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Columbia guard Isaac Broxey is the LCR’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year. (MANDI SLOAN/Special to the Reporter)
Fall down seven, stand up eight.
Remember that Dwyane Wade commercial? You could replace it with Isaac Broxey’s highlights this season.
Broxey threw his body at the rim all year long, twisting his limbs for layups when he wasn’t getting thrown to the floor by defenders. He always bounced back up, a fearless competitor who never backed down from any opponent.
His stats backed it up too.
Broxey averaged an area-best 16.8 points per game as a junior to lead a Columbia offense that averaged 63 points, and he made a second home at the free throw line with more than five attempts per game. When the Tigers needed a bucket they gave the ball to Broxey, who became the team’s go-to guy all season as he increased his scoring average by more than 10 points from his sophomore year.
His stellar campaign earns him the honor of the Lake City Reporter Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“I knew I had to step up this year,” said Broxey, who also averaged 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. “A lot of seniors left, so I just knew what I had to do. I felt like me having self-confidence helped me a lot this season.
“I just knew I had to be fearless coming in. That’s varsity basketball. You can’t be scared.”
With last year’s top scorer Charleston Ponds graduating and point guard Tray Tolliver out for the season with a knee injury, the onus was on Broxey to carry the load. How quickly he could was a question that was answered immediately when he scored 20-plus points in the preseason.
It was game on.
“That had a big part of what I had going this season,” Broxey said. “I started off good, so I knew the season was going to be good for me.”
Broxey scored 17 points in a season-opening win over West Port before dropping 16 in another victory over Buchholz. It only got better from there as he scored 20 points or more eight times, including 25 twice.
Head coach Steve Faulkner wasn’t surprised. He expected Broxey to have a breakthrough year.
“I thought he progressively got even better as the year went on,” Faulkner said. “I think coming into the season, and even in the preseason games, he kind of gave us a glimpse of what we could expect from him. It was a huge jump from his sophomore year to his junior year. I think he embraced that role of kind of being our go-to guy and knowing that he really had to create a lot for us offensively this year, especially with Tolliver not being able to play.”
Broxey got a dose of varsity experience as a sophomore and was eventually inserted into the starting lineup midway through the season. Although players like Ponds and Tolliver were counted on more for scoring, Broxey’s playing time as a role player paid big dividends as he helped the Tigers reach the playoffs for a fourth straight season.
He says he had a ton of confidence going into the this year as a result, and it showed on the court.
“I got some playoff experience and played in some tough basketball games my sophomore year,” Broxey said. “I knew I was going to be prepared for my junior year and step up.”
Faulkner believes Broxey’s fearlessness stems from the valuable playing time he got as a sophomore.
“I think the experience he gained from that was part of what allowed him to do what he did this year,” Faulkner said. “I don’t think he has a fear. I think he’s got a level of toughness to him that I probably wasn’t real privy to until I witnessed it this year. I knew he was a tough kid from his sophomore year, but with how much we depended on him this year and the type of year he had shows me what kind of kid and what kind of player he’s going to be moving forward.”
The only thing missing from Broxey’s 2022 resume was a playoff berth as the Tigers missed the postseason for the first time since 2017, finishing with a 13-13 record. That hasn’t been the norm lately for Columbia, which won district titles in 2019 and 2020 with a state Final Four berth in 2020.
Broxey knows that too. He hopes to bring the Tigers back to that level next season, and he plans to put in the work to make it happen.
“I’m going to be the leader next year, I’m going to be a senior so I’m going to get those guys on track,” Broxey said. “We’re going to stay together and have good relationships with each other so we can make it far.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
G: Isaac Broxey
Columbia, junior
The LCR’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year led the area in scoring at 16.8 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Scored 20 points or more eight times, including a season-high 25 points twice against Buchholz and Trinity Catholic.
G: Jerome Carter
Columbia, sophomore
Averaged 7.4 points, 2.2 assists, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Tigers. Was a consistent scorer for Columbia, registering double figures 10 times with a season-high 14 against Santa Fe Catholic.
G: Jayden Jackson
Fort White, 8th grade
Led the Indians in scoring at 12.4 points per game to go with 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals. Scored a season-high 21 points against Belleview.
G: Najeeb Smith
Fort White, sophomore
Averaged 9.4 points, 3.6 assists and an area-best 2.3 steals for the Indians. Had three 20-plus point games, including a season-high 23 in a win over Union County.
G: Cash Blalock
Branford, junior
Led the Buccaneers in scoring at 13.1 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals. Had two double-doubles and scored 20-plus points four times, including a season-high 27 in a win over Hope Christian Academy.
F: Marcus Peterson
Columbia, senior
Averaged 13 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Had six double-doubles and scored a season-high 26 points with 12 rebounds against Godby.
F: Ty’jahn Wright
Columbia, junior
Averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and one steal as a bruiser down low for the Tigers. Registered double figures with season-highs of 13 points three times while also registering a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Buchholz.
F: Devin Mosley
Branford, senior
Led the area in rebounding with 9.7 per game to go with 7.1 points. Had six double-doubles and scored a season-high 14 points against Chiefland.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Steve Faulkner, Columbia
Fought back from a battle with throat cancer in the offseason to lead the Tigers to a 13-13 record for the only non-losing season in the area. His squad also topped rival Suwannee in both meetings this year, winning 53-19 at home and 66-52 on the road.
Note: Suwannee never responded to several requests for stats and never entered them into MaxPreps. The Bulldogs were unable to be recognized as a result.