TIME TO SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR MOUNTAIN BROOK, THE TEAM EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE

Let's push the white elephant out in the open before we even get this thing started. Mountain Brook is the school everyone loves to hate at the AHSAA state basketball championships, and a lot of people apparently can't stand seeing them in the finals. I mean, I was sitting on press row at Legacy Arena on Thursday, minutes before Mountain Brook tipped off against Central-Phenix City in the Class 7A state semifinals, and someone uttered aloud, for everyone to hear, "We're all Red Devils today." Mountain Brook defeated the Red Devils 70-42 and will play McGill-Toolen, from Mobile, in the Class 7A state final at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday. Why does everyone love to hate Mountain Brook? You mean, besides it being the wealthiest suburb in the state with one of the best public schools? Because they have the best player in the state on their team, and probably the best coach, too. Mountain Brook's star, forward Trendon Watford, is one of the country's highest-rated players for the Class of 2019. He's also a transfer from nearby Shades Valley, and Mountain Brook has a recent history of transfers that have helped the Spartans reach the state finals five of the last six years. Mountain Brook coach Bucky McMillan has built a basketball dynasty at an unlikely place, and that rubs people the wrong way. So, I get it. And, in the spirit of full disclosure, I went to Shades Valley, so I really get it. But no one should hate this Mountain Brook team, y'all, and if you care anything about the sport of basketball, then you'll make the trip to Legacy Arena on Saturday to watch them in the championship game. They are too good to miss, and, most importantly, they play the game the right way. Watford, while still a little underdeveloped, is the best player in the state since Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins. But this Mountain Brook team doesn't end with Watford, and his offense isn't even this team's greatest asset. The Spartans are tough, and unselfish and they play defense like someone's paying them to clean the gym floor with their jerseys. The defining sequence of Thursday's semifinal against Central-Phenix City was a frenetic minute of basketball like I've never seen. That's not an exaggeration. Mountain Brook led 21-20 with 4:34 to go in the first half when it started. In one season-defining possession, Mountain Brook pulled down five offensive rebounds before Watford finally scored a layup. In order, the rebounds came from Alex Washington, Sean Elmore, Watford, Washington again, and then, finally, Watford for a second time. But that was just the beginning. What happened next even made one of the referees calling the game hold back a smile. In three consecutive offensive possessions by Central-Phenix City, the Red Devils turned it over with three offensive charges. Mountain Brook looked like some tackling dummies out there. "That's the most unselfish play in a basketball game, and that's the best play in a basketball game," said McMillan, Mountain Brook's coach. On the third and final charge -- and I promise this happened -- the ref who blew the whistle cracked half a smile as he motioned the call. Leading up to the game, McMillan emphasized taking charges in the paint. "That was a big part of our strategy this game, to try to take some charges, particularly early in the game, and maybe it would discourage them from getting all the way to the basket later in the game," McMillan said. "But that's something we've done all year. Britton Johnson, I'm not sure who leads the state in charges, but if I had to bet on it, Britton Johnson takes more charges than anybody." In one minute and two seconds of game time, Mountain Brook registered five offensive rebounds and its players absorbed three charges. Throw all the recruiting stars in the trash can. Now that's championship-level basketball. "Of those teams that I've coached in this game, no team I've coached is more deserving than this team to be here on this stage, to play that way like they did," McMillan said. "They're all great players, they're all unselfish people and they all play for more than just themselves. "They don't just play for the themselves, they play for the other players on the team. They play for the coaches, they play for the managers. It's bigger than themselves." McMillan is 34 years old, and he's been the head coach at Mountain Brook now for 10 years. Watford joked after the semifinal victory that McMillan has been coaching at Mountain Brook since he was 12. How does McMillan drill in practice the art of taking charges? When I asked that question during the post-game news conference the three players on the dais -- Watford, Elmore and Lior Berman-- all smiled and rolled their eyes. "The biggest thing is that if we miss charges -- as these guys will tell you -- if someone doesn't take a charge, we stop practice and then the whole team has to line up and take a charge," McMillan said. "And, so, that's the best way because when you take that charge, you're not doing it just for yourself, you're doing it for your team."

TIME TO SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR MOUNTAIN BROOK, THE TEAM EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE

Photo Credit: HS Sports AL