Louisiana high school boys basketball: Here are the top senior point guards for the 2023-24 season
We’re taking a position-by-position look at some of the top players in Louisiana high school boys basketball.
The following is a look at some of the top senior point guards in Louisiana. The list is not meant to be comprehensive. Please let us know of other senior point guards who deserve recognition.
Turner Duncan, 6-4, St. Augustine
The Air Force Academy signee shoots the 3-ball well under pressure, as evidenced by his six 3s in the Purple Knights' loss to Madison Prep. Against an elite opponent, Duncan made six 3-pointers and scored approximately half of his team's points.
Clifton Dixon of LouisianaHoops.com writes that Duncan "possesses good athleticism, excellent ball handles, nice mid-range scoring ability and shoots the ball very well from behind the 3-point line."
Like the rest of the St. Augustine starting five, Duncan has good length. He plays for one of the state's most storied programs.
Laurence Nathan, 6-2, George Washington Carver
Nathan is the floor general for this Class 4A powerhouse that always turns it up an extra notch in the postseason.
Analyst Clifton Dixon writes that Nathan "possesses elite mid-range scoring ability, a high basketball I.Q. and is an excellent ball handler with great court vision."
The Rams are two-time defending state champions and will be considered a strong favorite to reach the Top 28 again for a potential three-peat.
Aumad Hackett, 6-0, Bonnabel
Hackett is a big scorer, putting in 18 points in a win over McDonogh 35 and 17 points in a win over Terrebonne the previous week. Hackett is a good complement to Jeremiah Lucas, the junior shooting guard, and 6-foot-6 senior center Chris Hervey.
Hackett has helped his team defeat tough teams such as St. Thomas Aquinas, Archbishop Hannan, Hahnville and Holy Cross. Talent runs in Hackett's family. His older brother, Roderick, was a top player in the Class of 2019 for the Bruins.
Lionel Larvadain, 6-0, Eleanor McMain
Larvadain runs the show uptown for the Mustangs, who have reached the state finals two of the last three years.
Analyst Clifton Dixon writes that Larvadain possesses "dynamic athleticism," "finishes well through contact" and is a defensive pit bull.
Larvadain, who averaged 18 points as a junior, signed with Southern University. He is one of five senior starters for McMain, which has a win over state power Bossier on its resume.
Rondae Hill, 6-0, Calvary Baptist
Hill recently committed to Henderson State. His coach, Victor Morris, congratulated Hill on X, writing that "all the hard work, early mornings and late nights in the gym. ... all the sacrificing, has paid off."
Hill led the Cavaliers to a 25-6 record and a runner-up finish to Isidore Newman in Division III select last season. In the semifinal win over Catholic-New Iberia, Hill scored 12 points with seven assists and eight rebounds.
As a senior, he leads the Cavaliers with 19 points per game with six assists, four rebounds and two steals per game. Calvary Baptist is on track to contend for the state title, which would be the Shreveport school's first.
The Cavs have been runner-up three straight times. Analyst Clifton Dixon wrote that Hill "is a solid pull-up scorer that possesses a next level basketball IQ and is a crafty finisher at the rim."
Howard Gaskins Jr., 6-2, Liberty Magnet
The Patriots are as deep and powerful as any in-state program, and Gaskins is the leading point-producer. Through 23 games, Gaskins was scoring at a clip of 15.0 ppg while playing 24 minutes per outing.
He and junior Malek Robinson are adept ball handlers for Liberty Magnet, which only has one in-state loss (to Madison Prep) while stacking up 16 wins vs. Louisiana opponents, and is No. 2 in the Division I select power ratings.
Gaskins was nominated for the McDonald's All-American game. In a District 4-5A showdown vs. Baton Rouge metro area rival Scotlandville last February, Gaskins made two free throws to clinch the win and scored 22 points.
In 2022, 225 Magazine wrote an article where it profiled Gaskins as a local "Rising Star."
Cornelius Brown, 5-11, John F. Kennedy
Brown began the season with a bang, pumping out 30 points with three assists in 20 minutes in the jamboree vs. Country Day, according to New Orleans basketball expert Josh Preston.
High school basketball scout Andrew Phipps wrote on X that Kennedy is "a game wrecking point guard. Has natural passing instincts paired well with a deadly jumper."
Brown, who scored 45 points in a recent game vs. Booker T. Washington-New Orleans, has a 3.5 GPA.
Greg Manning Jr., 5-8, Benton
Manning can score at will. He accounted for 33 points in his team's 64-49 win over Loyola Prep. He can also score in bunches in football.
