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Fulcher led Warriors to
state title
March 26,2006
BRYAN C. HANKS
KINSTON FREE PRESS
SPORTS EDITOR
HOOKERTON — After his team won a state championship this
year, Michael Fulcher is roundly recognized as being the best boys’ basketball
coach in our area this season.
But more importantly, for one year — at least — Michael
Fulcher knows he’s the best basketball coach in his own house.
Fulcher led the Mt. Calvary Christian Academy boys’
basketball team to the 2006 North Carolina Christian Schools Association 2A
championship on Feb. 25. The Warriors entered the state tournament with a
pedestrian 13-7 record, but won three games in three days, defeating the
previous two state champions on the way to the title.
His coaching performance this season has earned Fulcher the
2005-06 Free Press boys’ basketball coach of the year award.
His honor comes one season after his wife Sarai — who
coaches the MCCA girls’ basketball team — won the girls’ coach of the year award
from The Free Press.
“We do kid each other from time to time,” Fulcher said with
a laugh. “And we talk a lot about our teams and how we could have done something
better. And if we both lose on the same night, that’s a long night!”
Fulcher’s team was paced by one of the area’s best players,
senior center Justin Kennedy, who led The Free Press area in points (25.4) and
rebounds (11.6) per game. Fulcher said Kennedy — who is likely headed to Lenoir
Community College to play for legendary coach Bobby Dawson — is one of the two
top players (Justin Pridgen, who played for MCCA in the 1990s is the other) the
program has ever had.
Fulcher is also quick to point out that this edition of the
Warriors wasn’t all about Kennedy.
“Going into the year, we knew what Justin was going to
bring,” Fulcher said. “The big question was how the younger players were going
to perform. It was great watching their progression.”
The Warriors entered the Eastern Regional knowing they had
to finish at least second to advance to the state tournament. They ended up the
runners-up to Goldsboro Faith.
So when they hit Fayetteville for the state tournament,
expectations weren’t exactly high.
“We went in with the mentality that we at least wanted to
win one game,” Fulcher said. “Everything else would have been gravy after that.”
But instead, the Warriors downed Rockwell Christian 65-55
in the quarterfinals, Winston-Salem Woodland Christian 49-46 in the semifinals
and Cramerton Christian 61-50 in the championship game.
“That first game, we played well and held on to win and our
confidence grew,” Fulcher said. “The second half of the semifinal was our best
half of the season.”
In the title game, Kennedy exploded for 19 first-half
points before Cramerton used a box-and-one on him in the second half. Kennedy
was held to six points in the second half but his teammates filled the offensive
void.
“We used him as a decoy,” Fulcher said. “Everybody else
stepped up and did their jobs.”
It was another solid year for the area’s boys’ teams.
Kinston’s Wells Gulledge led the Vikings to a statewide No. 1 3A ranking for
four weeks this year and a runner-up finish in the prestigious GlaxoSmithKline
national tournament as his team finished 20-8. South Lenoir veteran coach Jimmy
Smith took another undersized team and finished fourth in the solid East Central
2A with an overall 16-10 record that included a win against eventual 1A champion
Wallace-Rose Hill.
Greene Central’s Robert Browning (16-10) and Bethel
Christian Academy’s Bert Potter (12-11) was also considered for the boys’ coach
of the year honor.
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 250,
or at
bhanks@freedomenc.com. Check out Bryan’s blog at
http://bhanks.enctoday.com.
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