'THE MAN:' Anniston's Carlisle tries on new ring, college hoops destination
May 17—Malcolm Carlisle walked out of the Anniston High gymnasium lobby Monday with a new state-championship ring, a college basketball destination and recognition put to words by the last of his four high school coaches.
"He got us over that hump," Anniston boys' basketball coach Torry Brown said.
Carlisle also got over the hump after two years of ineligibility, playing his way to a college opportunity with Chattahoochee Valley Community College's 2-year-old program.
He made it official during Monday's signing ceremony, which immediately followed a ring ceremony for Anniston's 2020-21 Class 4A state-championship team in the school's auditorium.
Carlisle enrolled at Anniston after stints at Saks, Faith Christian and Sacred Heart. He was ruled ineligible during his sophomore year at Faith, missing the rest of that season. He also sat out a transfer year.
At Anniston, he teamed with all-state guard Antonio Kite to form one of the state's most formidable backcourts. Both were first-team all-state selections, as chosen by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Carlisle averaged 22.1 points and 7.3 rebounds and was especially effective during the Bulldogs' postseason run. Anniston changed how it plays, and Carlisle added the responsibility of guarding the opponent's best offensive player.
"He not only held the other team's best player under 10 points, he still turned around and scored 28 and 32 for us every single night," Brown said. "It takes a dog to do that. It takes a different kind of dude to do that."
Anniston, which lost close games to Talladega in the Northeast Regional final in 2019 and 2020, cleared the regional hurdle and broke a 10-year Final Four drought. The Bulldogs won their third state title and first since 2009.
It was far from too little, and it wasn't too late for Carlisle to get his foot in the door for college basketball. He said he weighed offers from Alabama State and Gadsden State before choosing CVCC.
"When I went down there, it was just like a connection off the jump," Carlisle said. "They took me in with open arms. It made me feel like home."
The Pirates finished 19-3 last season and lost in the semifinals of their state tournament, and their staff sees possibilities for Carlisle to do for them what he did for Anniston.
"One thing we noticed about his was his skill set," CVCC coach Ben Hicks said. "He fits what we try to do offensively.
"Like coach (Brown) mentioned, we're a defensive team. We had the number-one team in the state, defensively, and number five nationally, and I just feel like he's the missing piece to get us over the top."
Carlisle and fellow senior Miciah Myles spoke during Anniston's ring ceremony, and Brown spoke to Carlisle's personal side during the signing ceremony, calling him "a character, now."
Brown told of the team's visit to Top Golf while in Birmingham for the Final Four and how Carlisle helped his teammates win fans.
"Malcolm was in a thing next to some people that you could tell were from rural America, totally opposite of him," Brown said. "By the end of the night, they were buying everybody on the team drinks.
"He went over there and charmed those people to death, and they fell in love with him. He's that kind of guy. He's the man."
Sports Writer Joe Medley: 256-235-3576. On Twitter: @jmedley_star.
