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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Sometimes, in the toughest of times, it’s the littlest thing from the most unlikely place.

“My purpose in life has always been to look after kids and their purpose,” North Charleston High School (NCHS) assistant coach and Lowcountry native Ray Mullins said. “Help them grow confidence. Coaching the game, I fell in love with the game. Gave me confidence and I tried to instill confidence in kids who needed places to grow.”

Mullins graduated from Hanahan. Played for Lander. He’s coached in the area for over two decades.

Read more: Northwood Academy basketball player surprised on court on senior night

“Coach Ray, I am forever grateful for him,” Summerville native and Pinewood Prep grad Michael Wright said. “There is a short list of coaches. Coach Eidson, my dad, who impact a player, and Ray was one of those guys. The moment I walked into the gym, he took me under his wing and believed in me as a basketball player.”

Their bond is deeply rooted. But, lives move on. Wright went to Pinewood Prep. He played AAU basketball for Mullins as a 15 year old. Wright is now a fifth year graduate student at University of Illinois Springfield. He plans on playing professional basketball overseas. Mullins, now teaching and coaching at NCHS, the place where his life forever changed less than a year ago.

“I was in Mr. Darby’s office at NCHS when I found out - they just told me - stage 4,” he said. “You think about life. You think about how things are going to work out - you hear stage 4. Nowadays, stage 4 isn’t a good thing to hear, but with technology and people wanting to support, there is a plan out there for you.”

Just as cancer spreads, so does word of it. (WCIV)

Just as cancer spreads, so does word of it.

“Terrible,” Wright said. “I remember finding out through Facebook. Something he had gone through. Somebody who cares so much about community and given so much to community through basketball, to have something like that effect their life, never like to see that.”

So, Wright took his emotions into his own hands. Literally. During the “Coaches versus cancer” night - he held up a sign. It simply said, “I suit up for Ray Mullins”.

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“It’s humbling to me, brings me hope, great things in humanity,” Mullins said. “He did surprise me with the salute at the game the other night - super proud of him and what he’s become as a man. Just super proud. Gives me hope, doesn’t allow me to quit- didn’t know what quitting was until I started this chemo thing. They say not to quit, stay strong.”

“I got too much to pay it forward for, it’s not just about me,” he continued. “About kids I’m coaching. Kids that are fighting the same fight against cancer.”

In basketball terms, impact, is a “give and go”.

Running back Peyton Lewis of Salem, Virginia comes to the state of South Carolina all the time. He has family here and visits regularly. Now, he has another reason to come south.

USC running backs coach Montario Hardesty likes him a lot and is recruiting him hard. Lewis (6-1, 190) is coming to campus March 17 and will take an official visit with the Gamecocks in May or April.

“Back when I first started talking to Coach Hardesty before the offer, me and him just kind of clicked instantly because we have a lot of similarities,” Lewis said. “He visited me at my high school, and that’s when he enacted an offer, and I was just excited because I have family down there and I’ve always been to South Carolina. That’s just some place that I can see myself conveniently going back and forth from.”

Lewis, a Class of 2024 prospect, also is a track star. Last summer he won the Class 4 100-meter dash championship with a time of 10.62, and he finished second in the 200 meters. Lewis knows Hardesty sees his track speed and knows that can be a useful weapon.

“He’s made it clear that he really likes my speed and the way that I can accelerate and change gears, and just my movement overall in the game,” Lewis said. “He says that I would fit perfectly with their explosive offense, and he just really likes the way that I run the ball. I see that they incorporate using the running back in the backfield, and route running is also a specialty of mine. They definitely have different ways of utilizing my speed on the field.”

Lewis visited Tennessee last Saturday for a junior day. He will go to Virginia March 14, USC on March 17, Virginia Tech on March 21, Nebraska on March 24, Ohio State on March 31 and North Carolina April 15. West Virginia was supplanted by the Ohio State visit, so he might reset a date with the Mountaineers. Lewis said these visits will be more than just sightseeing ventures for him.

“I just really want to get to know the coaches and really get to know how they are as a person,” he said. “It could be a great school with a great facility and everything, but that means nothing if the football program has bad people running it. I really just plan on building relationships with coaches.”

“Me and Coach Hardesty have a very strong relationship,” Lewis continued “Me and him have a lot of similarities together, a lot of stuff that we have in common. From the jump, me and him just clicked instantly.”

That relationship with Hardesty has put the Gamecocks in a good recruiting spot with Lewis.

“South Carolina stands out a lot for me,” Lewis said. “Definitely as school that is in high consideration. Definitely a top three for me along with Tennessee and Penn State.”

Lewis plans to name a top five in the latter part of April and then set his official visits for May and June. He is looking at late July for a commitment announcement.

Last season, Lewis rushed for 1,560 yards and 17 touchdowns.

After leading her team to a state title last week, Camden High School’s Joyce Edwards picked up another big achievement Wednesday.

The junior was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, an award that encompasses athletics, academics and character.

Edwards is the second Camden player to win the award, joining head coach Natalie Norris (formerly Natalie Funderburk) who won it in 1992. It’s the second-straight year a Midlands girls player has won the award. Cardinal Newman’s Ashlyn Watkins, who is now at South Carolina, was the recipient in 2022.

Edwards is the 15th different girls player from the Midlands to win the award historically. Lower Richland’s Morgan Stroman won it three straight years from 2007-09.

“I say all the time Joyce is the best player in the country,” Camden coach Natalie Norris said after the state championship game. “She showed it today. She handled the ball, she can shoot it, she rebounds, she can pass it. She can do it all and has the size too. We are certainly very fortunate she is on our team.”

Edwards averaged 28.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 2.9 assists and 2.6 blocks this season in helping the Bulldogs to their first state championship since 1981. In the title game against Wren, the 6-foot-3 forward scored 33 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had five steals in the win.

