Compiled by: Dave Krider
FIRST TEAM
Kenny Boynton
6-2/190/Senior/Guard
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Headed to: Florida
Coach Danny Herz calls Boynton “the consummate attack-minded guard. He’s so aggressive and assertive. He was the hardest worker we had and a leader by example.” Boynton averaged 31 points – with a high of 48 twice - to lead the state in scoring for the second consecutive year. He also averaged 6.8 rebounds.
Avery Bradley
6-3/180/Senior/Guard
Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
Headed to: Texas
Bradley sparked the Pilots to a 33-0 record and the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 boys national championship. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) veteran coach Steve Smith calls him the best guard he ever has faced. A great shooter, Bradley averaged 19.1 points after transferring from Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.). He shot .550 from the field (.390 from 3-point range) and .760 from the free throw line. A great leaper, he also averaged 4.6 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Still, coach Mike Peck says, “The thing that got me so excited about him was his defense. He played both ends of the floor and was very disruptive defensively. It’s kind of a lost art, but he has an unbelievable mid-range, pull-up game (as a shooter).”
DeMarcus Cousins
6-10/270/Senior/Center
LeFlore (Mobile, Ala.)
Headed to: (Verbal to Kentucky)
Coach Otis Hughley calls Cousins “one of the greatest players Alabama ever has had. He played his best versus the better competition. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching his growth and overcoming all those defenses he had to face.” Cousins led the Rattlers to a 29-3 record against one of the nation’s toughest schedules. He averaged 24.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.7 steals, 5.1 assists, 3.8 blocks and shot .623 from the field. He de-committed to Memphis after John Calipari left last week but said Wednesday he'll follow him to join the Wildcats.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derrick Favors
6-9/235/Senior/Forward
South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.)
Headed to: Georgia Tech
MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year paced the Hornets to a 29-3 record and their first Class AAA state title. He averaged 28.1 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.0 blocks. He set school records for a career with 2,341 points, 1,511 rebounds and 741 blocked shots. He also holds one-game records with 19 blocks and 32 rebounds. He cemented his ranking by being named MVP at the annual McDonald’s All-American Game. Coach Michael Reddick notes that his superstar “was incredible in the state playoffs, especially in the state championship game (38 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks). He did some amazing things and lived up to his billing. It was a wonderful four years to watch a young boy mature into a young man.”
Renardo Sidney
6-11/256/Senior/Center
Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Headed to: Southern California
“Every team we played, their game plan was geared to stop him,” Coach Harvey Kitani noted. “He had a fine year with a double-double in just about every game.” Sidney paced the Lions to a 27-5 record against a very strong schedule. He averaged 24.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting .540 from the field. His highs were 39 points and 22 rebounds.
SECOND TEAM
Keith “Tiny” Gallon
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
6-9/300/Senior/Center
Headed to: Oklahoma
Gallon made an amazing transition as a senior, according to coach Steve Smith, who last spring decided to drop him from the team. However, he promised to work hard at losing weight and the result has been “a great year,” Smith says. “For his size, he is very agile, has great feet and hands. He came back to be a team leader.” Indeed, Gallon led the 40-1 Warriors in scoring (16.0), rebounds (10.3) and shooting percentage (.591).He also averaged 2.5 assists and 2.2 blocks.
Xavier Henry
6-6/227/Senior/Guard
Putnam City (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Headed to: Undecided
Though he missed the first nine games due to a car accident, Henry still managed to spark the Pirates (25-4) to the Class 6A state title. He averaged an impressive 28.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot .569 from the field in 20 games. Coach A.D. Burtschi noted, “When he came back, he brought (the team) instant confidence. The third game he dropped 40 points. He left his imprint on Putnam City basketball. He raised the bar.”
Ryan Kelly
6-10/214/Senior/Forward
Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.)
Headed to: Duke
Kelly had a record-breaking four-year career: 2,065 points, 1,217 rebounds and 314 blocks. Single-season records included 882 points (25.2 average as a senior), 356 rebounds and .620 field goal percentage. Single-game records were 47 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocks. Coach Kevin Billerman calls him “a multi-skilled 6-10 power forward who can score with his back to the basket or facing. He’s a winner and that’s what attracted Duke to him. He makes all the key plays for his team to win.”
Brandon Knight
6-3/180/Junior/Guard
Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Coach David Beckerman calls Knight “the ultimate team player. He does whatever is necessary. Everybody looks at his scoring, but his defense and lateral movement are just as good.” The explosive junior scored a school-record 968 points for a lofty 31.2 average as the Panthers (27-4) won their second consecutive Class 3A state title. He also averaged 8.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists. His other school records include a 55-point game, 127 threes in a season and 2,589 career points.
Lance Stephenson
6-6/225/Senior/Guard
Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Headed to: Undecided
Stephenson surpassed Sebastian Telfair’s New York state scoring record (2,785) with 2,946 points during his brilliant four-year career. He also became the first to play on four consecutive New York PSAL Class AA champions. As a senior he averaged 28.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists while sharing New York’s Mr. Basketball honor with Brandon Troche of Jamesville-DeWitt. Coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton calls him “the best that I’ve ever had.”
THIRD TEAM
John Henson
6-10/200/Senior/Center
Sickles (Tampa, Fla.)
Headed to: North Carolina
Coach Renaldo Garcia calls Henson “the best-ever at Sickles,” even though he played just one year after transferring from Round Rock, Texas. “His leadership was second to none. There are so many aspects of the game that he affected and he can pretty much do everything.” Henson averaged 17.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 6.1 blocks and 2.4 assists while shooting .584 from the field.
Austin Rivers
6-3/180/Sophomore/Guard
Winter Park (Fla.)
