Laurence Manning's Dennis named Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year after standout freshman year

After a month of voting, one athlete stands alone as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year.

Scoop Dennis, the rising sophomore at Laurence Manning, dazzled all year as a multisport athlete for the 'Cats. In the fall, he was named to the All-Independent Team from The Item as a do-it-all athlete. In the winter, he earned the title of Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week when he powered Laurence Manning through a challenging stretch of region games. He was a dynamic scorer all season for the Swampcats.

After a successful freshman year, Dennis rallied the troops throughout the month-long Hines Furniture Athlete of the Year and became the last man standing among a group that included finalists Jeremiah Burson of Sumter High, fellow Swampcat Ashley Rae Hodge and Thomas Sumter's Malayia English. The rising sophomore was honored by the support throughout the process.

"First I just want to thank God and all of the LMA supporters and my coaches and my family and teammates, everybody who supported me," Dennis said.

Dennis was able to take his game to the next level on both the gridiron and court this year. In his first varsity football season, Dennis racked up 43 tackles as a defensive back and hauled in 37 passes for 418 yards and six touchdowns on offense. He carried that momentum into the winter, where he showed off a prolific ability to score. During his run to the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week, Dennis averaged 18.5 points during a 3-0 week that included two overtime victories against region foes. He provided a spark offensively throughout the winter in his second season as a varsity hooper.

"I think it takes time and a lot of time and effort to get more comfortable on the court and on the field," Dennis said of his success. "And the coaches giving me a good chance."

Patrick Anderson had a front-row seat for both sports. He took over as the interim head football coach in the fall and is the head basketball coach for the Swampcats. He knows the value an athlete like Dennis can bring night in and night out.

"There's not a lot of freshmen that can make the impact on football and basketball the way he did this year," Anderson said. "It's a great stress relief as a coach when you have a guy that just makes plays the way he does. A lot of what he does, you don't have to coach, he just does. It's something you really don't get a whole lot of."

Success in multiple sports also involves a lot of work. Dennis was committed to thriving on both sides of the ball in football but also managed to find time to get into the gym and hone his basketball skills in the fall. During the summer, his time is split between both sports as he remains on the hunt for the best version of himself.

"I still work (on basketball) during football season, like on the weekends. I'll still get in the gym and put up shots," Dennis said. "You've just got to make time and get through it and just work as hard as you can."

Anderson was impressed with the way his freshman always took the initiative to find time to balance each sport throughout the year.

"It's so tough playing multiple sports in high school," Anderson said. "He's learning quickly about time management. You've got to put so much time into football right now, but when he can, he's in the gym. He's in the weight room; he also plays baseball. It's tough to have time for everything, but he's done a nice job of managing that."

Throughout his journey in every sport, which included JV baseball in the spring, Dennis had one person in his corner pushing him to succeed: his brother Zy Dennis. The Dennis brothers are staples for the Swampcats throughout the athletic calendar, and they drive each other to succeed.

"Zy pushes me hard; he's in my ear every day about working hard and making it to the next level," Scoop said of his older brother. "It's really nice having him on my side."

Anderson, who coaches with his brother on the staff as well, knows the value that comes with that sibling chemistry.

"Any time you have players that can communicate at a high level, you're going to have success," Anderson said. "Having two brothers definitely is beneficial as a coach because you have two people who are going to communicate better than anybody because they know each other so well."

After a freshman year to remember, Dennis has no intention of resting on his laurels. He's putting in the work this summer to find the next gear and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

"It's really driving me a lot, just seeing how much support I got from a lot of people," Dennis said. "I just want to be on top."

"I just stay on the grind and keep working hard, so it just comes easier in games this year."

His head coach is counting on it.

"I've told him many times this offseason that he's just getting started," Anderson said. "He was kind of a baby this year, kinda figuring things out for what he has to do to be successful at this level. He's found the weight room this offseason, put on some weight and some muscle. He's working on his shot, things that weren't as good this year, he's finding ways to tune them up. I think he's going to have a much better year this year than last year. It's real exciting to see how far he can go."