Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) is one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)
Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m.
Already named Mr. Football this year, Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins is now one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee.
The Mr. Basketball finalists were announced Friday.
The other two Class AAA finalists are Nathan Hoover of Arlington and Alex Lomax of Memphis East.
Higgins had earlier committed to play football at the University of Tennessee, but he recently re-opened his recruitment in football and basketball.
He’s attracted attention from college football and basketball coaches, including at UT and Clemson.
Higgins, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound wide receiver, was named Mr. Football Back of the Year in Class 5A in November.
He was named a five-star prospect by 247Sports this week. One of 10 five-star prospects in the website’s rankings for the 2017 class, Higgins is ranked the nation’s No. 6 overall prospect and No. 1 wide receiver, and he has received scholarship offers from more than 15 teams. (See this story for more information.)
Oak Ridge High School has only had one other Mr. Basketball winner, and that was Darryl Miller in 1989, said broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com.
There have been other Mr. Football finalists from Oak Ridge, but only one other player has won the award. Greg Woofter won the Lineman award in 1998, Clary said.
ORHS has never had a player win both Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football.
Clary said Oak Ridge has had four Miss Basketball winners.
The Mr. and Miss Basketball awards will be presented to the top girls and boys in five classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association at Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
A statewide committee of sportswriters selected winners based on performance during the 2015-2016 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. High school head basketball coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists.
The other Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists are listed below. Another area player, Micah Scheetz of Webb School of Knoxville, is a Miss Basketball finalist in Division II-A.
Division II-A Miss Basketball Finalists
- Ashtyn Baker, Northpoint Christian
- Anna Jones, USJ
- Micah Scheetz, Webb School of Knoxville
Division II-AA Miss Basketball Finalists
- Taylor Barnes, St. Benedict at Auburndale
- Kaleigh Clemons, Baylor
- Sydni Harvey, Brentwood Academy
Class A Miss Basketball Finalists
- Lakelyn Bouldin, Van Buren County
- Taylor Lamb, South Greene
- Ashlynd Wilkerson, MTCS
Class AA Miss Basketball Finalists
- Akira Levy, Upperman
- Jacobi Lynn, McMinn Central
- Kayla Marosites, Elizabethton
Class AAA Miss Basketball Finalists
- Crystal Dangerfield, Blackman
- Anastasia Hayes, Riverdale
- Kendall Spray, Wilson Central
Division II-A Mr. Basketball Finalists
- Kenny Cooper, FRA
- Chase Hayden, St. George’s
- Clayton Hughes, USJ
Division II-AA Mr. Basketball Finalists
- Jordan Bone, Ensworth
- William Douglas, Christian Brothers
- Darius Garland, Brentwood Academy
Class A Mr. Basketball Finalists
- Kobe Foster, Huntland
- Tyreke Key, Clay County
- Nicholas Hopkins, Fayetteville
Class AA Mr. Basketball Finalists
- Austin Douglas, Cheatham County
- Bo Hodges, Maplewood
- Garrett Sams, Westview
Class AAA Mr. Basketball Finalists
- Tee Higgins, Oak Ridge
- Nathan Hoover, Arlington
- Alex Lomax, Memphis East
One of the Miss Basketball finalists, Akira Levy, a sophomore point guard from Upperman, has competed against Oak Ridge this season.
Upperman sophomore point guard Akira Levy (2) had a game-high 20 points for the Lady Bees during a 51-40 win over Oak Ridge in the Lenoir City Christmas Tournament championship on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. Levy has been nominated for Miss Basketball in Class AA. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats played against Upperman in the Lenoir City Christmas Tournament in December, and Levy, a Class AA finalist, had a game-high 20 points for the Lady Bees in that 51-40 win for Upperman.
The Wildcats competed against Alex Lomax, another Class AAA Mr. Basketball finalist, and Memphis East in the state Class AAA quarterfinal game in March 2015. Lomax, who was then a 5-foot-10 freshman guard, scored 25 points and pulled down four rebounds during a 68-57 win for the Mustangs.
This is the 32nd year that the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards have been presented to Tennessee’s best high school basketball players, a press release said.
From 2005-2015, the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards were presented at the conclusion of each respective championship game as part of the post-game trophy ceremony.
The draw for the Division I boys’ state basketball tournament will be held prior to the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards on the floor of Murphy Center at 5 p.m. Previously, the boys’ draw was held on the Saturday morning of the Division I girls’ championship games. The draw for the Division I girls’ state tournament brackets will be scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 6 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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