MaxPreps Boys Basketball All-American Team

MaxPreps.com and Milk have teamed to honor the top 50 high school boys basketball players in America.

Selections are based on statistics, team success and local, regional and state honors from the recently-completed season. Potential at the college or professional level is not a consideration.

Highlighted by Player of the Year selection Harrison Barnes, Milk presents the 2009-10 MaxPreps All-American Team.

First Team

Player of the Year Harrison Barnes

Photo by Patty Trom-Bird

Kyrie Irving, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)
6-1 / 175 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Duke
New Jersey’s Player of the Year, Irving emerged as the leader on a team that also features Michael Gilchrist – the No. 1-ranked junior in America – by tallying 24.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Brandon Knight, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6-3 / 180 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
Prolific scoring guard averaged 32.5 points per game (finishing with 3,515 for his career) as a senior to go along with 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals.

Ray McCallum, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.)
6-1 / 180/ Senior / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
A heady and determined point guard and player, McCallum posted 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game as Detroit Country Day went 26-2 and captured Michigan’s Class B title.

Jared Sullinger, Northland (Columbus, Ohio)
6-9 / 260 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Ohio State
Vikings went 23-1 and rose to No. 2 national ranking behind future Buckeye’s 23.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

Second Team

Terrence Jones, Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) 
6-9 / 210/ Senior / Forward
Headed to: Undecided
Monster senior campaign highlighted by averages of 32 points, 13 rebounds and five assists per game, third-straight Class 5A state championship.

Cory Joseph, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
6-3 / 185 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
Led Findlay Prep to second-straight National High School Invitational title and No. 5 national ranking with averages of 18.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)
6-3 / 180 / Junior / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
Arguably high school basketball’s best big-game scorer, Rivers posted 23.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in helping the Wildcats capture a Class 6A state title.

Third Team

Deshaun Thomas, Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
6-7 / 220 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Ohio State
Finished career as Indiana’s third all-time leading scorer with 3,018 points after posting 31.8 per game as a senior to go along with 15.3 rebounds.

Joseph Young, Yates (Houston, Texas)
6-2 / 175 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Providence
Dialed it up from beyond the arc with frequency in tallying 25.6 per game and spearheading No. 1 Yates’ national-record 116.2 points per game.

Fourth Team

C.J. Aiken, Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.)
6-10 / 205 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: St. Joseph’s
Premier shot-blocker posted 17.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per game for deep and talented Pennsylvania AAAA state champions.

Keith Appling, Pershing (Detroit, Mich.)
6-2 / 180 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Michigan State
Future Spartan piled up 28.1 points per game while leading Pershing to a 22-3 mark, the Detroit PSL title and the Class A regional finals.

Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)
6-7 / 190 / Junior / Forward
Headed to: Undecided
Playing sidekick to first-team selection Irving, Gilchrist fought through injuries to carve out 16.4 points and 11.5 rebounds per game on a talented Celtic team.

Corey Hawkins, Estrella Foothills (Goodyear, Ariz.)
6-3 / 185 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Arizona State
The nation’s third-leading scorer (according to stats submitted to MaxPreps.com) at 36.0 points per game, Hawkins did it all for Arizona’s Class 3A state champions, also grabbing 10.1 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.7 assists every time out.

Myck Kabongo, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
6-2 / 170 / Junior / Guard
Headed to: Texas verbal commitment
Kabongo ran the show for the nation’s No. 2-ranked team at St. Benedict’s Prep, posting over 18 points and six assists per game.

Fifth Team

Markel Brown, Peabody (Alexandria, La.)
6-5 / 190 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: Oklahoma State
Brown swept every individual honor in Louisiana after Peabody went 41-0 with a 4A state title behind 32 points and eight rebounds per game from the future Cowboy.

Trae Golden, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)
6-3 / 200 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Tennessee
Popped as a senior for 29.8 points, 5.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game, outclassing some big names to earn Georgia AAAAA Player of the Year honors.

Brandon Peters, Yates (Houston, Texas)
6-2 / 180 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Western Kentucky
Peters spurred Yates’ state championship victory over Lancaster with 37 points and averaged 25.5 per game for the national champions.

Dwayne Polee, Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.)
6-7 / 190 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Undecided
Projections for the Los Angeles All-City Player of the Year at the next level vary wildly, but he’s doing something right – averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and became the central figure for back-to-back Division I state championship teams at Westchester.

Jereme Richmond, Waukegan (Waukegan, Ill.)
6-7 / 195 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: Illinois
Mr. Basketball in Illinois, Richmond averaged 21.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in pushing Waukegan to a 27-5 record.

Honorable Mention

Daniel Bejarano, North (Phoenix, Ariz.)
6-5 / 200 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: Arizona
Helped Mustangs capture Arizona’s Class 5A Division I title with all-around game that resulted in 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest.

Wayne Blackshear, Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.)
6-5 / 210 / Junior / Wing
Headed to: Louisville verbal commitment
Racked up 29 points and 13 boards per outing while leading Morgan Park to a Chicago Public League title and earning Chicago Tribune first team All-State honors.

Quinn Cook, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
6-0 / 175 / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
Rose above seniors headed to Duke and North Carolina to earn Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year honors by posting 20.0 points, 5.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Allen Crabbe, Price (Los Angeles, Calif.)
6-6 / 200 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: California
Future Golden Bear is the total package, sporting a 3.93 grade point average to go along with 23 points and 11 rebounds per game as a senior for California’s Division IV state champions.

