"It was fun," said Frazier, who recently coached the Gleason girls to the program's third state championship - and first since 1999. "I don't think I've ever had more fun coaching an entire season."

Before the fun, though, came other feelings.

Fear. Doubt. Uncertainty.

Go ahead and take your pick. Feel free to include any other words that enter your mind when you're told you have cancer.

In early 2006, Frazier heard those words. He had thyroid cancer.

It didn't matter Frazier had won nearly 84 percent of his games in 20 years at Gleason.

It didn't matter Frazier so eagerly awaited the 2006-07 season, when his daughter, Jenna, would be a freshman for his Gleason team.

It didn't matter because cancer never bothers asking questions of convenience.

"When we found out, the first thing was shock and disbelief," said Gleason's do-everything guard Kayla Hudson. "One thing that made it easier on everyone was that he was a Christian man. He knew it was in God's hands, and knew everything happened for a reason."

Although he was unsure of the reason, Frazier continued living his life with hope and purpose. His first surgery in March 2006 was unsuccessful. The following month, Frazier had his entire gland removed.

That was followed up with radiation treatment in June.

"It was very emotional, especially at the beginning," Hudson said. "We were all asking the question 'Why?' and 'Why us?'

"We knew we just needed to be there for each other."

Throughout his treatment, Frazier remained steady and focused. His Lady Bulldogs won their first 28 games this season before suffering a 56-51 loss to Lake County in the District 14-A tournament.

Gleason, though, recovered, winning its final eight games by a combined 137 points. The season culminated with the Lady Bulldogs beating Oliver Springs, 46-36, in the Class A state final. They played near-perfect basketball in three state tournament games.

And here's more good news - the cancer has not reappeared, as of last week.

This season's feel-good story, though, wasn't Gleason winning the state championship. It was Frazier beating cancer.

"When you deal with something like cancer, it makes you put things in perspective," Frazier said. "In one case, you're talking about a game, and then you're talking about a life. Some of the things we went through made us stronger as a team.

"It taught me to live one day at a time."

A special thank you

It's time to thank all the coaches who voted for the All-West Tennessee teams, and the parents, coaches and scorekeepers who called in their scores this season.

The All-West Tennessee teams, as well as the superlative awards, were picked through balloting of West Tennessee coaches. Ballots were sent out after the state tournament.

Photographer Andrew McMurtrie was superb as usual, coming up with interesting angles for the visual part of this project. After this sportswriter typed up all the information, copy editor Art Jewell laid out the section.

Thanks again to everyone for your help this season.

Joshua Parrott is the preps editor for The Jackson Sun. He can be reached at (731) 425-9634 or jparrott@jacksonsun.com.

Mention an individual award, and Kayla Hudson likely earned it this season.

She was selected to the Class A all-state team. She was named the Class A Miss Basketball. She was honored as the Class A state tournament MVP.

The Gleason guard also finished with more points and assists than any player in program history as the Lady Bulldogs won their first state championship since 1999.

"I'm honored beyond words about those individual honors," said Hudson, who has signed to play at Union University. "Individual honors are great, but they're not everything to me. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to receive awards like this."

The time has come for the queen of West Tennessee basketball to clear another spot in the trophy case. After wrapping up one of the more decorated careers in state history, Hudson is honored today as The Jackson Sun 2007 girls basketball player of the year.

"Wow! That's extremely exciting, especially with the caliber of players in West Tennessee," Hudson said of being named player of the year. "There are so many great players; so to be recognized as the best player is incredible."

Hudson emerged as the area's elite all-around player as a senior, leading Gleason (36-1) to the best record in program history, despite losing seven of its top 10 players from the previous season. Not only did the four-year starter lead all scorers with 72 points in three state tournament games this year, but Hudson also made 64.5 percent of her shots (20-of-31), 58 percent of her 3-point attempts (7-of-12) and 92.5 percent of her free throws (25-of-27).

She also committed only seven turnovers and accounted for 48 percent of Gleason's scoring at the state tournament.

As if all that wasn't impressive enough, Hudson capped her career at Gleason with a game-high 29 points in a 46-36 victory over Oliver Springs in the Class A state final.

Hudson averaged 21.8 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game as a senior. She set the single-season state record for made free throws (274) and the career record for made free throws (642).

She leaves Gleason with a 122-13 record - tied for the second-best in a four-year run in program history - after scoring 2,292 points and dishing out 686 assists in her career. Hudson joined Vanderbilt grad Ashley McElhiney as the only Gleason players to ever win a state title and be named Miss Basketball and state tournament MVP in the same season.

Without a doubt, Hudson left an impression on Gleason coach Randy Frazier.

"I've never had any player play any better throughout an entire season than she did this year," Frazier said. "I think I'm a little biased, but I don't think there was another player in the state that was as good as she was this season. She won the state title, Miss Basketball and state tournament MVP. That's the pinnacle for a high school player."

Hudson's productivity drew the attention of NCAA Division I programs across the country, but she ultimately decided to stay in West Tennessee and sign with Union, which won back-to-back NAIA Division I national titles in 2005 and '06.

She is expected to step in and contribute immediately next season for the Lady Bulldogs.

"I wanted my parents to have the opportunity to watch me play (in college)," Hudson said. "I'm a big family person, and I have so much support from our small town and the surrounding communities. It just felt right for me. I fit in there. It's one of those things where you just know it was the right decision."

Frazier expects nothing but continued success for his record-setting guard.

"She's going to a great program that expects to win," Frazier said. "When she goes down there, she knows their goal is to win a national championship, and we had similar goals here at Gleason. She'll be a glue player for them, and she'll be a leader for them." Source: Jackson Sun' Photo Credits: Andrew McMurtrie, Jackson Sun.

-Joshua Parrott, 425-9634