ASWA Names Finalists For Basketball Awards
A total of 42 players were selected finalists for the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Player of the Year in each of seven boys and girls classes.
Mr. Basketball will be chosen from among the 21 boys’ candidates and Miss Basketball is selected from the 21 girls’ finalists. The ASWA selects three boys’ and girls’ finalists in each of the six classes in the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) as well as all teams in the Alabama Independent Schools Association (AISA). Class players of the year, along with Mr. and Miss Basketball, will be announced during the ASWA banquet April 4 in Montgomery.
Three boys and three girls are returning Players of the Year in their respective classes, including girls’ state Gatorade Player of the Year Marqu’es Webb of Hoover. The boys’ Gatorade Player of the Year will be announced March 21. Webb earned the 2011 Class 4A Player of the Year as a sophomore at Brewbaker Tech and was a Class 6A finalist last year at Hoover. She recently was named MVP of the Class 6A state tournament and MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game won by Alabama.
Girls’ Class 5A finalist Shakayla Thomas of Sylacauga was the 2012 5A Player of the Year, while finalist Alex Gholston of R.A. Hubbard is the two-time 1A Player of the Year.
On the boys’ side, De'Runnya Wilson of Class 5A Wenonah, Josh Langford of Class 3A Madison Academy and MarQuen Mitchell of AISA’s Lee-Scott were selected Players of the Year in 2012.
Girls’ 2012 Class 6A Player of the Year runner-up Morgan William of Shades Valley joins three-time finalist Webb while all three 5A girls’ finalists in 2012 were also selected this year. In addition to Sylacauga’s Thomas, Brewer’s Riley Northway, last year’s runner-up, and Faith Academy’s Jasmine Rhodes are also finalists.
Other 2013 finalists from last year are DaNeshia Malone of Class 3A Clements, Leah Strain of Class 2A Woodland – Class Player of the Year runner-up each of the past two years – along with all three from Class 1A. Joining R.A. Hubbard’s Gholston are Covenant Christian’s Anna Claire Noblit and Amber Roberts of McIntosh.
Other boys’ finalists from 2012 are Lewis Sullivan of Class 6A Hazel Green and Class 6A Albertville’s Riley Norris, who was a Class 5A finalist. They are joined by Jimmie Taylor of Class 3A Greensboro.
ASWA Player of the Year Finalists
BOYS
CLASS 6A
Jeremy Johnson, Carver-Montgomery, Sr., F, 6-6
Riley Norris, Albertville, Jr., F, 6-7
Lewis Sullivan, Hazel Green, Jr., F, 6-7
CLASS 5A
Justin Coleman, Wenonah, Jr., PG, 5-10
Tyler Madison, Shelby County, Sr., G, 6-4
De'Runnya Wilson, Wenonah, Sr., F, 6-6
CLASS 4A
C.J. Duncan, St. James, Sr., G, 6-0
William Lee, Dallas County, Jr., F, 6-8
Seab Webster, Madison County, Sr., F, 6-6
CLASS 3A
Josh Langford, Madison Academy, Fr., G, 6-5
Xavier Moon, Central-Coosa, Sr., G, 6-1
Jimmie Taylor, Greensboro, Sr., C, 6-9
CLASS 2A
Greg Maclin, Tanner, Sr., G, 6-2
Josh Thomas, Montgomery Academy, So., G, 6-0
Alex Thompson, Houston Academy, Sr., G, 6-8
CLASS 1A
Wesley Person Jr., Brantley, Jr., G, 6-2
DeShawn Reibesehl, Marion County, Sr., G, 6-3
Andrew Rogers, St. Jude, Jr., F, 6-5
GIRLS
CLASS 6A
Alexis Jennings, Sparkman, Jr., F, 6-1
Marqu’es Webb, Hoover, Sr., F/C, 6-1
Morgan William, Shades Valley, Jr., PG, 5-4
CLASS 5A
Riley Northway, Brewer, Jr., C, 6-1
Jasmine Rhodes, Faith Academy, Sr., G, 5-9
Shakayla Thomas, Sylacauga, Jr., F, 6-0
CLASS 4A
Quanetria Bolton, Anniston, Jr., F, 6-0
Destiney Elliott, Oneonta, Jr., F, 5-11
Hannah Nichols, Madison County, Sr., G/F, 5-10
CLASS 3A
Chatara Cox, Lauderdale County, Jr., F, 5-8
DaNeshia Malone, Clements, Sr., C, 6-1
Malesha Williams, Greensboro, Jr., F, 5-7
CLASS 2A
Elizabeth Dowd, Providence Christian, Sr., F, 5-8
Kristen Emerson, Prattville Christian, Sr., G, 6-1
Leah Strain, Woodland, Jr., G, 5-4
CLASS 1A
Alex Gholston, R.A. Hubbard, Sr., G, 5-6
Anna Claire Noblit, Covenant Christian, Jr., G, 5-6
Amber Roberts, McIntosh, Sr., C, 6-2