MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Trey Kellogg (Covenant Christian) , Belle Hill (Mars Hill), Carson Thrasher (Mars Hill) , Leah Brooks (Hazel Green) and Caleb Holt (Buckhorn) won ASWA Player of the Year Awards at the annual 2024 ASWA Mr./Miss Basketball Banquet. Caleb Holt was named the 2024 Mr. Basketball Award Winner.
Buckhorn High School sophomore Caleb Holt and Spring Garden High School junior Ace Austin were named 2024 Mr. Basketball and Miss Basketball, respectively, for the just completed 2024 high school basketball season. The announcement was made at the annual Alabama Sportswriters Association luncheon sponsored by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) and ALFA Insurance at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center Tuesday.
Holt, the first sophomore to win the Mr. Basketball Award in its 42-year history, led the Bucks of Coach Patrick Harding to back-to-back Class 6A state championships as a freshman and sophomore. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 forward was named the state’s 42nd Mr. Basketball by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Austin, who led Spring Garden to Class 1A state championship three times in her five years on the varsity – and an overall 167-9 record. Just the third junior selected for the award in its 35-year history. She also earned Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year in 2024 and was named ASWA Class 1A Girls’ Player of Year for the second year in a row.
A total of 48 players, three girls’ and three boys’ finalists in each of the AHSAA’s seven classifications and one class in the AISA. Boys’ and girls’ players of the year were named in each classification. Those included:
ASWA Girls’ Class Players of the Year
Class 1A: Ace Austin, Spring Garden HS
Class 2A: Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible HS
Class 3A: Maddie Smith, Trinity Presbyterian HS
Class 4A: Ivey Maddox, Good Hope HS
Class 5A: Missy Odom, Jasper HS
Class 6A: Leah Brooks, Hazel Green HS
Class 7A: Jordan Hunter, Hewitt-Trussville HS
AISA: Takayla Davis, Glenwood School
ASWA Boys’ Class Players of the Year
Class 1A: Trey Kellogg, Covenant Christian HS
Class 2A: Carson Thrasher, Mars Hill Bible HS
Class 3A: Trey Simpson, Hillcrest-Evergreen HS
Class 4A: Micah Caster, Jackson HS
Class 5A: Cam Dooley, Valley HS
Class 6A: Caleb Holt, Buckhorn HS
Class 7A: Dewayne Brown, Hoover HS
AISA: Haiden Harper, Lee-Scott Academy
Holt, who also was named 6A Player of the Year on Tuesday for the second straight season, averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2.4 assists for the Bucks (23-5) this season. He once again was named MVP of the Class 6A state tournament and already this year has been named the Gatorade and MaxPreps Alabama Player of the Year. “It feels great being honored with 6A Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball,” he said. “The Alabama sports writers put a lot of hard work into these awards. It’s special for me to receive both of them.”
Holt, who has already scored 1,798 points in his high school basketball career, is Buckhorn’s first Mr. Basketball winner. He is the seventh underclassmen to win the award but the first sophomore. He was also named to the ASWA Super All-State team, the top five players in the state regardless of classification or position. He was joined by Hoover’s DeWayne Brown, Huntsville’s Caleb Harrison, Mountain Brook’s Ty Davis, and Valley’s Cam Dooley.
Austin averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists with 117 steals, converting 239-of-480 field goals for 50 percent while making 83-of-111 from 3-point range for 37 percent. Spring Garden finished 33-1 in 2024. Panthers head coach Ricky Austin is Ace’s father, and her mother Dana Austin is an assistant coach. Dana teamed with her twin sister Jana in high school to capture Spring Garden’s first girls’ state basketball championship in 1987. Both earn All-America status in high school and played collegiately at Jacksonville State University.
Ricky earned a berth in the state tourney at Spring Garden as a senior in his school and has directed the Lady Panthers to eight state titles while compiling a 754-168 career record through 2024.
Ace, who was named after former University of Tennessee guard Ace Clement, has already compiled 2,901 points, 1,058 rebounds and 1,175 assists in her career with another year remaining. The only juniors to win the award previously were Eufaula’s Gwen Jackson in 1998 and West Morgan’s Hayden Hamby in 2011.
The ASWA 2024 Girls’ Super All-State Team is anchored by Austin, Hazel Green’s Leah Brooks, Hewitt-Trussville’s Jordan Hunter, Good Hope’s Ivey Maddox, and Mars Hill eighth grader Belle Hill. Austin and Brooks were also Super All-State last season.