As a junior, he reached the end zone eight times (seven rushing, one receiving) in a game where the score (78-71) resembled a hoops outcome. He rushed for 200-plus yards vs. Airline the same year.
Amir Chaney, 5-10, Zachary
The Broncos are blessed with two stellar point guards in Chaney and Kheiri Haynes. Chaney has been getting it done for years.
According to James Keys' YouTube channel, Chaney totaled 17 points, six assists and two steals vs. a pair of Top 30 players back in the summer of 2020.
He hustles non-stop. In a game vs. Bossier last March, Chaney chased down an opponent in transition and batted the ball away to force a turnover.
Kheiri Haynes, 5-10, Zachary
Haynes has been logging valuable minutes for years for the Broncos, who won back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022, when Zachary went 37-3.
Haynes, who is double-trouble with teammate Amir Chaney in the Broncos' starting lineup, was the subject of a WAFB-TV segment in 2021 when he was surprised by his mother at school when she returned from serving in the military.
Romelo Joseph, 6-2, Lafayette High
At 190 lbs., Joseph, a four-year starter on the Class 5A level, simply out-muscles opposing guards. He is brilliant in the classroom, as well, with a 4.0 GPA.
LouisianaHoops.com analyst Clifton Dixon wrote that Joseph "is a smart and patient player who can easily attack the rim," "possesses a quick and powerful first step," and "doesn't take plays off."
Joseph was a dangerous receiver for the Lions' football team, catching three passes for 108 yards and a TD in one game and catching nine passes for 118 yards and a TD in another.
Mason Lavergne, 6-0, Dunham
Lavergne was a first-team all-district selection as a junior, when he led the fourth-seeded Tigers to the Division IV select semifinals. He paced Dunham with 13 points in the playoff loss to eventual state champion Isidore Newman and averaged more than 12 points per game during the 2022-23 regular season, which saw the Tigers finish with a 20-10 record.
The Lavergne-led Tigers were off to a 18-6 start to the current season with wins over Archbishop Rummel, Avoyelles Public Charter and twice vs. both University Lab and Walker.
Colossians Mason-Jones, 5-11, Booker T. Washington-Shreveport
Mason-Jones was one of only two underclassmen to make the District 1-4A first-team last season.
BTW-Shreveport, with Mason-Jones directing traffic, is looking to make some noise in the Division II select playoffs after losing a close (61-58) first-round game at Northside in 2023.
Mason-Jones led the Lions with 18 points in a 65-64 loss to Red River and has led his team to a 14-7 record. BTW-Shreveport, which is part of a rugged district that includes Bossier, Evangel Christian, Huntington and Woodlawn-Shreveport, is 2-0 in league play with wins over Bossier and at North DeSoto (100-50).
Bryson James, 6-1, Plaquemine
James led the Green Devils to last season's Division II non-select quarterfinals as a No. 12 seed that narrowly missed an upset of eventual state champion Bossier in the quarterfinals. Plaquemine, which eliminated District 5-3A opponents No. 21 Crowley and No. 5 St. Martinville in the first two rounds, lost 43-40 to Bossier.
James has led his team to a 16-7 record thus far this season. Last year, the Green Devils got better as the season went on. James helped his team defeat powerful Liberty Magnet to improve its record at the time to 14-12.
TJ Callahan, 6-0, Episcopal
Callahan is another hardwood/gridiron standout with multiple scholarship offers for football as a receiver and defensive back. He averaged 21 points, six assists and four rebounds per game at the prestigious Madison Prep "Rumble on the River" that saw the Knights go undefeated throughout the tourney.
Callahan led Episcopal to a Division III select quarterfinals appearance in football and was selected to play in the Gridiron Football All-American Bowl.
Braylen Clark, 5-9, Evangel Christian
Mal Mundy of the Hoopfest Tour writes that Clark is a four-year starter who averages 21 points per game and six assists for the Eagles, who are off to a 13-7 start to the season.
Clifton Dixon wrote on X following the Eagles' recent win over Ouachita Parish that Clark "did a great job of controlling the pace of the game" and "was disruptive defending on the perimeter."
Eric Shepherd Jr., Clark's coach at Evangel Christian, wrote on X that Clark is "tough as nails, a point guard first, (is) smart, a facilitator and a fierce competitor."
Ayden Warren, 5-11, St. Mary's
Warren made honorable mention all-state as a junior while leading the Tigers to the Division IV select quarterfinals where they lost to top-seeded eventual state champion and district rival Northwood-Lena.
Analyst Clifton Dixon writes that Warren is "an excellent shot creator, is always under control, and never in a rush."
