SPRING SIGNINGS: Trinity duo signs with UAH basketball; Macon East's Boroff, Evangel's Cooley sign
Trinity’s Jayden Mitchell (left) and Emma Kate Smith signed scholarships with Alabama Huntsville on Friday. (Tim Gayle)
Compiled by TIM GAYLE
It was a happy moment, to be sure, but Trinity senior Emma Kate Smith couldn’t help but have mixed emotions at her signing ceremony on Captain Jack Court on Friday morning.
This was the court where she had spent the last six years honing her craft, setting school records for 3-pointers before ending her career as the leading scorer in school history with 2,270 points.
“I was thinking about it earlier when everybody came in,” she said. “This is the last time I’m going to do something in this gym, where all of my friends are going to be here and we’re all going to be together to celebrate. It’s sad because I see all my friends walking in and they’ve been with me for so long, from the beginning, and now we’re all going off in our separate ways. It was really nice to have one more thing for us to do.”
Along with teammate Jayden Mitchell, Smith signed with University of Alabama at Huntsville on Friday, electing to continue her career with Andrea Lemmond’s Chargers.
“There were obviously some more Division II and NAIA options,” said her father, Trinity coach Blake Smith, “and the further we went through the year, the more options that were there. I think with the transfer portal, some people wait to see what they have available. It was really starting to open up for her, but with Coach Lemmond and how she interacts with the players, how she interacts with Emma Kate, at the end of the day Emma Kate just felt comfortable with her.
“I actually think the style of play fits Emma Kate in the system that she likes to run and, to top that off, we have family and friends in Huntsville. And I need to say: When she was on her visit, there was a ministry on campus that she wanted to be a part of and none of the other schools had it.”
A mid-season injury left Mitchell uncertain whether her basketball career was over. A chat with coach Lemmond reassured the Trinity senior.
“I was kind of wondering if she would still give me an opportunity,” Mitchell said, “just because there were a lot of (options) and she was still looking at other people. Would she still work with me and accept my injury? She was very accepting, very welcoming, so I felt very confident after talking with her about it.”
Emma Kate Smith credited Lemmond and the UAH coaching staff as the biggest influence in her decision to play for the Chargers.
“The coaches made me feel so comfortable,” Emma Kate said. “I know you can’t choose a school just off of coaches, but they really made me feel so comfortable and at home. Right when I walked on campus, I told my mom it felt so different.”
Mitchell started her career at T.R. Miller before playing her senior season at Trinity. She went through some awkward moments early in the season as the Mitchell and another transfer, Francine Morris, had to figure out their roles on the team. By the time Mitchell figured it out, in early January, she was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury.
“The year did start off a little slow, just because I wasn’t used to the pace and getting used to a new team,” Mitchell said. “But this year was definitely a great experience and I honestly couldn’t have done it if I did not have this team. The people on this team were amazing, felt like family and encouraging. So whenever the injury happened, I still felt like I was out there on the court. They never left me and I never left them.”
The players reflected on all the highlights that happened on Captain Jack Court. Smith recalled that it was during a stroll across the gym floor when Mitchell announced she would be attending UAH with Smith.
“She just brings so much joy to the world,” Emma Kate said. “She’s always so positive. I’m so thankful to have a friend to go do this with.”
After attending a showcase in Birmingham, Micah Cooley got an offer to play at the University of the Cumberlands. (Tim Gayle)
Evangel Christian’s Cooley signs with Unv. of Cumberlands
Micah Cooley didn’t take the traditional route in earning a college scholarship. In fact, before he earned a trip to a basketball showcase in Birmingham, he didn’t even have an offer.
“Just working hard all season and then putting myself out there on Twitter, I finally got some coaches to bite and they invited me to a camp,” Cooley said. “I was literally dreaming about this two or three days ago and now I’m here. It doesn’t feel real at all.”
The Evangel Christian Academy senior held a signing ceremony in front of his teammates on Thursday, signing the paperwork to attend the University of the Cumberlands, an NAIA school in Williamsburg, Ky.
Of course, up until a few days ago, Cooley had never heard of the University of the Cumberlands.
“I knew I would play somewhere,” he said. “I’d either walk on or keep pushing, keep pushing until I found a coach who believed in me. I just prayed about it and stuck to the plan. It’s hard to put it in words. It’s still unbelievable.”
Evangel coach Kerwin Washington called Cooley the anchor of his team during summer workouts and was happy his senior was rewarded for his dedication to the sport.
“He’s a ‘two’ guard but he played everything for us,” Washington said. “He played the point, he played the ‘two,’ he played some ‘three,’ so that messed with his (scoring) numbers a little. He’s going to be a point guard in college, so that’s why I tried to convince him to play more point this year.
“But Micah’s a gym rat. He’s going to find a basketball game somewhere and he just plays. He’s a better kid than he is a basketball player. I’ve really, really enjoyed having him here these last two years.”
Macon East catcher Jabe Boroff recently signed a scholarship with Enterprise State. (Tim Gayle)
Macon East’s Boroff headed to Enterprise State
CECIL -- When Jabe Boroff’s arm injury cut short his summer, the first thing the Macon East Academy catcher thought of was his senior season with the Knights.
Boroff recently held a signing ceremony to celebrate his offer to play collegiately at Enterprise State Community College, but his college recruitment wasn’t on his mind when he tore his ulnar collateral ligament last summer, forcing UCL reconstruction with a ligament from his knee.
“I was more concerned with the high school season coming up because I knew we had a chance at state,” Boroff said. “But we’ve had Jack (Jones) and Chase Lashlee pick up the catching and I’ve been able to hit.”
Boroff has served as the Knights’ designated hitter this season, hitting .423 with seven doubles, seven home runs and 34 RBIs in leading the defending AA state champions back to the playoffs with a 28-9 record.
“I don’t know how much it really affected where he would have landed,” Macon East coach Will Graham said. “He’s a great player. He swings the bat extremely well. He’s huge for us behind the plate. It got to the point last year where running games were almost non-existent because everyone in our league knew not to run on him.
“It took him a while to get comfortable back at the plate and you can see his body language, everything, is a little better because he feels better up there. Mindset wise, I think he’s finally over it.”
Boroff has a career batting average of .435 with 127 hits and 124 RBIs, along with 29 doubles and 16 home runs. He has reached base after being hit by a pitch 30 times. He said he chose to play for the Boll Weevils because of the environment.
Graham believes Enterprise State may be just the first step for his star catcher.
“I think he’s definitely a guy that’s going to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said. “He’s going to excel and I think he’s a guy that in a couple of years there’s no telling where he may end up. There is no limit for Jabe right now. He does some extraordinary things. I think the thing with him is making sure he finds the consistency.”