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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

2024 provided an opportunity to break from tradition as Laci Gogan’s graduation meant a new Shelby County Player of the Year for the first time since 2020.

Haley Trotter took full advantage of that opportunity as the Chelsea forward dominated throughout the 2023-24 season and secured the honor of the area’s top player.

Despite coming into the year as the award’s holder, the field of talent within Shelby County was as loaded and competitive as ever.

Tee King stepped up for the Pelham Panthers to become an even more electric scoring threat, Emma Kerley dominated each area of the court to power the Briarwood Christian Lions to the Elite Eight and Shelby County’s Kenna’D Buie burst onto the scene to claim the county’s scoring title as a seventh grader.

However, Trotter somehow topped her junior campaign with a dominant senior season, gaining attention from around the state as Alabama learned what the area already knew: she is one of the best players, period, not just in Shelby County.

Because of that, we once again have a repeat winner. For the second-straight year, Haley Trotter is the Shelby County Player of the Year for girls basketball.

Trotter had a lot to live up to in her senior year as she averaged a double-double with 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. What’s more, the Hornets had an incredible campaign as a team, losing just six times while making the Class 7A Elite Eight.

That high standard for her individual performance after another offseason of growth was combined with high expectations for Chelsea to compete for a state title after moving down to Class 6A.

While her numbers were a slight step down from her junior season, Trotter’s skillset allowed her to dominate every area of the court as part of Hornets coach Jason Harlow’s system.

The definition of a stretch-four, Trotter was as comfortable commanding the post as she was taking the ball outside for a midrange fade-away or a 3-point shot. As a result, she finished the year with an average of 17.7 points per game and frequently led Chelsea in scoring.

Her size allowed her to rack up rebounds each game, and she averaged nine rebounds an outing as she regularly recorded double-doubles.

She regularly helped feed the Hornets’ other scorers as well, not just getting assists off drive-and-kick plays but also by working the perimeter as part of Chelsea’s free-flowing and cut-laden offense. Because of that, she averaged 2.1 assists per game, the third-most among forwards behind her teammate Caroline Brown and Briarwood’s Kerley.

Trotter’s dominance translated over to the defensive end as she played a key role in the Hornets’ patented press. She secured the fifth-most steals in the county with 87, and she also grabbed the fourth-most blocks with 39 to stifle opposing offenses in multiple ways.

She was frequently the best player on the court any time she stepped on to the hardwood, demanding respect from some of the top teams in Alabama and Mississippi across her team’s difficult schedule.

Trotter stepped up in some of Chelsea’s biggest moments, recording 27 points and 16 rebounds in the Sweet 16 against Hueytown, 24 points and seven rebounds against Benjamin Russell in the Elite Eight and 18 points and 13 rebounds in the state title game.

That championship game against Park Crossing proved to be the defining moment for her and the senior class. After falling short as freshmen in the 2021 Final Four, the Hornets made history by beating Mountain Brook in the semifinals and playing for their first state title.

Trotter helped Chelsea finally break through and win area and regional championships of their own and add some team-wide accomplishments to her already-decorated individual career.

Those accolades have only kept flowing this year as she took the court for the Alabama All-Stars in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, secured First Team honors for the Class 6A All-State and All-County teams and won MVP at the area tournament and Central Regional. She is also among just three players nominated by the ASWA for the Class 6A Player of the Year award.

As she moves on to Shelton State, Trotter also leaves Chelsea as its all-time leading scorer and rebounder. However, it’s the way she led off the court that Harlow hopes future generations of Hornets stars remember about her and learn from her.

“I think our senior class is a special group, and I knew that coming in this year,” Harlow said. “All three of these ladies here next to me are special, but I think Olivia (Pryor) and Caroline (Brown) should really look at the senior class and their dedication and attempt to learn from it and grow upon what people like Haley Trotter have built here at Chelsea and girls like Sydney Schwallie and Jordan Parker. You’ve had a lot of good kids come through this program, and I feel confident that we’ll have more come through that are going to want to be the next Haley Trotter or Caroline Brown or Olivia Pryor. What they did was really, really special, and hopefully we can build on that foundation.”

After a decorated career of laying the foundation, Trotter can now join another exclusive club: multi-time Shelby County Player of the Year.