Edwards also went over the 3,000-point mark in career during the game. She has been a starter on varsity since the seventh grade.

Off the court, Edwards has volunteered locally at the Beyond the Court basketball camp as a coach and at the Jackson Teen Center, where she tutors students in math and science. She’s also a member of the National Beta Club.

Edwards is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the country for Class of 2024 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz rankings. She has more than 30 Division I offers, including top-ranked South Carolina.

Edwards said she will be narrowing down her top colleges during the spring and summer.

South Carolina signee Tessa Johnson won the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year award. Johnson averaged 24.3 points, 6.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per games this season and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 points in her career.

2023 – Joyce Edwards, Camden

2022 – Ashlyn Watkins, Cardinal Newman

2019 – Danae McNeal, Swansea

2017 – Jaelynn Murray, Dreher

2016 – Jhileiya Dunlap, Dreher

2014 – A’ja Wilson, Heathwood Hall

2013 – Alaina Coates, Dutch Fork

2012 – Asia Dozier, Spring Valley

2011 – Xylina McDaniel, Spring Valley

2009 – Morgan Stroman, Lower Richland

2008 – Morgan Stroman, Lower Richland

2007 – Morgan Stroman, Lower Richland

2004 – Keturah Jackson, Dreher

2000 – Nikki Jett, Columbia

1997 – Elena Vishniakova, Heathwood Hall

1992 – Natalie Funderburk, Camden

1989 – Jessica Barr, Batesburg-Leesville

Hanahan High School coach Brian Mitchell enters his 20th season as the Hawks’ handler in baseball.

He expects this year’s bunch to look about like most before it on the diamond. As the curtains open on the season, Mitchell’s squad is No. 4 in Class AAA by the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association.

Last spring, the Hawks won 25 games and capped the campaign in the Lower State tournament.

“You could hit repeat on our last 10 years,” said Mitchell, who has more than 300 career victories. “We have some pitching and defense to be competitive. We’ve got to find some bats. We’ve got to hit. How far we’re able to go comes down to generating some runs. How are we going to be hitting at the end of the year?”

A recent practice was spent grinding at the plate, working on small ball. The Hawks bunted for more than an hour. Mitchell doesn’t think the Hawks are going to be able to sit on the bases and wait for doubles for run production.

“We’re going to have to be a hard-nosed contact team and put pressure on teams on the bases,” Mitchell said.

The Hawks begin the regular season on March 9 at Fort Dorchester and follow with road clashes at James Island on March 10 and West Ashley on March 13. Hanahan opens its home slate on March 15 versus Gainesville (Fla.) High School.

A stellar group of seniors are back to guide the journey this spring. Nick Cappello, a catcher/pitcher, batted .348 and posted a 7-0 mark on the mound with a 1.55 ERA as a junior. Catcher Mason Brady batted .333 in 2022. Outfielders Brayden Joseph and Kwame Parker made the most of their opportunities at the dish last season, hitting .441 and .419 in a total of 79 plate appearances. Pitcher/infielder Braylon Mitchell garnered three pitching victories as a junior but is currently sidelined with an injury.

From the junior class, brothers Landon Gomes and Hunter Gomes are key returners who made an impact in 2022. Landon, an outfielder, batted .328 and Hunter was 8-0 from the mound with a 2.53 ERA.

Additional arms on the bump are Gabe Dotterweich, Porter Sprovero, Nate Humphrey and Lucas Brown. Joining Brady and Cappello on the other end of the battery is Joey Smith.

Joseph and Sprovero are at first base while Jacob Bunting and Riley Turner are competing for time at second base. Camden Kackley moves into shortstop, replacing all-state player Aryan Patel, and Hunter Gomes is on the hot corner.

More players expected to roam the outfield grass are Dylan Crocker and Harry Swindal.

“I think we have good chemistry,” Mitchell said. “They’re all pulling for each other. We have some position battles but they know we’re all pulling in the same direction. They’re used to winning. They know it starts with team chemistry. These guys understand the teams that win are the teams that do all the small things right.”

HANAHAN, S.C. (WCIV) — Hanahan High School has named Milan Turner as the next varsity football coach.

Turner was announced as the high school's head football coach in a press release on Jan. 24.

Read more: 4 months after departure, BCSD says former Hanahan HS head coach Art Craig retired

“We are elated to welcome Coach Turner to the Hawk family,” Hanahan Principal Tom Gallus said in a statement. “Our community is very fortunate to have a coach of this caliber to lead and develop our student-athletes on and off the field. Coach Turner is a proven educator and leader. He knows what it takes to build a successful high school football program and to ensure that each student is prepared for their next steps after high school. I look forward to serving alongside Coach Turner and seeing our Hawks shine under the Friday night lights.”

According to the press release, Turner has been an educator since 1994 and has coached in six state championship games during his time at five Georgia high schools. He was most recently serving as the director of high school relations on the football staff for Georgia Southern University.

Read more: Hanahan High School announces interim head football coach in place of Art Craig

"First, I would like to thank Coach Clay Helton and Georgia Southern University for the incredible opportunity I had to serve this year on the football staff," Turner said. "I want to also thank Principal Tom Gallus, Athletic Director Kim Joseph, the search committee, and the Berkeley County Board of Education for this incredible opportunity to be a teacher and head football coach at Hanahan High School. I am extremely excited for the future of our school and athletic program. I cannot wait to get to work with our team and to meet the Hanahan community. Wendi and I feel extremely blessed."

"Thank you to Coach Helton, Staff, Players, Administration and Eagle Nation for an exciting journey this year. Thank you for letting me be a small part of something Special! The future is bright at Georgia Southern, You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! #GATA #HailSouthern," Turner's Twitter post read.