Transfer Brandon Winton Jr. helps Alcoa basketball make TSSAA semifinals 3 weeks after first game
MURFREESBORO – Alcoa junior Brandon Winton Jr. thrives off high energy.
That is why when he picked up two fouls in one minute of the Tornadoes’ Class 2A boys basketball state quarterfinal game against Pearl-Cohn on Thursday, he didn’t make a shot in the first three quarters.
“In the first half when I couldn't get my energy going and couldn't get my flow going, it kind of like laid me back,” said Winton, who transferred to Alcoa from IMG Academy in January.
Winton’s energy elevated once he brought the ball up the court and drilled a top-of-the-key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. That was all he needed to find a rhythm.
Alcoa (28-8) outlasted Pearl-Cohn 65-62 at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center.
Alcoa will play the winner between Brainerd and Fairview on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Winton finished with 14 points, scoring 12 in the fourth quarter, in 15 minutes. Junior Jahvin Carter scored a team-high 28 points and had six rebounds and four assists. Doyel Cockrill had a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds for Pearl-Cohn (21-9).
Alcoa coach Ryan Collins said that Winton’s presence boosts the Tornadoes' odds of winning it all.
“I think Brandon is ultimately just a competitor,” Collins said. “Sometimes I forget how good of a player and how good of an athlete he is.
“Sometimes I got to let him just be him and understand that (he) is a winner. And I thought that shined.”
The 6-foot, 175-pound Winton is not only a basketball star but a three-star wide receiver with offers from Tennessee, Boston College, South Florida, among others.
Before playing his first game with Alcoa in the district championship on Feb. 21, Winton hadn’t played a high school game since his sophomore year at Knox Webb. Winton’s hiatus from the sport didn't hamper him.
“I just really was born with it,” Winton said.
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Winton said that while he was at IMG Academy during the first half of his junior season, he was able to play on outdoor basketball courts with football teammates during the offseason.
Carter said he's ecstatic about having Winton on the team. The two are close and played AAU since at least the second grade.
“That's my guy, that's my dog,” Carter said. “I've been knowing him since like, first grade … I have an older brother so (Winton is) just like having another brother. He go everywhere with me, we stick together, so it's good.”
Winton said that continuing to play with his childhood friend has always been a dream.
“We just been talking about playing with each other like our whole life like in high school and this just ending off my basketball career with him just means everything to me.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Brandon Winton Jr.: Football recruit helps Alcoa basketball make semis
