ALL-CCC BOYS: MA's Stovall leads all-conference teams

Montgomery Academy’s Skyler Stovall was picked as the top boys player in the Capital City Conference for 2023-24. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

He averaged 22 points per game this season and has passed the 1,000-point mark in two seasons, but Skyler Stovall often feels like he doesn’t get the respect he deserves on the basketball court.

“A lot of opposing coaches feel like I can’t shoot,” he said. “I think I can shoot, but they think it’s my weakness. I think I did pretty well this year at shooting efficiently. I felt I needed to be more of a leader on the court and bring our team together.”

The Montgomery Academy junior helped the Eagles win the area regular season and area tournament championships and reach the semifinals of the Central Regional before losing to Sumter Central. Capital City Conference coaches selected Stovall as the CCC Player of the Year after his performance this season.

 “Skyler had a tremendous season,” Montgomery Academy coach Jeremy Arant said. “He’s super skilled, a super talented player. One thing that we’ve talked about for two years is how can I be this impactful of a player and still get my teammates involved and still be the best teammate I can be.”

Arant was chosen as the Capital City Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to their best showing in nine years.

“I think for us, and it’s something we talked about all season, was to really focus on what each individual could do to make our team the best team,” Arant said. “We kind of let that be what guides you from day to day. It was a work in progress all season. I think you could see the last three weeks of the season how good we were.”

A disappointing setback to Sumter Central in two overtimes kept Montgomery Academy from possibly reaching the state tournament and challenging for a state championship.

“You’ve got to try not to let that take away from the great year we had,” Arant said. “I think we had a great year. We won 24 games, which I think ties for the second most ever won here. We won the area regular season, we won the area tournament, so you can call it a successful season.”

Much of that success is a result of Stovall, who averaged 22.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.8 steals per game as he worked on becoming a better teammate.

“Being the leader is being vocal and understanding basketball,” he said. “I understand basketball, but it was the vocal aspect, what to say and what not to say.”

Earning CCC Player of the Year honors along with second team all-state honors and selection for the upcoming North-South basketball game in Alabama All-Stars Sports Week is nice, Stovall admitted, but it’s just the beginning of what he hopes to accomplish in 2024-25.

“I want more,” he said. “I just want to do better. I think there’s definitely room for improvement.”

That improvement, he added, extends to the Eagles as well.

“At the end of this season, we were very focused, more so than at the beginning of the year,” Stovall said. “So I feel like if we take that intensity and take the passion and apply it to the whole season, we can go undefeated. We’re going to be really good next year.”

BOYS ALL-CAPITAL CITY CONFERENCE

First Team

John Morris 6-4 F Jr. Trinity

DJ Vinson 6-4 F Jr.   Montgomery Academy

Jayden Phifer   5-10 G Sr. Catholic

Tyree Saadiq 5-8 G Sr. Alabama Christian

Brewer Welch 5-11 G Jr. Montgomery Academy

Second team

Tabor Offord 6-0 G Jr. St. James

Cayson Keller 6-0 F Jr. Trinity

Mac Moorer 5-9 G Jr. Alabama Christian

Seth Edwards 6-3 G/F Jr. Montgomery Academy

Jo’Tavion Pierce 6-2 F Jr. Catholic

Honorable mention: Cole Caddell, 6-0, G, Sr., Montgomery Academy; Mac Stewart, 5-7, G, Sr., Trinity.

Player of the Year -- Skyler Stovall, Montgomery Academy

Coach of the Year -- Jeremy Arant, Montgomery Academy