MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Spring Garden’s Ace Austin and Hoover’s DeWayne Brown won the state’s premiere high school basketball awards Thursday afternoon. Brown was named Mr. Basketball and Austin was named Miss Basketball by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Austin, an Alabama Crimson Tide signee, is the first two-time Miss Basketball, an award that began in 1988. Before Austin, there were just two previous underclassmen to win, but neither won again as a senior.

There have been five repeat Mr. Basketball winners, the most recently being J.D. Davison of Calhoun in 2020-21. Brown is the first Mr. Basketball from the Bucs, who have three previous Miss Basketball winners.

Brown, a Tennessee signee, averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds this season, helping Hoover win a third straight Class 7A championship and complete an unbeaten season.

Austin finished with averages of 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists, leading Spring Garden to a third straight Class 1A title.

The awards are sponsored by ALFA Insurance and were awarded at a banquet sponsored by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association. Other winners named:

Super All-State

Top 5 players regardless of classification

Girls
Ace Austin, Spring Garden (Miss Basketball)
Saniya Jackson, Park Crossing
Lani Smallwood, Albertville
Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible
Shila Marks, Lauderdale Co.

Boys
DeWayne Brown, Hoover (Mr. Basketball)
J.D. Gossett, Huntsville
Salim London, Hoover
Jacoby Hill, Central-Phenix City
Austin Coner, Pinson Valley

Girls Player of the year

7A: Lani Smallwood, Albertville
6A: Saniya Jackson, Park Crossing
5A: Samarian Franklin, Wenonah
4A: Ava McSwain, Good Hope
3A: Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible
2A: Campbell Barron, Pisgah
1A: Ace Austin, Spring Garden
AISA: Shalexia Little, Springwood

Boys Player of the Year

7A: DeWayne Brown, Hoover
6A: Austin Coner, Pinson Valley
5A: EJ King, Russellville
4A: Milton Jones Jr., Fairfield
3A: Skyler Stovall, Montgomery Academy
2A: Danilo Stojakovic, Tuscaloosa Academy
1A: Jayden Parks, Brantley
AISA: Deshawn Hall, Valiant Cross

Hoover was the sixth school to have had players win both Mr. and Miss Basketball, joining Butler, Huffman, Jeff Davis, Midfield and Ramsay. Brown is the first Mr. Basketball to have signed with Tennessee.

Spring Garden’s Ace Austin is the ninth Miss Basketball to have signed with Alabama.

Austin, Brown and Mars Hill’s Belle Hill were repeats from last year’s Super All-State selections. Austin and Hill are three-time players of the year, the 17th and 18th in ASWA All-State history.

With Danilo Stojakovic, Tuscaloosa Academy has its 10th all-time state player of the year (six boys, four girls). That tied Midfield for the most in ASWA All-State history. With Brown and Salim London, Hoover had two Super All-State players. The last boys team with two was 2013 Wenonah. The last girls team with two was 2022 Hoover.

Overall, Hoover has had 16 Super All-State players (13 girls, three boys), the most in ASWA history. Second is Butler with 12 (seven girls, five boys).

Saniya Jackson was the first Super All-State basketball player in Park Crossing history.