Phillips, finally, confirmed at Jacksonville
- Updated: June 11, 2021
UPDATED: 6-8 junior from Westbrook Christian will provide an already loaded Golden Eagles roster with the big man they were missing
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE – Whoever Jacksonville gets to coach its basketball team this winter is going to inherit a lineup capable of contending for a state championship.
The Golden Eagles already were returning the bulk of their roster that had eventual 4A state champion Anniston on the ropes in the second half in the County Tournament, but they added a big piece Friday when it was confirmed 6-foot-8 rising junior Cade Phillips was transferring in from Westbrook Christian.
It had been widely speculated Phillips, one of the state’s top prospects, was transferring to Jacksonville, but was only confirmed Friday in Gadsden by the player’s father, John David Phillips.
The Golden Eagles were in camp Friday at Birmingham Southern, and as late as Thursday night interim head coach Corey Mize wasn’t sure if Phillips was in the program. He only learned the player would be with them as the bus was about to pull out on the trip.
“Honestly, I had already prepared myself to not have him because I found that to be a good mindset to have,” Mize said. “I was ready for camp regardless if he got to go or not, but once I found out he was good to go … I was excited to see what we could go do.
“I learned at a young age rumors are just that and I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket; I like to wait and see what happens. I had honestly not given it a ton of thought. Whenever I heard he was coming I was excited for the program, but I hadn’t seen anything happen yet. I sat there and kept coaching the guys that I had and got them prepared for the summer.”
With Phillips in the lineup, but not all of his new teammates on hand, the Golden Eagles went 3-0 against Roswell (Ga.), Park Place Christian (Miss.) and Ingomar (Miss.) and, Mize said, “achieved the goal I set for them” of improving from game to game.
They’re back at it Tuesday at Jacksonville State against Sparkman, Guntersville and Mae Jemison, coached by former Oxford assistant Jeremy Bynum.
There were no stats from the three games, but Phillips brought a lot more than numbers with him.
“He brought a very positive outlook towards the games today. He made a good impact his first day,” Mize said. “He was a force to be reckoned with and I think he’ll help the program tremendously.”
Mize was given directorship of the team after Cordell Hunt moved into administration, accepting the assistant principal’s job at Kitty Stone Elementary School.
Jacksonville has been conducting a search for Hunt’s successor ever since and several prominent county coaches have been linked to the search. The current leading speculation has the job staying in-house between current girls head coach Tres Buzan and junior high boys coach Shane Morrow.
That decision could come as early as next week.
The Golden Eagles also are said to be getting JCA guard Tanner Wilson. That’s all to go along with returning starters John Broom, Quin Long, JaeTaj Morris and twins Cam and Caden Johnson.
Phillips averaged 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds for Westbrook Christian last season. He already has college offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Stanford among others.
“(Having Phillips in the lineup) just adds a different element,” Mize said. “It’s kind of an X-factor that he just adds more to the team. It’s not that we had a space to fill, it’s just a bonus.
“We already had a good group of guys, you could tell, from last year; we were just young last year. I know they were already hungry this season to have a good season and I think he was going to have the chance to be the X-factor, something we weren’t counting on that we just kind of ran into.”
Jacksonville and Westbrook Christian are scheduled to play in the Champions Boys Play Date Tournament June 18. The teams could meet as early as the 4:20 p.m. set of games.
“I haven’t given it much thought as how it’s going to be towards Westbrook,” Mize said. “To us, we’re just trying to go through the summer and get better. I haven’t thought much about the opponents we’re going to play.
“Now, they may have an inner rivalry because he just came from Westbrook, but from the Jacksonville end we’re going out there to get better and that’s all we’re focusing on.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login