Georgia basketball player of the year awards begin coming out

Georgia's basketball players of the year are being announced in the next few days. Awards from the Georgia Sports Writers Association and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are expected Sunday.

Some already have been named. Milton guard Shannon Scott has been named the Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year and the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Norcross sophomore Diamond DeShields is Georgia's Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the year, and Fayette County guard Brianna Banks is the Tipoff Club's Girls Player of the Year.

Here is a look at the top boys and girls candidates this season:

BOYS
Shannon Scott, Milton, Sr. – Scott has led Milton to the state final each of the past three seasons. Milton won in 2010 and finished nationally ranked this year in almost every national poll. Scott, a 6-foot-2 point guard who has signed with Ohio State, averaged 13 points, seven assists and 3.5 steals. He is a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year.



Malcolm Brogdon, Greater Atlanta Christian, Sr. – Brogdon led GAC to Class AA titles each of the past two seasons. He averaged 25.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals and shot 82 percent from the free-throw line and 46 percent on 3-pointers this season. Brogdon has signed with Virginia.

Kentavious Caldwell, Greenville, Sr. – Caldwell is the state's highest-rated prospect, almost unanimously viewed as one of the top 25 seniors in the country. The 6-foot-4 wing player led his team to the Class A semifinals, its best finish since being runner-up in 2005. Caldwell's statistics aren't official, but he averaged about 25 points per game. He scored 40 in a quarterfinal win over Wilcox County. Caldwell has signed with Georgia.

Tony Parker, Miller Grove, Jr. – Parker, a 6-9 post player, averaged 18 points and 16 rebounds for a team that won its third straight state title in Class AAAA. He is the top player on a team that finished in the top 10 nationally in several national polls, including the No. 8 spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys basketball rankings.

Adam Smith, Fayette County, Sr. – A 6-foot guard, Smith averaged 26.5 points per game while leading his team to the Class AAAA semifinals. He shot 62 percent inside the 3-point line and 42 percent outside of it. He averaged 3.7 assists. Smith has signed with UNC-Wilmington.

GIRLS
Brianna Banks, Fayette County, Sr. – Banks, a 5-10 shooting guard, led her school to its first state title in basketball. This UConn signee averaged 16 points, six assists and five steals. She is a McDonald's All-American and the only Georgia girl to be nominated for the WNBA All-America team. Banks is the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Miss Georgia Basketball.

Grace Leah Baughn, Wesleyan, Sr. – Baughn, a 5-foot-11 wing, has been a key contributor on four Class A championship teams at a small private school that dominates its division and can compete with teams of any classification. This season, Baughn averaged 14 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. She's been a part of eight state championships counting volleyball and track and field. She scored 25 points with 12 rebounds and six assists in the state championship game. She will play basketball at Pepperdine next season.



Andraya Carter, Buford, Jr. – Carter, a 5-9 point guard, has won state titles in each of her three seasons at Buford. She averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. She made 41 percent of her 3-point attempts, and 78 percent of free throws. Carter has committed to Tennessee.

Diamond Deshields, Norcross, So. – DeShields has led Norcross to Georgia's Class AAAAA titles the past two seasons and is the most decorated sophomore in the state since Maya Moore. This season, the 6-foot-1 small forward averaged 21.9 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals per game. She scored 27 points in the state final. She is the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year.

Allisha Gray, Washington County, So. – Gray, a 5-9 guard, led her school to its first girls state title since 1991. She scored 40 or more points in five games this season and averaged 28.4 points, three assists, six rebounds and four steals. She is highly ranked as a wing by many national publications.

Sydney Wallace, Northview, Sr. – A 5-8 point guard, Wallace averaged 23.4 points, 5.1 assists and finished with 2,090 points in her career. She led Northview to its first state tournament victory in history this year, an 84-64 victory over Brookwood, in which she scored 37 points. Wallace has committed to Georgia Tech.