WINTER ALL-AREA: Broxey repeats as LCR's Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Steve Faulkner’s phone was routinely buzzing this offseason.

After missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017, Columbia guard Isaac Broxey wanted to get in the gym every chance he could get. So much so, he couldn’t stop bugging his coach, who lives near the school.

“Once I moved across the street, he was one of the ones that was most consistent about, ‘coach, can I get in the gym?’” Faulkner said. “And it’s like I try to convey to all my younger guys, if you want to get better you have to do the stuff like Broxey does. You have to be in the gym. Even when nobody else wants to play, go in and get shots up. We have a shooting machine and he put in hundreds of reps on that shooting machine.”

It was evident in his senior season. Broxey took his game to another level, boosting his shooting percentage from 44% to 46%, including 34% from 3, while averaging an area-best 17 points per game.

He also played a lot more point guard and did a little of everything for the Tigers, averaging a team-high 3.2 assists to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Behind Broxey’s stellar play, Columbia won its first district title since 2020 and advanced all the way to the regional finals.

There’s no surprise in this story. Broxey has repeated as the LCR’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year following an offseason where he lived the gym.

“I definitely had to make some sacrifices but that’s part of it,” Broxey said. “I definitely put in a lot of work.”

Besides winning a district title and reaching the Elite 8 in the playoffs, Broxey hit another rare achievement at Columbia. He scored 1,000 points for his career, becoming just the third player in Faulkner’s nine seasons to reach the mark, joining Darrell Jones and Jordan Smith.

Broxey hit the number in Columbia’s 87-34 win over Ridgeview in the District 2-5A semifinals, finishing with 26 points.

“It was definitely a big achievement,” Broxey said. “It was something I’ve also dreamed about, and I was happy I finally reached that. I didn’t think anything of it, but coach pulled me to the side and told me I had this many points so I kind of went for it.”

While Broxey became an even more dynamic scorer this season, Faulkner says he grew overall as a player. Faulkner pointed to Broxey’s improvement as a playmaker after moving him to point guard, as well as his ability as a defender.

Part of the decision to move Broxey to the point was to put the ball in his hands more, and it paid off.

“I tried to do a better job this year of putting him in spots where I knew he was going to be most effective,” Faulkner said. “But at the end of the day, he was the one that had to put the ball in the hole. He did a really good job of that.”

Broxey scored 20-plus points 11 times and scored 30 or more twice with a season-high 33 against Clay, but some of his best work came in the postseason. After dropping 26 points against Ridgeview in the district semifinals, he scored 18 in a 68-38 beatdown of Rickards in the championship.

Winning it was a goal for Broxey after watching the 2020 team cut down the nets when he was a freshman on JV.

“It was a good feeling. It was a different feeling,” Broxey said. “Cutting down the net was definitely a good experience. That’s another thing that led to our run too. I feel like we all bonded after that.”

Following the district title, Broxey and the Tigers were a tough out in the playoffs. They protected home court in the Region 1-5A quarterfinals, beating Pine Forest 66-52 thanks to 14 points from Broxey before making the long trip to Pensacola to face Booker. T. Washington for the semifinals.

Broxey put on the best playoff performance of his career in a hostile environment, dropping a team-high 22 points while nabbing four steals to deliver Columbia a 69-55 win.

“I knew I had to get it going,” Broxey said. “It was an away game, so I knew I had to come in there with that energy and be a leader for the guys. I had already experienced it a little bit, so I just had to lift up my guys and get everybody on board.”

That win sent the Tigers to a regional final matchup against Daytona Beach Mainland, who they beat to win a regional title in 2020. Broxey was a freshman that year, watching the varsity squad from afar. His hope was to reach the Final Four in his final season at CHS and he nearly willed his team to victory.

The Tigers fell behind by 14 in the second half before Broxey rallied his team back, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter after battling early foul trouble. He then had a chance to win the game late, driving to the basket before absorbing contact on an apparent foul that wasn’t called by the officials at the buzzer.

It was a tough loss to swallow for Broxey, who says he still isn’t over it.

“It still bothers me,” Broxey said. “I wake up every day thinking about it. But I’ve just got to move on and look forward to the next journey in my life.”

That journey will likely include college basketball. Broxey is still mulling over his options, which includes interest from some Division III schools as well as Florida Gateway College.

One thing is for sure though. Broxey leaves as one of the best players to suit up for Faulkner at Columbia.

“If my career were to end today here at Columbia, he would be up and near the top of kids I’ve coached,” Faulkner said.

ALL-AREA TEAM

G: Isaac Broxey

Columbia, senior

The LCR’s back-to-back Player of the Year led the Tigers with 17 points per game and hit 51 3-pointers while shooting 46% from the field. But he did a little of everything, also averaging a team-high 3.2 assists to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals as Columbia finished 20-10, won a district title and made the regional finals.

G: Jerome Carter

Columbia, junior

Nabbed 1.9 steals per game to go with 7.2 points, 3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while consistently defending the other team’s best player, helping hold opponents under 50 points per game. 

G: Tafari Moe

Fort White, sophomore

Averaged 12.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals to help the Indians finish 15-9 — their first season over .500 since 2018.

F: Ty’jahn Wright

Columbia, senior

Stretch forward that shot 58% from the field, averaging 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 2.2 steals.

F: Brandon DeMartino

Fort White, junior

Led the area with 17.7 points per game — hitting 69 3-pointers and shooting 47% from the field — while averaging team-highs of 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks to go with 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals.

F: Erik Turner

Branford, junior

Nearly averaged a double-double, scoring 12.7 points, grabbing 9.2 rebounds and dishing out 1.6 assists to help the Buccaneers finish 17-9 for their best season in years.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Steve Faulkner, Columbia

Faulkner led the Tigers back to the playoffs and an area-best 20-10 record. Columbia won its first district title since 2020 and advanced all the way to the regional finals. It was the Tigers’ third trip to the Elite 8 in the last five seasons under Faulkner.