Noah Cottrill, Logan (Logan, W.Va.)
6-2 / 175 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: West Virginia
Swept player of the year honors in West Virginia after posting 29.2 points per game and leading the charge for AAA state champions.

Dorian Finney-Smith, Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.)
6-7 / 200 / Junior / Forward
Headed to: Undecided
Earned All-Tidewater Player of the Year – over fellow star junior and North Carolina commitment James McAdoo – and VHSCA Group AAA All-State Player of the Year honors after posting 19.7 points and 13 rebounds per game for state championship Norcom team.

P.J. Hairston, Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.)
6-6 / 220 / Junior / Wing
Headed to: North Carolina verbal commitment
Hairston burst out of the gates with 30 points or more in nine of his first 13 games – including 53 against Southern Durham in early December – but cooled slightly down the stretch to average 25.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per outing.

K.T. Harrell, Brewbaker Tech (Montgomery, Ala.)
6-4 / 215 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Virginia
Tony Bennett’s top recruit was a force in Alabama this year, tallying 27.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game as Brewbaker Tech took the state’s 4A title.

Ryan Harrow, Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
6-1 / 160 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: North Carolina State
Filled it up to the tune of 31.6 points per game to go along with 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds en route to first team AAAAA All-State honors.

Terone Johnson, North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)
6-3 / 190 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Purdue
Panthers blasted Warsaw 95-74 to run away with Indiana’s Class 4A state title behind 26 points from future Boilermaker; averaged 21.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the season.

Maurice Jones, Arthur Hill (Saginaw, Mich.)
5-6 / 150 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Southern California
May have been the nation’s best player under 5-10 this season in averaging over 30 points and 10 assists per contest.

Elisha Justice, Shelby Valley (Pikeville, Ky.)
5-11 / 175 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Louisville (walk-on)
Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball probably deserves a scholarship after leading Shelby Valley – a school of 589 students tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains – to the state’s single-class title by averaging 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 3.9 steals per game.

Doron Lamb, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
6-4 / 190 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Undecided
Lamb was spectacular at times in averaging over 26 points per game, including 49 in a loss to St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) at the prestigious PrimeTime Shootout in February.

Tyler Lamb, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
6-5 / 205 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: UCLA
Averaged 18.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game as part of talented Pac-10-bound Monarch trio with Gary Franklin (California) and Keala King (Arizona State).

Meyers Leonard, Robinson (Robinson, Ill.)
7-0 / 220 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Illinois
Chicago Tribune All-State selection made the Maroons Class 2A state champs with 18.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game.

Kendall Marshall, Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)
6-4 / 180 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: North Carolina
Despite just a 19-14 record, Bishop O’Connell clicked at the right time and won the Virginia Independent School Division 1 title as Marshall contributed 16 points and eight assists per game en route to MVP honors.

Tony Mitchell, Pinkston (Dallas, Texas)
6-8 / 220 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Missouri
Got the nod for Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year over Duncanville’s Perry Jones after posting 20.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.1 blocks for Pinkston.

Rashad Perkins, Starkville (Starkville, Miss.)
6-5 / 205 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Southern Mississippi
Chicago transplant led Starkville (31-2) to Class 6A and Grand Slam titles by averaging 23 points, 15 rebounds per night.

Jayvaughn Pinkston, Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
6-6 / 235 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Villanova
McDonald’s All-American selection and New York City’s CHSAA Player of the Year, future Jay Wright pupil averaged over 25 points and 13 rebounds per game.

Trevor Releford, Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
6-0 / 175 / Senior / Guard
Headed to: Alabama
Releford was the floor general for a 25-0, Class 5A state championship team at Bishop Miege, posting 18.2 points, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Nathan Scheer, St. Francis Borgia (Washington, Mo.)
6-5 / 210 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: Missouri State
Underrated star earned St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year honors as the driving force of Borgia’s 30-1 season; averaged 21.4 points per game.

Joshua Smith, Kentwood (Covington, Wash.)
6-9 / 285 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: UCLA
Washington’s Player of the Year missed the latter half of December and much of January with an injury, but returned to his dominant ways in leading Kentwood to the Class 4A title, averaging over 23 points, 15 rebounds and four assists per game at the state tournament.

Tristan Thompson, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
6-9 / 235 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Texas
Despite being overshadowed by teammate and fellow Canadian Cory Joseph, Thompson was a big reason why Findlay Prep remained an elite outfit this season by averaging 15.9 points and 9.6 rebounds.

Patric Young, Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.)
6-8 / 230 / Senior / Forward
Headed to: Florida
Young’s numbers aren’t as flashy as other All-Americans (13 points, 14 rebounds, four blocked shots per game), but the future Gator was the catalyst for 31-1 Class 2A state champion Providence – a defensive-minded program that finished No. 6 in the final national top 25.

Trey Zeigler, Mount Pleasant (Mount Pleasant, Mich.)
6-5 / 190 / Senior / Wing
Headed to: Undecided
The son of Central Michigan head coach Ernie Zeigler, Trey challenged Appling for Michigan Mr. Basketball honors after tacking up 24.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

Coach of the Year: Ed Azzam, Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.)