DARLINGTON — For the sixth time in his 8-year coaching career at Darlington, head coach Tom Uppena was named the SWAL Coach of the Year. The starting five of his 2023-24 squad — Will Murray, Broker Buschor, Brady Long, Carter Murray and Reagan Jackson — also earned SWAL accolades.

In eight years at the helm for the Redbirds, Uppena has posted a 169-34 record. He’s been named the league Coach of the Year in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 and once again in 2024. In that span, Darlington has won five conference championships.

Senior Will Murray was named the co-Player of the Year with Mineral Point’s Landon Thousand. He was second in the league for scoring with 19.3 ppg, reaching the 1,000-point milestone in a win over Fennimore on Dec. 12. Will Murray was also second in his squad in rebounds with 6.8 per game.

Sophomore Broker Buschor also made first team. He was fourth in the league for scoring with 15.5 ppg. He shot 53-for-146 (0.363) from 3-point range and made 32 of 40 free-throw attempts (0.800). Buschor is third on his squad in rebounds (6.4 per game), second in assists (3.3) and first in steals (2.1).

Long was the third Redbird selected to the first team. He was second in the league with 5.4 assists per game. Entering sectionals, Long averaged 11.6 ppg, shot 36% beyond the arc and 76.8% from the line. He also averaged 1.8 steals per game, which is second on the Redbird squad.

Carter Murray and Jackson earned honorable mention accolades. Carter Murray is third in the SWAL with 7.7 rebounds per game.

Darlington and Mineral Point shared the SWAL title with a 13-1 record. The two faced off in a sectional semifinal game on Thursday, March 7. Results from that contest will be in the Wednesday, March 13 edition of the Monroe Times.