Headed to: (Verbal to Florida)
The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin may some day overshadow his famous father. Coach David Bailey says, “He had a tremendous year and led us in every category. He’s never satisfied. He wants to be a lock-down defender and is going to continue getting stronger.” Rivers averaged 23.6 points – with a high of 46 against Georgia Class AAAA state champion Marietta Wheeler – and already has 1,168 points in two years. He led a young team to a 24-8 record and a state Final Four berth.
Jared Sullinger
6-9/270/Junior/Center
Northland (Columbus, Ohio)
Headed to: (Verbal to Ohio State)
Sullinger averaged 19.9 points, 14.3 rebounds and shot .677 from the field to lead the Vikings to a 27-1 record and their first Division I state title. His coach-father, Satch Sullinger, says, “He had a great year – not through numbers but through making other people better. At the end of the year, he put us on his back. He’s a winner. It’s good when your best player also is your hardest worker.”
DeShaun Thomas
6-7/217/Junior/Forward
Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Headed to: (Verbal to Ohio State)
Thomas led the state of Indiana with a 30.3 scoring average. He also averaged an impressive 15.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks while leading the Knights to a 23-4 record and their second consecutive Class 2A state title. He has 2,254 points in three years and next year has a shot at Damon Bailey’s state record of 3,134. Coach James Blackmon says his young superstar had a “spectacular year. He was breaking records on a daily basis.”
Mouphtaou Yarou
6-10/245/Senior/Center
Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
Headed to: Villanova
Stu Vetter calls Yarou “one of the best inside players I’ve ever had the privilege to coach. He has a great feel for the game and should be great at the next level.” Yarou led the 21-3 Mustangs with averages of 19.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks this year.
HONORABLE MENTION
Harrison Barnes
6-7/210/Junior/Forward
Ames (Iowa)
The versatile Barnes paced the Little Cyclones to a perfect 26-0 record and Iowa’s Class 4A state title. He averaged 19.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and shot .566 from the field (.422 from 3-point range). He already holds the school career record for rebounds (495) and is second in points (1,082).
Dexter Fields
6-2/190/Senior/Guard
Olympia (Orlando, Fla.)
Headed to: Alabama-Birmingham
Fields helped the Titans to a 28-5 record and second place in the Class 6A state tournament. Playing with four Division I teammates, he still averaged 17.3 points and established the school career scoring record. He also was the team’s No. 1 defensive player.
Abdul Gaddy
6-4/185/Senior/Guard
Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.)
Headed to: Washington
One of the nation’s premier point guards, Gaddy averaged 23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior. He also set a school record with 1,985 points during his four-year career.
Michael Gilchrist
6-7/185/Sophomore/Forward
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)
Named Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year, Gilchrist averaged 14.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.1 assists while helping the Celtics (30-3) win the Tournament of Champions.
Tyler Honeycutt
6-9/190/Senior/Center
Sylmar (Calif.)
Headed to: UCLA
Honeycutt averaged 19.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, 3.9 blocks and 3.8 assists in his final campaign. He posted high games of 26 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
Milton Jennings
6-9/215/Senior/Forward
Pinewood Prep (Summerville, S.C.
Headed to: Clemson
Jennings paced the Panthers to the Class 3A Independent state title, averaging 20.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and shooting .520 from the field. In his five-year career, he scored 2,560 points and set school records for rebounds (1,384) and blocks (578).
Wally Judge
6-10/235/Senior/Center
Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Headed to: Kansas State
Very athletic for his size, Judge averaged a school-record 17.8 rebounds as the Apaches (25-7) claimed the Class 2A state title for the fifth year in a row. He also averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 blocks and shot .580 from the field.
Erik Murphy
6-10/225/Senior/Center
St. Mark’s (Southborough, Mass.)
Headed to: Florida
During his career, Murphy averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and just under four blocks while helping his team to a 102-12 won-lost record. His last two years he earned MVP honors in the New England championship game.
Jereme Richmond
6-7/195/Junior/Forward
Waukegan (Ill.)
Headed to: (Verbal to Illinois)
A great leaper, shot blocker and outside shooter, Richmond led the Bulldogs (26-5) to second place in the Class 4A state tournament. He averaged 20.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and shot .565 from the field.
Peyton Siva
6-1/165/Senior/Guard
Franklin (Seattle, Wash.)
Headed to: Louisville
The superb point guard led the Quakers to a 28-1 record, a Class 3A state title and a high national ranking. He averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting .500 from the field.
Josh Smith
6-10/250/Junior/Center
Kentwood (Covington, Wash.)
A powerful inside force, Smith averaged 24.1 points, 14.5 rebounds, 8.6 blocks and shot .690 from the field. He had high games of 43 points and 24 rebounds.
Dexter Strickland
6-3/180/Senior/Guard
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)
Headed to: North Carolina
Playing with two other superstars, Strickland had to share the ball and assume leadership duties. He obviously got the job done because the Celtics posted a 30-3 record and won the Tournament of Champions. He finished with averages of 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals.
Christian Watford
6-9/215/Senior/Forward
Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.)
Headed to: Indiana
An outstanding long-range shooter, Watford averaged 26.5 points and 13.4 rebounds while leading the Mounties to a 27-6 record and the Class 6A state quarterfinals. He also shot .659 from the field and .870 from the free throw line.
David Wear
6-10/225/Senior/Forward
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Headed to: North Carolina
Wear led the well-balanced Monarchs (31-2) in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (7.6) despite teaming with four other Division I players. He is an excellent outside shooter.
Travis Wear
6-10/225/Senior/Forward
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Headed to: North Carolina
Travis was right behind twin brother David in scoring (14.9) and rebounding (6.4). They helped keep the talented Monarchs hold the nation’s No. 1 ranking most of the year before losing two of their last three games.
