By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

MONTGOMERY – There are two things Sand Rock senior point guard Jacob StClair isn’t particularly fond of.

One is getting dressed up.

The second is speaking in public.

StClair had to do both on Thursday at the Montgomery Renaissance for the Alabama Sports Writers Association Basketball Player of the Year banquet after he earned the top 2A boys honor. Upon winning, StClair became the first Sand Rock basketball player to do so.

“I was really nervous giving a speech,” the reserved StClair said. “I hate getting up in front of people and talking. That was the only part that I was nervous about. Other than that, it feels really good. It doesn’t feel real. I’m excited.

“I broke a lot of records at Sand Rock, and this is one more.”

Sand Rock coach John Blackwell said as soon as program emcee AL.com sportswriter Ben Thomas called his name, the first thing that run through his mind was StClair talking in front of several hundred people.

“He’s much more comfortable playing in front of thousands than he is talking in front of several hundred,” Blackwell said. “To achieve what he’s done, that’s taken a lot of self-practice, a lot of self-discipline, a lot of work from him and his parents. This is a nice moment for them. They’ve put a lot of time into this.”

StClair averaged 27 points, 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds and a steal per game in leading the Wildcats (22-11) to their first Final Four berth since 2011. He beat out Aliceville senior guard Jatavius Colvin and North Sand Mountain senior forward Chandler Sullivan for the 2A boys honor.

Colvin averaged 17 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the state champion Yellow Jackets (21-1). Sullivan averaged 19.5 points, 16.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Bison (25-6).

“Without my teammates and coaches, none of this would’ve been possible,” StClair said. “You can have one really good player on your team, but you’ve got to have a whole team to make it as far as we did. We had a good team. Coach Blackwell puts in a lot of time with us and teaches us the right things to do on and off the court.”

But StClair wasn’t the only one from Northeast Alabama to win big on Thursday.

Spring Garden sophomore point guard Ace Austin claimed the Class 1A girls honor, while Piedmont senior point guard Alex Odam did so in Class 3A boys.

Austin averaged 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 4.9 steals for the Class 1A state champion Spring Garden Lady Panthers (36-1). She earned the 1A girls honor over Linden senior center Timya Thurman and Elba sophomore guard A’Lyric Whitfield.

Thurman, an Auburn signee, averaged 22.5 points, 15.2 rebounds and four assists for the Lady Patriots. Whitfield averaged 23.4 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Lady Tigers (25-6).

Austin said she too was a little nervous up at the podium accepting her award.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “None of this would be possible without my coaches and teammates, just them pushing me harder and harder every day. If they’re not pushing you harder every day, then you’re not going to get better. Being able to represent our county along with Jacob, that’s a big honor. I’m just thankful for this opportunity.”

Austin, who also earned a spot on the ASWA Super All-State Girls Team (top 5 players regardless of classification), gave special thanks to her older brothers Cooper and Riley for her toughness.

“Without them pushing me in the back yard, just making me tougher every day. I definitely wouldn’t be able to be here without them pushing me every day. If you’re not tough going out and trying to play ball, then it’s pretty hard. If you’re soft you’re not going to get very far.”

Austin’s father and head coach Ricky Austin said he didn’t practice with his daughter on her acceptance speech.

“I’m sure she had herself prepared for it, just like a player prepares for a game,” Coach Austin said. “As a coach and a dad, it’s a really good feeling. I’m so proud of our county and our area. We had a lot of players who were very deserving. It’s a very exciting day for us.”

Odam, Piedmont’s all-time leading scorer with over 3,200 points and Jacksonville State signee, averaged 25.6 points, 9.2 boards, 7.1 assists and 2.5 steals for the Bulldogs (25-6). Odam earned the 3A boys award over Plainview senior forward Luke Smith and Cottage Hill senior forward Tyler Thomas.

Smith averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the state champion Bears (27-6). He is an Alabama-Huntsville signee. Thomas averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Warriors (25-3). He is a UAB football signee.

“A lot of hard work is paying off,” said Odam, a three-time finalist. “I’ve been waiting for it.”

Odam’s father and head coach JoJo Odam said Thursday’s honor was a good way for his son to end his Piedmont basketball career.

“He’s worked so hard for it,” Coach Odam said. “All three of those (3A) guys deserved it. There really were no losers. I’m proud of him. He worked his tail off for it. It started from fifth and sixth grade. We’ve been in the gym at 5:30 in the morning the last few weeks getting ready to take that next step toward college. It has paid off for him.”

In other ASWA basketball honors on Thursday, Hoover’s Reniya Kelly and Baker’s Labaron Philon were named Mr. and Miss Basketball.

Kelly led Hoover to a 35-1 record and a Class 7A championship this season. She averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5 assists.

The North Carolina signee finished with 2,272 career points, the most in Hoover history, and was a four-time All-State player.

Kelly gives Hoover an unprecedented third Miss Basketball winner. The previous winning Bucs were Sidney Spencer (2003) and Marqu’es Webb (2013).

Philon racked up a 35.3-point average, helping Baker finish 23-6. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 51 percent from the field and 82 percent on free throws.

A junior, Philon is the sixth underclassman to win Mr. Basketball. The first was John Carroll’s Ronald Steele in 2003-04.

MISS BASKETBALL
Reniya Kelly, Hoover

MR. BASKETBALL
Labaron Philon, Baker

SUPER ALL-STATE
(top 5 players regardless of classification)

GIRLS
Reniya Kelly, Hoover
Leah Brooks, Hazel Green
Syriah Daniels, Auburn
Ace Austin, Spring Garden
Jorda Crook, Ohatchee

BOYS
Labaron Philon, Baker
Caleb Holt, Buckhorn
John Broom, Jacksonville
Chase McCarty, Westminster-Huntsville
Win Miller, Vestavia Hills

CLASS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

GIRLS
7A: Reniya Kelly, Hoover
6A: Leah Brooks, Hazel Green
5A: Olivia Vandergriff, Guntersville
4A: Chloe Siegel, Deshler
3A: Jorda Crook, Ohatchee
2A: Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible
1A: Ace Austin, Spring Garden
AISA: Grace Davis, Clarke Prep

BOYS
7A: Labaron Philon, Baker
6A: Caleb Holt, Buckhorn
5A: Austin Cross, Charles Henderson
4A: John Broom, Jacksonville
3A: Alex Odam, Piedmont
2A: Jacob StClair, Sand Rock
1A: Jaden Nixon, Autaugaville
AISA: Jacob Wilson, Macon-East