FIRST TEAM
Player of the Year, Kirk Maxwell, Zane Trace: Maxwell kept Zane Trace’s head above water through a lot of adversity early in the season. The senior then helped his Pioneers start to pull away from the rest of the league. Maxwell averaged a little over 20 points per game, six rebounds, and four assists. He also was one of the league’s top three-point shooters while leading his ZT team to an outright title.
Evan Legg, Piketon: If you want to call Legg the league’s best player I will not argue that point at all. I felt a year ago that Legg was extremely underappreciated and he has had an incredible year this season. Legg led the league in scoring while also posting totals in assists, free throw shooting, and steals that were close to the top. In the end, I just give Maxwell the slim advantage.
Zak Smith, Westfall: Smith dominated the paint this season in the SVC. The junior averaged almost 13 points per game while pulling down a league best 12.2 rebounds per game. I thought Smith did a great job playing consistently while helping lead several first year varsity players.
Dylan Gragg, Huntington: This sophomore really stormed on the varsity scene early this season and never looked back. Gragg averaged right around a double-double at 17 points and 10 rebounds while leading his Huntsmen to an outright third-place finish.
Gabe Haynes, Zane Trace: Games missed or not this kid is first team. You can’t argue with the win-loss record in full games played and games missed. The presence of Haynes gives ZT arguably the league’s best perimeter defender which also allows his teammates to move to more favorable match-ups. Haynes also gives ZT another ball handler that can create offense for himself and his teammates.
SECOND TEAM
Michael Brown, Southeastern: This kid is going to be extremely tough to handle the next two years. Brown scored 13 points per game while grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game. If not for a hand injury that slowed him down in the middle of the season, these stats could be even more impressive.
Keenan Brush, Piketon: The 6’6” junior really started to show signs of dominance throughout the second half of the season. Brush improved on the offensive end, but the defensive end is where he really impacted games. He averaged nine rebounds while blocking a league best 3.2 shots per game.
Shane Maier, Unioto: Unioto is a hard team to sort out because they do not have one guy that stands out as a premiere player. Maier has been the most consistent Unioto player in my opinion scoring just under 10 points per game and pulling down just over eight rebounds per game.
Rick Chamberlin, Zane Trace: Chamberlin averaged nearly nine rebounds while producing a little over two blocks per game. The senior was improved on the offensive end, but defensively, he gives ZT a much needed presence in a league that has five other all-league centers in my opinion.
Kyle Deal, Huntington: A senior guard who fans really need to see in person to appreciate his impact. Not a player that will always stuff the stat sheet; however, he is an experienced guard that really understands how to keep Gragg involved, and can provide some perimeter scoring when needed. Deal helped lead Huntington to the third-place finish.
THIRD TEAM
Logan Markko, Paint Valley: One of the league’s most skilled post players, Markko averaged 10 points and six rebounds while blocking two shots per night as well. The junior posted solid numbers in a league that presented some solid competition on the frontline.
Brick Davis, Unioto: A really underrated player in the league in terms of versatility. A great rebounding guard at over seven per game, Davis also scores around nine points and dishes out over three assists per game.
Codey Musselman, Westfall: A nice complement to Smith, Musselman posted 10 and six in terms of points and rebounds. The lefty finishes a nice career winning a league championship as a junior and now producing all-league numbers as a senior.
Tyler Osborne, Southeastern: One of the league’s best athletes, Osborne averaged over 11 points per game while dishing out four assists per game. As one of the league’s most talented underclassmen duos, Osborne and Brown give Panther fans plenty to be optimistic about in 2011.
Drew Davis, Zane Trace: Davis was outstanding in the absence of Haynes and then continued to deliver big shots throughout the entire season. One of the league’s top three point and free throw shooters, Davis finished with top five league totals in both. I do think Joel Tripp deserves an equal look in this spot; however, I give a slight advantage to Davis due to his contributions in the early season when the Pioneers were limited at guard due to injury and disciplinary reasons.
Just missing out: As I said before, Tripp of ZT was in the mix as was a second guy from Paint Valley. The problem here is you can’t really pick a second guy from Garett Tyree, Aaron Claytor, and Caleb Stratton because they are all so similar in production. I also looked at a third from Piketon, but after losing Southworth, I thought Piketon had several solid players, but none that were worthy of the top 15. Some may even say Huntington’s C.J. Seymour deserved a look, but I just felt Deal was a little more valuable to this year’s team. Finally, I didn’t forget about Adena. I feel they have two or three young kids that are going to really be solid players in this league before they are done; however, this season I did not feel they had an all-league selection.
