Voce named Coach of the Year

When Good Hope needed a basket, it often turned to Tucker Malin.

And for good reason.

His stellar shotmaking for coach Drew Adams showed up more times than not in a 22-win campaign — not to mention his ability to attack the basket and find open teammates.

The numbers back that up.

Malin put together a strong senior season for the Raiders, averaging 21 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest to help Good Hope secure its second straight county title and seventh consecutive campaign of 20 or more wins.

The Stillman commit, who also claimed 74 steals and 24 blocks, registered first-team accolades on the Class 4A All-State team earlier this month after eclipsing the 20-point mark 19 times and the 30-point threshold five times in 30 games.

Because of all that, for Adams, Malin ranks up there with some of the best— not only in his program, but in the county.

“When I think back on the past six or seven years, I’ve been fortunate to coach some really good players,” he said. “In terms of a three-level scorer, though, Tucker has got to be up there at the top with some of our other elite guys. There were multiple games against solid opponents where we were in a bind and he just strung together five, seven, nine points to help us get back in it. He was very dependable.”

Adams added that Malin’s versatility — one of the many reasons he headlines The Times’ 2024-25 All-Area boys basketball team — made him a difficult scout for opposing teams.

“If you play him man, he’s extremely quick off the dribble,” Adams said. “If you play him zone, he shoots from 3 at such a high clip. He could really put teams in a bind. He was also a very underrated passer, too, so when teams would hone in on him, he was good at getting other guys the ball for open looks.” 

Here is what a couple of other local coaches had to say regarding Malin.

“His 3-point shooting is the thing that stands out to me — that’s where he damaged us. It’s not rare to see a guy who can put it on the floor and attack, but it’s rare to see somebody who can do that and shoot it as well as he did. That was really impressive to me. Defensively, you’ve got to determine the strengths of each player and try to take those away. But if you take away his 3-point shot, he would just go by you. Or he’d just step back deeper like he did against us (laughs). I never saw Tucker play in a game this past season where he didn’t shoot the ball well.” — Holly Pond’s Tim Willoughby

“He was the best player we saw this year because he can score at all three levels. He can knock down big shots and finish at the rim, so it was pick your poison with him. He was also a high-effort guy, too. It was fun to watch him defend the other team’s best player, except for when he was playing us.” — Hanceville’s Stephen Chandler

West Point’s Mason Voce, meanwhile, gathered Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Warriors to 21 victories and the program’s first area title since 2015.

The All-Area team was selected after accessing the 2024-25 campaign and speaking with local coaches. However, with a small number of spots available, it’s possible some deserving candidates were left out.  

See below for The Times’ 2024-25 All-Area boys basketball team, including honorable mentions.

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Player of the Year

Tucker Malin, Good Hope

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Coach of the Year

Mason Voce, West Point

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All-Area Team

Jed Wilkins, Addison

Ayden Black, Cold Springs

Jake Dorough, Cullman

Sam Dorough, Cullman

Brooks Loftin, Cullman

Evan Wilson, Cullman

Blake Rickard, Fairview

Landun Smith, Fairview

Tyler Cone, Good Hope

Jacob Haynes, Good Hope

Peyton Twilley, Hanceville

Cade Allbright, Holly Pond

Maddox Chapman, West Point

Jay Lamar, West Point

Jaxon Shelton, West Point

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Honorable Mention

Elijah Roberts, Addison

Breydon Hallmon, Cold Springs

Preston Gay, Cullman

Cooper Williams, Cullman Christian

Calin Collins, Fairview

Gavin Pace, Good Hope

Drake Bentley, Hanceville

Sawyer Olinger, Holly Pond

Cameron Smiley, St. Bernard

Cheston Wilhite, Vinemont

Kade Vincent, West Point