The recipient of this year’s John McKissick Memorial Coach of the Year Award is Cross High School boys basketball coach Chaquain Boone.
Boone guided the Trojans to their best campaign on the hardwood in around 40 years — maybe ever – this past season. Boone’s bunch finished the regular season as co-Region 8-A champions and survived three tough playoff contests to make the Class A Lower State championship game.
The third-year coach says the Trojans were simply rewarded for their sweat equity in the offseason, including the summer when most of his players also have football workouts.
“The most pleasant memories are from the summer,” said Boone, a two-time varsity captain and all-region performer in basketball before graduating CHS in 2002. “The work we put in, the success we had, it all came from there. They came off the football field and looked tired but they gave us all they had. The type of season we had proved the hard work was worth it.”
The Trojans compiled a 22-6 record and finished atop the region standings for the first time since the 1990s. Sophomore Caden Ramsey powered the Trojans in scoring at 17.7 points per game, while seniors Jamez Way and Dominick Lampkin added 15 and 10 points, respectively. In all, six seniors are moving on.
“We had an amazing leadership group,” Boone said. “I was confident in my leaders. I was proud of them. There were times in each of those playoff games we could have lost, but they believed in each other. They made those games fun.”
Boone also thanked his players’ parents and the whole Cross community.
“They give us great support,” Boone said. “You know wherever we go, the fans will be there. I coach my kids hard and my parents back me up.”
Boone is the fifth recipient of the John McKissick Memorial Award, given to the Summerville Communications Coach of the Year as part of the annual Best of Prep Sports awards.
The first winner in 2020 was Goose Creek High School girls basketball coach Tim Baldwin, who led the Gators to a Class 5A state title that year. Berkeley High School baseball coach Landy Cox garnered the award in 2021 and Fort Dorchester High School boys basketball coach Thomas McElveen was coach of the year in 2022. In 2023, St. John’s Christian boys basketball coach Drew Crowell garnered the award after leading the Cavaliers to a state title.
With 621 victories, the legendary McKissick is the winningest high school football coach in history. His Summerville High School teams captured 10 state championships before he retired after the 2014 season. His name is synonymous with success as a coach and educator.
McKissick was a three-time national coach of the year and elected into the National High School Hall of Fame in 1990. He made his mark on thousands of student-athletes over decades at Summerville High School.
McKissick was 93 when he passed away in November of 2019.
