Pulliam breaks AHSAA single-season block record

Published 10:16 am Friday, February 3, 2023

By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Trinity Pulliam put her name in Alabama High School Athletic Association record books forever breaking the girl’s single-season block record. The senior broke the record of 267 blocks in a season in Chilton County High School’s 59-34 win over Calera High School on Jan. 27

The previous record of 267 blocks was set in the 2011-2012 season and lasted 11 years.

“I told her ‘Whenever you break a record like that, it lasts a lifetime,’” Rickey Pulliam, CCHS coach and Trinity’s father, said. “This year, she really wanted to break that record, so 20 years down the line when her kids are in school, they can see her name in the record books. It was a great accomplishment … I am really proud of her.”

Trinity said breaking the record has not sunk it yet, but it will be something she will cherish looking back on in years to come. She still feels like she could have added some more blocks when her final tally comes up after the Tigers last regular season game.

“I always wanted to do better than I did the previous year, and I wish I could have done better this year, too,” Trinity Pulliam said.

Shot blocking is something Trinity picked up along the way throughout her high school career. Being able to time the shots of her opponents was a key in developing her record-breaking skill.

Tigers’ assistant coach Walter Postell, who has been at CCHS for six years, said Trinity’s presence has made a massive impact on the trajectory of the program.

“(Trinity) has really made a difference defensively because she handles everything, and we can get out in transition,” Postell said. “It has changed how our game has been, and it shows from the record from last year, and it has changed tremendously.”

Defense has been the calling card for the Tigers all season, and Trinity said it will key down the stretch going into the playoffs as well.

“Our defense has improved throughout the season,” Trinity said. “The beginning of the season we were trying to pull it all together, but as we started playing together and talking to each other more on defense, it improved. I think we can go far with our defense.”

Rickey Pulliam said the coaching staff has had to manage Trinity in some games to keep her out of foul trouble. For the most part, she has been able to balance her aggressive style of defense.

“We do not want her to foul out and go for every block, but she knows how to time it and keep her hands straight up,” Rickey Pulliam said. “She works at that so she can stay in the game, and she has gotten really good at it.”

Rickey Pulliam said the record-breaking season will be a selling point for the younger girls in the CCHS program that lets them know things like that are possible.