
Publisher/Editor
Glencoe High’s Cole Holbrooks is the Player of the Year of the 2016-17 All-Etowah County Schools boys basketball team.
A 6’4, 200-pound senior forward and two-year starter, Holbrooks averaged 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists along with 50 blocks and 26 steals in 25 games this past season. He helped the Yellow Jackets finished with a 17-14 record, win the county tournament and qualify for the Class 3A Northeast Regional Tournament, where Glencoe suffered a last-second two-point loss to New Hope in the semifinals.
“The thing about Cole is that he didn’t have to do everything this year,” said Glencoe boys basketball coach Jason Gilley. “He could score 30 points in a game but he also made everybody around him a lot better, and I think that’s why we did as well as we did. This team was by far one of my favorites. They were very unselfish and played very well together. That makes a big difference when you’re not necessarily as athletic as some of the teams you go up against.”
Joining Holbrooks on the All-County team were seniors Justin Barkley, Micah Sizemore and Dylan Billingsley from Glencoe; senior Jakory Scott, junior Jashun Chinn and freshman Cameron Williams from Gaston; seniors Andre Little, Jordan Malin and Cory Willingham from West End; juniors Tristan Riggan, Dawson Nunn and Gavin Orr from Southside; senior John Holland and juniors Chase Bright and Harley Cook from Sardis; and senior Fisher Simmons, junior Landon Johnson and sophomore Hayden Lipscomb from Hokes Bluff.
Gilley was named Coach of the Year.