National high school boys basketball Player of the Year: Meet 20 top candidates
Playoff games tip off this week in high school boys basketball in several states, including California and Florida.
Several more states start their playoff season next week, and by March, state champions will be crowned across the country.
As the regular season winds up, we're featuring 20 players who've looked like the best of the best in 2023-24 in high school boys basketball.
From McDonald's All-Americans to players who should have been McDonald's All-Americans, here are 20 players who've had national MVP-worthy seasons thus far.
Ace Bailey, sr., McEachern (Georgia)
McEachern star Ace Bailey, left, will be playing for Rutgers next season.
Photo by Colin Hubbard
The smooth, dynamic 6-foot-8 forward is the nation's No. 2-rated senior prospect, and a walking double-double who has asserted himself among the best players in the country with big performances, stellar moments and projectable skills as he leads McEachern, a Georgia Class 7A state contender. He hit a tough contested fadeaway game-winner to cap a 31-point, 16-rebound outing and secure a Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions third-place win.
Jalil Bethea, sr., Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania)
Flory Bidunga, sr., Kokomo (Indiana)
Kokomo center Flory Bidunga has thrown down a ton of dunks in his high school career.
Photo by Julie L. Brown
The Kansas signee is enjoying another dominant season for Kokomo (17-3), averaging 17.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.6 blocks and 3.3 assists per game after leading the Wildkats to the Class 4A state championship game as a junior, earning him SBLive Junior All-American honors in 2022-23.
Annor Boateng, sr., Little Rock Central (Arkansas)
Cameron Boozer, jr., Columbus (Florida)
Cameron Boozer will try to lead Columbus to repeat state championships this year.
Photo by Naji Saker
Boozer earned all kinds of national accolades as a sophomore, and he’s back for more as a junior. He helped Columbus win the Les Schwab Invitational in December, beating California’s Harvard-Westlake in the final. The 6-foot-9 power forward is averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds per game this season.
A.J. Dybantsa, jr., Prolific Prep (California)
Prolific Prep's A.J. Dybantsa is the top-ranked junior recruit in the country.
Photo by Robson Lopes
The top-ranked junior recruit in the country, many view Dybantsa as 1A to Cooper Flagg’s 1 as the top NBA prospects in high school. A 6-foot-9 guard, Dybantsa was at his best recently playing against Flagg and national No. 1 Montverde Academy, scoring a game-high 18 points.
VJ Edgecombe, sr., Long Island Lutheran (New York)
Isaiah Evans, sr., North Mecklenburg (North Carolina)
Cooper Flagg, sr., Montverde Academy (Florida)
Montverde's Cooper Flagg skies for a dunk during a game against Oak Hill Academy at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Photo by Tarek Fattal
The top player projected in the 2025 NBA Draft, Flagg reclassified from 2025 and remained the consensus top player in his class for a reason. The 6-foot-9, 195-pound Duke commit can score from anywhere on the court, attack the rim at a level indistinguishable from the pros and has led national No. 1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 24-0 season thus far. He's averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, four assists and 2.9 blocks per game.
Boogie Fland, sr., Archbishop Stepinac (New York)
Dylan Harper, sr., Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey)
Morez Johnson, sr., Thornton (Illinois)
Tre Johnson, sr., Link Academy (Missouri)
Link Academy's Tre Johnson rises high for a 3-pointer against Burlington School.
Photo by Nate Latsch
A 6-foot-6 combo guard, Johnson rose to one of the top-rated prospects in the country and led Lake Highlands (Texas) to a UIL Class 6A state championship. He transferred to Link Academy where he stars for the No. 8-ranked team in the country, and he'll return to Texas to play for the Longhorns next year.
Kon Knueppel, sr., Wisconsin Lutheran (Wisconsin)
Jackson McAndrew, sr., Wayzata (Minnesota)
Brandon McCoy, so., St. John Bosco (California)
St. John Bosco's Brandon McCoy is the top-ranked sophomore recruit in the country
Photo by Tarek Fattal
Last year a sophomore took home national Gatorade Player of the Year honors. If it happens again this year, McCoy would be the top candidate. The 6-foot-4 point guard scored 51 points in his final two games of the regular season and is averaging 18.5 per game playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
Mercy Miller, sr., Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (California)
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame guard Mercy Miller, right, will be playing for Houston next year.
Photo by Heston Quan
Miller, who scored 68 points in a game earlier this season against Oakwood, is averaging 30 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season for the 24-3 Notre Dame Knights, who finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in the SBLive California Top 25. The 6-foot-4 son of rapper Master P will be playing for Houston next year.
Ahmad Nowell, sr., Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania)
Imhotep Charter's Ahmad Nowell will be playing for UConn next season.
Photo by Nate Latsch
Nowell showed his all-around game in the Panthers' 58-41 win against DeMatha Catholic (Maryland) at the Hoophall Classic, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, nine assists and three steals. The 6-foot UConn signee is averaging over 25 points per game this season.
Koa Peat, jr., Perry (Arizona)
Koa Peat stuffs a Jesuit shot at the Les Schwab Invitational in December.
Photo by Naji Saker
Peat already has two state championships and two gold medals playing for Team USA. The 6-foot-8 forward is stringing together double-doubles this season and on track to repeat as Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year. He had 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in a win over Grayson (Georgia) at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts.
Tounde Yessoufou, jr., Santa Maria St. Joseph (California)
Santa Maria St. Joseph wing Tounde Yessoufou is averaging over 33 points per game during his junior season.
Photo by Leon Neuschwander
Yessoufou is averaging 33.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game for 24-2 Santa Maria St. Joseph, the defending NorCal Open Division champion. The 6-foot-6 wing has been throwing down monstrous dunks since his freshman year.
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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