St. Mary's currently is 17-6, No. 4 in the power ratings, and has won nine of its last 10 games with only a loss to Class 5A Jesuit. The Class 1A Tigers have wins over large-school programs Northside and Tioga. Warren accounted for 20 of his team's points along with four rebounds in a 54-32 win over Georgetown.
Rayien Oatis, 6-0, Donaldsonville
Oatis is a Southeastern Louisiana defensive back signee who is heralded as a football prospect. He is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 49 player in Louisiana by the recruiting service On3.
Through the first seven games of the basketball season, Oatis was averaging a team-high 16 points per game. His nickname is "Juicy."
Jeremy Bargky, 6-4, Lafayette Christian
The Knights got off to a perfect 19-0 start vs. in-state opponents with Bargky providing a hefty amount of scoring. He averaged 13 points and five assists last season and increased his offensive output as a senior.
In a first-round win over North Central at the STM Sunkist Shootout, Bargky knocked down five of his first six shots with three 3-pointers en route to posting 20 points.
Tre'Von Jackson, 6-0, Airline
Jackson was an offensive catalyst on last year's team, putting up 25 points in a 58-41 District 1-5A win over C.E. Byrd in the regular season finale.
He had 23 points in a December win over Shreveport/Bossier metro area rival Booker T. Washington.
Jackson has multiple scholarship offers to play football. He totaled more than 1,400 all-purpose yards with 17 TDs for Airline (10-2), which reached the Division I non-select quarterfinals as a No. 4 seed.
Monwell Willis, 6-1, St. Thomas More
Willis plays for one of the state's premier programs, St. Thomas More, which has a 18-1 record vs. in-state competition and is currently No. 1 in the Division I select power ratings.
He scored 12 points in a 50-45 win over Brother Martin at the Sunkist Shootout, 10 points in a quarterfinals win over St. Thomas Aquinas at the Country Day Tournament and 11 points in a semifinal win over Archbishop Rummel.
Willis helped the Cougars to a runner-up finish to Catholic-Baton Rouge in last year's playoffs.
Austin Delahoussaye, 6-0, New Iberia
Delahoussaye is a three-year starter for an elite Class 5A program that finished as runner-up to Ponchatoula in last year's Division I non-select playoffs.
He is averaging near double figures for a defensive-minded team that has a 19-3 record and is No. 2 in the power ratings behind only Zachary. The Yellow Jackets overcame a double-digit second half deficit to beat Zachary earlier this season.
Coach Chad Pourciau raves about Delahoussaye's defensive abilities on the court and his superb ball-handling skills. Delahoussaye made The Daily Iberian's Best of the Teche football team for his performance in the secondary for New Iberia.
Maurice Carson, 5-10, Southwood
Carson, who goes by "Moe," helped the Cowboys to a quality win over Dunham at the MLK Classic in Baton Rouge. Carson had nine points, six assists and two steals. He had 14 points in a loss to defending Division I non-select state champion Ponchatoula and scored 12 in a recent District 1-5A win over C.E. Byrd.
Carson has led the Cowboys to a 16-6 record, 5-0 in District 1-5A.
Following a close loss to Peabady at Mal Mundy's Extravaganza Classic, Clifton Dixon wrote about Carson on X: "Excellent perimeter defense and he made a number of clutch shots from the outside," adding that Carson "did a good job of absorbing contact to get to the free-throw line."
Karson Mabou, 5-10, Buckeye
Mabou has helped his team to an unbelievable season. Buckeye is 23-0 on the year, No. 6 in the Division II select power ratings and stands a good chance of finishing with a perfect regular season.
Mabou, who has a 4.6 weighted GPA and scored a 27 on the ACT, was a second-team all-district performer last season. He is a defensive guru who led the state in taking charges during his junior campaign.
Coach Russell Vanlandingham wrote on Mabou's Uncommon Basketball Recruiting Card that he "won over the college coaches on staff with his energy, efort and competitive spirit every time he stepped between the lines. Talk about a motor that never stops. ..."
Aiden Sandifer, 6-0, Singer
Sandifer averaged 21 points per game as a junior while earning second-team all-state Class C honors by the LSWA. He has led Singer to a 17-10 mark thus far.
Michael Sarver, 6-0, Saint Paul's
Sarver is one of the more prolific scorers in the state, averaging 23.3 points per game. Already this season, he scored 20 or more points 19 times, 30 or more points four times and also had one game where he had at least 40 points. He's also shooting 53.7% from 2-point range, 36.2% from beyond the arc and 84% at the foul line. He's also averaging four rebounds, three steals and 2.4 assists.
Photo of George Washington Carver's Laurence Nathan (with ball) by Rodrick Anderson, Lake Charles American Press
-- Mike Coppage | @SBLiveLA
