Vote: Who was the top Texas (UIL) 1A/2A/3A boys basketball player in 2024 state tournament?
Who was the best small-school Texas high school basketball player at the state championship week in San Antonio?
Six UIL state champions were crowned on Saturday at the Alamodome, culminating a week that featured many great individual performances. We took a comprehensive look at the top performers in the 1A, 2A and 3A semifinals and finals.
Now, we want to hear from you.
Scroll down and scan the top stars from state week and cast your vote in the reader poll. Voting is open until Wednesday, March 20 at 11:59 p.m. central time.
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TOP PERFORMANCES IN UIL STATE TOURNAMENT (1A/2A/3A)
Hitchcock's Damien McDanieladvances the ball during a Class 3A state championship win over Ponder on Saturday at the Alamodome.
Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive Sports
DJ Barnes
High school: Shelbyville (2A)
As the backcourt mate to Mathis, Barnes was another star in Shelbyville's semifinal victory scoring a game high 23 points. The junior chipped in with four rebounds and three assists. In the championship loss, Barnes scored a team-high 14 points.
Caleb Cook
High school: New Home (2A)
The junior New Home star had an impressive showing in the state semifinal with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds. He had a chance at a potential game-winner at the buzzer to advance New Home to championship Saturday, however the basket was ruled off after official review determined he did not get it off before the horn sounded.
Court Gaylor
High school: Lipan (2A)
A freshman, Gaylor helped Lipan win its second straight state title over Shelbyville on Saturday, 47-36, posting an impressive 27 points, four rebounds, and three steals. In a semifinal victory, the freshman added 14 points with four 3-pointers. The freshman phenom earned tournament MVP honors announcing to the rest of the Lone Star State and Class 2A that he will be a problem for the next three years.
Colt Gentry
High school: Jayton (1A)
The sophomore guard was a stat sheet stuffer for the Jaybirds in a state championship victory over Benjamin. Gentry finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead Jayton to its first state championship in school history.
Lloyd Jones III
High school: Hitchcock (3A)
Texas Tech-committed quarterback put up 17 points and 13 boards in a state semifinal win over San Antonio Cole, then followed it up with 12 and 7 boards in the Class 3A title — a 53-49 win over Ponder.
Max Hutcherson
High school: Ponder (3A)
The senior forward was a big reason Ponder made it to Saturday's title game posting a 19-point, six-rebound performance on Thursday afternoon against Holliday. In the loss on Saturday, Hutcherson was again the leading scorer with 14 points totaling 34 points for the weekend and 10 combined rebounds.
Ja'Davian Mathis
High school: Shelbyville (2A)
The junior guard was a key contributor to Shelbyville advancing to championship Saturday with 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists against Thrall. More impressively, Mathis shot 10-for-11 from the free throw line to help secure the victory.
Dawson Meiske
High school: Thrall (2A)
The senior center was a monster in the middle in their semifinal loss to Shelbyville. Meiske posted a double-double — 17 points and 15 rebounds as he led the Tigers to a 30-6 overall record.
Damien McDaniel
High school: Hitchcock (3A)
McDaniel was the key to the Bulldogs second straight state championship — this time a 53-49 victory over Ponder in come-from-behind fashion. The senior guard nearly had a double-double with 23 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Not only was this the second straight championship for Hitchcock, but this was also McDaniel's second straight MVP honor at the state tournament.
Grayson Rigdon
High school: Benjamin (1A)
The junior from Benjamin scores points and scores points in bunches. In two games this weekend, Rigdon scored 32 points in each game while chipping in with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 1A state championship loss on Saturday.
Elijah Sherwood
High school: Hitchcock (3A)
The junior Bulldog wing stole the show in Hitchcock's semifinal victory scoring a game-high 20 points against San Antonio Cole. Sherwood was impressive on the boards, hauling in eight in the win.
-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx
