By Rubin E. Grant With the state of Alabama on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah Ashlee Barker had to find out on Twitter that she had been awarded the most prestigious honor given to a girls basketball player in the state. Barker was named the 2020 Alabama Sports Writers Association Miss Basketball in a tweet on April 3. “They had told us they would post … [Read more...]

 By Rubin E. GrantThe opportunity was just too good for Bucky McMillan to pass up.On Monday (April 6), he was named the new men’s basketball coach at Samford University, leaving his job as boys basketball coach at Mountain Brook High School.“I’ve always said I wouldn’t move anywhere else to be a high school coach,” McMillan said. “(Mountain Brook) was … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant The Briarwood Christian baseball team can thank the sister of Carson McKinney for him becoming the ace of the Lions’ pitching staff. McKinney orally committed to the University of Alabama when he was a freshman in high school and living in San Diego. His family decided to move to Birmingham so he could become familiar with the South before eventually … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Perhaps no high school team in the state was more disappointed to see the spring sports seasons suspended than the Spain Park softball team. The Jaguars are off to 21-0 start, ranked No. 1 in Class 7A and No. 4 nationally by USA Today, but their season has been interrupted because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hoover City Schools announced Saturday that … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Several years ago, Spain Park girls basketball coach Mike Chase heard stories about a talented young player, so he went on a quest to see her play. He showed up at one Over the Mountain recreational league game after another, hoping to watch her. But she wasn’t playing in any of the games he attended. Finally, one night he asked someone where he could find … [Read more...]