Smith was last year's National Freshman of the Year and showed no signs of the sophomore slump.
The five-star guard guided Ontario Christian to a 30-2 record, Southern Section Open Division title and No. 5 finish in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Smith averaged 23.2 points, 8.1 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.8 rebounds as Ontario Christian spent a significant portion of the year as the country's No. 1 team.
While her point totals were down from an eye-popping 34.9 points per night as a freshman, Smith had an abundance of talent around her and worked hard to ensure everyone thrived, including sensational freshmen
Tati Griffin and
Sydney Douglas. Her assists average jumped by 1.6 per game.
Smith leads a cast of 30 players from the Class of 2027 who made significant
contributions to their squads.
Selections are based on team
success, individual production and local, regional and state honors from
the recently-completed season. Potential at the college and
professional level is not a primary consideration. Players in
post-graduate and non-scholastic programs are not eligible for
inclusion.
First Team
6-0 | Guard
Division II Class A Miss Basketball averaged 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as the Bruins went 24-4 and reached the state semifinal.
6-0 | Small Forward
Averaged 18.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game as the Cavaliers went 28-0 and won the Class 5A title.
6-1 | Forward
Posted 21.6
points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 3.1 blocks and 2.6 steals per game
in leading the Moose to a 27-3 record and fourth straight Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association title.
NATIONAL SOPHOMORE OF THE YEAR
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian (Ontario, Calif.)
5-6 | Point guardThe
top-ranked player in her class averaged 23.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and
4.5 steals per game as the 30-2 Knights finished No. 5 after spending much of the
season at No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25.
6-2 | Guard
The No. 2 prospect in
the sophomore class averaged 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals
per game as the Bulldogs went 25-8 with a state semifinal appearance.
Second Team
5-11 | Guard
Averaged 31.1 points, 15.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.7 blocks per night for the Class AAA quarterfinalists. She surpassed 1,000 career points during the season.
Jezelle Banks, Ursuline Academy (Wilmington, Del.)
5-8 | GuardThe Raiders reached the state semifinal as Banks averaged 21.7 points, 4.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.
C’india Dennis, Creekside (Fairburn, Ga.)
5-4 | Point guardTallied 20.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.8 steals as the Seminoles went 32-0 and won the AAAA state title. She scored 30 in the semifinal and 22 in the final.
Qandace Samuels, Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)6-2 | Wing The MVP of the state tournament averaged 14.6 points and 4.0 rebounds for the No. 3 team in the final MaxPreps Top 25. She was 8 of 10 from 3-point range with 30 points in the state title game.
Nation Williams, Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.)6-2 | Post
The Class 5A MVP helped the Bulldogs win the state title, averaging 17.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists,
2.8 steals and 2.1 blocks per game.
Third Team
6-5 | Center
Averaged 21.8 points and 15.1 rebounds per game as the Tigers went 21-4 and reached the Division III Non-Select state final.
6-3 | Forward
Averaged 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.9 assist and 2.4 steals per game while surpassing the 2,000-point plateau for her career.
NyAir McCoy, Bishop McNamara
5-4 | Point guardStepped
into the floor general role for the No. 3 Mustangs and averaged 7.8
points, 5.7 steals and 5.0 assists per game.
6-3 | Forward
Averaged
14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Knights (31-1) as they won the Class
AAAAA title and finished No. 20 in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Honorable Mention
5-6 | Guard
Led the team with 14.4 points per night and added 4.4 rebounds as the Saints went 26-4 and won the Class 4A title.
5-9 | Guard
Averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
6-0 | Guard
Produced 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 53 percent from the field for the Vikings (22-8).
6-0 | Forward
Helped the Stallions go 30-1 and reach the Class 4A semifinals, averaging 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
5-8 | Guard
Averaged
16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals for the Pantherettes (29-7), who reached the Class 6A
Division 1 regional final.
6-3 | Forward
All-State pick averaged 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.1 assists per game.
6-2 | Shooting guard
Averaged
22.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals for the Panthers (30-4), who reached the Class 6A Division 2 regional final.
Sydney Mobley, Big Walnut (Sunbury, Ohio)
6-2 | ForwardPiled up 20.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game as the Golden Eagles went 23-4 and reached the Division II state semifinal. She set season records in scoring and rebounding for Big Walnut.
6-0 | Guard
Averaged 17.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.8 assists
on the season as the Spartans went 25-3 and won a third Division 3 state championship in four years.
5-9 | Guard
Took on an expanded role for the nationally-ranked Monarchs after they lost McKenna Woliczko to injury.
5-10 | Guard
Averaged 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game, helping
the Dragons extend their win streak to 52 games and win their second consecutive Class 5A title.
5-11 | Guard | Class of 2027
Led the Tigers to a
28-1 record and the Division 1 state championship, averaging 26.5
points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
6-1 | Forward
Played a key role for the Division 1 state champions, averaging 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
