Athlete of the Year: Royal Brown, Cohoes
The exit meeting following the 2020-21 season between Cohoes coach Jeff Huneau and star guard Royal Brown first focused on the positives and then turned to what Huneau hoped to see from his sophomore upon returning for his third varsity season.
“We talked last year about wanting him to improve on his defense. We definitely saw that this year. He definitely wanted to guard the other team’s best player,” Huneau said. “It was not only the commitment himself to playing better defense, he was also vocal in helping his teammates. That was very noticeable this year.”
Cohoes navigated the difficult Colonial Council and managed to produce the league’s top record in helping the Tigers also earn the No. 2 seed for the Section II Class B Tournament. Getting a concerted defensive commitment from a player who led Section II in scoring for the second straight season helped the team amass an impressive 20-2 overall record.
The enhancements from Brown were not limited to being a better defender. He wanted to become a more consistent perimeter shooter and accomplished that task along with also lifting up his teammates with his leadership, both during practices and games.
“One hundred percent of what has changed in Royal’s game, which has made him in my opinion the best player in Section II, is his leadership,” Cohoes forward Bryce Hancock said. “His leadership has grown so much. He knows where everyone needs to be out there and he has become more verbal. He has always had that basketball mentality. I have played with him since we were 5 in CYO. He always knows where he needs to be on the court, but this season, he is letting everyone else know where they need to be and what they need to do. I think that is why we’ve been so successful this season. Royal is really guiding us. He plays at that next level.”
The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is potent getting to the rim and finishing, but he also topped Section II with 87 3-pointers. He twice scored 43 points in wins
against Catholic Central and La Salle, plus established a school record with 47 points in an 84-71 victory over eventual Class B state champion Ichabod Crane.
Brown, who has drawn Division I interest from such schools as Texas A&M, Miami, Seton Hall, Creighton and DePaul, will enter his senior season with 1,516 career points.
“Royal has matured so much as a player,” Huneau said. “The leadership portion he brought was so important for us. He would encourage his teammates, telling them they could make that shot. Sometimes, it was getting after them in practice a little bit. He is just a more complete player now and is only going to get better.”
First team
Royal Brown, Jr., G, Cohoes: In three varsity seasons, Brown has been named to the Times Union’s first team three times and earned his second straight Athlete of the Year award after averaging 34.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game. The Colonial Council’s Most Valuable Player led Cohoes (20-2) to two victories against Class B state champion Ichabod Crane, including a season-best 47 points as the Tigers prevailed 84-71 to conclude the regular season.
Robert Jordan, Sr., C, Fort Plain: Concluded his varsity basketball career by registering 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 64-60 loss against Maple Hill in the Section II Class C final. It is that kind of production each game the Hilltoppers counted on from the 6-8 post player and he delivered averages of 19.3 points, 18.0 rebounds and 6.1 blocks per game. The senior is set to continue his basketball at RPI.
Darien Moore, 8th, F/G, Catholic Central: The lead component for a young squad that advanced to the Section II Class B final, Moore’s exceptional allaround play helped him average 22.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game in earning Colonial Council first-team honors. He shot 50 percent from the field, scored in double figures in all 24 games and produced 35 points and 17 rebounds in an 87-78 victory over La Salle.
Zach Rice, Sr., G, Tamarac: Selected by the Wasaren League coaches as the
league’s Most Valuable Player, Rice helped the Bengals earn the state’s No. 1 ranking for seven straight weeks, capture league regularseason and tournament titles and garner the top seed for the Section II Class B Tournament as he averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. The senior shooting guard twice scored 30 points in victories against Utica Academy of Science (84-77) and Bethlehem (72-62).
Brett Richards, Sr., F, Ichabod Crane: The model of proficiency in the paint for the Riders, Richards capped his scholastic career by producing 23 consecutive double-doubles ending with 19 points and 17 rebounds on a severely injured ankle in a 63-62 Class B state final victory over Friends Academy. Also a Times Union first-team choice in 2021, Richards, who averaged 25.1 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game and shot 64.7 percent from the field, is currently starring for the Riders’ tennis team.
Coach of the Year
Will Ferguson, Ichabod Crane: In easily one of the most dramatic turnarounds this century in Section II basketball, Ferguson led the Riders back from a 3-5 start to earn the No. 6 seed in a stacked Class B sectional tournament. Ichabod Crane edged Catholic Central 51-50 in the final and went on to reel off four state tournament wins to secure the program’s first state championship.
Second team
Jesse Kuzmich, Sr., G, Greenwich
CJ McNeil, Sr., G, Stillwater
Jaxon Mueller, So., C, Stillwater
Joey Poulin, Jr., G, Tamarac
Alex Schmidt, Jr., G, Ichabod Crane
Third team
Shamier Fairley, Jr., G, Cohoes
Colin Richardson, So., G, Mechanicville
Sei’Mir Roberson, 8th, G, Catholic Central
Matt Thorsen, Jr., G, Chatham
Owen Sherman, Sr., G, Schuylerville