Repeat performances

Green, Brown honored as high school athletes of the year - again

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

All-Lowcountry basketball honorees A.J. Green (left) and Branshea Brown.

John McKissick has coached 3,384 football players during his 54-year tenure at Summerville High School, and many of his players have earned all-state and all-American honors.

But only one player performed well enough to have his number retired. McKissick was so impressed with A.J. Green's effort, performance, work ethic, attitude and accomplishments that he asked school officials to retire Green's football jersey No. 1.

They concurred.

"I even asked former players when I saw them on the street, and no one disagreed," McKissick said. "Everyone I talked to thinks it is a good thing to do. I coached players who went on to have great college and pro careers, but when it comes to high school performances, A.J. just might be the best. He can do everything: run the football, catch it, return punts, return kicks, tackle and make interceptions. He just might be the best all-around player I've ever coached."

Green is The Post and Courier's male athlete of the year — again. He won the award last year as a junior and had an even bigger season this year, leading the Green Wave football team to the state championship game and leading the Green Wave basketball team to the pinnacle of success, the state championship.

The female athlete of the year also is quite accomplished, rewriting the Colleton County basketball record book while playing softball in the spring. Branshea Brown, like Green, has a bright future. She's headed to Kansas State on a basketball scholarship.

Green is headed to Georgia on a football scholarship, and McKissick would like to hold the official jersey retirement ceremony Oct. 3 when the Green Wave plays West Ashley.

Georgia will not play that weekend, and McKissick is trying to clear it with Bulldogs coach Mark Richt to allow Green to return to Summerville for the ceremony.

Green had a big senior season to earn all-state honors from the Associated Press. He is believed to be the only football player in state history to earn AP all-state honors four years in a row.

Green caught 87 passes for 1,521 yards and 24 touchdown his senior season.

He is one of the greatest players in South Carolina history and finished his career No. 2 on the all-time national list with 5,373 career receiving yards. He is fourth all-time with 279 career catches and 62 career touchdown receptions.

He's a pretty good basketball player, too.

He was named The Post and Courier's male basketball player of the year for the second straight year. He was selected to play in the Carolinas Classic after averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Green Wave to the state title. He averaged 20 points and 9.2 rebounds his junior year.

The 6-2 Brown repeated as The Post and Courier's female player of the year. She had a brilliant career, finishing with more than 1,400 points and more than 1,200 rebounds in her career. Brown, a two-time all-state selection and four-time all-region pick, averaged 14.8 points, 15.3 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game.

"She's the type of player who comes around only once every 10 to 15 years," said Colleton County coach Jason Loudenslager.

"She obviously has talent," the coach added. Loudenslager said Brown was only one of two players on the team who made every single workout over the past two years.

"A lot of the stars don't always have to work the hardest," Loudenslager said. "But she doesn't cut corners. That's why she's come so far so fast."